In portal era, Andre Mills stuck with loyalty to Buzz Williams, Maryland men's basketball

Ahmed Ghafir
2 days ago
4 min read

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPYllS2qLBQ

Once year one of the Buzz Williams era ended, change was coming along the roster. It didn't take long until that materialized, eventually leading to seven transfers after Darius Adams, Myles Rice and Isaiah Watts were among the seven players to depart the program. That didn't include others like Elijah Saunders and Diggy Coit who exhausted their eligibility with a 12-win season, still leaving Maryland men's basketball with ample production to replace through the transfer portal.

Yet Maryland won't look to bounceback with only new players after Andre Mills became one of a handful to return. While many did have stay-or-go decisions to make, for Mills, there was no question about where he would suit up in 2026-27.

"There was really no real conversations. I just said, 'when can I start?' I already had my mind made up, so I had no ifs ands or buts or doubts in my mind that where I was going to be, who I was going to be with, who I wanted to do it with," Mills said.

Under a head coach that has prioritized loyalty, whether it be with his players or coacing staff, Mills pointed to that as a key part in the decision. The relationships that Mills leans on dates back to his junior year of high school where his connection with Williams and assistant Wabissa Bede, who also hailed from Mass Rivals like Mills, were already well established prior to his breakout redshirt freshman season. Bede served as a key assistant during Mills's redshirt year at Texas A&M during early morning workouts, all part of the reason why Mills sees the coaches as "my family."

“I feel like they never put me in a wrong position. They trust me a lot. I feel like, in the middle of the season when stuff went wrong, they kind of just put the ball in my hands. I feel like loyalty goes further than chasing money, and I think that it's going to mean something to me more if I win with this group of coaches rather than me go somewhere else and win and be a part of whatever," Mills said.

The big question is how Mills and the new pieces mesh after the program turned the page from a 12-win season, but the returning guard pointed to natural chemistry with this year's team with Thursday evidence of that. While Tuesdays normally mark when the team plays pick-up, over half the team showed up for Thursday's optional lift.

"I just think stuff like that goes a long way, for sure."

Compatibility became the biggest lesson that Mills learned from his first season, admitting last year's team liked each other but "didn't blend."

"You can like somebody off the court, but you could also not be compatible with them on the court, or you can not like somebody at all off the court, and then be compatible with them on the court," he added.

On the new-look roster, there's a sense of "no selfish intention" through the first month of summer workouts. Mills also pointed to Boston transfer Mike McNair as one who's 'really good" while noting both SEC transfer guards - Bishop Boswell and DJ Wagner - are "very downhill guards that can create for others and very high IQ guards."

"It kind of feels like I'm playing with myself, if that makes sense, like in terms of like the aggressiveness, the downhill, the constant attacking somebody, and I just don't think a lot of teams are gonna be able to handle all that, like having that many people coming at you all game like that," Mills added.

After becoming the breakout piece along the roster after starting in 25 of Maryland's 33 games and posting three 20-point performances over the final month of the season, including a career-high 39 points on 12-of-17 shooting at Northwestern on Feb. 18, Mills ended his redshirt freshman year averaging 12.2 points while shooting nearly 41% from the floor. The downhill guard showcased why he could be a foundational piece for Buzz Williams to lean on in year two, but Mills is looking to add to his arsenal now. Along with the continued emphasis on film study, Mills has made shot selection a focus while adding the mid-range and floaters back to his game.

"Learning not really when to shoot, but when not to shoot, more so like the back line of your defender, because I feel like I could really beat anybody off the dribble, but it's the second line I think I've grown a lot from that."

Now, Mills will look to become part of what could become a deeper rotation in year two of the Buzz Williams era while New Mexico transfer Tomislav Buljan pairs with Pharrel Payne to anchor the frontcourt after news of Payne's waiver was made official last month.

"You don't want to keep moving from school to school. I feel like that's a lot. Feel like I’ve made Maryland my home," Mills said. "I feel like the people love me here. I feel like it's a comfortable space, like I live in the same place. I don't want to keep jumping ship to ship. So this is home for sure."

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