Former Melbourne Central Catholic Guard Josh Mims to Stay Local, Signs with Florida Tech Basketball

By  //  April 29, 2021

son of the Panthers' head coach billy mims

One of the top senior guards on the Space Coast, Josh Mims, above, decided to stay local and has signed to play collegiate basketball for Florida Tech men’s basketball program and his father, head coach Billy Mims. (Florida Tech image)

BREVARD COUNTY • MELBOURNE, FLORIDA – One of the top senior guards on the Space Coast, Josh Mims decided to stay local and has signed to play collegiate basketball for Florida Tech men’s basketball program and his father, head coach Billy Mims.

The younger Mims is looking forward to continuing his education and basketball career at Florida Tech.

“I chose Florida Tech because of the high-quality education it offers,” said Josh Mims.

“It’s a perfect academic fit for me with my interest in pursuing a degree in Civil Engineering. I’ve also grown up watching Florida Tech basketball. I was on the sideline when they won the 2012 SSC Championship and even traveled with the team to the NCAA Regionals in Huntsville, Alabama.

“I’ve seen the Panthers against every team in the SSC and watched many big wins over nationally-ranked opposition. I’m now excited to be a part of this Panther team and competing against a high level of competition in the Sunshine State Conference.”

Josh Mims is a 6-2 playmaking guard who averaged 10.9 points, 5.8 assists, 4.9 rebounds, and just under one steal per game while serving as a co-captain for Melbourne Central Catholic High School as a senior.

He ranked in the top six in Florida Class 3A District 10 in almost every statistical category, including first in total assists (116), double-doubles (3) and free throw percentage (71%), second in made threes (33), and total rebounds (98), and third in total points (217) and free throws made (35).

Following his senior season, the younger Mims was selected to play in the 2021 Space Coast vs. Treasure Coast All-Star Game. Additionally, he won the 2021 East Coast United Senior Showcase 3-Point Shooting Contest.

Mims’ former head coach at Melbourne Central Catholic believes Josh Mims is making the right choice to stay on the Space Coast and play for his father and the Panthers.

“What a tremendous opportunity for Josh to play for his dad at Florida Tech,” exclaimed MCC head coach Brent Roberts. “It takes a special bond between father and son to be able to transition to coach and player. With the character and high expectations both have for success, the transition will be seamless. Both men are class acts.”

“What a tremendous opportunity for Josh to play for his dad at Florida Tech,” exclaimed MCC head coach Brent Roberts. “It takes a special bond between father and son to be able to transition to coach and player. With the character and high expectations both have for success, the transition will be seamless. Both men are class acts.”

Prior to his time at MCC, Mims played down the road at Melbourne High School during his freshman through junior seasons.

In 2019-20, Mims helped lead Melbourne to an 18-11 record, a district runner-up finish, and a regional quarterfinal appearance while averaging 7.9 points, 2.8 assists, 2.0 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game. He ranked first on the team in assists and assist/turnover ratio (1.38) in addition to leading the team in three-point percentage (42%) and free-throw shooting (65%).

In the Summer of 2019, Mims was picked as the All-Star Game MVP after scoring 27 points at the Euro Elite All-Star Camp in Heraklion, Crete at the U19 World Championships.

If it was not for COVID-19, Mims would have competed for Great Britain U18 National Team at the FIBA Championships.

One of the top senior guards on the Space Coast, Josh Mims decided to stay local and has signed to play collegiate basketball for Florida Tech men’s basketball program and his father, head coach Billy Mims, above. (Florida Tech image)

“Having grown up on the sidelines of a basketball court and watching the college game up close for so many years, he’s developed a high basketball IQ, and he’s the most unselfish player that I’ve ever watched. Those are two pretty important attributes for point guards that are difficult to teach.”

When asked about the challenges of coaching his own son, Mims remarked, “There have ve been a lot of very successful father-son coaching situations in college basketball. Right here at Florida Tech, one of my predecessors, Tom Folliard Sr., coached both his sons, Tommy and Kevin, and they won a lot of games together for the Crimson and Gray. I hope Josh and I can experience the same over the next four years.”

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