The breakout has steadily been coming over the last couple of years. Now, over the next two years that will come to fruition as the coaches gather to watch and the offers start to come. Caleb Mills is sure to gain a lot of notoriety this July as that offer list starts to grow.
The coaching staff at Asheville Christian earned their credibility a couple of years ago, with Jordan Shepherd. They swore by how good he was, Phenom Hoops listened (and led the charge for him). Shepherd just finished up his freshman year at Oklahoma where he averaged 17 minutes per game. The staff feels equally as good about Mills and his ability to score the ball.
As with most of the top people in the state Mills in an alum of the prestigious North Carolina Top 80. This event brings the best players in the state to compete against one another under one roof. After his performance in the most recent event we wrote, “Continuing onto a speedy, high IQ player that is a really intriguing prospect for D1 programs, Caleb Mills. He’s a long, wiry guard that can race up and down the floor in a hurry but plays at a nice pace, advancing the ball and consistently making smart decisions with the ball. Offensively, Mills scores well on all three levels and does a terrific job of beating his man off the dribble followed by slicing through the defense on his way towards the rim. He creates and distributes the ball at a high level. Mills is a sharp, quick defender that is capable of causing turnovers both on and off-ball. Next in his development process is continuing to work on the consistency of his perimeter jumper, as it would make him basically unstoppable on offense. Coach Clifton on Mills: “Caleb could be really good; I’m not sure if camp ball agrees with him. He is a really solid all-around player and understands how to play. Caleb is a good communicator and has a good feel offensively; he will defend but needs prompting at times. He’s a good teammate and smart player in all facets.” Mills is already a quality player and is one of the more underrated guards in the state; he simply goes about his business with a Kwahi Leonard-like demeanor. Mills is already drawing interest and offers from a variety of D1 programs, watch for that to continue as he enters summer play.”
Each year Mills gets better, seemingly each time out Mills improves. He has a long and wiry frame and a skill set that seems to have offense come easy to him. Mills played with us at Phenom’s Summer Jam, in June, and Phenom’s Summer Grind, in July. During each event he showcased an ability to score at all 3 levels, both off the catch or the bounce. He also displayed a solid handle in the half court and great vision to see the floor.
After his June performance at Phenom’s Summer Jam Session 2 we echoed the sentiments that major moves were about to come for Mills, “Mills is right on the verge of a major breakout. Asheville Christian had this happen a couple of years ago with now Oklahoma sophomore Jordan Shepherd as he went virtually under the radar and then came through his freshman year as a contributor. Mills may be more polished than Shepherd at the same stage. Mills has good length and a great feel for scoring the ball. He has 3-level ability with touch and range. One of the things that sticks out about Mills is his ability to pass and see the floor. It was about this time that Shepherd found his 40” vertical, already able to play at the rim, if Mills can find some more spring his game will be very loud. Only holding a Winthrop offer currently, expect mid-majors to jump on board and high majors to start watching closely.”
Mills will be playing up on the 17u level all July with Team Vision. He currently carries a Winthrop offer, expect that list to grow as he more and more coaches see him.