Men’s Basketball – Saluki-Insider.com

He is Number One!

In August 2004, basketball tickets went on sale for Southern Illinois University. My father, a lifelong Saluki fan, had not been to the SIU Arena in far too many years. I was going to surprise him for Christmas with a road trip to Carbondale. I also decided to take my oldest son to his first real game since he was two years old and he was pretty sure that Grey Dog was going to eat him. I scanned the schedule and saw that the Salukis played Wichita State on Senior Day for Darren Brooks. This was the only choice! My father got to see his favorite player play in his last home game. Little did I know at the time just how big that game would be.

We packed up the SUV and headed south. The game, as we now know, was for the Missouri Valley Conference Championship. This would be the Salukis fourth straight title if they could win this game. After a quick lunch at The Mississippi Flyway, we excitedly headed off to the Arena. When we entered the building an hour before tip-off, we immediately heard the crowd. We walked in to our seats and the building is already 3/4th full. Again, it is an hour before tip-off. The Shockers are shooting around in the pre-game. Every time Jamar Howard touched the ball a chant of Howard rolled through the Arena. The electricity in the building was unmatched. The roar from 9,628 fans when #1 was announced for the final time was ear-ringing!

Darren Brooks then did what Darren Brooks always did. He won a Missouri Valley title for the fourth straight time. At one point, Brooks would pop his jersey and slap the floor to fire up the sold-out building. The loudest SIU chant these ears have ever heard soon followed. The Salukis pulled away and the starters were pulled out of the game. The deafening roar when Brooks was removed was aided when LaMar Owen took off his Saluki jersey and ran into the student section to start the party. I looked over and saw the tear in the corner of my father’s eye. The court storm began as the horn sounded. His favorite Saluki going out a champion!

Darren Brooks was a lightly recruited player out of Jennings High School in St. Louis. He did not play a lot of AAU ball and was not known well. He had offers from some MVC schools, Arkansas-Pine Bluff and an offer to come work out for SLU. He did, however, have a Division II offer for football from Culver Stockton. Also, he had an offer to walk on at Iowa and Wisconsin to play football. Additionally, Brooks had offers from the Atlanta Braves and the Arizona Diamondbacks to play baseball. He was recruited by Matt Painter to come to Southern Illinois. Already friends with Josh Warren and Stetson Hairston, and after meeting Jermain Dearman, Kent Williams and Sylvester Willis, Darren knew he could win at SIU and win big.

After redshirting his first year at SIU Darren would finally get his chance. His freshman year he would average nine points coming off the SIU bench. He scored 16 points in an NCAA tournament upset of Bobby Knight and Texas Tech.

Brooks fully arrived during his sophomore year. Darren would lead the MVC in steals and earn his first of three all-defense team awards. Darren also earned the league’s most improved player in his second year. Brooks led the team in minutes played, assists and steals. His 62 steals were the second most in SIU history. He finished second on the team in rebounding and blocked shots. In a game against Drake he recorded a school-record eight steals.

As a junior, he was the best player in the Missouri Valley Conference. He would win the MVC Larry Bird Player of the Year, the MVC defensive player of the year, and was an AP Honorable Mention All-American.

He completed his final season at SIU as the only player ever to win the Larry Bird Player of the Year and the defensive player of the year twice. Darren never finished worse than 1st in the Missouri Valley Conference. He was on four straight championship teams. Darren played in the NCAA tournament four times and played in an NCAA Sweeet 16. He holds the school record for steals and is in the top-ten in scoring. In his final season he led the team in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals and broke the program’s single season records for steals with 70 and assists with 150.

Longtime SIU play-by-play announcer, Mike Reis, said that Darren was the best all-around player he had ever seen at Southern Illinois. Brooks shares an elite podium with another Valley elite, Bradley’s Hersey Hawkins, as the only two players in Valley history to compile at least 1,500 points, 600 rebounds, 400 assists and 250 steals.

Darren’s career ended in the second round of the NCAA tournament when the seventh-seeded Salukis lost to second-seeded Oklahoma State. Brooks ended a storybook career playing in more games in a Saluki uniform than any other player in school history. Additionally, he is one of the most decorated men’s basketball players in Missouri Valley Conference history.

Photo courtesy of the Missouri Valley Conference/Mike Kern
Photo courtesy of the Missouri Valley Conference/Mike Kern
Photo courtesy of the Missouri Valley Conference/Mike Kern
Photo courtesy of the Missouri Valley Conference/Mike Kern
Photo courtesy of the Missouri Valley Conference/Mike Kern

I admit that I was a bit nervous going in to my conversation with Darren. I’m no Bobber and this was a big one! Five seconds in to the conversation my worries were gone. Darren is a Saluki and we talked like we had done it many times. His first words were thanking all the Saluki fans for all the support throughout the years. From his heart, he said, “thank you to you all!” Once a Saluki, always a Saluki.

I asked Darren, why SIU when you had all of these options?

Darren told me the other offers were great. He did not want to walk on. He wanted a degree and he wanted to graduate college debt-free. He knew he could win at SIU . He said his plans at SIU were to play basketball and baseball. Actually, baseball was his favorite sport. In Darren’s words he was, “bamboozled by Saluki Head Coach Bruce Weber”. Bruce put a stop to the baseball dream in year one.

