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SAN FRANCISCO — Chance McMillian just wanted a moment.
Soon after hitting the court inside the Chase Center before the Texas Tech basketball team's practice, McMillian and Darrion Williams hustled like little kids to find the seats they occupied for the Golden State Warriors' Christmas Day game a few months ago. They reminisced about the exploits of LeBron James, the celebrations of Stephen Curry, reliving the thrill of the moment before the Red Raiders prepared for Thursday's Sweet 16 matchup against Arkansas.
Smiles draped on their faces, McMillian and Williams gazed up at the video board, the Texas Tech emblem signifying the Red Raiders had arrived. But McMillian was requested for an interview with the television crew calling the game shortly after sitting down.
"Give me a minute," McMillian told Texas Tech's sports information director, Wes Bloomquist. McMillian needed this.
The last few weeks have been a struggle for McMillian. Dealing with a strained oblique, the Vallejo, Calif., native has kept his usual positive demeanor in the most trying time. There is no redo for McMillian. His collegiate eligibility is up as soon as Texas Tech's March Madness run ends, and his body hadn't allowed him to be part of the Red Raiders' first two wins.
But the Red Raiders were never built around one person. McMillian's teammates were up to the task of beating UNC Wilmington and Drake without his services. The reward is a trip back to McMillian's home base, where he grew up, went to school and where he may just be ready to take the floor again.
More: Chance McMIllian injury update: What's Texas Tech basketball star's status for Sweet 16?
"I went to school up until high school in San Francisco," he said, "so I have a lot of people from San Francisco expecting to come to the game. Feels good to be back home because this is my first game in Northern California, too, so I have a lot of people excited to watch this."
McMillian finished out his high school years in Vallejo, about an hour north of the Bay City. Head north another hour from there, and you'll find William's hometown of Sacramento. The two California kids are back home, and they're bringing a small army with them to the Sweet 16.
Williams and McMillian knew each other well before they arrived at Texas Tech together, something Williams said made their transition much smoother.
The pair were the first players who pledged to head coach Grant McCasland out of the transfer portal in the spring of 2023. Since then, McCasland has noticed something about Williams and McMillian that he hopes to correct.
"Honestly, neither one of them have been thought of as the best players on their teams, on every team they've ever been on," McCasland said. "Even though I felt like they made the biggest impact, that's kind of what I think separated our program is their genuine heart to help each other. Those two guys don't only play that way, they live that way."
In the grand scheme, McCasland is correct in that regard. Neither McMillian or Williams have been considered Tech's best players in their two years in Lubbock, but they may be the most important.
More: What Arkansas coach John Calipari said of facing Texas Tech basketball in Sweet 16
Williams has established himself as a bit of a Red Raider legend. He had multiple clutch moments in two of Tech's biggest road wins in recent memory — the game-tying 3-pointer and block on the other end to get the game to overtime when Texas Tech beat Houston on the road, then canning the game-icing 3 for the program's second-ever win at Kansas a month later.
And that's before remembering William's perfect 12-for-12 night against Kansas last season, a game Jack Francis called "one of the best performances I've ever seen."
McMillian has been just as valuable, turning himself from a deadly 3-point shooter off the bench last season to one of the more well-rounded guards in the Big 12. He and Williams also played a key role in putting together this year's roster, the same one that was able to overcome the absence of McMillian in Wichita.
"He wants to play," Williams said. "He shows that every day. He's trying to get there. ... Next man up, and he's always good on the bench, making sure everybody was locked in."
McCasland needed to be precise in what he was looking for in his first Texas Tech team. Good stats were one thing, but he also desired players invested in more than themselves. He found two right off the bat.
"Both of those guys' investment in winning from the beginning and not asking what they're going to get out of it, I think, says everything about not only who they are as young men," McCasland said, "but who they are as teammates and as basketball players."
Texas Tech has done plenty of winning in Williams and McMillian's two years together. The Red Raiders are 50-19 over the past two campaigns and enjoying a lengthier March Madness run than they had a season ago.
When the pair first arrived at Tech, they had a combined three NCAA Tournament appearances between them — two for McMillian at Grand Canyon, one for Williams and Nevada — and no wins to show for it. They were denied that victory last season when the Red Raiders fell to NC State in the first round at Pittsburgh.
More: Sweet 16-bound Texas Tech basketball's offseason vision coming to fruition in March Madness
Now they have a pair of victories, though they've come with McMillian on the bench. They're hoping to get that win together against Arkansas — McMillian is considered a game-time decision.
McMillian and Williams came back to Texas Tech for this moment, the opportunity to do something neither had achieved before, and do it together. They've seen Steph Curry and LeBron James put on a show in the Chase Center and now want to do the same thing together.
"One of the games we talked about was at least getting past the first weekend, because neither of us won a game in the tournament before," Williams said. "It's nice, but we didn't come here to make the Sweet 16. We came here to win it."
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Texas Tech basketball's California kids looking for Sweet 16 success together
Continue reading...
