Salukis lose first true road game, 79-70

The Salukis looked sleepy at times in a lackluster performance, falling behind by 17 points, and they were never able to get all the way back in this game.

The big men did not play well at all. Boyle was limited to 15 minutes due to foul trouble (I'm thinking of copying that phrase to my clipboard so I don't have to re-type it in every post). Booker looked completely lost on offense, which is puzzling considering his level of ability.

Carlton Fay went quiet in the second half, scoring just one field goal, and that came when the contest was already out of reach. Fay could get away with tentative play last season, but this year the Salukis are actually running plays for him, and he has to be willing to shoot the ball at all times.

Speaking of disappearing acts, where was Wesley Clemmons in this game? Ryan Hare could very well take his spot in the starting lineup when the Salukis play St. Louis next Tuesday.

Still, the Saluki put up 70 points behind Ryan Hare's career and team high 16. Outside of Hare, there was not a lot of bright spots in the guard play, either. Western Kentucky basically got whatever kind of shot they wanted, shooting nearly 50% from the field.

Bottom line - the Salukis are way too talented to fall behind by 17 at any point vs. a rebuilding Western Ky squad. Defensive breakdowns are the reason for the loss. Scoring 70 points should be enough to get a win, but that was not the case tonight.

This will probably not be the last tough road loss these young Salukis suffer, but they have to understand that playing a fairly close game against Duke and UCLA doesn't mean you're going to automatically dominate less talented teams.

Key Facts - SIU vs Western Kentucky

- The Hilltoppers graduated three seniors that accounted for 60% of their scoring a year ago, including Courtney Lee, the 22nd pick in the 2008 NBA Draft.

- Western Kentucky is fresh off of a 28-point loss to Murray State.

- Southern Illinois has won each of the last 3 meetings against WKU and 6 of the last 7, overall.

- Head coach Ken McDonald is in his first year, after former head coach Darrin Horn took the 2007-2008 squad to the Sweet 16 and then left for South Carolina.

- A.J. Slaughter leads the Hilltoppers in scoring at 15.0 ppg. Last year, he tallied 16 against the Salukis at the Arena.

The Hilltoppers are one of the top mid-major programs in the Midwest, partially because they have the facilities and fan base to be successful. Renovated in 2003, E.A. Diddle Arena has seating for 7,500 including 16 luxury suites. Toss in brand new locker rooms, two practice courts, an academic advisement center, and state of the art video replay screens and you can see how they can attract top level talent to their program. While this may be a down year for the Hilltoppers, they'll still be hyped for the Salukis, so don't expect anything to come easy for the Dawgs.

You can catch the action from Carbondale on the MediaCom broadcast, Wednesday night at 7pm.

Nick Evans out 4-6 weeks with broken wrist

Saluki center Nick Evans will likely miss the rest of the non-conference season with a broken wrist suffered in Friday's loss to UCLA.

Evans, who was a bit of a question mark coming into the season, has played well so far and his inside presence will be missed. The 6'11'' big man from Carbondale was pulling down lots of rebounds and showed some basic scoring ability in his short tenure with the Dawgs.

Tony Boyle could see increased minutes, except his playing time will still be dictated by his ability to stay out of foul trouble. As a result, Anthony Booker and Christian Cornelius will have to take on an increased role in the post until Evans can return.

Taking a look at the calendar, it would be nice to have Evans back when conference play begins on the road vs Bradley on Dec 28th. While the loss of Evans is disappointing, it's encouraging to see that he's played so well, that the Salukis will actually miss him while he out.

Photo Credit- SIU Sports Information Dept

Notes on the Saluki loss to UCLA

For the second day in a row the Salukis stayed close with their opponent until late in the second half when the game got out of hand. UCLA had too much talent and an inexperienced SIU club couldn't stop the bleeding during a 20-2 run that sealed the deal for the Bruins.

This 0-2 outcome in NYC doesn't really hurt the Salukis in the RPI, but it does show the Dawgs have a long way to go to be considered a top 25 caliber team.

Post play will need to improve for the Salukis. Tony Boyle didn't have a good trip and Nick Evans fouled out in just 14 minutes against the Bruins. These two players will have to step up against teams with really good big men.

This team has loads of talent, but the 6 newcomers have to grow up quick. Kevin Dillard had 6 turnovers and only 2 assists. His creativity is impressive, but the Bruins had loads of points off turnovers... so valuing the ball will continue to be a point of emphasis.