About Bruce Weber…

“He came to talk to the girls’ high school team I coach at University City High School,” he said. Bruce is the best person you will ever meet. Well prepared and a great coach.”

In true Darren Brooks fashion the team had their best season in 16 years.

I add a question from Saluki-Insider. What made you so good at defense? What was your thought process?

“I just wanted to win more than everybody else. I wanted my team to win. I wanted to make life hard for whomever I was guarding,” said Brooks.

He credited his middle school PE teacher for unlocking the gym and letting him work. He watched film and saw things happen before they did. It was effort, study and determination.

A Sports Illustrated cover pictured Brooks as one the guys who could stop Illinois’ Brown.

“It was just cool to be on the cover of Sports Illustrated,” Brooks humbly stated.

“Not many people can say that. I was always the underdog and was never given much of a chance. I worked hard and want to thank God for everything. It was an honor to be there.”

What are you feelings on the current transfer portal situation?

“I have mixed feelings as it’s good and bad,” said Brooks. “I like that the kids can make money. I feel it really hurts the kids in development and it hurts them when they can just run away from adversity. I agree with the one free transfer but that’s it unless there is a coaching change.”

It’s time for the question. Pags or Quatro’s?

“I like them both but I’m a deep dish guy. It’s Quatro’s,” mused Brooks.

Who was your biggest rival?

“Creighton, and then Creighton,” said Brooks without hesitation.

What is Darren Brooks doing now?

“I am just spending time with my family, my wife and four daughters. Church and coaching. Life is good!”

I wanted to close with his thoughts on the fans the SIU Arena and all the success at home.

“Amazing. The 6th man. We felt invincible at home and he crowd gave us the extra fight. There’s no place else like it,” Brooks said proudly. “Saluki fans are the best. And I do remember that senior day game. It was unbelievable and so humbling. I loved my time at SIU and I thank God for it.”

The drive home from Carbondale was one of high spirits. What a game, what a career! Darren Brooks is in the SIU Hall of Fame and the Missouri Valley Conference Hall of Fame. His career at SIU stands out among a long tradition of great players. The Salukis would lose in the second-round of the NCAA Tournament to Oklahoma State to end Darren’s college career.

It is time to retire #1 at the Banterra Center. Darren Brooks deserves that honor. I do not know what the criteria is for the process but Darren meets it. One of, if not the greatest Salukis of all time. Darren was a standout on and off the court for four years. This should be a no-brainer decision and is long past due.

Join us over in the Saluki Insider forum to discuss your favorite Darren Brooks moments with other Saluki fans!

Darren Brooks photo is courtesy of Mike Kern and the Missouri Valley Conference

Purple Skittles, The Bobber and Jerrance Howard

The phone rang late at night just as I began my banana split. This better be good, I said.

“You’re not going to believe this,” a friend told me.

“What?” I said, watching my ice cream melt.

“Jerrance Howard is coming,” he said.

There was a pause, and then I laughed out loud.

“Sure he is,” I said. “And I heard Reese Witherspoon has left her husband. Maybe she is coming to see me too.”

I hung up, and went back to the important task of my banana split.

__________________

He was a hoops junkie at a young age, learning how to do his ABC’s while dribbling a basketball. There was no rim to be found, but on West Third Street in front of the Howard house, there was a telephone pole. And on that pole there was a nail that served as the basket. And when future NBA star Frank Williams would ride his bike over to Howard’s house, the two would go at it, kid to kid, grade schoolers battling in the street. They never kept score. When darkness hit, Williams rode his bike home.

“Man, it was all hoop,” Howard laughed.

It is a long way from the Pierson Hills neighborhood in Peoria to the sights that Howard has seen. High school star at Peoria Central, then onto a career at Illinois. At Champaign, incredibly, Howard played under Lon Kruger, Bill Self and Bruce Weber. He was the fifth guard in the Illini rotation. The other four were Frank Williams, Deron Williams, Dee Brown and Luther Head. Even more incredibly, they all had something in common.

They were first round draft picks in the NBA.

When the real world called, it came in the form of Billy Gillespie.

“Coach Gillespie was on the Illini staff, and he gets the job at Texas A&M,” Howard said. “I graduate, and he calls me and says if I can get to College Station in two days, he has something for me. I never even asked what it was, or what it paid. Now, I had never even been out of Illinois. The night before I leave, somebody breaks into my car and steals my radio. Car has no air conditioning. It breaks down somewhere in Oklahoma. But the ’98 Monte Carlo made it to Texas on time.”

Howard’s coaching career spans from Texas A&M to Kentucky to Illinois to SMU to Kansas to Texas. That would be Billy Gillespie to Bruce Weber to Larry Brown to Bill Self to Chris Beard.

He has recruited in 48 states.

“It’s cold in the Dakota’s in the winter,” he laughed.

But Jerrance Howard is more than a recruiter. He is a basketball coach. And now he is in Carbondale.

“How does this happen?” I asked. “You could have gone anywhere. Did they offer you the keys to the city? Free Quatro’s for life?”

“Everybody has been asking me that,” Howard said. “I took a year off to spend time with my family. My son Jerrance Junior is a teenager now. He might be a baller like the old man. I hope he can shoot better. I had agency opportunities that I looked at. It was nice sitting out and having time for family activities. But……..”

And I knew it was coming. We all suffer from it every March.

“Once March Madness came around, I knew it was time. I was born to coach.”

