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Familiar face leading Salukis back

You won’t see a more heavily contested buzzer-beater than this one from Southern Illinois freshman Marcus Domask against Missouri State on Saturday.

Yet that’s not even the most amazing thing about the Salukis’ season. They were picked to finish last in the Missouri Valley Conference, a prediction that didn’t seem too far off when they were 6-8 overall after a loss to Indiana State on Dec. 30. Since then, however, they’ve gone 9-2. Their current seven-game winning streak includes upsets of Northern Iowa and Loyola Chicago, and they own sole possession of second place in the Valley behind UNI. They’ve done all this without senior guard Aaron Cook, who was leading the team in scoring when he broke his right hand in November. Cook is pursuing a medical redshirt.

In his first season at the helm of the Salukis, Bryan Mullins has to be considered a leading candidate for conference coach of the year. He’s used to winning in Carbondale. He played point guard for Southern Illinois, leading the team to the Sweet 16 in 2007, setting the school record for assists and twice earning Valley defensive player of the year honors. Mullins, 33, played professionally overseas before joining the staff at Loyola Chicago, where he was an assistant for the Ramblers’ 2018 Final Four run. Then the call came last March from his alma mater.

“I’m so appreciative of this opportunity because I know how special this place is,” Mullins says. “I’ve experienced it. I’ve lived it.”

Mullins brought in 10 new players during the offseason and plays four freshmen in his rotation. There were some growing pains early on, especially after Cook’s injury pushed freshman Lance Jones into point guard duties. The 6-6 Domask, a freshman from Wisconsin, has emerged as the leading scorer. The team also boasts a top-100 defense, which should be no surprise given Mullins’ background; during his playing days, Southern Illinois was known as Floorburn U. He’s working to rebuild that culture.

“We bring in the same type of mindset and the same type of kids and characteristics,” Mullins says. “We have some different schemes on offense and defense. But in terms of how hard we want to play, in terms of doing the little things and those toughness plays, that stuff’s non negotiable. And the kids have really bought into that.”

The Salukis were a mid-major force earlier this century. They went to the NCAA Tournament every year from 2002 to ’07 and had a cradle of coaches going with Bruce Weber and Matt Painter. The program has had only two 20-win seasons since 2007 and hasn’t been back in the field of 68. Attendance and interest sagged.

Perhaps a beloved alumnus is the guy to bring the Salukis back. They beat Missouri State before 6,528 fans at the Banterra Center, the largest home crowd since 2016.

“It was just like back when I was playing,” Mullins says. “That’s why this school is so special, because the community rallies around it. They love to come and watch teams that play hard and have a chip on their shoulders. They love watching this team play right now.”