On a brighter note Ryan Hare showed some good things in this game and he'll continue to get big playing time (25 mins vs UCLA) as long as he is giving the team a boost the way he did vs the Bruins.

After watching the Duke/Michigan game it's clear that the Salukis would have matched up much better against the Wolverines. Unfortunately the Salukis didn't get a chance to prove it and ended up leaving New York with two lopsided losses. There's no shame in losing to Duke and UCLA especially away from home, but they'll need to shake the hangover quick and get a win at Western Kentucky in order to get their season back on track.

Losing to Duke is like a 40 degree day

Sure they're ranked #5 in the country, and yes it was a good game for 32 minutes. That's good... That's like a 40 degree day.

Nobody has anything good to say about a 40 degree day. Fifty? Fifty will bring a smile to your face. Sixty? It's time to break out the barbecue grill. Go down to 20? Everyone's complaining. But 40, nobody cares about 4o, nobody remembers 40. Losing to Duke by 25 is like a 40 degree day.

The Salukis shot a lackluster 12 of 19 (63%) from the line in this game but they were outscored at the stripe by 28 points which was the difference in this game. The Blue Devils hit 40 of 47 (85%) from the line. It would not be accurate to say that the Blue Devils shot more foul shots because of the officiating either. The Devils took the ball to the hoop and drew fouls, that's why they got to the line, and that's why they won the game.

The Salukis lack of experience in these types of games was evident in the second half. Once the battle tested Duke squad took control with 8 minutes remaining, they never looked back.

The Salukis can still come home happy with a win on Friday. Tony Boyle will need to regroup and pull down some rebounds on Friday. Clemmons and the rest of the guards will need to make a bigger contribution.

Before the UMass game Chris Lowery said his team had to get better in less than 24 hours and they were up to the task. Friday in New York we'll see if the Salukis can do it again.

Mullins interview and Sagarin based expectations

Bryan Mullins talks about motivating the team in the locker room, the transition game, valuing the basketball, and determining defensive assignments.



Jeff Sagarin has Duke No. 3 and SIU No. 35 in his ratings.

Our staff has put together the following probabilities and projections based on those ratings, among other things.

Duke wins in rout: 25 % (85-63)

Duke wins by 7-10: 45% ( 81-72)

Duke by a whisker: 15% (69-66)

SIU squeaks one out: 13% (68-66)

SIU wins big: 2% (70-61)

This is the first true test away from SIU Arena for the Saluki newcomers. Not exactly an easy environment to get your feet wet. If the Salukis expect to win they'll have to play at the level they played at in the second half against UMass for a full 40 minutes.

Coach K and Chris Lowery talk SIU/Duke

Coach K and Chris Lowery answered questions about their teams during a teleconference on Tuesday. Below are my notes.

Coach K

Paulus will play, but his right arm is injured and they hope he'll be getting close to 100% by Thursday.

Praise for Mullins - "One of the most effective players in the country"

When asked if playing at the Garden is like a home game - "I love New York and the Garden, it's still to me the Mecca of college basketball. We have a lot of Duke fans up there, we'd love for them to help us in whatever way good fans can help a team."

"We've tried to build our team around Singler, Shyer, and Henderson. Those are our best players. Lance Thomas is having a fabulous year coming off the bench, but we think he's a starter."

Remember Chris Lowery from 1993? - "He was a really good player, but we had a very good team." Coach K went on to say, "Coach Lowery is like an old school coach, fundamentals, his kids play really well together. Each year they grow together."


Coach Lowery

What does it mean to be in the national spotlight? - "We feel we're continuously building our program on a national level, and it's a very important recruiting tool that we hope to build on."

When asked about SIU being 1-0 all time at MSG vs Duke - "It was a great moment for our program, but of course we had one of the top 50 players of all time [Walt Frazier] on our team back then."

What do you remember about the Duke game in 1993? - "I remember being in Grant Hill's poster. It was our first time in the NCAA's in 20 years and they were coming off back-to-back National Championships. Feeling like, what can we do to stop what they are doing? So that's what we are working on in our practices, and hopefully we can do some of that."

"Duke is a measuring stick for everybody, but we have to let our kids know it's not the super bowl. If you have success against them it's not the end of your season, or if you don't have success against them it's not the end of your season."

