Viking in the Spotlight: Darnella McMillan
2/10/19
Sophomore Darnella McMillan
Hometown: Bristol, PA
High School: Bristol
West Windsor, N.J. – When you think about a double-double in basketball, which stats come to mind? Points and assists? Points and rebounds?
For Mercer County Community College (MCCC) Sophomore Darnella McMillan, the unusual combination of rebounds and assists were on the menu on Jan. 21, when she recorded 12 rebounds and 10 assists against Rowan College of South Jersey Gloucester.
“Darnella does a lot of the little things well,” said Lady Vikings Head Coach Mike Tenaglia. This season, McMillan’s role grew to include more ball handling and pace setting.
Through 17 games in the 2019-20 season, she recorded 61 assists, nine shy of the 70 she dished out through 25 games last year. At her current rate of 3.5 assists per game, McMillan is on pace to finish the as the team’s leading passer.
“This season she’s been instrumental in managing the pressure from other teams,” Tenaglia added. “We have her bring the ball up against the press and inbound it when we’re in a pinch.”
She came up big again on Feb. 4 when she posted her third double-double of the season, with 11 points and 15 rebounds against Ocean County College.
On the other side of the court, McMillan has proved just as capable. As of Feb. 10, McMillan is 20th in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) in total blocks (47). She is also averaging a team-high 9.1 rebounds per game, a mark that lands her in the top-50 rebounders in the country.
“Defense is a big part of basketball,” McMillan said. “Even if our team isn’t scoring, we can’t let the opponent score.”
With just three games left in the season, McMillan and the Lady Vikings will return home for the final stretch, hosting Lackawanna College on Tuesday, Feb. 11, before rounding out the season against Middlesex County College (Feb. 15) and Harcum College (Feb. 18).
Darnella McMillan passes the ball against Union County College on Jan. 29.