“Sure,” I pushed. “But why Southern?”

“There were a lot of reasons. My brother graduated from here. This is my home state. My wife is from Chicago. But it was more than that. It was the Mullins family. I never saw Bryan play in high school. But at Illinois, coach Weber raved about him, about how hard he played. I heard a lot of stories about him, and that was attractive to me. And then there were his parents, Mike and Gail. I am a big fan of theirs. I signed three kids that Mike coached at the Illini Wolves. The entire Mullins family is just good, incredible people. And you know who I called for advice when Bryan offered me the job? I called his father.”

I told Howard I wanted to talk about his specialty, recruiting. After all, we have a few openings.

“As soon as word got out that I was coming to Southern, coaches began reaching out to me. They want us to be successful. They know we have a great tradition here. They know what Bryan brings to the table.”

“Chicago?” I asked. “Can you get us into Chicago?”

“I will always recruit Chicago,” Howard said with emphasis. “To me, it is the mecca of basketball. It is a priority for me. I still have relationships there. We need to get those kids down here.”

Of course, I had to pause.

“Let’s get serious for a second,” I said. “Giordano’s, Gino’s or Lou’s?”

Another laugh from Howard. “I am a Giordano’s man.”

“So how do you get those kids down here?” I asked. “And how do you sell the high school star on coming to a place that specializes in defense? And then, how do you keep them?”

“First, you have to have a personal relationship with the kids,” Howard said. “The defense is not a hard sell. If you want to play at the next level you have to be able to guard. But you have to understand it is a different world now with the portal. I was at the bigger schools taking kids from the mid majors. Now I am on the side of trying to keep them. I haven’t dealt with this. For the high school kids, you have to recruit them and then develop them. You have to treat them well. But you can’t worry about it. It is what it is.”

I asked Howard if Southern would be more focused on high school players or the portal going forward.

“We are definitely going to need a balance, especially at the mid major. level. All things being equal, coaches are going to take a fifth-year senior over a high school guy because he is older and more mature. And we are already cooking. We have had an overwhelming response from people. They know what this program is about. We had a player on campus this past weekend. We expect a decision on him soon. (just read Saluki Insider to see who this was). We have more visits the next two weekends. I am going on the road tomorrow. First stop will be a NIKE tourney in Atlanta. I will also hit up the Juco’s there. Then it’s off to my old stomping grounds in Kansas City.”

We had another pause in the conversation, so I brought out the heavy material.

“Skittles or Lemonheads?”

And that brought a roar from Howard.

“Come on, man! How did you know!”

“Well, I am the Bobber!”

The man who is called “Snacks” knew he had to come clean, and fast.

“It’s skittles, man. It’s got to be skittles.”

“And if you had to pick one, which color?”

Howard was not quite prepared for such a hard hitting interview, but eventually he confessed.

“Give me the purple one.”

“Okay,” I said. “Back to the easy stuff. What are you looking for when you are recruiting a high school player?”

“I’m looking for how a kid treats his parents,” Howard said. “Because that is how he will treat his coach. And then there is social media. I have stopped recruiting kids because of their social media. If there are two kids of equal talent, I am taking the one that isn’t looking stupid.”

And Howard has learned that he is not just recruiting the player, but the family.

“There have been good players who I stopped recruiting because of how their parents act in the stands. We don’t have time for that. We can’t deal with that. Unless you are Lebron, nobody is dealing with that these days with 2,000 other kids in the portal.”

I told Howard that coaches are in the portal every year too, always have been. And I wondered why someone with his resume hadn’t landed a head coaching job yet.

“I applied for the Bradley job that went to Brian Wardle. It would have been a good fit with me being from Peoria. Someday, that opportunity might come, and I will be prepared. Coach Weber told me he applied for 20 jobs before he got hired here at Southern. “

It was time to go. Howard had recruiting calls to make, and I sure wasn’t going to mess that up. But before I said goodbye, there was one last question that I desperately needed answered.

“I need to ask you about a recruit you signed back in the day,” I asked.

“Who was that?” Howard asked.

“Joseph Bertand,” I said. “We had a source here on the message board that told us Bertand coming to Southern was a done deal. And then you signed him. What happened?”

Howard laughed again.

“Oh yeah. Southern was really in on Bertrand. Coach Lowery knew his high school coach at Sterling. And he was an Illini Wolves player with Mr. Mullins. We knew Southern was close. So whoever your message board guy was, he was close. Let’s just say he got that one wrong.”

And then I laughed. And laughed some more.

_____________________

So now it begins. I celebrated when the news about Howard was announced yesterday, news that had been plastered on Saluki Insider for the past week. Gave myself an extra scoop of ice cream on my banana split.

Saluki-Insider NCAA Tournament Discussion

I’m actually trying to not be lazy and contribute around here. I have to make those premium subscriptions worth the price.

Transfer Portal

This situation is long past out of control. Think of poor Bobber trying to figure out who has a Covid year, a graduate year and teams just adding 13 new guys. Maybe we are just old but this is ruining the game. Mid- and low-majors have become the free agent pool. Money talks so this is not going to get better. Just wait until the super conferences break off and they can just poach a kid mid-year because of injuries. Sadly, I think the only thing to slow this down is taking away the one free transfer. Make a transfer sit a year. Try to fairly give waivers for extreme situations or coaching changes. We all know the NCAA would screw that up anyway, so the whole things seems pretty hopeless.

