I just got done speaking with Texas Tech's newest hoops signee, Northwest Florida State College guard Shadell Millinghaus.
He came in for a visit this weekend and decided to sign with the Red Raiders on Saturday night. He loved everything about Tech, Lubbock, and the direction of the Red Raider basketball program from the get go.
"It was about the whole setup. I felt like I could trust Coach Beard, Coach Adams, and the rest of the staff. They seem like real and genuine people. That's a big deal when you have to make a decision like this. You have to know if you trust the coaches and the situations they're going to put you in. They have my future in their hands, and I trust them with it."
Millinghaus also very much sees himself as a scorer first and foremost, and seeing as both of Tech's top two scorers graduated, he feels like he has a great opportunity to become a big part of the equation offensively.
"They run a motion offense, and that's the kind of stuff I like. Not too many plays. He's a player's coach, and you always want to play for a player's coach," he said. "Coach Beard sees that I'm a scorer and the potential that I have as a player."
As for his relationship with Coach Beard and the staff, Millinghaus had only been hearing from the Tech staff for about two weeks or so. He heard a lot about Coach Beard from some other coaches he trusted, however, and he's loved getting to know his soon-to-be head coach so far.
"I heard a lot about him from people I know. I know people that have worked with him, and he's basically a player's coach and a down to earth dude. He's straight up, an honest person, he's going to tell you how it is, and he's going to stay on you. That's what I need. I need a coach to stay on me, and I'm going to put in the work."
On his visit, the thing that Millinghaus loved the most was the fact that everything out in West Texas revolves around Texas Tech.
"Everything was nice. I really love their gym, and their weight room is crazy. I love the weight room, the training room, and I stopped by the academic center, the campus rec center, and that's pretty big. Everything in Lubbock is about Texas Tech. Everything revolves around the college, and you always want to be involved with something like that. They show a lot of love."
Now, he's simply ready to get to work, and he has big expectations for himself and the Red Raiders moving forward.
"I'm excited. I'm really excited to be a Red Raider. I'm looking forward to the future. I really want to work towards winning the Big 12 and winning the national tournament. Those are my biggest goals, and I'm hungry for them. That's going to take time, and we've got to work together as a team. If we all do that and buy into Coach Beard's system and whatever he's got to say, whatever he wants us to do, he's going to take us there because he's a great coach. Everywhere he goes, he wins, and as players we've just got to listen to whatever he says to get to that point where we need to go."
So, a little more background info on Millinghaus: He was really hoping to go to either West Virginia or Oregon out of Believe Prep in Brooklyn. That didn't work out due to grades. So, he ended up at Southern Miss, where the coaching staff changed after his freshman year. So, he decided to go to JUCO to find a new school.
The other schools he was looking at this time around were NC State, UCF, Western Kentucky, and Rutgers.
This year at Northwest Florida State, he averaged 16.9 points per game, shot 47.5 percent from the floor, 31.3 percent from 3, 71.1 percent from the free throw line, and averaged 5.2 rebounds a game.
As for any other possible signees or late transfers, a scholarship would likely have to open up with someone else transferring out or something along those lines. So, likely done at the moment.
He came in for a visit this weekend and decided to sign with the Red Raiders on Saturday night. He loved everything about Tech, Lubbock, and the direction of the Red Raider basketball program from the get go.
"It was about the whole setup. I felt like I could trust Coach Beard, Coach Adams, and the rest of the staff. They seem like real and genuine people. That's a big deal when you have to make a decision like this. You have to know if you trust the coaches and the situations they're going to put you in. They have my future in their hands, and I trust them with it."
Millinghaus also very much sees himself as a scorer first and foremost, and seeing as both of Tech's top two scorers graduated, he feels like he has a great opportunity to become a big part of the equation offensively.
"They run a motion offense, and that's the kind of stuff I like. Not too many plays. He's a player's coach, and you always want to play for a player's coach," he said. "Coach Beard sees that I'm a scorer and the potential that I have as a player."
As for his relationship with Coach Beard and the staff, Millinghaus had only been hearing from the Tech staff for about two weeks or so. He heard a lot about Coach Beard from some other coaches he trusted, however, and he's loved getting to know his soon-to-be head coach so far.
"I heard a lot about him from people I know. I know people that have worked with him, and he's basically a player's coach and a down to earth dude. He's straight up, an honest person, he's going to tell you how it is, and he's going to stay on you. That's what I need. I need a coach to stay on me, and I'm going to put in the work."
On his visit, the thing that Millinghaus loved the most was the fact that everything out in West Texas revolves around Texas Tech.
"Everything was nice. I really love their gym, and their weight room is crazy. I love the weight room, the training room, and I stopped by the academic center, the campus rec center, and that's pretty big. Everything in Lubbock is about Texas Tech. Everything revolves around the college, and you always want to be involved with something like that. They show a lot of love."
Now, he's simply ready to get to work, and he has big expectations for himself and the Red Raiders moving forward.
"I'm excited. I'm really excited to be a Red Raider. I'm looking forward to the future. I really want to work towards winning the Big 12 and winning the national tournament. Those are my biggest goals, and I'm hungry for them. That's going to take time, and we've got to work together as a team. If we all do that and buy into Coach Beard's system and whatever he's got to say, whatever he wants us to do, he's going to take us there because he's a great coach. Everywhere he goes, he wins, and as players we've just got to listen to whatever he says to get to that point where we need to go."
So, a little more background info on Millinghaus: He was really hoping to go to either West Virginia or Oregon out of Believe Prep in Brooklyn. That didn't work out due to grades. So, he ended up at Southern Miss, where the coaching staff changed after his freshman year. So, he decided to go to JUCO to find a new school.
The other schools he was looking at this time around were NC State, UCF, Western Kentucky, and Rutgers.
This year at Northwest Florida State, he averaged 16.9 points per game, shot 47.5 percent from the floor, 31.3 percent from 3, 71.1 percent from the free throw line, and averaged 5.2 rebounds a game.
As for any other possible signees or late transfers, a scholarship would likely have to open up with someone else transferring out or something along those lines. So, likely done at the moment.
