Loyola hires Bryan Mullins of SIU: http://www.loyolaramblers.com/sports/m- ... 13aaa.html

Looks like an interesting guy!

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MBB Scholarship Chart

Smart hire. Good name, connected family with his brother at Wright State and dad founded IL Wolves.

That all sounds good to me. Since he's not officially a coach, he can't be a recruiter, right?

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MBB Scholarship Chart

He can't personally go out recruiting, but his contacts and influence can still very much be used.

Mullins was the type of player that you hated if he was on the other team, but deep down you'd gladly take him on yours. Hard nosed and smart. Played great D and was probably more athletic than he seemed. I didn't realize he had such a connection to the Wolves which could help. In my defense, I'm from KS.

I honestly believe that Mullins will one day become a very good coach, and if he hangs around at Loyola for a few years, he could be a great addition as an assistant when someone moves on. I have no idea how much coaching experience he's had, but he strikes me as someone that has a similar personality type as a player to our own Gregg Marshall at Wichita State. He didn't play DI, but he was an in your face defender who was going to out work you and make your life hell. Kinda like Mullins.

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The Roundhouse

Now then here we have Subgod--from Wichita St--Obvious --at least to me --that he is a reasonable opponent--not unlike old ARCH from Butler--whom most of us remember as a class act among a bunch of---well , you know.

Keep up the great comments , Shocker !!!

I am sure we shall be needling one another shortly--but in fun !!!

If there's one thing that would have helped us win those close games last year I'd say it was tougher defense from our guards. Although, I think the main culprit there was a certain nomad who has left the program.

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Thanks for the kind words. I post on all but the Missouri State and Evansville boards as I like to see/hear what other fans have to say. Evansville doesn't have fans and MSU's board, last time I was there, was run by a mad man who'd run off some of his own for how he ran things. I haven't been back there in a while.

I try to stay civil as I consider myself a guest in your house, but when the season gets here, I may share a few friendly barbs but in total respect. I'll be honest but diplomatic most of the time. I simply love the interaction with other fans and will admit it's one of the great things about the conference tournament in STL. You get to meet some of the best fans from each team and it's pretty cool how well most of us get along. There will always be a few yahoos, but that should change since most of them are now following a team in the Big East.

As I've said before, I was not thrilled with your addition when first announces. Few were. But as I and others have looked into where your program is at and the financial commitment your leadership says it's going to make, I'm cautiously optimistic and see the potential there. I will always be a Shocker first, but I have a soft spot for the MVC as a whole and you're now a part of it. I hope one day you guys will challenge us for a conference title and a high seed in the NCAA tournament.

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The Roundhouse

As a fellow WSU fan, I'll second what Sub said about Mullins. Another thing that I'll add is that Mullins improved his game every year. His assists average over 4 years went 3.2, 3.5, 5.0, 5.6. He didn't come in as a great 3-point shooter, but his outside shooting percentage went 30.0%, 36.8%, 41.0%, 43.8%.

What this tells me is that while he had a lot of natural skill (particularly defensively where he came in as a steals specialist - which is one of the few stats where his freshman year was much better than the rest of his career, in part I believe because A) he learned to be more judicious about gambling for steals and B) other players learned to be more careful around him), he did not rely solely on natural ability. He was a guy who knew how to put in work to improve his game. That bodes well for him as a coach, because it demonstrates that he knows how to develop areas of weakness. Many former players aren't great coaches because they relied on instinct and natural talent and don't know how to teach that to others. Guys like Mullins who taught themselves to be better than they started are better positioned to coach others.

See: Farmer, Larry

This guy has got hard worker written all over him:

"he graduated with a degree in finance and a perfect 4.0 cumulative grade-point average"

"2009 MVC Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award"

"Second Team All-MVC honors in 2007-08"

"His floor leadership helped the Salukis to a 29-7 record and a NCAA Sweet 16 appearance in 2006-07"

"four seasons as a professional basketball player in France"

....plus the steady improvement in stats that The Mad Hatter cited above. And it's nice to have yet another coach with MVC experience.

This is an excellent hire!