Yucca Valley High School senior Sara Mills will be joining the California Lutheran University community in fall 2021. Mills has been sought after for her exceptional basketball skills and eagerly awaits being a Regal.

“I really liked the location of [Cal Lutheran]. I feel like it’s the perfect distance away from home and I feel a strong connection with the coach,” Mills said in a Zoom interview.

Regals Basketball Head Coach Kelli DiMuro said Mills is the kind of player she wants on her team, even though she hasn’t been able to see Mills play in person due to COVID-19 guidelines.

DiMuro said she found Mills through her club coach, who commended her skills and forwarded DiMuro some of Mills’ game tape. DiMuro also used to coach one of Mills’ teammates in high school, so she reached out to her for input.

“Loved her character and attitude. I thought she had a really great work ethic, which I love. She can shoot lights out and is a great ball handler too,” DiMuro said in a Zoom interview.

Mills’ sharp shooting has been noticed by many.

Cadence Tarrant, who has been Mills’ teammate since sixth grade, said she has nothing but good reviews of Mills. Tarrant said in a Zoom interview that Mills is a standout athlete.

“[She has] court vision and IQ–and shooting, she’s a good shooter,” Tarrant said.

Mills plays both point guard and shooting guard and she said she too believes she’ll be able to add a new element to the team.

“I feel like I can add some positivity and some speed. I feel like I’m pretty quick so I can make the games faster,” Mills said.

Entering Cal Lutheran next semester, Mills will be studying biology. She said she’s really excited to come into the Regals basketball program.

“I’m excited to play on the basketball team mostly; I like the friendly atmosphere that comes with the team,” Mills said.

Tarrant said she thinks Mills will be able to come into this program and put the team on her back as a leader.

“She’s probably the most hardworking on the team, any team she goes to. Really unselfish and one of the best kids I’ve ever played with,” Tarrant said.

DiMuro said she has seen this work ethic in Mills already, which is one of the main reasons she is excited to have Mills joining the squad.

“I do feel like she’s going to be a huge threat from the 3-point line,” DiMuro said. “She has great court vision and I think she’ll add a lot of just pushing her teammates.”