Was Braylon Mullins’ performance Sunday a timely breakthrough? Huskies hope so heading into Sweet 16

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The sound of a basketball swishing through a net is always a relief. Sometime around 10 p.m. Sunday night, it may have been the sweetest sound Braylon Mullins had heard in quite some time.

UConn’s sharpshooting freshman had been in the midst of a 6-for-45 slump from three-point range in his last six-plus games before his triple with 2:49 to play in the first half fell for the Huskies, who went on to defeat UCLA in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Mullins drained a second for good measure almost two minutes later, a sign that the most lethal part of his game may have finally been fixed, and at the most opportune time.

More importantly, the ball going through the hoop was a reaffirmation of faith for a player who had never lost it, but acknowledged his reliance on other parts of his craft to help his team win.

“It just gave me a little bit more confidence knowing that I saw one go in,” Mullins remarked Sunday. “It kind of just gave us a little momentum, a little bit of a run, especially for myself. I’m just happy to see them go in, I don’t even care. I’m gonna shoot them when I’m open.”

Mullins admitted the green light head coach Dan Hurley has given him has enabled his confidence to stay at its peak, something that tends to fade when shooters go into a valley of a dry spell the way he did since UConn’s February 25 win over St. John’s. The trust placed in him not only by his coach, but also his teammates, has been a strong motivator during an uncharacteristic off stretch like the one he seems to have just emerged from.

“Having Coach believe in me, it gives me confidence within myself and I’m so grateful for that,” Mullins said. “I know everybody here trusts me, and I trust them with everything as well. So I’m gonna shoot it, and if (Hurley’s) going to run a set for me, and I see something open, I’m gonna shoot it.”

“The last thing anyone should worry about (with) that kid is whether he’s gonna make distant shots,” Hurley echoed. “This guy is a brilliant shooter and I think it was great for him to see a couple go in like that. You’ve got all these draft picks and these different people that are evaluating NBA prospects, and there are a lot of questions about Steph Castle,  there are a lot of questions about Donovan Clingan because those guys played on balanced teams. And Braylon plays on a balanced team, which is gonna bode well for him when he decides to go to the NBA, whenever that is.”

While Mullins rode out the inconsistency from beyond the 3-point line, something he improved in the process was his shot inside the arc. According to Bart Torvik, Mullins’ .614 field goal percentage on non-rim 2-point field goals is second-best in Division I. The ability to adapt and create for himself in other ways to offset a lack of his calling card not working is something center Tarris Reed, Jr. attributes to the calmness his rookie teammate plays with under pressure.

“He’s one of the most poised freshmen I’ve been around,” Reed said of Mullins. “He’s just so poised when it comes to this. I mean, March Madness, to do what they’re doing in this tournament for the first time, it shows you the courage that these guys have, especially Braylon. That guy, he’s special.”

UConn fans, and Mullins’ teammates, are hoping that the reversal of fortune on Sunday is a harbinger of things to come when the Huskies face Michigan State Friday in the East regional semifinals. If last Friday was a correction of the law of averages, this next one could simply be a reminder of what happens when things click the way they should.

“We’ve been telling him throughout this entire week, ‘just continue to believe in yourself, continue to believe,’” Alex Karaban said of his and the team’s effort to pick Mullins up. “You’re too good of a shooter. With him and Solo (Ball), every time they shoot it, it looks like it’s going in. They’re unbelievable players, and you knew a time would happen where the shots would start falling.”

“I see him shoot every day,” Silas Demary, Jr. added. “After practice, before practice, so we’re just keeping him confident and telling him, ‘just let it fly.’ He’s one of the best freshmen in the country, I believe, so he’s gotta keep his confidence high and keep letting them fly.”