MVC Notebook, Valley Highlights, and Duke Video

The following are links to stories and videos that I found interesting on this Tuesday afternoon:

Drake v. Butler - Recap
Butler cruised in this one and Drake will need a lot from Josh Young to stay in the upper division of the MVC this year.

Creighton v. New Mexico - Video
Booker Woodfox and P'Allen Stinnett combined for 56 points as Creighton overcame a 17-point second half deficit. This video is just over 3 minutes long and gives an extended look at the CU home opener.

Bradley v. UIC - Video
The Braves kicked off their season with a win over Illinois-Chicago.

Illinois State v. Wright State - Video
Newcomer Champ Oguchi had a big night in his Redbird debut.

Duke v. URI - Video
These highlights illustrate how fortunate Duke was to end up with a "W" in this one. A close game and an even closer finish.

MVC Notebook
This is a detailed look at the first week of action from over at the official MVC website.

Kendal Brown ready to sign letter of intent

Kendal Brown of Harrison high school in Evansville, Indiana will sign with the Salukis today at 3pm. Brown is a 5-10 point guard who was named to the Courier & Press All-Metro first team as a junior last season.

Brown joins 6-8 center Jordan Meyers and 6-6 shooting guard Drew Barham, who both signed with SIU last week.

Duke edges Rhode Island 82-79

The Blue Devils squeaked out a home court victory in their first game against some real competition before heading to NYC to face the Salukis.

Kyle Singler dropped 21 points in 38 minutes, including three 3 balls. He also iced 2 foul shots in the final seconds to give Duke the lead, and eventually the victory. The 6-8 Singler poses some matchup problems for the Salukis (and just about everyone else) because of his size, ability to take the ball coast to coast, and perimeter jump shot.

Southern will probably throw some combination of Carlton Fay and Anthony Booker on Singler, saving Tony Boyle and Nick Evans for 6-8 Lance Thomas and 7-1 Brian Zoubek. Fay has GOT to stay out of foul trouble because the Salukis need his scoring punch to spring the upset.

The Salukis would have played this weekend also, but their game against Cal (Pa.) was moved into the 2k sports tournament leaving them one game short. As it turns out this may be advantageous for the Dawgs since they were able to watch Duke's game today and can also take advantage of additional practice time before leaving for NYC on Tuesday.

The Duke-Rhode Island game has to give the Salukis confidence. Rhode Island had Duke on the ropes for most of this contest and the Blue Devils needed some end game heroics to get the win. Things won't be as easy for the Dukies away from the friendly confines of Cameron Indoor but the Salukis will still need to play the way they did in the second half vs UMass for 40 minutes to have a chance to win at the Garden.

Scouting Report - Jeremy Felton

I was able to get a look at Mineral Area College forward Jeremy Felton on Saturday at Kaskaskia College in Centralia, IL. Felton put up 21 points and double digit boards as his Cardinals (4-2) hung a 72-67 loss on the Blue Devils (1-4).

Felton had a huge first half scoring 14 points, and displayed his leaping ability with 2 monster blocks. He showed the ability to knock down 15 foot jumpers and also cashed in on a few big dunks when the Kaskaskia big men forgot about him under the basket.

This was the type of game that showed the potential for success at the D1 level. Unfortunately, Felton has not been able to consistently put together these types of games this season. He was held scoreless in a loss to SWIC last week; something that shouldn't happen to a player of his caliber.

Defensively, Felton went up against the post players for Kaskaskia and was able to hold his own. However, he wasn't particularly active and was slow to jump out and guard on the perimeter a few times. Those are the areas he'll need to improve on to make the jump to the next level of college ball.

As reported on Thursday, it's clear that Felton will not be signing with the Salukis during the early period, and I did not notice anyone from the Saluki staff at this game which is probably an indication that the Dawgs will look in another direction altogether. However, If Felton can improve his effort and defense while putting up double-doubles every night he should draw a good deal of interest from schools in the Spring.

Duke Blue Devils: At First Glance

For fans that need a quick primer on the Duke Blue Devils, the following information should quickly bring you up to speed.

The major national polls have ranked the Blue Devils at #5 (ESPN/USA Today) and #8 (AP). In addition, the ACC Coaches Poll projects Duke at #2 behind North Carolina.

