Bryan and Brendan Mullins can barely remember a time when basketball wasn’t a big part of their lives.
And thanks to basketball and Downers Grove South, the game will likely always be a part of their lives and careers.
Brendan (a 2003 graduate) and Bryan (2005) parlayed one of Downers South’s most successful runs ointo careers in collegiate athletics. Bryan is the director of basketball operations at Loyola while Brendan is an assistant coach at Wright State.
“Basketball has always been a huge part of our family life,” Brendan said. “A lot of people would take spring breaks to beaches in Florida. We’d take them to the Final Four. I can’t believe the things basketball has done for me. I’ve traveled all over the world with it.
“The year my brother and I had together when I was a senior was special. We were so close in age and so competitive about everything. We fought all the time. At the end of practice, our teammates would be egging us on to play each other one on one and see a fight break out. But since then we’ve become so close. He’s really one of my best friends. We have formed a special bond because of it.”
The Mullins brothers anchored the Mustangs’ 2003 run to the Class AA Elite Eight. They made it to the final four during Bryan’s senior year.
The brothers’ bond reached a new level when Downers South announced that the Mullins brothers would be part of the school’s hall of fame class of 2015. Brendan and Bryan, along with their coach, Paul Runyon, and the school’s 2004 state championship boys’ soccer team will be honored at half time of Saturday’s varsity game.
“That sophomore year playing with Brendan was one of the best years of my life,” Bryan said. “To me, high school basketball is the purest form of basketball because it’s guys you grew up playing with. And to be able to play with my brother, with my parents and other brother (Michael) around was just unreal. The success we had made you realize how important team chemistry is. We played teams that year that were way more talented than us. But we had guys on that team who played hard, defended hard and really believed in each other.”
That 2003 team finished 24-7 and earned a trip Downstate. Two years later, with Brendan off playing college ball at St. Michael’s in Vermont, the Mustangs posted a 29-4 record and brought home a third-place trophy. Bryan would go on to play at Southern Illinois and a brief professional career in Europe before finding his niche in coaching.
Saturday night, the Mullins and their coach will be reunited on the same floor that helped spark indelible memories and ignited what likely will be careers dedicated to the sport.
“It’s pretty sweet,” Brendan said. “I always felt like my little brother was left out, but you couldn’t have asked for a better fan when we were in high school. He never whined or complained or was upset about us getting more attention. He was always our biggest supporter. Those were some special times and something our family will hold on to forever.”
“We haven’t had a lot of time to all get together, and coach Runyon has been a great family friend of ours,” Bryan said. “I haven’t thought about it a lot, but when Saturday comes, I’m sure it will be a special night for all of us and our families. I think we’ll all have time to look back on that time together and hopefully really appreciate it.”