NCAA Tournament

Surprisingly, a mid-major was given the last at-large bid over a mid-power 6 team. The entire P6 has been crying since Sunday. This is one time we will applaud the committee. Rewarding teams that win two big games in 12 chances is comical.

This weekend also brought up the topic of expansion. As I looked in to this it gets worse and worse. Of the 28 added teams this year 12 would have probably been mid-majors. That actually seems ok. When you look at the format it changes. Just guessing all the top 32 seeds get a bye. Then there would basically be 32 play-in games to play them. These games are mostly mid vs. mid. The Power 6 keep their money and there are less Cinderellas. This is another situation that seems quite gloomy.

This year’s tournament could be fun. There could be a whole lot of first round stunners. We do like Drake to win a game. Possibly two depending on if Kent State can stop the Trace Jackson Davis train. Memphis is a mid that may make noise. We have Kansas or Alabama cutting down the nets. Only because neither of us ever pick it right and we want to curse those two wretched programs. Just keep that in mind when filling out your Saluki-Insider Bracket.

News and notes from Salukiland

We still have not heard who is staying and who is not. Hopefully we are intact again and ready to roll next year. We all know some changes need to be made and I’m sure the staff does too. I like the direction this program is going. Producing Academic All-Americans is something to be proud of. The offense will get better. As we navigate away from Covid we are at the end of six-year players. Mullins had mostly held on to his key pieces and kept them from hitting the portal. Hopefully that continues. No more 41-year-old Garrett Sturtz. Bryan will add a piece or two and has a very good recruit incoming. Attendance is coming back and the ball is rolling. Post-season play is coming soon.

In closing we at Saluki-Insider wish great success to Indiana State and Drake in their post-season play. Make the Valley proud!

A Hot Take on Arch Madness

The first-ever Saluki Insider Arch Madness preview is here. We have put our minds together, but we are not responsible for the losses at your favorite sports book. This will be our best guess starting with the games on Thursday. In an insanely competitive year in the Valley everything seems wide open. No Thursday team has ever won it all and we see that trend continuing this year. Drake and that team from Peoria seem to be the favorites but let’s dig deeper.

Thursday Games

Illinois State vs. Northern Iowa

SI Pick – Northern Iowa Final: UNI 75, ISUr 62

Northern Iowa swept the season series this year. This one should be close one throughout. Illinois State gives a lot of effort but the talent is not there to pull it out. UNI will outlast them for the third time this season.

Evansville vs. Indiana State

SI Pick – Indiana State Final: ISUb 97, Evansville 58

Indiana State swept the season series and expect them to win again. Evansville is bad, and the Trees are not. This one might be close early but it should be an easy Indiana State win.

Valparaiso vs. Murray State

SI Pick – Valparaiso

Murray State swept the season series, and we are still scratching our heads about Valpo’s selection of a mascot. Both games between the two schools went to overtime. This time the ponies will come up lame. Valpo pulls this one out sending all those Murray superfans home with three-days worth of unused tickets. I’m sure it will the fault of the refs, though.

Illinois-Chicago vs. Missouri State

SI Pick – Illinois-Chicago

The Bears won both games this year, but UIC is better than their record. Missouri State has a coach with a rapidly rising hot-seat level. There is a lot of pressure here on the Bears. Give us UIC in what will probably be the best game of the day.

Friday (Quarterfinals)

Northern Iowa vs. Bradley

SI Pick – Unfortunately Bradley

Unless the basketball Gods intervene, the Braves probably win this. They swept the Panthers in the season series. One can hope UNI goes crazy from three and pulls the upset. Let’s hope the Gargoyles have a tough game and are exhausted.

Indiana State vs. Belmont

SI Pick – Belmont

This game could go either way. Their only meeting of the season was a one-point Belmont win in Nashville. Both teams are well coached. Both teams can be streaky and questionable defensively at times. When the dust settles we think Belmont will ride their tens of fans all the way to win a tight, hard fought game.

Valparaiso vs. Drake

SI Pick – Drake

Drake won the season series with both games being very close. In fact, the most recent game went to overtime. Drake is the better team. The Bulldogs have the better coach, not to mention the coach’s son. Drake will prevail in what should be an easy one.

Southern Illinois vs. Illinois-Chicago

SI Pick – Do you have to ask?

UIC has played SIU twice and lost twice. The Flames have little depth and two games in two days is going to be tough. The deep Saluki bench will help the Salukis pull away late against tired legs.

Saturday (Semi-Finals)

Belmont vs. Bradley

SI Pick – Belmont

The Bruins beat Bradley twice this season in tight games. They spread the floor and do not beat themselves. Bradley has been playing at a high level lately. However, we think Belmont will ride its now 20s of fans to beat the Braves and complete the trifecta. The Braves might do well in the NIT.

Southern Illinois vs. Drake

SI Pick – Southern Illinois

The teams split the season series. SIU got blasted at Drake but won in Carbondale. This game will be a slow defensive battle. Both teams have solid senior leadership. Look for a game that comes down to the wire. It’s a literal toss up we and we are thinking that Drake’s senior citizens wear down late and SIU grabs the win to avenge last year’s tournament loss to the Bulldogs.

Sound good so far?

