STORRS – Braylon Mullins chuckled when he was asked how his life has changed since he made the last-second game-winning shot to complete the comeback against Duke and send UConn back to the Final Four a month ago.
For his parents, Josh and Katie, the moment led to a wild swarm of media requests while their “humble Indiana boy,” as Dan Hurley called him early into his freshman season, turned into one of the most famous players in the sport overnight. For Braylon, one of the most consequential shots in March Madness history opened doors in this new age of NIL compensation and endorsement deals, which had an equalizing factor in his decision between going off to the NBA as a likely first-round pick or spending another year in college.
“I mean, you still hear people (talking about the shot),” he said in the Huskies’ practice facility on Tuesday. “(Monday) there was a bunch of mail that came in, it was just a bunch of letters (from) all across the states. Just people admiring that. And it’s just crazy how everybody has seen that.”
The thrilling conclusion of the game peaked with 18.9 million viewers on CBS. For many, it was the first introduction to Mullins, who had flown relatively under the radar in a freshman class that was one of the most talented college basketball has seen in a while.
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A McDonald’s High School All-American and a consensus top-20 recruit, Mullins has long been known for the quick and clean 3-point shooting stroke that he developed in Greenfield, Indiana, just about a half hour away from Lucas Oil Stadium, where he continued to shine during the Final Four.
But there is a lot more to his game that wasn’t on display so much, as he navigated his first year in Hurley’s complex offensive system. He plans on showing more of what he has to offer next season.
“I thought it was just the best decision to come back and run it back for year two and just develop more, and make it an easier thought process next year,” he said, anticipating a sophomore campaign that could increase his draft stock and potentially solidify him as a lottery pick. His projection was pretty close to that already, even with a frame at 6 feet 6, 190 pounds, that has his dad still calling him a “baby.”
“Just getting stronger day by day, I think that’s just the first step for me,” he said, with a goal of beginning the season between 205 and 210 pounds. “Just get in the gym every day, stay consistent and just work on all the things that weren’t consistent this year. Finishing at the rim and just making plays for everybody, those three things and being able to find myself better in the offense.”
Mullins hopes to improve as a vocal leader as well, being one of three returning rotation players on the roster. He was one of the quieter and more reserved pieces on last year’s team.
“Just knowing that I’ve gone through it and have experienced this program, how it runs, how it operates, just helping the new guys. … That’s going to be a process in itself, I know I am one of the quietest on the team, so just trying to figure that out and learn and be better at that,” he said.
“I’m so happy to see him back in this facility, man,” said Solo Ball. “He’s gonna make so much noise and just gonna bring so much electricity to the campus, too. That just brings so much joy back to everyone on campus. I was trying to stay quiet a little bit (when he was making his decision) but I was hoping he would come back; I was definitely hoping he would come back. I’m so happy he’s back and happy to see his family, he’s got great people around him.”
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Mullins will likely find himself in a role that more naturally suits him as the Huskies’ starting two-guard with Ball, a player who was used in very similar ways offensively playing alongside him, sitting out the year as a medical redshirt.
“You’ll see glimpses of what last year was, that’s still how this offense is run, and I think just trying to insert myself more with the ball and be more of a ball handler, take more pressure off Silas (Demary Jr.) and I think that will just help us and just grow my game. That’s something that I’m going to keep working on throughout the summer and just make sure that that will be showing out next year,” he said.
Hurley made it clear very soon after the Huskies’ season ended with a loss to Michigan in the national championship game that he wanted Mullins to come back.
Mullins made his decision sooner than the coaches expected and let them know before he went home to catch up with his family and friends, who he didn’t get to see as much as he’d hoped during the busy Final Four schedule. He made it official with an Instagram post on his 20th birthday captioned: “unfinished business.”
“I know (coming back) was best for my development and just knowing that I can get another extra year before I want to test and do things with the NBA and see that as my future,” he said. “I just thought college was just – I need it. Need to get better.”
