Wichita State University introduced Paul Mills as its 27th head men’s basketball coach on March 22, 2023. In just two seasons, Coach Mills has already made his mark on Shocker basketball, totaling 34 wins—third most by any Wichita State head coach in their first two years. After a 15-19 record in his first season, the Shockers improved to 19-15 in his second, earning their first postseason bid (NIT) since 2021.
Under Mills’ leadership, the Shockers notched 10 non-conference wins—their most since 2019—and showed impressive resilience during conference play. After a 1-7 start, the team rallied with six consecutive victories, including a thrilling upset over No. 14-ranked Memphis that snapped a 10-game losing streak against ranked opponents.
Before coming to Wichita State, Mills served as a longtime assistant at Baylor University under Scott Drew before taking his first head coaching position at Oral Roberts University. There, he transformed the program from Summit League underdogs into perennial champions. During his six seasons (2017–2023) at ORU, Mills led the Golden Eagles to two NCAA tournament appearances, including a historic 2021 run to the Sweet 16 as a No. 15 seed—just the second such feat in tournament history. He followed that up with a remarkable 30-5 season in 2023, guiding ORU to an undefeated 18-0 conference record and their best NCAA tournament seeding in nearly 40 years.
Coach Mills will join us to discuss “All Things Shocker Basketball,” including a look at the 2025–26 roster, insights on recruiting and building a team in the transfer portal era, results from summer and fall workouts, and what fans can expect from the upcoming season.
There will be a Wine Dinner Event Follow-up committee meeting today, immediately
following our club meeting.
Save the date for next year's event: October 10, 2026!
Michael Phipps Memorial Scholarship Event
Last Tuesday was a wonderful eveningat the Redler Institute of Culinary Arts (Butler Community College)celebrating the legacy of our club's Charter Member Michael Phipps with the presentation of the Michael Phipps Memorial Scholarship. The Phipps family created an additional scholarship fund in Michael’s honor, and Scott Redler, who joined us for the event, generously matched this year’s scholarship. Through the combined contributions, three students received $1,000 awards to attend the Redler Institute of Culinary Arts.
Guests enjoyed delicious hors d’oeuvres prepared by the student chefs. Club President Mindy Wagner welcomed attendees and presented the scholarship check. Ann Marie Phipps shared heartfelt remarks about Michael’s deep connection to the culinary world, the scholarship recipients were introduced, and the evening concluded with a touching memorial video presented by Mark Chamberlin.
A special thanks to Mark Chamberlin and all who helped make this special evening possible!
As a District-wide service project, our Rotary District is collecting any brand of children's chewable vitamins or prenatal vitamins for the Philippines.
PLEASE BRING donations of vitamins to next week's meeting (Oct 14) so our club leaders can take them to the District Conference.
Our club recently presented $75 gift cards to the teachers at Lawrence and Benton Elementary Schools to help purchase supplies for their classrooms. Both schools sent thank-you notes, expressing their appreciation not only for the gift cards but also for our ongoing involvement and support in their schools.
The thank you cards will be placed on the tables at our meeting.
HOLIDAY RAFFLE: Paul Blissett won $5 in our last raffle drawing. The pot this week will be worth over $143 if the Ace is drawn.
Proceeds from the raffle help fund our Monthly and Holiday grocery projects so thank you for supporting this effort!
We still haven’t had a member win the bonus five raffle tickets for wearing their Rotary pin or apparel when their ticket is drawn! Who will be the first?
QUARTERLY BILLING was emailed last week. Please pay promptly!
OCTOBER GROCERY SHOPPERS
Sharon West &
Diana Fredelake
Misty Jack &
Paul Blissett
Our next STAR Class will be held:
Tuesday, October 21, 11:30 a.m. @ RHCC. The topic will be "Club Service".