Championship Sunday

Belmont vs. Southern Illinois

SI Pick – Southern Illinois

These teams tangled just one time, two months ago, in Carbondale. The Salukis cruised to an easy road win days after the Bruins beat Bradley. The defense that SIU plays will frustrate the Bruins. The Salukis held them to just 45 points in January. Belmont, now riding a wave of 30s of fans, will be attempting to win their first Arch madness. While the rowdy mini team in the Belmont fan section will help the Bruins, it is a lot of pressure on a young team in an unfamiliar arena on CBS. We like the Salukis here to finally cut down the nets in a close hard fought game. Dance Dawgs!!

The Last Word

There you have it. The Salukis put it together for three days and advance to the dance . As wide open as this tournament is, we like this possible outcome. We can’t imagine that we got anything wrong here, but feel free to add your two cents in the comments.

GO DAWGS!

Additional Resources

MVC Tournament Record Book

Official Arch Madness Website

It’s Time For Some Roundball!

2022-23 Saluki Insider Missouri Valley Conference Men’s Basketball Preview

It is that time again for the Saluki Insider basketball preview. We are riding high after being pretty much the only prognosticators not to pick Loyola to win the league last season. Much has changed. Exit the fighting sister Jean’s and enter Belmont, Murray State and Illinois-Chicago. Two of the schools seem like good additions with a solid basketball history. The other one has a good television market in Chicago and at least has a fan website. Hopefully things settle down and the Valley will stand as-is without any additional moves in the near future. Rumors of Missouri State going FBS in football and jumping to the Sun Belt still linger though and seems possible, however, not likely.

The NIL era has started and will only cause things to get worse. The transfer portal is out of control and mid-major teams are becoming feeder programs for P5 teams. Hopefully, the NCAA can figure out a way to reign in an out-of-control system but it is not likely. Teams that can somehow hang on to their stars will become less and less likely. Cinderella will nearly as vanish from the tournament and Power 5 conference coffers will fill even larger. The networks love it and non-P5 fans loathe it. The sport is on a bad path that will eventually result in the power 5 breaking away. For now, though, let’s dive in to 2022-23 Valley Basketball!

The Missouri Valley is not as good as it was last year. There is a lot of youth around the conference. If the young guys can be retained, then the future looks pretty bright for the Valley. Here is how we see things shaping up this season.

#1 Drake

The Drake is good. In fact, they are very good, well coached, talented and experienced. Depth is a concern for the ugly dawgs, and any substantial injuries could be tough on them. We see Drake as a top-20 caliber team and a heavy favorite. Don’t be surprised to see Drake compete for a spot in the Sweet 16 come March.

#2 Southern Illinois

The Salukis are probably the deepest team in the league with veteran leadership and at least two all-conference caliber players. SIU is a well-coached, defensive minded team that makes you work for everything. If things go right for the Salukis, then they could challenge Drake. Remember the name Foster Wonders. He is instant offense.

#3 Bradley

The Gargoyles are athletic and talented. Depth is a question as their best player has suffered a knee injury. Without Nate Mast the non-conference schedule could be a struggle. As usual, Bradley will be tough at Arch Madness.

#4 Northern Iowa

The top three is pretty clear in our mind. Things get a bit murky as spots four through ten can go in many directions. We are going with the solid and experienced coaching of Ben Jacobson and giving the Panthers the nod. Depth is again a question and they have not handled injuries well in the past several years. You can’t ever count them out with Ben running the ship.

#5 Missouri State

The Bears loaded up through the transfer portal. The silliness of anybody saying the team is better without Prim and Mosley is just that…silly. Missouri State has some talent. However, Dana Ford did not win last year with a better team.

#6 Indiana State

The Trees are well coached and play hard. That being said…Division 2 stars are not going to get them to the top of the Valley. The Trees want to play a fast, up-tempo game and they can score. They could surprise some nights but look very middling.

#7 Belmont

The Bruins are very young and it will take a while to develop enough to challenge at the top levels of the MVC. They won’t have much of a home court advantage due to their historically low attendance. The system Casey Alexander runs at Belmont is solid and should give them enough to finish in this range.

#8 Murray State

The Racers have virtually an entirely new roster, a new coach and a new conference. Murray State has optimism for the future with Prohm. He failed at Iowa State and we all saw how well the last fired Big 12 coach did coming back to the Valley. We don’t expect Murray to fall to Evansville depths, but it will be an early struggle.

#9 Illinois State

The Redbirds are dealing with a new coach, a new system and new players. Ryan Pedon seems like a solid hire. The Redbirds should improve going forward but year one will be a rough one in Normal.

#10 Valpo

Another year and another bottom half finish seems likely for the Beacons. Valpo has a proud tradition that is rapidly fading. Changing their name to the Beacons is still baffling.

#11 Evansville

David Ragland will turn it around in Evansville. Avoiding the basement seems like an accomplishment here though. Aces fans should be thankful for the UIC add to give them hope of not finishing last.

#12 Illinois-Chicago

Unfortunately, the Flames are a bad team joining us from a bad conference. Things were starting to look up in Chicago before it fell apart thanks to the transfer portal. A bad team just got worse. They have the numbers of a large Chicago television market and they will give the Chicago-based alumni of other Valley schools a chance to see their team play in Chicago annually.

The Annual Hot Seat

#1 – Matt Lottich

That is pretty much it. That’s the list. We do not see him surviving another lackluster year.

