STORRS – Barely a week after he moved onto campus, UConn freshman Braylon Mullins had his welcome-to-college moment guarding NBA Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle.
Castle visited campus at the same time as Jordan Hawkins, both UConn lottery picks and national champions, and they spent about an hour playing 1-on-1 with the team. Mullins’ first of many lessons was: “There’s levels to this.”
“And (Castle) is on a different level,” he said. “I’m trying to get to that level. I felt like I got better, honestly. He made me better. Jordan was there also when we were doing all that, so those two, they made everybody better in practice that day. That’s kind of how it goes here. Every single practice you’re gonna get better, every single day. That’s the standard here.”
Mullins, a noted sharpshooter, showed flashes of Hawkins when the team hosted its second open practice of the summer on Friday. He showed off his smooth jump shot and lit it up with four 3-pointers in the fourth quarter as his grey squad dominated the live scrimmage in front of donors and local media. But he showed flashes of Castle, too, with his ever-improving defense and ability to read the game. There was a Liam McNeeley aspect, too, as the 6-foot-6 wing made plays on the drive and in transition, setting up his teammates and showing the variety of ways he can impact the game.
“Braylon knows how to play,” said an excited Dan Hurley, who will soon enjoy his Jersey Shore vacation knowing the potential of the roster he put together for another climb in 2025-26.
Unofficially with 20 points, Mullins was the second-highest scorer in the scrimmage behind his teammate, Tarris Reed Jr., who dominated like a senior center should, capitalizing on passes from Mullins and others as he poured in 36 points.
“He’s not just out there looking for his,” Hurley said of his third five-star recruit in as many years. “The guy can pass and he knows how to move without the ball, and he can guard. He’s got a maturity about him and we’ve got to get him ready for November. We’ve had this conversation with him: People are dying to see him play.
“He’s a real exciting player, there’s a lot of anticipation for what he’s gonna look like this winter and I think we just have to prepare him mentally for the high expectations and the high anticipation.”
Mullins starred at Greenfield Central in Indiana, where he was named Gatorade Player of the Year, a McDonald’s All-American and Mr. Basketball, one of the highest honors in Indiana high school hoops. He could very well be the third Husky in a row to win Big East Freshman of the Year.
Hurley has started a freshman on each of his last three teams.
Mullins has an opportunity to be the next, though he’ll have to compete with a deep group of wings that includes juniors Jaylin Stewart and Jayden Ross, who’ve each made noticeable improvements this offseason. Regardless, he is set up to have a supporting cast that looks more similar to Karaban’s and Castle’s on the back-to-back national championship teams than McNeeley’s last season.
“Braylon is similar to Steph and Donovan (Clingan) and Alex (Karaban) and Liam, the people that have really come in and been awesome their freshman year. Where it’s like, good people around them. It’s not a circus of people focused on mock drafts. … He’s got people around him that just want to work hard, get better, ‘Coach my son hard,’ like no entitled, spoiled (stuff),” Hurley said. “And then the other part of it is like, this year he’s gonna play with experienced players.
“He’s gonna be insulated by an older, more mature, more well-rounded group than Liam – and that’s not to knock last year’s team, it’s just Braylon’s going to be surrounded by more maturity, more seasoned players. Just a better, well-rounded cast. That’s good for Eric (Reibe), that’s good for Braylon, that’s good for (Jacob) Furphy.”
Karaban, UConn’s captain and the only two-time national champion left on the roster, has taken the Huskies’ high-profile newcomers under his wing, helping them make the high school-to-college adjustment since his leadership role was established three seasons ago.
Mullins, along with the rest of the Huskies’ newcomers, particularly in that group of wings, is the next to benefit from his tutelage.
“He’s the leader of our team, I’m going to listen to him,” Mullins said. “He knows what’s happening, he’s been on two championship teams so he knows what to do to get stuff done.”
Like Hurley, Karaban raved about the young Husky, who, from the moment he stepped on campus, has been set up to succeed. His comfortability was clear during both of the scrimmages the team held, unaffected by the fans who lined the practice court two rows deep.
“He’s super talented. His shooting, his sneaky athleticism, just the way he plays is super unique, I mean, he’s a really talented player. And defensively he’s been way better than I thought too,” Karaban said. “I’m gonna guide him, it’s not easy stepping in as a freshman, playing big-time minutes and really dealing with the pressure on yourself, the high standards he has for himself but also just what it’s like to play at UConn.
“There’s gonna be so many ups and downs that every freshman experiences and I’ve been through those, I’m just gonna let him know ahead of time to make those learning curves a lot easier for him. We’re gonna need him and he’s super talented, and he’s gonna be special for this team.”
