I really hope Mullins comes back

[HooperScooper]

Dom Amore article. Nothing that hasn't been discussed on here.

Mullins was the name that rolled off everyone’s lips during the Final Four. If he were to come back and play for UConn next year, he would have the unique potential to be the face of college basketball, not just the face of UConn — of course, he would be that — but the face of the sport, coast-to-coast. We are not talking billboards on I-91 here. We are talking national endorsements of all kinds: Shoes, sports drinks, apparel. Who can begin to calculate how many millions would be involved in that?

https://www.courant.com/2026/04/11/dom-amore-if-you-were-in-uconn-star-braylon-mullins-sneakers-what-would-you-do/

The RuffRuff Alternate Access™:
If you were in UConn star Braylon Mullins’ sneakers, what would you do?

 

[TroyHall98]

Add a healthy Ball and you’re cooking there

Not without a big man.

 

[TheHorde]

It's like people didn't even watch the NCAA tournament. Every other commercial was UConn players and the Boozer twins.

And the better Boozer twin is going to the league

 

[Uconn77Duke74]

I found it interesting we announced Mullins as the last starter in each of the Final Four games over AK. I know he's from Indy. Hope we keep him.

 

[dennismenace]

Dom Amore article. Nothing that hasn't been discussed on here.

Mullins was the name that rolled off everyone’s lips during the Final Four. If he were to come back and play for UConn next year, he would have the unique potential to be the face of college basketball, not just the face of UConn — of course, he would be that — but the face of the sport, coast-to-coast. We are not talking billboards on I-91 here. We are talking national endorsements of all kinds: Shoes, sports drinks, apparel. Who can begin to calculate how many millions would be involved in that?

https://www.courant.com/2026/04/11/dom-amore-if-you-were-in-uconn-star-braylon-mullins-sneakers-what-would-you-do/

The RuffRuff Alternate Access™:
If you were in UConn star Braylon Mullins’ sneakers, what would you do?

LOL. Couldn't happen to nicer kid. Maybe some of that luck of the Irish will shine us for a change.

 

[RuffRuff]

UK is pathetic at this point - legit on everyone. Reibe has likely been recruited since mid year. These highlights are exactly why he doesn't fit at UConn - he wants to shoot threes. Yet he can't figure out how to shoot a FT. No idea why he was recruited out of HS.

 

[UConnTrumbull]

UK is pathetic at this point - legit on everyone. Reibe has likely been recruited since mid year. These highlights are exactly why he doesn't fit at UConn - he wants to shoot threes. No idea why he was recruited out of HS.

Go right ahead Mark Pope

 

[OceanDoggie]

Jeez, he'd probably do better at Creighton. U.K. will recruit right over him.

 

[jibsey]

Dom Amore article. Nothing that hasn't been discussed on here.

Mullins was the name that rolled off everyone’s lips during the Final Four. If he were to come back and play for UConn next year, he would have the unique potential to be the face of college basketball, not just the face of UConn — of course, he would be that — but the face of the sport, coast-to-coast. We are not talking billboards on I-91 here. We are talking national endorsements of all kinds: Shoes, sports drinks, apparel. Who can begin to calculate how many millions would be involved in that?

https://www.courant.com/2026/04/11/dom-amore-if-you-were-in-uconn-star-braylon-mullins-sneakers-what-would-you-do/

The RuffRuff Alternate Access™:
If you were in UConn star Braylon Mullins’ sneakers, what would you do?

I forgot about the most important thing here, marketing money.

 

[TheHorde]

UK is pathetic at this point - legit on everyone. Reibe has likely been recruited since mid year. These highlights are exactly why he doesn't fit at UConn - he wants to shoot threes. Yet he can't figure out how to shoot a FT. No idea why he was recruited out of HS.

Today’s NBA has bred this and influenced this. The regular season NBA these days is not all that different from NBA all star games back in the day. It might be for some people but it’s not for me.

 

[superjohn]

And the better Boozer twin is going to the league

Because he's a top 3 pick.

 

[TheHorde]

Because he's a top 3 pick.

Correct. My point is that Mullins would have little competition to be the face of college basketball if he returns.

 

[3rdbass]

UK is pathetic at this point - legit on everyone. Reibe has likely been recruited since mid year. These highlights are exactly why he doesn't fit at UConn - he wants to shoot threes. Yet he can't figure out how to shoot a FT. No idea why he was recruited out of HS.

So he wanted to be a pick and pop center at UConn. It was never happening here.

 

[RuffRuff]

Correct. My point is that Mullins would have little competition to be the face of college basketball if he returns.

Kid will be the face of CBB if he returns, and can ride that into the draft/NBA career as a more ready, physical player. Or, he can go this year and into obscurity until he develops and becomes a star (low %). If anything, the "shot" is more reason for him to come back. Times that by next year having very little star power, he'll stand out.

 

[TheHorde]

Kid will be the face of CBB if he returns, and can ride that into the draft/NBA career as a more ready, physical player. Or, he can go this year and into obscurity until he develops and becomes a star (low %). If anything, the "shot" is more reason for him to come back. Times that by next year having very little star power, he'll stand out.

If he stays and lives in the weight room the next 4-5 months I think he’d be much more pro ready and would finish in the lane and near the rim much better. I don’t fully buy the age argument holding him back. Yaxel is around 23 and fully expected to be a lottery pick.