Warming

#1 – Dana Ford

If the Bears disappoint again then heat will turn up quickly.

#2 – Bryan Mullins

Mullins is in no current danger. The Salukis need to compete for the top this year or the buzzing will start. Bryan is a good coach and a better person. Most Saluki fans support him but patience only last so long.

#3 – Brian Wardle

The luster of those Arch Madness wins is quickly fading. While there are no whispers yet, Bradley fans are not at all patient. Any more defections or arrests will quickly ignite the fire. Wardle is safe for this year though barring a complete collapse.

#4 – Luke Yaklich

We do not disagree with Yak deciding not to release a kid who decided he did not want to be there after the school year started. However, if he does not quell this controversy, their recruiting will suffer and it could be a short stint.

The Last Word

Good luck to all the Valley teams in non-conference play. Except for one anyway, but I will keep which one to myself. Hopefully the bottom is not as bad as it looks and the teams with completely new rosters figure it out quickly. As always, Go Salukis!

Ready For Saluki Hoops?

Missouri Valley Conference Preview

by Barkeep 1967

Here it is, the first ever Saluki-Insider Missouri Valley Conference basketball preview. I apologize for the delay. The whole adding Belmont and possibly Murray State thing slowed us a bit. We will get into that a little later.

This season has potential to be the best Valley in a long time. Almost all the of the top seniors from last year are returning. This very well could be a three-to-four bid league. Here is our best guess at the final standings.

1. Drake: The national media sees Yesufu leaving. You see Drake nowhere in any top-25 ranking. He was a very good player but before the injuries he was option three. He is being replaced by a top 100 four-star recruit in do it all wing Tucker Devries. They were a tournament team last despite the injuries. This is a very good top-25 team.

2. Missouri State: Gaige Prim may be the best player in the conference. The Bears are athletic and know how to get him the ball. While it is fair to question Ford’s coaching ability, he has put together a very talented team. We see the Bears as a possible NCAA at-large team.

3. Loyola: A very experienced, talented basketball team. They very well could win the conference. No Krutwig and No Porter gives us a pause though. I have little doubt Drew Valentine is a good coach who will be fine. Not having Krutwig is a different story. They will always bring the defense. The entire offense ran through Krutwig. It is going to take some time to gel. The Ramblers play in Battle 4 Atlantis early. If the offense is not ready, the trip could be rough. I would not want to play this team at Arch Madness if they knew they needed it.

4. Northern Iowa: AJ Green is back. There are reports he is in better shape than ever and has gained seven inches on his vertical. Without Green, UNI was very average. We do question just how much better Green can make them. If he is truly 100%, then they very well could win the conference.

5. Southern Illinois: The Salukis will be much better this year. Injuries to Marcus Domask and JD Muila derailed last season. The Salukis will bring it every night this year. Domask and Mulla are healthy. The Salukis added a solid recruiting class with two more bigs to help with depth. The Salukis will be in nearly every game and are a serious dark horse. They will be another tough out at Arch Madness. Remember the name Foster Wonders.

6. Valparaiso: Another year and half the team transferred. They were replaced by probably better transfers. As usual Valpo will start slow and be the team that scares everybody in the tournament.

The Beacons? Really?

7. Evansville: The Aces will be improved. Todd Lickliter is a very good coach. This team will be smart and very disciplined. They won’t beat themselves and will pull a couple surprises.

8. Indiana State: New coach, new system. It is going to be a process. Josh Schertz was a good Division II coach. Tyreke Key returns. That was the good news for the Trees. Schertz wants to run a super up-tempo offense. We do not feel they have the talent to even try this yet. This system may work when he gets the talent. They are going to take some lumps this year.

9. Illinois State: Not much to see here. The Redbirds are young, and it is probably going to get pretty ugly. The bright side of this for Redbird fans is that they only have one more year after this of Muller ball.

10. Bradley: They are probably better than the Trees or the Redbirds, but it’s Bradley so here they are. They have some talent and will win some games. They are the odds-on favorite to lead the league in player suspensions though.

Coaching Hot Seat Status

Darian Devries: safer than safe. The only risk here is a good run by Drake. The big boys may come calling.

Dana Ford: Ford is safe and the most likely to leave for a better opportunity.

Drew Valentine: A first-year coach is always safe. If Loyola stumbles this year, then the grumbles could start.

Bryan Mullins: Very safe and not likely to move up yet. Budget cuts are a bit concerning though.

Ben Jacobson: He will retire at UNI.

Matt Lottich: Probably safe for now but another mass exodus might be trouble.

Todd Lickliter: He will be at UE until he retires

Dan Muller: Dead man walking but likely will be there through next year due to the high cost of firing him.

Brian Wardle: Safe for now but another Thursday finish and his seat will heat quickly.

News broke last week that Belmont was moving to the Missouri Valley. Matt Jones, who broke that story, is now reporting Murray State will join them. These are both traditionally very solid basketball programs. They should improve the conference. We would like to welcome them and wish them good luck. We look forward to seeing them at Arch Madness.

League Membership

Instead of going through a list of more possible additions. We are going to look at current conference teams and their stability.

Drake: Not likely going anywhere.

Missouri State: The school is doing an economic study of a move to FBS football. If it is feasible then the Bears are as good as gone.

