IndyStar boys basketball preseason Super Team: Get to know Braylon Mullins of Greenfield-Central
Preps insider Kyle Neddenriep has Q & A session with Greenfield-Central’s Braylon Mullins.
IndyStar
GREENFIELD – It certainly will not go down as the most popular decision a high-profile high school basketball recruit has made inside the state lines.
Braylon Mullins, a five-star prospect coveted by Indiana fans looking for an antidote to the 3-point shooting woes that have plagued the program for several years, announced his commitment to two-time defending national champion UConn on Wednesday at Greenfield-Central High School, a decision he called a “bet on myself.”
Mullins, who saw his recruitment explode this spring, eventually narrowed his choices to a final three of Indiana, North Carolina and UConn. But the reality was it came down to UConn vs. IU. The home state school vs. the East Coast juggernaut. IU probably had a slight lead until Mullins took his official visit to UConn the first weekend of August.
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“Usually when you take visits that early, you forget about it…” Mullins said. “Some people cut that school out because you did it so early and you don’t know what it’s like when there are students on campus and you’re watching practice. But I kept it there, and I felt like it was the best visit I went on. Coach (Danny) Hurley made it a priority that he wanted me, and I have a really good relationship with the staff.”
Mullins, who averaged 25.0 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 3.2 steals per game as a junior at Greenfield-Central and shot 43% (61-for-142) from the 3-point line, joins a UConn recruiting class that also includes four-star guard Darius Adams, who plays at La Lumiere, and 7-foot German Eric Reibe, a four-star prospect who plays at The Bullis School in Maryland and was also pursued by IU and several others.
At one time, Hoosiers fans were hoping for the 2025 class in-state trifecta of Mullins, Trent Sisley and Jalen Haralson. Sisley, the former Heritage Hills star now at Montverde Academy (Fla.), did commit to the Hoosiers. But Haralson, the former Fishers’ star now at La Lumiere, opted for Notre Dame. And now Mullins, for UConn.
“Knowing IU was an hour down the road, that was the biggest part (in IU’s favor),” Mullins said. “I liked everything at UConn better than at IU. And I felt like I just wanted a fresh start and to get away from home a little bit. Just live life on my own a little bit. That’s one of the reasons why I went to UConn instead of IU.”
Going into the May session, Mullins said “IU was the top of my list.” But his recruitment clearly hit another level in May in front of college coaches while playing on the Adidas 3SSB circuit with Indiana Elite. In late July, he cut his list to 10 schools, a group that included his final three, along with Alabama, Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Purdue and Tennessee.
“(Before May) it was like, do or die,” Mullins said. “You bet on yourself, you keep going and ride it through and see what else you can get. Or I could have taken (the IU offer) right then and there. I had to go through that choice, too, last spring. We took a choice and went through AAU and see what we’ve got. Luckily it worked out for the best, and I ended up having some of the best college basketball programs in the country recruiting me. I’m blessed for that. I just started building that relationship with UConn since May and it’s been good ever since.”
Mullins said relationships with Hurley and UConn assistant Luke Murray were especially important to securing his commitment. He said he also built a strong relationship with IU assistant Brian Walsh during the process.
“Coach Hurley was the head coach I heard from the most,” Mullins said. “And honestly, that’s who you are playing for so hearing from him was definitely a big part of it.”
Though the goal is to play in the NBA, Mullins said there was never any “one-and-done” talk with Hurley during the recruiting process. There were no guarantees when he arrived at UConn, either, other than to work for opportunities to play.
“I’m willing to accept that challenge,” Mullins said. “
Part of the downside of being a high-profile recruit, especially in Indiana, is hearing the negative feedback on social media. But Mullins said he was prepared for that and pointed out his decision had more to do with UConn than it did IU.
“I had a great time on my visit (to Bloomington),” he said. “It was one of my better visits as well and I feel like I have a really good relationship with the coaching staff. Coach Walsh did a great job recruiting me. But I just felt like the best opportunity was UConn and I just wanted to take that chance on myself. My whole family was just like, ‘Bet on yourself.’ I felt like betting on myself was taking the harder route.”
Mullins told Hurley and his staff he was planning to commit when the staff came to Greenfield-Central for the last time on Oct. 3. North Carolina and IU had visited the school earlier in the week to make a final pitch.
It was during a trip to Las Vegas the previous weekend for the Wootten 150 Camp, played in front of McDonald’s All American committee members, when he was able to sit down with his mother, Katie, at dinner two different nights and talk about the decision.
“We just sat there at dinner and talked about it,” Mullins said. “I felt like that helped a little bit. And me and (Greenfield-Central coach Luke) Meredith sat in the coach’s office, and we had a piece of paper, writing pros and cons and all that stuff, talking about what’s best for me and all that stuff. We got down to it.”
Mullins’ father, Josh, said he could tell right away on the visit to UConn that Braylon “had a connection with the staff” that was unique.
“The first thing he said when we left was, ‘Who tops this?’” Josh said. “I was like, ‘I don’t know, Braylon, this is the only one we’ve been to, so I have no idea what people have in store for you on your visit.’ But it was really good. They had done their homework. They had been watching him since the beginning of his junior year on video, they just wanted to see him in person. But when we left UConn, you could see it in his eyes and hear it in his voice that UConn was going to be hard to beat.”
More from Braylon Mullins on UConn commitment
∎ On how UConn plans to use him: “They run a lot of off-ball stuff. Off the ball, running off screens, that’s what I do the best right now. But (Hurley) also said I can be a combo guard and play off ball screens and play off actions. I think that will help me get to my eventual dream. I want to play professional basketball and that’s something (Hurley) was harping on during the visit. He said you can do whatever you want here and be the best at it and you’ll make it in life. It’s hard not to say yes to that.”
∎ On social media backlash: “I knew I was going to hear it regardless from any fan base. I knew IU would be the worst if I ended up leaving. But it’s something you have to just move over and look past.”
∎ On connection to other recruits: “I talked to Darius Adams, who committed after Vegas, and Eric Reibe. He was talking about he felt about it, even though I had no idea where he was going at the time. When I went on my visit (to UConn), I talked to Liam McNeeley, who was an IU (commit). I got to talk to those three about it.”
∎ On the recruiting process as a whole: “Really, really stressful. Even at the beginning when I had like two or three mid-majors. It’s just hard picking because you know every school is really great and it’s a great opportunity for you. It’s just about picking what’s best for you and not regretting your decision.”
∎ On playing for Hurley: “I feel like being able to be coached as hard as possible will make you the best player possible. … I feel like he’s determined and ready to win (national championship) No. 3 and I’m ready to watch it. If he would have left (for the Lakers) it would have changed my perspective a whole lot, but I’m glad I get to play for him.”
Call Star reporter Kyle Neddenriep at (317) 444-6649.
