SIU fires Mullins after five seasons
MBB: The former Saluki star was 86-68 in five seasons in Carbondale
(6:00pm update — SIU made the announcement official late this afternoon. A quote from SIU Athletics Director Tim Leonard has been added later in this story.)
After five seasons as the head coach at his alma mater, Bryan Mullins is out at Southern Illinois. The school made the announcement Friday afternoon.
SIU, as a #6 seed, lost to #11 seed UIC, 84-82, in double overtime Thursday night in the opening round of the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament in St. Louis. The Salukis, who were picked 9th in the MVC Preseason Poll, finished 19-13 overall and 11-9 in Valley play. The Missouri Valley Conference announced that Mullins was 3rd in this year’s MVC Coach of the Year voting.
Mullins was a standout point guard on the 2007 SIU team that made the Sweet 16. The Salukis have not been back to the NCAA Tournament since. The 37-year-old Mullins led SIU to an 86-68 record in his five seasons in Carbondale, winning a combined 42 games in the last two years.
After winning 23 games last season and making a trip to the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament semifinals, SIU’s two best players, Marcus Domask and Lance Jones, left the program to play their final seasons in the Big Ten at Illinois and Purdue, respectively. Despite losing that duo, Mullins was able to get the Salukis to 19 wins this year.
Mullins had a decorated career at Southern Illinois, earning MVC Freshman of the Year honors in 2006; being named to the All-Defensive team four times; twice earning Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2008 and 2009; and finding his way onto the All-MVC 2nd Team in 2008. SIU inducted Mullins into their Athletics Hall of Fame in 2018.
"I have tremendous respect for everything Bryan has accomplished throughout his career as a Saluki," SIU Director of Athletics Tim Leonard said in a statement. "He guided our program with class and integrity, was an outstanding role model for our student-athletes, and handled himself as a true professional."
According to this article from when Mullins was hired in 2019, his contract buyout is $250,000.
In his statement, Leonard said a national search is underway to find Mullins’ replacement.