Loyola: If Loyola continues its recent success on the court, then they could get a call. That’s a big if and is the A10 really a step up at this point?

UNI: Not likely to go anywhere.

SIU: Not going anywhere. Budget cuts and enrollment are a concern though.

Valpo: Not likely going anywhere.

Evansville: Whispers of dropping to Division II still surface occasionally. It is not likely but just a thought.

Indiana State: Not likely going anywhere.

Illinois State: Always whispers of going FBS. Not going anywhere.

Bradley: Unfortunately, they probably are not going away.

Thank you all for your continued support and hope to see you all at Arch Madness! As always GO SALUKIS!!

Welcome home, Bryan Mullins

Courtesy of Bob Cyphers & KMOV St. Louis

CARBONDALE, Ill. (KMOV.com)

As I drove south on 127 to meet Bryan Mullins, I thought back to the first time I had seen him play. Opening night, 2005-2006, exhibition game against UMSL. Had it really been more than 13 years ago? I knew the basics when we recruited Mullins. Coaches kid, Illinois Wolves, point guard, honor student.

I had spoken to a friend during that time who had seen Mullins play often at Downers Grove South. He was pretty firm in his analysis then.

“He’s not very big, barely six feet. He’s an okay shooter, but might struggle getting his own shot. They’ll post him up on defense. Really, he’s a little on the slow side. And he might be as good now as he ever gets.“

I couldn’t believe it. “So why would we want him?” I asked.

“Because Bob,” he said, “if you had five Bryan Mullins, you’d never lose a game.“

Where to start.

The all-time Saluki assist leader
Second in steals, despite missing much of his senior season
Four-time MVC All-Defensive Team
Two-time MVC Defensive Player of the Year
Three-time MVC Conference Scholar
Two-time ESPN Magazine Academic All-American
Academic All-American
MVC Scholar-Athlete of the Year
MVC Presidents Council Academic Award
Two MVC titles
Two NCAA trips
One Sweet 16
Two NCAA trips
Graduated with a 4.0 GPA in finance

Here’s my favorite: In a year where Mullins had a stress fracture and limped around the court, he was voted the Valley’s Defensive Player of the Year. We can argue all you want, but at my age, from my eyes, Bryan Mullins is the best point guard in Saluki history. He’s also the man you’d like your daughter to bring home for dinner. Did I mention he’s a Cubs fan?

We shook hands, exchanged pleasantries, and headed toward the Arena floor. I looked at Mullins and remembered the player I saw 13 years ago. He wore black shoes and black socks. He was smart, tough, and competitive. He played with a fist in the air and a fire in his belly. He played the way we all would have played if we could.

He ran morning practices in the summer heat that turned into evening wins when the snow hit the ground. No out of bounds. No whistles. No fouls. It was called Floorburn U in Carbondale, and Bryan Mullins was the ringleader.

He laughed at where I wanted to start the conversation.

“Oh man. Wow. We fought for balls into the seats. We chased balls into the restrooms. That’s how I was raised to play. We were going to wear you down. We knew that what we did in practice, what we did during the summer and the fall prepared us to win those games throughout the season. That when it came down to the end of the game, we weren’t going to be the ones to break. We weren’t going to be the ones tired. We were going to be able to make the plays to win the game.“

And did he.

After that first UMSL game, Southern, with big expectations, went to the Alaska shootout. It did not go well. The Salukis were upset by both Monmouth and Division Two Anchorage. Southern wound up playing for seventh place, and Chris Lowery and his staff had seen enough. On the plane ride home, they decided to give the keys to Mullins. “It’s your team,” he was told. “Run the show.”

The Salukis won 12 of their next 13.

I told Mullins that pretty 4.0 was probably double mine, but my memory was still good. So we strolled down memory lane. I asked him about the night Missouri State came to town that freshman year. Could he pull that memory out of thin air?

“Falker, right?” he asked.

Right on cue.

Jamal Tatum was sick, and couldn’t play. The Salukis were down a point, 15 seconds left, and Chris Lowery calls time out. Mullins will have the ballgame in his hands. The clock goes to 10, then 5. Bryan Mullins, the slow one who might struggle to get his own shot, beats his man, drives the lane, waits for the defensive help, and then calmly dumps the ball to a bad mother Falker who dunks it for the win.

The Arena explodes. And the Lord could have taken me right there.

At the Valley tournament that year, the injury bug would begin to appear. Mullins sprained his ankle in the semifinal game against Northern Iowa. Still, he played 39 minutes and made the clutch shot with 30 seconds left to send the game into overtime, which the Salukis eventually won. He was listed as questionable for the title game against Bradley. And he tried, limping around for four minutes in the first half before sitting down. The Salukis went into the locker room trailing with an NCAA appearance on the line. And then………

“Well, I remember I could barely walk. Limped into the locker room. Not much was said about it. The coaches and players knew I was going back out there. Hey, our season was on the line.“

Mullins played nearly the entire second half, and Southern won by 13.

By the time his sophomore season rolled around, Southern, Mullins, Floorburn, The Arena, Carbondale and Southern Illinois was ready.

And as always, it was Creighton. When we went to Omaha, it was the largest crowd for a basketball game in Nebraska history. Seconds left, we’re once again down by a point with the ball. And the basketball game is once again in Bryan Mullins hands.

