Tennis Simon and Ethan Mills sign to play basketball at Bluefield College

By JIM CUNNINGHAM/Staff

Two members of the 2008 George Wythe High School state championship basketball team recently signed to play for Bluefield College.
Tennis Simon and Ethan Mills signed partial scholarships to attend Bluefield College during a ceremony held Wednesday afternoon at the college.
Both players were an integral part of leading the George Wythe Maroons to a Group A, Division 2, state championship this past winter.
That’s one of the reasons why Bluefield College Head Basketball Coach Jason Gillespie thinks the pair will benefit his team. “They were part of a state championship team,” he said. “They know how to win.”
Gillespie said the two have playing styles that he likes. “They fit our style really well,” he said. “We’ll run and press 40 minutes if we need to.”
He said Bluefield College led the nation (among NAIA-Division 2 teams) in scoring last year with an average of 95 points per game.
The coach said he likes Simon’s versatility as an outside and inside threat. “We shoot a lot of threes,” he said. “Simon is multi-dimensional,” adding that Simon has the ability to shoot off the dribble or make a long shot.
“Ethan has a chance to be a really good point guard,” said the coach. “He likes to push the ball in transition. We’re looking for both of them to help us down the road.”
Although there are five seniors and six juniors on this year’s Bluefield squad, Gillespie said both could see a fair amount of playing time depending on how they do on the court and in the classroom.
“We play freshmen every year,” said Gillespie. “We’re really excited about getting two quality men. And they both come from great families.”