Bryan Mullins - Men's Basketball Coach (original) (raw)

Former Southern Illinois standout Bryan Mullins completed his fifth year on Porter Moser’s staff and his third as an assistant coach, following a two-year stint as the director of basketball operations. Mullins works primarily with the team’s backcourt in addition to scouting and recruiting duties. He was promoted to associate head coach on May 22, 2018.

Since joining the Loyola staff, Mullins has played a key role in helping the Ramblers win the 2015 College Basketball Invitational title, reach their first NCAA Final Four in 55 years, develop their first NBA player (Milton Doyle) since 1987, and achieve a USA Today Top 10 national ranking.

The 2017-18 season was a historic one for Loyola as Mullins assisted the Ramblers to a school-record 32 wins and their first Final Four appearance since winning the NCAA championship in 1963, along with a No. 7 ranking in the final 2017-18 USA Today Coaches Poll.

Along the way, the Ramblers knocked off four nationally ranked teams, including the program’s first-ever win on the road against a top-five opponent (No. 5 Florida), and the team ranked second in the nation in fewest personal fouls per game (13.9), third in field goal percentage (.507), and sixth in scoring defense (62.6 ppg).

The trajectory of the program has taken off especially in the last four seasons with Mullins on staff, with the team recording an 89-50 (.597) record. Loyola’s 50 wins over the last two seasons are its most over a two-year period since posting 51 total victories during the 1962-63 and 1963-64 campaigns.

Mullins’ work with Loyola’s backcourt was evident in the development of guard Clayton Custer and Ben Richardson, along with Lucas Williamson, in 2017-18. Custer became the first individual from Loyola to be tabbed conference player of the year since 1987 when he earned the Larry Bird Trophy as the top player in the Missouri Valley Conference. Custer, who was a National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) First Team All-District pick, also collected Associated Press Honorable Mention All-America accolades and was tabbed the Lou Henson Player of the Year for being the top mid-major player in the country, according to CollegeInsider.com.

Richardson was named MVC Defensive Player of the Year and was hailed as the Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA South Regional after his career-best 23-point performance in an Elite 8 victory over Kansas State. Meanwhile, Williamson showed his enormous potential throughout the season and was named to the MVC All-Freshman and MVC All-Bench teams.

During the 2016-17 season, Mullins’ work in player development allowed Loyola to notch 18 wins, and record victories over a Power 5 conference foe (Washington State) as well as perennial Mountain West contender San Diego State. He helped versatile guard Milton Doyle develop into Loyola’s first player to earn First Team All-Missouri Valley Conference recognition and Doyle also went on to earn a berth to the prestigious Portsmouth Invitational Tournament. He finished his career with 1,606 points, which places him eighth on Loyola’s all-time scoring chart and he also ranks fifth with 459 assists. Doyle capped his career by becoming the first Rambler since 2007 to earn NABC First Team All-District recognition.

In addition to Doyle’s accolades, Aundre Jackson ranked among the national leaders and set a Loyola single-season record for field goal percentage (.669) en route to MVC Sixth Man of the Year, MVC All-Bench Team and MVC All-Newcomer Team accolades, while Donte Ingram blossomed into a Third Team All-MVC and MVC Most Improved Team honoree.

Off the court, Loyola student-athletes have received acclaim for their many accomplishments in the classroom. In each of the last two seasons, Custer and Richardson were named MVC First Team Men’s Basketball Scholar-Athlete, and Custer was recognized as a CoSIDA Academic All-District performer in 2017-18. Loyola also has posted a 99 percent Graduate Success Rate (GSR) in each of the last two years, the highest mark in the nation.

Mullins helped Loyola record a season series sweep of Northern Iowa as well as notch a victory over Creighton in 2015-16. Montel James brought home Second Team All-MVC honors and Loyola posted a win at Arch Madness for the third straight year before taking Wichita State down to the wire.

During his career at SIU, Mullins helped the Salukis to a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances, one NIT berth, and two Missouri Valley Conference championships. He was a two-time Missouri Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Year selection and earned MVC All-Defensive Team recognition in each of his four seasons with the Salukis. As a freshman, the 6-foot-2 guard led the MVC and ranked seventh in the nation in steals (2.85 spg) and was named to the Missouri Valley Conference's All-Newcomer and All-Defensive teams.

His floor leadership helped the Salukis to a 29-7 record and a NCAA Sweet 16 appearance in 2006-07. Mullins contributed a career-best 10.7 points and 2.6 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game, while connecting on a personal-best 41 percent (48-for-117) of his three-point attempts en route to Second Team All-MVC honors in 2007-08.
Off the court, he graduated with a degree in finance and a perfect 4.0 cumulative grade-point average, was a three-time All-Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete Team pick and garnered the 2009 MVC Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award. A two-time ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America honoree, Mullins was presented with the league's highest academic achievement when he earned the Missouri Valley Conference President's Council Academic Award.

In 2009, the Downers Grove, Ill., native collected the MVC's Dr. Charlotte West Scholar-Athlete Award for his academic achievement, athletics excellence, service and leadership and in February 2016 was inducted into the Downers Grove South High School Hall of Fame.

Following his collegiate career, Mullins spent four seasons as a professional basketball player in France and during the 2012-13 campaign, averaged 7.4 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 4.1 apg and 2.3 spg while playing for Chalons-Reims.