Duke returns three starters from a year ago, but only one scholarship senior, Greg Paulus, who has been replaced at point guard by underclassman Nolan Smith after starting 95 of 103 games over his first three seasons as a Blue Devil.

The bulk of the scoring responsibilities will be handled by sophomore Kyle Singler, a 6'8" point-forward type, and junior Gerald Henderson, a 6'4" swingman. Both were double digit scorers a year ago and Singler has led the Blue Devils in each of the two contests thus far.

For more information... take a look at a team preview at CollegeHoopsNet or head directly to the official Duke Men's Basketball website.

For a closer look... the Blue Devils will tip-off against Rhode Island this Sunday at 3:30 CST on ESPNU.

Here at Salukihoops... next week we will put Duke-SIU under the microscope. Check back for daily posts leading up to Thursday night.

Jeremy Felton not signing with SIU during early period

According to sources I spoke with at Mineral Area College, Jeremy Felton does not currently have a scholarship offer from SIU, but the Salukis will continue to evaluate Felton and have left the door open for an offer in the Spring. Felton had previously given a verbal commitment to the Salukis.

Felton, a 6'7' sophomore forward, remains highly regarded for his raw physical abilities. However, his attitude and defensive presence is questionable at this point. The SIU coaching staff will need to see more evidence that Felton can develop into a complete player before they commit to him for the next two seasons.

Sources describe Felton's current play as not being anywhere near the level the Salukis are looking for. So while Southern has left the door open for a spring signing, unless Felton improves by then, it's unlikely that he's heading to Carbondale.

Photo Credit- StlToday.com

Mullins takes control, leads Salukis to victory

Stats and box scores are often used to judge a player's performance, but Mullins' performance against UMass can't be measured with numbers.

Sure, you can look at the statistics and see that Mullins had 16 points and 13 assists, but it was his relentless pressure on defense and leadership under fire that led the Salukis to victory.

The UMass offense relies on driving to the basket to make things happen. The Minutemen took advantage of slow defensive rotations by the Salukis to "skip" the ball out and get open 3's in the first half, resulting in an 11 point lead at the break, but Bryan refused to let his team lose.

Mullins fingerprint was on everything Southern did during their comeback, stealing the ball, dishing out assists, and draining clutch 3's to bring the Salukis back from the dead.

Evan after all the second half Saluki heroics, Southern trailed by 2 with 3:30 remaining in the game. Mullins then tied the score with a layup, and after a UMass turnover, hit Carlton Fay for an open three to give the Salukis a 70-67 lead that sent the Minutemen into desperation mode. Moments later it was checkmate.

Huge props go to Fay, who's going to be the #1 scorer for the Salukis this year. As great as Fay and Kevin Dillard performed in this game, it would have never been possible without the efforts of Bryan Mullins.

The SIU vs UMass game had the feel of a late season battle, in November. While attendance at SIU Arena didn't top 6k, the fans who were there were going nuts. Now the Salukis get a chance to play a top five program in the nation on a neutral floor, a rare opportunity. Check back all week for more Saluki discussion, an update on Jeremy Felton, and a look ahead to the 2k Sports Championship at Madison Square Garden.

Photo Credit- SIU Sports Information Dept

Salukis face Attack Attack Skip Attack offense

UMass head coach Derek Kellogg is in his first year at the helm after serving as an assistant at Memphis during their Final Four run last season.... and he brought the Tigers offensive scheme with him. But Kellogg didn't just bring the AASAA offense to UMass, he also brought the man who created it, Vance Walberg.

How does the Attack Attack Skip Attack Attack offense work?

The AASAA offense attempts to eliminate the old school "mid-range jumper." The emphasis on offense is to attack the rim, and if that doesn't work "skip" the ball back out to another wing player and he'll also attempt to penetrate.

Eventually the idea is to either get a clear path to the bucket or draw the defense, then hit someone on the perimeter for an open 3 or dump it to a big man.

Here's how Walberg describes his offense, "Shoot, shoot and shoot some more. It's really very simple. What we do is spread you out and attack the different gaps."

How can the Salukis stop it?

The Salukis can shut down UMass by stopping the dribble. Everything is created off the dribble in the AASAA, so Mullins and Co. will need to shut things down on the perimeter before the Minutemen can get started. The key will be to pressure Chris Lowe and Ricky Harris into making mistakes early on in a possession. You know Mullins will be up to the task, and if the other guards flank him defensively, the Salukis will move on to MSG.

