RED RAIDER SPOTLIGHT: Chance McMillian

In historic Hinkle Fieldhouse – playing in only his seventh game for Texas Tech - Chance McMillian drilled eight 3-pointers and finished with 24 points. It was the second most 3s in a game in program history. A couple months later, against the No. 11-ranked Oklahoma Sooners, McMillian was 10-for-13 from the field, made six 3s and scored a career-high 27 points in the Big 12 road win. Both were record-book entering performances and came in a reserve role – as did 32 of his 33 games played in his senior season where he averaged 10.8 points per game as the team's sixth man. We're now in August and only three months away from the start of the 2024-25 basketball season – McMillian's fifth and final run. Ask him about goals and you might be struck more by what he doesn't say. A two-time Big 12 Newcomer of the Week selection last season, he doesn't say he wants to be a starter or play more minutes. Already a 1,000-point scorer in his career with a 62.4 true shooting percentage last year, he doesn't discuss taking more shots or wanting to become more of a focal point. His mind goes to the team. To winning.

"You never know when you're going to impact the game, but you have to be ready and confident at all times," McMillian says. "I was the dude last year who was asked to come in and bring energy. I took pride in that. I was always ready to get into the game and compete. I've learned something each year that I've been playing in college that I can take into my final year. Every day, really. I'm always trying to learn and grow. I really try to take all the good that I've been around to become even better."

In his first season at Texas Tech, McMillian recorded 18 double figure scoring performances, made 65 3-pointers, including making three or more in 12 games, shot 90.9 percent at the free-throw line and helped the Red Raiders to 23 wins and the program to its 20th NCAA Tournament appearance. It was his third trip to the NCAA Tournament with his first two coming while playing at Grand Canyon. He made only one start last season, against No. 1 Houston in the Big 12 Championship semifinals where he provided 15 points, five rebounds and two steals in a season-high 37 minutes played after he led Tech to a quarterfinal win over No. 20 BYU with 17 points, eight rebounds and three steals.

"When you're trying to win games, it's vital you have teammates who are really focused on the needs of the team," Tech head coach Grant McCasland says. "That's Chance McMillian. He always puts the team first. Every day. His work ethic, genuine approach and ability to connect with his teammates on and off the court is what separates him. He's lives winning every day. Guys trust him and they can see that he believes in them too."

McMillian is 23 now, 24 when his next birthday arrives on February 6. The next game he plays will be his 125th in college with the NCAA having him clocked in for just over 2,827 minutes on the court. Defining himself, he says: "I'm a winner, impactful, coachable. I'll do anything to win the game. No matter what it is. From diving on loose balls, playing defense, shooting. Anything." Valuable and experienced are additional ways to define him with 1,027 points scored, 174 made 3-pointers (39.9 percent) and 87 team victories on his career resume. He carries himself with confidence but without bravado. His experience started as a freshman for the Grand Canyon Lopes when he played just three minutes in his first game on November 25, 2020, against Grambling, and most recently, in March when Tech took on NC State in the NCAA Tournament First Round in Pittsburgh where he scored eight points in 32 minutes. He played three seasons at Grand Canyon and one at Tech – 124 total games with 28 starts – going from averaging 4.2 points per game as a freshman to 10.9 and 10.8 points per game the past two seasons.

"I'm going to be a leader for this team by working hard every day and always being focused and ready for whatever it takes to win," McMillian says. "I try to show my teammates the right way to work and what it takes to win. It's important to me to play together as a team. It's something that really helped our team last year. We have to be connected."

EVERY ROSTER IS DIFFERENT with its own stars, leaders and role players. McMillian has matured – not just physically – but also mentally to understand that his role is not singular. "He has persevered so much," said his mother, Judy Bowers. "I am most proud of his commitment. He is focused on the goals that he's made for himself and is determined to make them reality. He is determined to learn, work, and change anything to make his goals and dreams become reality." Entering his fifth season, he not only feels comfortable on the court, but also in the locker room, weight room and film room. He can relate to younger players who are hungry to prove themselves. He can see himself in players who may feel like they're being overlooked for opportunities. He can see himself as the star, one who can drop 20 points on any given night, but also as the player who needs to be ready in any role the team needs him to fill. At this point in his career, with the journey he's taken, he can see himself in almost every teammate.

"I've learned that having good relationships off the court with your teammates and coaches really helps on the court," McMillian says. "It's not just talk. You build trust and confidence in each other. You really have to stay on your game all the time and be ready at any moment."

This isn't one of those summer stories anointing him as the team's leader for next season or charting his path. His play on the court and demeanor off it eliminates any need for a label. Listen to his teammates and you'll see they believe he's poised to take on anything.

"He's definitely one of my favorite teammates I've ever played with," Kerwin Walton says. "He can really shoot the ball and make plays. Above that, he has a real desire to win. Chance is in here every morning and every night putting in extra work. You can't ask for more. I think he'll make a lot of noise this year and help us win."

