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Former Berea College basketball coach John Mills has always had a strong affection for Alice Lloyd College.  Mills will now get the opportunity to return to the area he loves so well, as ALC recently introduced Mills as the new Women’s Head Coach in both Basketball and Softball.Mills is a 1978 Sheldon Clark High graduate, and is also an Alice Lloyd alumnus.  He previously served his collegiate alma mater for thirteen years. Mills has an extensive coaching background in basketball and baseball, having served in that capacity for 26 years.  This experience includes twenty-one years on the collegiate level.During his first stint at ALC, he served in various capacities working as a coach in both the men’s and women’s athletic department.  During his six season tenure as head coach of the Lady Eagles basketball squad, he led them to their most successful run in school history.  Highlights include two TVAC Conference runner-up finishes, and a school record 27 wins in 1996.After leaving the Eagles, Mills moved to Berea to be near his wife’s family.  He coached the Mountaineers for 9 years before deciding to explore other opportunities.  When Betty Noble-Acevedo recently stepped down as Lady Eagle coach due to family issues, Mills saw an opportunity to return to his roots.“It feels great coming back home to work at Alice Lloyd,” said an ecstatic Mills.  “From a coaching standpoint, I feel that there is no limit to what the basketball and softball squads can accomplish here.  There are plenty of quality student-athletes in our recruiting area that would fit in well here and I plan to pursue them and show them the opportunities we can provide for them.”  Mills also added, “I am pleased that I will also have the opportunity to work with students in my role in the student services department.  These are young men and women from the same area I grew up in, and I feel that I have a strong connection with them.”When asked about the new coach, Director of Athletics Gary D. Stepp enthusiastically commented, “We feel blessed to be able to hire a worker of John’s caliber.  He is well known and well respected in this area.  Not only is he an experienced coach, but also, he is a quality person who loves this school and loves this area.  When our search committee discovered that John might have an interest in returning to his alma mater, we were hoping that everything would work out.”John is married to Barbara (VanWinkle) Mills and they have two children: Tyler (20) and Braden (16).{nl}{nl}