 

[PAHusky]

Not without a big man.

Fair but I feel like it’s a lot easier to fill out your front court in the portal and have them pick up the offense quickly versus guards who have a more difficult adjustment period catching up. Give me a veteran backcourt, hopefully Stew and Ross stick around (not sure if that’s delusional to hope for in today’s environment) and we can figure out the 4 and 5 spot.

 

[TheHorde]

Fair but I feel like it’s a lot easier to fill out your front court in the portal and have them pick up the offense quickly versus guards who have a more difficult adjustment period catching up. Give me a veteran backcourt, hopefully Stew and Ross stick around (not sure if that’s delusional to hope for in today’s environment) and we can figure out the 4 and 5 spot.

It feels like the staff plans for Ross to be a big part of what they’ll do next season. I honestly don’t see them leaving having stuck here as long they have. Ross feels like he should get around 25 minutes a game next season.

 

[TroyHall98]

Fair but I feel like it’s a lot easier to fill out your front court in the portal and have them pick up the offense quickly versus guards who have a more difficult adjustment period catching up. Give me a veteran backcourt, hopefully Stew and Ross stick around (not sure if that’s delusional to hope for in today’s environment) and we can figure out the 4 and 5 spot.

I don’t think we can just figure out the 5 spot. It has to be prioritized because the offensive and defensive principals are not as easy to pick up. I’d argue the 5 spot is the second most important position on the floor in UConn’s style of play (the 1 being most important). They can spend for Braylon but they better have resources to fill out the 5 spot otherwise it will be a long year.

 

[RuffRuff]

I don’t think we can just figure out the 5 spot. It has to be prioritized because the offensive and defensive principals are not as easy to pick up. I’d argue the 5 spot is the second most important position on the floor in UConn’s style of play (the 1 being most important). They can spend for Braylon but they better have resources to fill out the 5 spot otherwise it will be a long year.

The 1 and the 5 are the most important spots period.

Mullin's is a nice to have comparatively. Unless we are using him as a 20 ppg primary scorer. There are a lot more Mullins profiles out there than really good PG's and Centers. If we have to go find a 1 out there in the wild, not even sure where we go.

 

[Kembafan]

The 1 and the 5 are the most important spots period.

Mullin's is a nice to have comparatively. Unless we are using him as a 20 ppg primary scorer. There are a lot more Mullins profiles out there than really good PG's and Centers. If we have to go find a 1 out there in the wild, not even sure where we go.

Absolutely agree. Demary IMO is the most important player on the team. We must keep him. And we probably need to splurge on a 5. Then we need backups for both positions. Then we can think about other positions.

 

[Bigbrad1029]

We would have been better with a different starting lineup? Maybe we would have made the Final Four and come a few possessions from a national title.

Do people hear themselves?

Yeah I hear myself fine sport….You can always get better and point is Ball was hurt and Mullins forced to guard and be guarded by athletic wings like Dillon Mitchell etc …how did that work out ? lucky Yaxel wasn’t 100 percent ….I loved our season but Hurley showed too much loyalty to injured Ball and put Mullins in tough situations

 

[Conndog]

I thought that the rev share portion was direct pay. How much of that possible $4 million would be 100 percent guaranteed? Who knows. I would think at least 1/2, but I know nothing.

(From what I gather, big east teams have about $20M in rev share to split up amongst their sports. Does that mean $10-15M to men’s basketball?

What happens if Title IX women’s’ sports equal treatment says women players are entitled to same compensation?

 

[aburks41]

UK is pathetic at this point - legit on everyone. Reibe has likely been recruited since mid year. These highlights are exactly why he doesn't fit at UConn - he wants to shoot threes. Yet he can't figure out how to shoot a FT. No idea why he was recruited out of HS.

Pope has no idea what he’s doing. His strategy is to pay 10 random guys a bunch of money and hope that 5 of them turn out good lmao. Zero roster construction strategy.

 

[RuffRuff]

Pope has no idea what he’s doing. His strategy is to pay 10 random guys a bunch of money and hope that 5 of them turn out good lmao. Zero roster construction strategy.

That's what it's looking like these days. He went an entire HS cycle without getting one player, only has one left from last year's cycle that is testing the draft.

It's starting to look like bringing a dorky Mormon into Lexington wasn't the right fit. Now they have to shuttle in the transfer recruits in volumes to see what sticks, then Pope gets to make sense of how he designs the roster. Most of those recruits motivated almost purely by $$. Shooting in the dark recruiting never feels like a great strategy. He's gone after next year.

All fairly poor timing for UK too as it feels like in this period, the whole BB mantra has since dissolved. I don't know if there is any established coach that will jump to go into that madhouse. UNC could only get an out of work NBA coach. UK perch looks pretty volatile and they've kind of dinged their brand with all the chaos at a point a lot of the NIL environment has been taking shape. Right now it's all about the coach and the $$. They also missed on May in their hiring cycle because they got to the tourney (and flamed out to Oakland), and Michigan went 8-24 and locked May up.

 

[Inyatkin]

how did that work out ?

Pretty well in fact

 

[giddyup]

Hurley on Dan Patrick gave a little clue. If you’re not top 15 and making good NIL bank, you should probably stay. So, who would be right around that edge?