Aron McMillian has hoped for the chance to play professional basketball since high school.  A highly touted prospect from Greensboro Day School, he accepted a basketball scholarship to Wake Forest in 1997 with hopes of earning a degree and following in the footsteps of his father, Jim, a National Basketball Association player in the early 1970s.

            Little did McMillian know that five years later he would have the same aspirations, but instead of graduating from Wake Forest, he would graduate from Guilford after helping the Quakers to their best men’s basketball season in over a decade.

            McMillian’s circuitous career included limited playing opportunities at Wake Forest plus one-and-a-half seasons at Old Dominion before he returned to his native Greensboro to play for Guilford in January, 2001.  The 6-9, 275-pound center worked his way into the lineup last year and eventually helped the team to its first Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Tournament appearance since 1995.  After getting acclimated to Guilford’s system and his new teammates last summer, he played a big role in the Quakers’ 15-11 overall record and a school-record 10-8 ODAC mark this past season.

            “This year I had the whole season to be with the guys,” McMillian said.  “When I came in in the middle of the season, we didn’t have that mold or that gel.  Over the summer a lot of the guys played together and roles got defined.  We just came together as a team.”

            “He was a presence both offensively and defensively inside that was wonderful for us and a challenge to the rest of the league,” said Guilford head coach Butch Estes.  “He had the ability to assess the game play to play, what he needed to do for is to be successful.  If he needed to score, he could do it.  If he needed to distribute the ball, he could do it.  That’s a gift.”

            Guilford got the ball inside enough for McMillian to lead the team in scoring (13.6 ppg.) and finish second on the team to ODAC leader Josh Connor in rebounding (7.3 rpg.).  McMillian paced the ODAC in field-goal percentage and blocked shots en route to second-team all-conference recognition.  He led Guilford’s scorers 11 times and recorded a club-high eight double-doubles, the most by a Guilford player since 1998-99.

“The focus of the team was to get the ball inside,” McMillian said.  “[I} drew a lot of attention, therefore freeing up a lot of the other guys.  I think before last year it was hard for a lot of the other guys to get some of their shots.”

Senior guard Paul Kindem (11.0 ppg.) and sophomore forward Jevon Clarke (10.7 ppg.) benefited from the extra space allowed by opposing defenses.  Kindem earned honorable mention All-ODAC laurels.  Connor (8.2 ppg., 9.1 rpg.) joined McMillian as a second-team all-league selection.

“People tend to forget about those kinds of guys and that’s good,” McMillian said.  “That’s what I like.  Before I got here maybe it was a little unclear.  Maybe they didn’t have that focal point to start with.”

Strengthened by a dominant player in the post who brought contagious confidence from his experience at two Division I schools, Guilford took the floor each night with a new attitude.  “Everybody felt that every game we went into we could win,” McMillian said.  “Whether it was East Tennessee State, Western Carolina, Hampden-Sydney, Bridgewater – any of those teams – we felt like we could win.  We felt like if we did what we had to do, we could win.  Talking to those guys, in years past, it was like, ‘Man, let’s just not lose by 30.’”

The Quakers competed with nearly every opponent throughout the year.  Guilford broke a 20-game losing streak to league-rival Roanoke with their first win over the Maroons in 10 years.  The Quakers led late in the game against Division I Western Carolina before falling, 77-73, and nearly beat ODAC Tournament champion Hampden-Sydney twice, including once in the ODAC quarterfinals.

“We actually lost to them twice this year at the buzzer,” Estes said.  “They’re two losses, but still, wow.  Consistently they were probably 50 points better than us two years ago.  I don’t think they’re getting worse.  Next year may be their best team ever.

            “Beating Roanoke, beating Bridgewater again allowed us and the coaching staff to see that we are arriving at the top of the league.”

            McMillian made a significant contribution to Guilford’s improved ODAC standing, which strengthens the school’s reputation and its ability to recruit better players.  The Quakers have gone from a 3-21 team before Estes’ arrival to 15-11 this past season.  While McMillian graduates with a degree in business management and explores professional basketball opportunities, Estes and his staff look to continue the progress made over the past three years.

            “The first couple years the focus has been on respect and competing,” Estes said.  “Now, we can concentrate on winning the championship, which was the ultimate goal when we started.  If we can win the championship here, then that puts you in a position to compete for the national championship, that’s really our ultimate goal.”