(MATTHEW DAWSON is a BPL Citizen Journalist.)

Australian point guard Patty Mills is returning home.

It was announced today the Boomers star had signed with the Melbourne Tigers for the duration of the NBA lockout.

Recruiting the guard, who played in the NBA last season with the Portland Trail Blazers, was a "great coup" for the Melbourne Tigers according to Melbourne chief executive Seamus McPeake.

"Patty is the best point guard Australia has to offer and to see him in a Tigers uniform will be fantastic for the club, the league and basketball in this country,'' McPeake said in a statement on the Tigers website.

Mills caught the attention of basketball fans with his brilliant performances as the floor general for the Boomers - and with his early performances at the under-20 national championships where he won two RE Staunton Medals, the award given to the top player in the tournament.

He averaged 14.2 points off the bench in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and was drafted to the Blazers, but suffered an injury in his first season playing only 10 games.

Last season he played 64 games, in a Portland team stacked with talented guards, such as Raymond Felton, Brandon Roy and Wesley Matthews, and managed to put up 5.5 points and 1.7 assists despite averaging only 12.2 minutes on the floor.

"I am very excited about joining the Melbourne Tigers and playing back home in the NBL," Mills said in a statement, "I have followed former players such as Andrew Gaze in the past. I look forward to contributing to their program."

Mills has an opt-out clause in his contract so he is able to return to America when the lockout ends.

Tigers Head Coach Trevor Gleeson said he was excited to have Mills on the roster, whose speed, ability to score and star power brings a lot to the team both on and off court.

"It is an exiting time at the Tigers, Patty will compliment our existing roster very well. He displays the camaraderie and leadership of a veteran despite being only 23 years old," Gleeson said.

"His passing ability is fantastic and his capacity to create his own shot and make big plays is excellent. He is a world class player and one of the best Australia has to offer, which will no doubt benefit us significantly."

Mills' first game in Australia will be on September 7 when he plays with the Boomers in the first game of the Olympic qualifying series against New Zealand.