Brendan Mullins - Men's Basketball Coach - Southern Illinois University Athletics

Brendan Mullins

Title:
Assistant Coach
Email:
brendan.mullins@siu.edu
Phone:
618-453-7101

Brendan Mullins was named an assistant coach at Southern Illinois on April 1, 2019. The older brother of head coach Bryan Mullins, Brendan Mullins spent two seasons on Dan Muller’s staff at Illinois State (2017-19), where he served as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator. He is a 13-year coaching veteran with previous stops at Illinois-Chicago (2015-17), Wright State (2010-15), Green Bay (2009-10) and Mercyhurst (2007-09).

In his first season at SIU, Mullins helped the Salukis turn into one of the nation's best surprises. The Salukis outperformed the preseason expectations of ESPN's BPI, KenPom, Sagarin, Norlander, and Sports Illustrated. SIU returned only three players from the previous year's team, but the team won 10 MVC games anyway, the most ever by a team that had been picked last in the league's preseason poll. The Salukis ran off 10-straight home wins and seven-straight MVC wins during the season, both of which were the longest for the program since 2007. After the season, Mullins was named one of the top-50 impactful mid-major assistant coaches by Silver Wave Media.

The Salukis found success with elite defense, leading the MVC and ranking in the top-15 nationally in scoring defense. The Salukis allowed just 62.2 points per game, and the Salukis led the MVC in scoring defense for the first time since 2006-07.

A young core of players thrived under Mullins and the staff. Freshman Marcus Domask was named a Freshman All-American and also earned the league's Freshman and Newcomer of the Year awards. Fellow freshmen Lance Jones and Trent Brown were among the league's freshmen leaders in assists and steals, as well.

Mullins and the staff were recognized when head coach Bryan Mullins was named runner-up for the MVC Coach of the Year, as well as the Joe B. Hall Award, which is given to the nation's best first-year head coach.

In his second season at SIU, Mullins helped lead SIU to a 7-0 start to the season, the best for the program since 1948. That start included a win against Butler at Hinkle Fieldhouse, snapping Butler's nation-leading 59-game nonconference home court winning streak. The Bulldogs had not lost a nonconference home game since 2012 prior to SIU's win in December 2020.

Mullins was also instrumental in signing one of the best recruiting classes in school history. Troy D'Amico and Scottie Ebube were both ranked as top-10 players in the state of Illinois, and D'Amico the highest-rated in-state recruit to sign with SIU since 2008. Foster Wonders, the runner-up for Michigan Mr. Basketball in 2021 and the No. 5 ranked player in the state of Michigan, also signed with SIU. In the offseason, Ben Coupet Jr., who averaged double-figures on a conference-title-winning Little Rock team in 2020, signed with SIU as a graduate transfer.

During Mullins' two seasons at Illinois State, the Redbirds recorded wins over South Carolina, Ole Miss and Tulsa (twice), and advanced to the Missouri Valley Conference tournament championship game in 2018. ISU’s teams featured First-Team All-Conference performers Phil Fayne and Milik Yarbrough.

As an assistant at UIC, Mullins helped recruit and mentor several young talents, including the 2016 Horizon League Freshman of the Year, Dikembe Dixson, who scored 594 points to set the Horizon League freshman scoring record. During his first season at UIC, Mullins helped sophomore Tai Odiase develop into one of the top rim protectors in the country. Odiase led the NCAA with 3.23 blocks per game.

Prior to UIC, Mullins served five seasons on the staff at Wright State. He was promoted after two seasons from director of operations to assistant coach. During his five years on the WSU sideline, Mullins helped the Raiders post back-to-back 20-win campaigns with a pair of postseason tournament appearances.

Mullins was a four-year letterwinner at Saint Michael’s College in Vermont and one of the most prolific 3-point shooters in program history. He ranks fifth in program history with 200 career 3-pointers made. He received his bachelor’s degree in business administration from Saint Michael’s in 2007 and a master’s degree in organizational leadership from Mercyhurst in 2009.

During his prep career, the suburban Chicago native starred at Downers Grove South High School in Downers Grove, Illinois. He led the Mustangs to an IHSA Elite Eight appearance as a senior in 2003 and is a member of the Downers Grove South Hall of Fame.

Brendan Mullins was born June 29, 1985. His father, Mike Mullins, is the director of the Illinois Wolves AAU program.

Brendan Mullins Coaching Career
2007-09: Mercyhurst College Assistant Coach
2009-10: Green Bay Director of Operations
2010-12: Wright State Director of Operations
2012-15: Wright State Assistant Coach
2015-17: UIC Assistant Coach
2017-19: Illinois State Assistant Coach

Brendan Mullins Playing Career
2003-07: Saint Michael's College

Mullins on Brendan Mullins

"Brendan represents everything I want this program to stand for. His character, work ethic, and energy are values that have allowed him to have great success early in his career. He has established himself as a proven national recruiter with a tremendous IQ for the game. He is a star in this profession."