Wichita State named Paul Mills as its new head coach Wednesday, luring him away from Oral Roberts.
Mills will be formally introduced Thursday afternoon. He replaces Isaac Brown, who was fired 11 days ago after three years as the team’s coach.
“My family and I are extremely excited about being a part of Wichita State University,” Mills said in a school 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!”
Mills, 50, went 106-84 in six seasons at Oral Roberts. He led the Golden Eagles to the NCAA Tournament two times in the past three seasons, including a run to the Sweet 16 as a No. 15 seed in the 2021 tourney.
ORU went 30-5 (18-0 Summit) this past season but lost as a 12 seed in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to Duke.
Mills currently is 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.
Prior to taking the reins at ORU, Mills spent 14 seasons as an assistant to Scott Drew at Baylor.
“We are looking forward to the next chapter of WSU basketball under Paul Mills’ leadership,” WSU president Dr. Richard Muma said in the release. “He’s fully aligned with our priorities, which includes creating success for our student athletes and a winning culture for all of Shocker Nation.”
Brown had three years remaining on a five-year contract, and will be owed approximately $4 million, paid in monthly amounts of about $108,000 through April 2026, according to reports.
–Field Level Media