Soon after hitting the court inside the Chase Center before the Texas Tech basketball team's practice, McMillian and Darrion Williams hustled like little kids to find the seats they occupied for the Golden State Warriors' Christmas Day game a few months ago. They reminisced about the exploits of LeBron James, the celebrations of Stephen Curry, reliving the thrill of the moment before the Red Raiders prepared for Thursday's Sweet 16 matchup against Arkansas.
Smiles draped on their faces, McMillian and Williams gazed up at the video board, the Texas Tech emblem signifying the Red Raiders had arrived. But McMillian was requested for an interview with the television crew calling the game shortly after sitting down.
"Give me a minute," McMillian told Texas Tech's sports information director, Wes Bloomquist. McMillian needed this.
The last few weeks have been a struggle for McMillian. Dealing with a strained oblique, the Vallejo, Calif., native has kept his usual positive demeanor in the most trying time. There is no redo for McMillian. His collegiate eligibility is up as soon as Texas Tech's March Madness run ends, and his body hadn't allowed him to be part of the Red Raiders' first two wins.
But the Red Raiders were never built around one person. McMillian's teammates were up to the task of beating UNC Wilmington and Drake without his services. The reward is a trip back to McMillian's home base, where he grew up, went to school and where he may just be ready to take the floor again.
More: Chance McMIllian injury update: What's Texas Tech basketball star's status for Sweet 16?
"I went to school up until high school in San Francisco," he said, "so I have a lot of people from San Francisco expecting to come to the game. Feels good to be back home because this is my first game in Northern California, too, so I have a lot of people excited to watch this."
McMillian finished out his high school years in Vallejo, about an hour north of the Bay City. Head north another hour from there, and you'll find William's hometown of Sacramento. The two California kids are back home, and they're bringing a small army with them to the Sweet 16.
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Texas Tech basketball's two-year run attributed largely to Darrion Williams, Chance McMillian
Williams and McMillian knew each other well before they arrived at Texas Tech together, something Williams said made their transition much smoother.
The pair were the first players who pledged to head coach Grant McCasland out of the transfer portal in the spring of 2023. Since then, McCasland has noticed something about Williams and McMillian that he hopes to correct.
"Honestly, neither one of them have been thought of as the best players on their teams, on every team they've ever been on," McCasland said. "Even though I felt like they made the biggest impact, that's kind of what I think separated our program is their genuine heart to help each other. Those two guys don't only play that way, they live that way."
In the grand scheme, McCasland is correct in that regard. Neither McMillian or Williams have been considered Tech's best players in their two years in Lubbock, but they may be the most important.
More: What Arkansas coach John Calipari said of facing Texas Tech basketball in Sweet 16
Williams has established himself as a bit of a Red Raider legend. He had multiple clutch moments in two of Tech's biggest road wins in recent memory — the game-tying 3-pointer and block on the other end to get the game to overtime when Texas Tech beat Houston on the road, then canning the game-icing 3 for the program's second-ever win at Kansas a month later.
And that's before remembering William's perfect 12-for-12 night against Kansas last season, a game Jack Francis called "one of the best performances I've ever seen."
McMillian has been just as valuable, turning himself from a deadly 3-point shooter off the bench last season to one of the more well-rounded guards in the Big 12. He and Williams also played a key role in putting together this year's roster, the same one that was able to overcome the absence of McMillian in Wichita.
"He wants to play," Williams said. "He shows that every day. He's trying to get there. ... Next man up, and he's always good on the bench, making sure everybody was locked in."
You must be registered for see images attach
Darrion Williams, Chance McMillian looking for March Madness success together
McCasland needed to be precise in what he was looking for in his first Texas Tech team. Good stats were one thing, but he also desired players invested in more than themselves. He found two right off the bat.
"Both of those guys' investment in winning from the beginning and not asking what they're going to get out of it, I think, says everything about not only who they are as young men," McCasland said, "but who they are as teammates and as basketball players."
Texas Tech has done plenty of winning in Williams and McMillian's two years together. The Red Raiders are 50-19 over the past two campaigns and enjoying a lengthier March Madness run than they had a season ago.
When the pair first arrived at Tech, they had a combined three NCAA Tournament appearances between them — two for McMillian at Grand Canyon, one for Williams and Nevada — and no wins to show for it. They were denied that victory last season when the Red Raiders fell to NC State in the first round at Pittsburgh.
More: Sweet 16-bound Texas Tech basketball's offseason vision coming to fruition in March Madness
Now they have a pair of victories, though they've come with McMillian on the bench. They're hoping to get that win together against Arkansas — McMillian is considered a game-time decision.
McMillian and Williams came back to Texas Tech for this moment, the opportunity to do something neither had achieved before, and do it together. They've seen Steph Curry and LeBron James put on a show in the Chase Center and now want to do the same thing together.
"One of the games we talked about was at least getting past the first weekend, because neither of us won a game in the tournament before," Williams said. "It's nice, but we didn't come here to make the Sweet 16. We came here to win it."
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Texas Tech basketball's California kids looking for Sweet 16 success together
Continue reading...
