21 Terry Mills

Terry Mills was born August 15, 1948, in Knox County, Kentucky, to Reed Mills and Mary Ruth Mayo.  He launched his basketball journey by playing as a boy against his two older brothers on a goal their father, Reed, attached to the family barn.  Reed was a homebuilder in Knox County and his wife, Mary Ruth, worked for decades at a Barbourville bank.

Mills was the centerpiece of the best two-year stretch of basketball in the history of Knox Central High School.  Mills caught the eye of scouts as a junior in high school when he accumulated, for Knox Central, 43 points and 24 rebounds in two state tournament games.  It was Knox Central’s first trip to the state tournament.  Mills was a prep All-America, All-State, and All-Tournament at Knox Central in Barbourville, Kentucky and was called a sleeper by some.  Mills was contacted by more than 100 colleges. He scored 682 points in 31 games as a senior and scored 1,622 points in his three-year high school career.  Panther fans insisted Mills was the best player in the Commonwealth.  It was generally agreed that Mills, who scored 32 points against top-ranked Shelby County in the state tournament, outplayed Shelby County All-Stater Mike Casey, who went on to star for Kentucky.  Shelby County went on to win the state title.

On March 26, 1966, Mills signed a grant-in-aid to play basketball for Kentucky.  He was joined by Dan Issel, Mike Pratt, Mike Casey, Bill Busey, Mort Fraley, and Jim Dinwiddle in that year’s recruiting class.

As a freshman at Kentucky, Mills was a steady performer and was dubbed a possible replacement for All-American Louie Dampier by coach Adolph Rupp.  He played in all 20 games—compiling a total of 161 points that ranked fifth highest on the squad.  He was also credited with 44 rebounds and 28 assists.  The 1966-67 Kentucky basketball media guide described him as the complete player who does everything well—scores inside or out, rebounds capably, was effective defensively, and was a team leader in assists.

Mills redshirted the 1967-1968 season simply because Rupp had too many players.

As a redshirt sophomore, Mills started the first two games as a guard, then played in 13 games in a reserve role when Mike Pratt returned to action.  He played in 15 games, averaging 109 minutes played, 17 field goals made, 43 field goal attempts, a field goal percentage of 39.53%, 14 free throws made, 19 free throw attempts, a free throw percentage of 73.68%, and 4 assists. His total points for this season were 48.

As a junior, Mills started 10 games and then played in 16 in a reserve role.  The summer before the season started, Mike Casey was in an automobile accident in which the tibia and fibula of his left leg were shattered.  UK’s championship hopes dimmed significantly.  Mills’ chance for playing time, however, brightened.  Helping fill the scoring void left by Casey’s absence, Mills had his best year at UK.  He was the team’s fourth-leading scorer with a 9.1 average.  He was a good outside shooter and hit 47.4 from the field on medium long-range shots.  Mills had a high game of 22 points against LSU.  He was also an excellent jumper, pulling down 73 rebounds from the guard position.  Mills scored the winning basket against Auburn on February 2, 1970.  He scored an arching 25-foot jump shot in the final 11 seconds that gave Kentucky the victory it needed to pull into a tie with Georgia for first place in the SEC.  But after the game, Dan Issel said, “I was supposed to take the shot.  I was supposed to be the hero.”  To which Mills responded, “Well, Coach Rupp said to shoot with 8 seconds left. I looked and there were nine.  It was time to let it go, so I did.”  Mills’ game time increased significantly to 526 minutes over 26 games. He made 94 field goals on 199 attempts, with a field goal percentage of 47.24%, and 49 free throws on 66 attempts, with a free throw percentage of 74.24%. He also had 73 assists, contributing to 139 total points.  Kentucky finished the season with a 26-1 record and an SEC championship going into the NCAA tournament’s Mideast Regional finals where they lost to Artis Gilmore and Jacksonville.  Mills scored 18 points before fouling out in that game.

Mills got married in between his junior and senior years.  On June 20, 1970, Mills married Lorri Heinlein in Tallahassee, Florida.  His brother Larry served as best man.

As a senior, Casey returned from his broken leg and reclaimed his starting job.  As a result, Mills saw his playing time reduced and his scoring average (6.3) drop in his senior year.  Mills played in 22 games, averaging 279 minutes played, 52 field goals made, 104 field goal attempts, a field goal percentage of 50%, 35 free throws made, 46 free throw attempts, a free throw percentage of 76.09%, and 30 assists. This season saw him contribute 123 total points.  Mills was idled during much of December of his senior season due to a sprained ankle, an injury that he never fully recovered from prior to the season’s end but he remained Rupp’s top reserve guard.

In a Lexington Herald-Leader news article in 2008, Mills shared some interesting insight into Adolph Rupp.  “There was always a big scramble during games to sit next to Coach Rupp on the bench.”  Rupp’s eyesight was not what it had once been.  “If somebody messed up, he’d say “Who did that?’  If you were sitting next to him, you could tell him that it was the guy playing ahead of you.  Sometimes, he would grab you and put you in.”  Having coached Kentucky for almost four decades by this time, player names tended to run together for Rupp.  “He’d call you by your hometown or your high school,”  Mills recalled.  “I was ‘Barbourville,’ or sometimes ‘Knox Central.’  He’d say, “Get in Barbourville.”

Terry’s son Cameron Mills went on to play for Kentucky also.

Throughout his career at Kentucky, Mills’ contributions were significant, showcasing his skills as a guard and his ability to contribute to the team’s offensive output. His career statistics highlight his impact on the team, particularly during the 1969-70 season, where his increased game time and improved field goal and free throw percentages demonstrate his growth as a player.

College Statistics:

Per Game

Totals