ANCHORAGE, Alaska — After sensational soccer and basketball seasons at NCAA Division II Cal Poly Humboldt, Port Angeles’ Millie Long is heading to a school with a pre-existing Port Angeles and Peninsula College connection.
Long signed a scholarship agreement earlier this week and will join the Alaska Anchorage women’s basketball team this fall under head coach Ryan McCarthy.
The school does not offer women’s soccer as a scholarship sport, so Long will channel her full focus to the basketball court.
“We are very excited that Millie chose to finish her career as a Seawolf,” McCarthy said. “She established herself as one of the best guards in the West Region last year and one of the best defenders in America. In our system and concentrating only on one sport, we believe her talents will shine even brighter. She will make an immediate impact for our program both on and off the court.”
McCarthy also coached Port Angeles standout Jessica Madison, the Roughriders’ all-time leading scorer, for four years, culminating in a 38-3 record and a senior-year trip to the NCAA Division II national championship game.
Former Peninsula College point guard Zhara Laster also played for McCarthy during the 2016-17 season.
Makes history as two-sport MVP
A 5-foot-9 guard, Long became the first student-athlete to win California Collegiate Athletic Association Newcomer of the Year awards in two sports.
On the court, Long averaged 15.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 2.9 steals per game, scoring in double figures in 21 of 25 contests, including six 20-plus efforts.
Long was second in the CCAA in both assists and steals (16th nationally), and top 10 in scoring, field goal percentage (.441) and free throw percentage (.763).
Among her big games last season, Long had 24 points on 8-of-13 shooting and nine rebounds in a win over defending NCAA West Region champ Cal State Dominguez Hills; 15 points, 10 assists and four steals in an overtime road loss to CSUDH; and 22 points on 10-of-13 shooting, seven rebounds and six assists in a 68-63 win over Cal State Monterey Bay.
On the soccer field, Long earned second team All-CCAA honors for a Lumberjacks squad that went 13-5-2, leading the league with 27 shots on goal and ranking top-three in shots per game (2.55), goals per game (0.400) and assists per game (.350).
Long spent her first two collegiate seasons at Peninsula College, where she was the back-to-back NWAC North Conference Defensive Player of the Year in basketball and the 2022 NWAC women’s soccer player of the year.
In basketball, she helped the Pirates to consecutive NWAC North titles and NWAC Final Four berths, and a combined 47-9 record.
She was first team All-NWAC as a sophomore with 17.5 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 3.6 steals per game, and the 2021-22 NWAC North Freshman of the Year for a team that went 25-4.
