Former SIU hoops star joins Loyola staff

Bryan Mullins, a former standout player at Downers Grove South and Southern Illinois University, has been named director of men’s basketball operations at Loyola University Chicago.

“Bryan is one of the most decorated student-athletes to come out of the Missouri Valley Conference in the last 10 years, having been an Academic all-American, a two-time conference champion, and MVC Defensive Player of the Year,” Loyola head coach Porter Moser said. “As we move into the Missouri Valley Conference, Bryan will be a great role model for our players to look to for knowing what it takes to win in this league. As a player, no one was as competitive, worked harder, or was smarter than Bryan, and I know he will bring those same traits to our program as he enters the coaching profession. I am extremely excited to welcome him to our staff.”

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 an 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.

In 2009, the Downers Grove native collected the MVC’s Dr. Charlotte West Scholar-Athlete Award for his academic achievement, athletics excellence, service and leadership.

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.