When Wichita State plans to officially introduce Paul Mills as new men’s basketball coach
Wichita State plans to introduce new men’s basketball head coach Paul Mills at a 3:30 p.m. press conference Thursday at Koch Arena.
The event is free and open to the public with streaming available on ESPN+.
Mills, who is set to become the 27th head coach at WSU, has spent the past six years at Oral Roberts, where he has guided the team to the 2021 Sweet 16 and a 30-win season in 2023.
“My family and I are extremely excited about being a part of Wichita State University,” Mills said in Wednesday morning’s press release. “The rich history, winning tradition and unbelievable community support will keep us working on behalf of the greatest fans in all of college basketball. We can’t wait!”
Oral Roberts was just the second No. 15 seed in the NCAA tournament history to advance to the Sweet 16 in 2021, upsetting Ohio State and Florida and coming within two points of doing the same to Arkansas.
Mills coached ORU to a 30-5 record this past season, which included an undefeated run through the Summit League — the only team in the country to finish unbeaten in conference play. The Golden Eagles lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to Duke.
Mills is currently a finalist for the Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year award, as well as the NABC’s Skip Prosser Man of the Year honor, given to a coach who excels on the court and displays moral integrity off of it.
“Paul Mills’ heart for people, passion for life and approach to the development of young people and programs is energizing,” WSU athletic director Kevin Saal said in a statement. “He aligns with Shocker athletics’ core values, facilitates a first-class student-athlete experience and fuels broad-based competitive excellence.”
“We are looking forward to the next chapter of WSU basketball under Paul Mills’ leadership,” WSU president Dr. Richard Muma said in a statement. “He’s fully aligned with our priorities, which includes creating success for our student athletes and a winning culture for all of Shocker Nation.”