Darrion Williams adds: "I'm expecting Chance to be in a bigger role as a leader. He's been that all summer. Last year, he was one of our best defenders on the ball and took on the top guards in the conference. Him and Joe Toussaint. I think he's ready to take that role on this season. I see him playing with a lot more confidence and is ready to show why he's one of the best guards in the conference."

On November 30, 2023, against Butler, at Hinkle, McMillian made his formal introduction to Tech fans. He finished the game 8-for-10 on 3-pointers, just one shot from beyond the arc behind Alan Voskuil's program record of nine that came back in 2009 against Kansas. Before Butler, McMillian had led Tech in scoring with 17 points in a win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in the third game of the season but followed him going scoreless against Michigan in the final game of the Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas. Through six games, he was averaging 6.2 points and was 7-for-25 on 3-pointers. "I really felt like I belonged after that Butler game," McMillian says. "It really built my confidence in a real way. I was just playing that game from the start to play great defense and shoot when I was open. I had no idea it was going to finish like that. That night it was just clicking." The performance earned him his first of two Big 12 Newcomer of the Week honors, the second coming after going for his 27 points (17 in the second half) in the 85-84 win over Oklahoma where he was 4-for-5 on 3s after halftime. The six 3s he made in that game were the third most by a Red Raider in a Big 12 game and the 76.9 shooting percentage from the field is in the top 10 of the Texas Tech basketball record book within the minimum attempts. Rayford Young, Jahmi'us Ramsey and Bryson Williams are the only other Tech players to ever earn two Big 12 Newcomer of the Week honors in a season.

McMillian finished the season averaging 10.8 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 0.7 steals per game. He had four straight games at the end of the regular season with double-figure scoring performances, including 19 points at West Virginia where he also had a season-best four assists. He had 11 points against No. 11 Baylor in the regular-season finale to get to within 13 points of 1,000 and surpassed the milestone with 17 points in the first postseason game against BYU. For the season, he was 40-for-44 at the free-throw line and made 65 of 168 (38.7 percent) on 3s. In conference play, he made 32 3-pointers and went 26-for-28 (92.9 percent) at the line. He now has four games in his career with 20-plus point scoring performances and has 48 games of double-figure scoring.

"I've developed into a better shooter but the biggest thing is that I'm a lot stronger," McMillian says. "There's a competitiveness that comes with playing the game that I love and can't get enough of. We're connected and fighting for a common goal. We compete against each other right now in the summer to get better so we can win in the season. The work we put in is fun but has a purpose. I love that part of basketball."
Chance - Big 12

McMILLIAN GREW UP IN VALLEJO, California – a city in the San Francisco Bay area – always wanting to be a basketball player. "I was about 6 when my mom put me in my first basketball league," he says. "They had the smaller hoops connected to the bigger hoops, but I would always shoot for the bigger hoop. I would make it. The coaches kept telling my mom that I should play up an age." He'd go on to play three years at St. Patrick-St. Vincent High School where he averaged 13.3 points per game as a junior before going to Jesse Bethel High School for his senior season. That year, McMillian showed his ability to play like a star, going for 28.8 points per game in conference play and earning Tri-County Athletic League MVP.

"The summer going into my junior year we were playing in the American Sports Center in Orange County, California," McMillian says. "I remember it like it was yesterday. I had a really good game and got my first calls from college coaches. It gave me confidence that this is something that I could do. I felt like I needed to lock-in on basketball after that game."

While at GCU, writer Paul Coro featured McMillian in an article that described the start of his basketball career. They talked about a young Chance choosing to watch basketball over cartoons. About breaking Little Tykes hoops with dunks he replicated from watching Michael Jordan videos online. "I always wanted to play with my brother and sister," McMillian said in the GCU Meet the Newcomers series. "I was 5 years old shooting on the regular baskets when I couldn't even get the ball to touch the net." The story went online on June 29, 2020, and talked about his mom always encouraging him and supporting his dreams – balancing work obligations with travel required to continue his growth in the sport. "My mom has always been my biggest supporter," McMillian said after a Tech practice earlier this summer. "When I was young, she always encouraged me to enjoy the game but to get better. I had a little goal in our house that I would always dunk on and break. She just kept buying me hoops every time I broke one. She kept putting the game in my life. I wouldn't be here right now without her. She showed me unconditional love and support throughout my life."

Family support also comes from grandparents, older siblings (Joy and Justin) and the Bay Area community he comes from. McMillian's left arm is a constant reminder for him and a talking point for people he meets. "My tattoo is a mixture of Vallejo and San Francisco," he says. "I have the Vallejo City sign on there and I have the Bay Bridge on my arm as well. I went to school in San Francisco and have been staying over at my grandparents' house sometimes during the school years. My mom's house is in Vallejo where I stay. This tattoo is also a constant reminder of not forgetting where I came from and how far I came. If it wasn't for Vallejo, I would for sure not be who I am today."
Chance McMillian

WITH LOVE for his hometown and missing his family, McMillian still made the decision to sacrifice going back home during times in the summer schedule that would allow for it. Instead, in May, and now in August, without organized team workouts, McMillian comes to the practice facility on his own throughout the day to get up shots on the court and get in sweat-drenched lifts in the weight room. Testing his mind, body and skill has been the priority this summer. "Chance challenged himself every day this summer," Tech strength and conditioning coach Andrew Wright says. "He wanted to gain weight and accomplished it in a very professional way." A summer of growth.