Back then, the only way to find a Saluki game was on the radio. And there I was, In my car, two hours from radio range, frantically driving around trying to find a spot where Mike Reis could come in loud and clear. I drove and drove that day, certain that the Salukis could not possibly win unless I was listening. Somewhere around Red Bud, I found Mike Reis at just the right time.

“……Southern down by 1…….Now less than 10 seconds…..Mullins working his man…….nothing open……..Mullins with an off balance jumper……..count it!!!!!……..count it!!!!!!!………count it!!!!!……..creighton throws it to half court………shot at the buzzer………off the backboard………Southern wins!!!!!!!!……….Southern wins!!!!!!!!…….Mullins wins it for the Salukis!!!!!!!!“

So glad the Lord did not take me earlier.

“Close you eyes,” I asked Mullins, “and take me back to Omaha.”

First I had to get the smile off his face.

“Well, it was me against Nate Funk. Great player. We were going back and forth. Fortunately, I made a lucky shot at the end.“

I think I saw a wink right there.

But by his junior year, the Saluki world had changed. Jamal Tatum and Tony Young were gone, and Floorburn U went with them. Mullins was again battling injuries. Southern was in trouble, and lost 6 of 7 games early. The writing was on the wall. But we were all there when Creighton and ESPN came calling for Game Day. And we all have that same vivid memory. Less than two minutes left, Southern up a bucket, and the loose ball is heading toward the Dawg Pound. Nine players on the floor stood watching. One player did something about it, and saved the game for the Salukis.

I walked over to the spot where he was when he saw the ball going out of bounds, and then to where he landed.

“It was those summer practices again. Play to the whistle. Play hard. No out of bounds. Do not get outworked. I didn’t know if I could get that ball. But I knew I was going to try.“

Great win, but it was fools gold, and we all knew it. Southern would lose to UNI in the first round of the Valley tournament. Mullins, clearly limping, would finish with just two points. That night, as I walked the streets of St. Louis, I knew we might never see these days again.

And we haven’t. In his final season as a Saluki, Southern would start 0-3. Still dealing with stress fractures, Mullins would play his last game in the middle of the season at Evansville. The page had turned. The future of the Salukis now belonged to players named Dillard, Hare, Booker and Evans.

He had long since left southern Illinois. But like the rest of us, forever this is his university, his uniform, and his blood and sweat on the Arena floor. I wanted to know how he felt when he watched from afar, and saw the tradition he helped build fall off the cliff.

“It hurt. It still hurts. I cheered for coach Lowery and coach Hinson. This is my school. I know it means a lot to the community. This is such a special place. I want it to be like it was back then. I remember the crazy environment there. Those memories will stick with me for the rest of my life.“

Mullins paused and looked around the empty Arena. “And now it’s my chance to do something about it.”

As I prepared to leave, I asked Mullins to walk with me. There was one picture on the concourse wall that always gave me chills. Mullins, front and center leading five Salukis onto the floor against Kansas. Media friends who covered that game told me they had never seen a more heart broken and difficult to cover locker room than the one that night in San Jose. As we stopped to look at that picture, I asked Mullins what he remembered from that game.

“After all these years, I’ve never been able to go back and watch that game. That’s a tough one. We never wavered during that game. We believed to a man we were a final four team. It didn’t matter who was in our way. We could play with anyone. And we played well, right down to that last possession……“

Mullins voice drifted away, as we stared at the picture and remembered.

And then I asked about the locker room.

“Yeah, I just remember everyone crying. Jamal, Tony Young, coach Lowery. We were right there. You look back now and realize how special that group was, how much we believed in each other.“

It was time to say goodbye. We shook hands, and vowed that we would both be standing right here again someday, in much better times.

When I drove home after that UMSL game, I knew what I saw that night. And the next day I called that friend who had seen Mullins play so often.

“Hey,” I said. “I saw your boy play last night.”

I heard laughter on the other end.

“Let me guess. He probably didn’t score. Hell, he probably didn’t shoot. And I’m sure you thought he was slow.“

“All of the above,” I said.

And then there was a long pause.

“And you also saw something else, didn’t you Bob?“

“Yes I did,” I said. “Oh yes I did.”

And then we both laughed.

After my trip to meet Mullins, I drove home late at night and went straight to my basement. Tucked in a corner is an old cardboard box marked “Dad’s Saluki Stuff. DO NOT TOUCH!” There’s old school books, barely opened of course. Embarrassing report cards that I need to shred. T-Shirts that are now three sizes too small. Cassettes of my days at WSIU. VHS and DVD’s of Western Carolina, Georgia and Holy Cross. Stuff that means everything in the world to me. But I was looking for something else, and I kept digging. Finally, there they were, buried at the bottom of the box.

Game day box scores from the Arena that I collected over time.

I dug and dug, and finally, there it was. Sunday, November 6, 2005, opening night, UMSL at SIU. The box score said the Salukis won 89-64. But that’s not what I was looking for. I remember what my eyes saw that night, and now I wanted verification. I scrolled down, and I saw it.

Bryan Mullins, did not start, 0 turnovers, 7 assists.

I knew where we were headed after that night. And I know where we are headed now.

Welcome home, Bryan.

Bob Cyphers is a KMOV Channel 4 journalist of 30 years and lifelong SIU fan.
Copyright 2019 KMOV (Meredith Corporation).
Republished with permission of the author