Mullins on schedule to return to the court in June

By Todd Hefferman, The Southern
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
 

CARBONDALE - Bryan Mullins made an appearance at Jamaal Tatum's basketball clinic Saturday at the SIU Rec Center, but he wasn't about to lead any of the drills.

Still recovering from a stress fracture in his left tibia, Mullins helped from afar. He hasn't done anything on an actual basketball court for just over six weeks, but said he is on track to return in June. Mullins, Southern Illinois University's starting point guard, missed the last two games of the season after the injury caught up to him at the MVC Tournament in the first week of March.

"You just gotta give it time," Mullins said. "Everybody just tells me to take it slow so that it doesn't linger."

The 6-foot-2 junior has been working out on what he called an arm bike, which moves his arms through the types of circles his legs would go through if he was on an actual bike. Mullins said he has continued to work out his upper body while his leg recovers and hopes to start riding a stationary bike in a few days. After classes end next month, he expects to have his leg looked at to make sure everything is still on course.

SIU's four, and possibly five, new faces come to campus in June. With, potentially, five new players, Mullins said he wanted to make sure he got as much time as everyone else to get used to playing with them. He will have heavy shoulders.

Last year, he was the Missouri Valley Conference's Defensive Player of the Year. Even with the stress fracture toward the end of the season, he led the Salukis in minutes played, averaging 34.8 in 31 games. Mullins shot a team-best 41 percent from 3-point range and averaged 10.7 points per game.

A second team all-conference pick, he will be asked to lead a group with only three seniors.

"It doesn't bother me. The only pressure I feel is the pressure I put on myself," Mullins said. "I'm excited. It's always good to have pressure, because that means people are expecting things out of you."

The Salukis will have one of their most heralded groups ever come in this summer.

Forward Anthony Booker from McCluer North (Mo.) has been ranked as one of the top 30 players in the country and could be the heir apparent to Randal Falker. Teammate Torres Roundtree was also an all-state player for the 2007 Missouri state champions. Guard Kevin Dillard, a Homewood-Flossmoor standout, won the Mr. Basketball of Illinois Award earlier this year as the state's top player. Chicago Marshall guard Ryan Hare, a 6-4 shooting guard who averaged over 18 points per game last season, rounds out the signed class.

Bloomington product Justin Bocot, who sat out this year because of academic troubles, is expected to be eligible for a scholarship at the end of this semester. The Salukis have two left for this winter. One is expected to be offered to Bocot, who went to SIU this year with the hopes of playing this coming year.

SIU finished 18-15 last season and reached the second round of the NIT.