As a freshman at Grand Canyon, after a year at Golden State Prep, McMillian was listed at 170 pounds. He was told, and saw in competition, that he needed to add muscle to compete and thrive at a higher level. "I wanted to focus on myself and get bigger and stronger for college," said McMillian in 2020 on why he went to prep school before college. "Now, if I'm driving to the basket, I can bump them a little bit. The old me would probably fall back a little bit." That mindset still exists today as he enters a super-senior season. He knows that in mere months his work will be in front of a home crowd of over 15,000 and on big-time stages throughout the country. Progressively, throughout the years and seasons, he has gotten stronger through his work ethic and love of the game. As a freshman, he averaged 1.7 rebounds per game. Last season, he was at 4.0 rebounds. He's now listed at 6-foot-3, 190-pounds after his summer workout and nutrition program which also increased his strength and athleticism.

"He didn't go back home in May when we had that break and was in here two times all summer," Wright says. "They were hard lifts. He's made a big change in his body and showed great leadership throughout the process. Chance is doing this the right way."

In total, the summer program saw McMillian gain 10.3 pounds of muscle and increased his concentric peak force to 14.8 percent on countermovement jump test.

"I approached these summer workouts as if it was one of the last games in the season," McMillian says. "I have a chip on my shoulder and I have a lot of things I want to prove in this season. What I feel like I got most out of this summer is that I took the weight room and my eating habits a lot more serious. Special thanks to coach Wright and Eric Rwahwire (graduate assistant) who were in the weight room twice a day with me."
Chance - Lift

McMillian is one of six returners on a team that welcomes in seven newcomers – four coming in from the transfer portal like he did last season. Days come and go, but they each can build toward something bigger. A moment in time, a snapshot, that develops toward the season came on July 10 in a summer practice. It was a Wednesday in the Womble Practice Facility during the summer. An opportunity to get better – stacking days. On one possession during a 5-on-5 scrimmage, McMillian gives his team an early lead with a step-back 3-pointer. Ten minutes later, taking a pass from Williams, he cuts to the basket and makes a floater. McCasland praises both of them for the play. He misses a 3 a couple possessions later, but races to get the offensive rebound, tipping it out to Williams who hits a jumper. McMillian buries a 3 on the next trip down the court and as the game progresses throws down a fastbreak dunk that was started by him coming up with a steal and pass from freshman Christian Anderson. Each play displayed his versatility, ability to lift the team in multiple ways. The game ends with McMillian flexing and screaming – showing appreciation for the pass from Anderson and the work his teammates on both sides of the intrasquad scrimmage put in.

A week later, same gym, practice doesn't start with the same intensity. McCasland senses it right away and is letting McMillian know. "Everything affects winning. You're a returner, you've got to be better. You have to come into the gym knowing how to win. We can't wait 12 minutes. We have to bring it right away." This moment shows McCasland's expectation for McMillian on this team.

"Chance has really improved his understanding of what our team is going to look like this season," McCasland says. "He had big bursts for our team last season and I see that continuing, but on an even more consistent basis. I think he's one of the best on-ball defenders in the league to go along with his ability to score."

Intensity rises as the practice on July 17 continues. McMillian may have had a sluggish start to the mid-summer workout, but he's now leading the way as the team runs sprints up and down the court. Every player on the court is fatigued – including him – but he's not showing it. "You're winning now," says McCasland as he coaches the team. With sprints complete, practice continues. Kevin Overton, who transferred to Tech this summer after playing at Drake during his freshman season, takes a pass from McMillian and drills a 3-pointer during a drill. McMillian seems more excited with Overton making the shot than the ones he made earlier in the workout. "Great shot KO," says McMillian as a challenging practice winds down.

"He has great composure about him," Overton says of McMillian. "I could tell right away when I first got here that he was going to be one of our leaders. New guys are here that he's going to be competing against for minutes, but he's welcomed us in and brought great energy every day. We had some bad practices this summer that weren't on him, but he took the hit for us. Coach would get on him sometimes even if it wasn't his fault. He took the coaching and helped us get it right. Clutch, for sure."

There's an expectation. A higher standard. One that McMillian is ready to exceed.

"I'm a senior guard," McMillian says. "I know the pressure and responsibility that comes with it. I'm ready for it. There are guys who are looking up to me because I'm one of the most experienced players on the team. I take pride in that. I want them to learn from watching me work and trust that what we're doing is going to help them and our team. I want to win. That's really all this is about for me."
Chance McMillian

Texas Tech University Athletics

RED RAIDER SPOTLIGHT: Chance McMillian

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