CHICAGO (March 20, 2019) – Bryan Mullins, who spent the 2018-19 season as associate head coach at Loyola University Chicago, and has served six years on head coach Porter Moser's staff, has been named head men's basketball coach at Southern Illinois University, it was announced today.
 
During his tenure at Loyola, Mullins, a native of Downers Grove, Ill., helped the Ramblers to three postseason appearances, the program's first back-to-back regular-season conference championships ever, a trip to the NCAA Final Four, a College Basketball Invitational crown and the program's first appearance in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) since 1980.
 
"I am so happy for Bryan to get this opportunity to lead his alma mater," Moser said. "I am so grateful for his friendship and loyalty working side-by-side with him for the last six years. He is a tireless worker in addition to being a first-class person and is a perfect fit to lead Southern Illinois University."
 
Mullins joined Moser's staff at Loyola in 2013 as director of basketball operations before moving into an assistant coach role. In that capacity, he helped develop eight all-conference players, including back-to-back Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year selections Clayton Custer and Marques Townes, a MVC Defensive Player of the Year (Ben Richardson), a MVC Sixth Man of the Year (Aundre Jackson), an Associated Press Honorable Mention All-America (Clayton Custer) and a Google Cloud Third Team Academic All-American (Clayton Custer). 
 
Over the last five seasons, the Ramblers have rolled up 109 victories and in 2017-18, finished No. 7 in the USA Today Coaches Poll. His tutelage also paid dividends for Milton Doyle, who became the first Loyola product to appear in the NBA in 30 years. 
 
A 2009 graduate of Southern Illinois, Mullins helped lead the Salukis to a pair of NCAA Tournament berths, a NIT appearance and a pair of Missouri Valley Conference championships. He was a two-time MVC Defensive Player of the Year selection, a two-time Academic All-America honoree and was a starting guard on the SIU team that reached the NCAA Sweet 16 in 2006-07.