This NCAA season is seeing some fresh, trailblazing talents already in the second month. Before this season, many players completed college and went on to pursue a professional career in the NBA, while the rest opted for other options. Hence, leaving the college basketball landscape somewhat empty for the newcomers to fill in with a better role to play. However, UConn’s Dan Hurley did prepare for a year ahead already as he has recruited several top 25 prospects for the 2025 season.

One of those faces has been Braylon Mullins, a 5-star recruit who is averaging around 36 points per game. A talent like him couldn’t stay hidden as he had offers from various elite college basketball programs, including the ones in his home state. However, he committed to play for Dan Hurley as it made him feel like a better fit.

“I felt like playing for Coach Hurley was the best decision and fit for myself. Coming off back-to-back national championships, he understands winning and that meant a lot to me,” Mullins told ESPN. So, let’s learn about this rising basketball star, but first explore some info about his family’s basketball background.

Braylon Mullins’ connection to basketball

Native to Indiana, Braylon Mullins attended Greenfield-Central High School. However, he isn’t the only one in his family who started playing basketball at a young age. His father, Josh, played varsity basketball for Greenfield-Central High before junior college. He then played for two years at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI), averaging 10.7 points through 62 games and 55 starts.

Just like his son, Josh too was a 6-foot-5 guard who shot 41.9% of shots from the three-point range in college. As a senior, he shot 45% from beyond the arc. Also, he averaged 12.2 points per game in the post-season play of the 2003 NCAA Tournament.

At the time, the No. 16 IUPUI took a 96-64 defeat from the top seed Kentucky. In the game, Josh put out 8 points and 5 rebounds. “They’ve got McDonald’s All-Americans and our guys eat at McDonald’s. Our kids came in before tip-off and I knew their eyes were big. If you counted all our games the last five years, we haven’t played in front of that many people,” said IUPUI head coach Ron Hunter, expressing his thoughts about the matchup.

Despite the defeat, Josh stayed in the game and served as an assistant at Greenfield-Central High.

Now, let’s take a look at how his son, Braylon, has been in varsity basketball play as he plays his last season before joining the Huskies squad.

Braylon Mullins’ time at Greenfield-Central

As a freshman, he averaged 11.2 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.7 steals per game. He was ranked in the top 48 in Division 4A and 3rd in Hoosier Heritage for his steals, and 51st for his 3-point percentage.

As a sophomore, he averaged 16.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 2.6 steals per game. That season, he ranked in the top 67 players in Indiana for steals, 54 for his 3-point field goals, and 126 for points.

After his sophomore season ended, Mullins participated in the Indiana All-Star Futures Game. In his junior year, he averaged 25 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 3.2 steals per game, and ranked 6th in Indiana and 207 nationally for points. Also, he ranked 229 for his free throws (137).

His senior season saw a sudden rise in his potential as he averaged 36.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 2.8 steals per game. He ranked 1st in Division 4A for his average in points and free throws (44) and 2nd for field goals (58).

Before that, he spent some time competing for the Indiana Elite, an Amateur Athletic Union team, and on the Adidas 3SSB circuit. Currently, Mullins is a 6-foot-5 shooting guard who is also one of the best 3-point shooters in the country. He has been ranked as the No. 4 shooting guard in the nation.

Earlier this year in June, Mullins was ranked at No. 92 overall. However, a month later, his rating took a huge jump and reached the top 25. In October, he sat as the No. 16 overall prospect.

Being a 5-star recruit, Mullins received offers from various collegiate programs like Alabama, Michigan, Kansas, Kentucky, Duke, North Carolina, UConn, Michigan State, Indiana, Tennessee, Purdue, Butler, and Cincinnati.

Besides, programs in Indiana like Indiana, Indiana State, Purdue, Notre Dame, Butler, and IUPUI dedicatedly recruited him. After giving it a thought, Braylon Mullins narrowed down his options to three, that is, Indiana, North Carolina, and UConn, and finally decided to commit to Dan Hurley’s tutelage.

But how will he fit into the Huskies program?

Mullins set to make a perfect blend with UConn

For two seasons, Dan Hurley’s efforts have resulted in two consecutive NCAA championships. Moreover, the team’s dominant center in the form of Donovan Clingan played an instrumental role in the Huskies’ 2024 title run.

Now that he is gone, Hurley has filled that position with Samson Johnson and Tarris Reed Jr. for Eric Reibe, who is a German, 7-footer 2025 commit. Another spot that hits it hard is that of a shooting guard, who can just tear the opponent into shreds from the 3-point range.

Looking back to 2023, Alex Karaban, Jordan Hawkins, and Joey Calcaterra did tremendously well in this role. Last year, Alex Karaban and Cam Spencer took the reins in this position. However, after this season, Karaban will likely be gone.

Hence, it would be Mullins who will be taking up that spot. For starters, his 47% from the 3-point range on the 3SSB circuit has been a hit. Moreover, his prolific defense can prove crucial for Dan Hurley.