Mullins – Substance and Style

Is Floor Burn U Coming Back?

(St. Louis, MO) – Bryan Mullins was a great defensive basketball player. Can he bring that defensive tenacity to the team he now coaches? Is ‘Floor Burn U’ coming back to Carbondale, Illinois? In the second part of our interview with the new Southern Illinois coach we dive into both the substance and the style that lies ahead for Saluki basketball.

Building a Roster

Mullins comes into the SIU program that just graduated seven seniors and thus a thin roster. There were four red-shirt players in the wings and two signed recruits. The first-time head coach has to build and balance a roster. Building a hard-nosed defensive minded culture is what he wants to create.

Mullins says returning senior guards Aaron Cook and Eric McGill are setting the hard work tone for the current roster . He’s also excited about signed recruits Lance Jones and Chris Payton.

 

 

Balancing the roster, or filling in some class gaps will be a major priority in this offseason. Known for his defensive prowess, Mullins says the Saluki offense will remind people of the sets and style employed at Loyola.

 

 

Cook averaged 10.4 points and a team-leading 3.7 assists per game. McGill contributed 9.5 points and 5.7 rebounds per contest. Four players red-shirted last season. Those players are Mali native Sekou Dembele, Illinois native Dave Swedura, Senegal native Amadou Fall and Frankfort, Illinois’ Sam Shafer.

Can Floor Burn U Exist?

Bryan Mullins’ time as a player at Southern Illinois was characterized by tenacious, hard-nosed defense. Opposing guards were terrorized and traumatized into numerous mistakes and breakdowns. The rules were different then.

Defense rules in the Missouri Valley Conference. Loyola won or shared the last two Valley titles and they led the league in scoring defense and in defensive field goal percentage during both of those seasons. The past six MVC champions were also the league’s best defensive units.

Mullins says the rules have changed, but his Salukis will have that same aggressive defensive mindset. He says recruiting players that truly fit is crucial.

 

 

Coaching Influences

Mullins’ father (Mike) is a long time basketball coach and Mullins worked six years for Loyola’s Porter Moser. The rookie head coach learned valuable lessons about competing, attention to detail and maintaining committed and accountable relationships from his father, Moser and former coach Chris Lowery.

 

 

Since our interview, Mullins has announced the hiring of the rest of his coaching staff. His brother Brendan had already been working in Carbondale, but Mullins added Pat Monaghan and Jevon Mamon. He knew who those men were during our interview and describes their characteristics and what it will be like to coach as a visitor at Loyola’s Gentile Arena.

 

 

Mullins’ playing days at SIU were highly successful. Those years witnessed championships, NCAA Tournament appearances and academic achievements. As an assistant at Loyola the same kind of results ensued. Now the Saluki head coach hopes to inspire similar accomplishments in Carbondale.

If ‘Floor Burn U’ is restored at Southern Illinois championships are sure to follow.

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