You can discuss the AASAA offense or join in on the UMass vs SIU game thread at Salukitalk.

Fay drops double double, Salukis prep for UMass

Carlton Fay dropped 16 points and 11 boards in just 25 minutes of action to help the Salukis advance to face UMass for a trip to MSG. Fay could easily lead the team in scoring this season if he stays out of foul trouble (he only had 3 fouls tonight).



Kevin Dillard lived up to his reputation of dishing the basketball with a nifty assist to Tony Boyle followed by a behind the back pass to Nick Evans for an easy bucket. When asked about his fast break highlight pass to Evans, Dillard responded, "He (Evans) trailed the play, and when a big man runs the floor you gotta reward him."



Preparing for UMASS

Lowery knows this young Saluki team will see their first true test on Wednesday. "All I know is my guys better get better in the next 24 hours," said Lowery after the game.

UMass has the best athletes the Salukis have seen so far, which makes fundamental defense and ball handing even more important. Lowery addressed what the Salukis need to do to get better. "We're talking about following our game plan defensively... then taking better care of the ball at the other end," said Lowery.

Photo Credit- SIU Sports Information Dept

Examining the role of Wesley Clemmons

Wesley Clemmons entered last season with huge expectations. Coming off a Sweet 16 run the Salukis looked to Clemmons to help fill the void at guard left by then departing seniors Jamaal Tatum and Tony Young. While Clemmons did have some bright spots, including a 24 point performance against Western Kentucky, his overall average of 6 points and 3 rebounds left the Salukis lacking production at the guard spot.

What will his role be for this year’s team? The Salukis won't need as much offensive support because of their influx of depth and talent at the guard spot. Now with those additional options, Wesley can focus on taking what the defense gives him, without feeling pressure to carry the load.


After his rock solid performance against Southwest Baptist, I asked him how his role was developing. "I'm still trying to figure it out," said Clemmons. "I'm just trying to see where I stand with the year’s team. Show the (younger players) what to do and be a leader. Listen to the scouting report, listen to what coach says, and if they follow right behind me then everything will be fine."

So while Clemmons might not have a role as a premier scorer he can still be a major factor leading by example on defense. "Some nights people are going to have bad offensive games,” he said, “but you should never have a bad defensive game.”

Playing lock down defense, crashing the boards, and leading by example will be exactly what this team needs from Wesley Clemmons. If he can do all those things, not only will he set the tone for the younger players, but he’ll provide the team with the type of consistency that they’ll need to be successful.

Photo credit- SIU Sports Information Department

Can a DII program spring an upset on the Salukis?

Is it possible for a for a DII program to beat the Salukis? Of course it's possible. Is it likely to happen? Not with the level of talent that the Salukis have this year, and certainly not on the hallowed grounds of SIU Arena.

However, the current parity in college basketball has trickled down all the way to the DII ranks. Look no further than the slick shooting Southern Missouri guard (#12) Skyler Bowlin, who dropped 18 points against the Salukis on Monday night. Bowlin has serious game, and he's just a sophomore.

The Southwest Baptist team that the Salukis will face tonight will bring in considerably more talent than Missouri Southern did. While Monday night was a nice "practice game" for the Dawgs, on Thursday they will face a team poised to make a run at the DII National Championship.

Got your attention yet? If not, Bearcats center Matt Rodgers might. He's 6-11 and averaged 14.9 points, 7.8 rebounds, while leading his conference in blocked shots as a sophomore last season.

Another reason Southwest Baptist will be dangerous is because they have a roster chock full of seniors. D’Ante Harris (6-3, 15 ppg) and Nick Kovacevich (6-5 11 ppg) will join 6-10 forward John Tiemeyer in the starting lineup against Southern. This team might not have the talent level to compete with the Salukis, but they have plenty of veterans and they sure won't be giving up any size.

Southwest Baptist also benefits from netting 3 Division I transfers. Tomas Brock will run the point for the Bearcats. Brock was the backup PG for Missoui State last season. He'll share time at PG with senior, Wendell Madris, who transferred in from Alabama State. Also from the DI ranks 6-8 senior Johnnie Harris from New Mexico.

The local media in Bolivar, Missouri certainly didn't give the Salukis much props, calling them "a team moving to the NCAA Division I." (They've apparently mistaken SIU-C for SIU-E).

So is there really a possibility for an upset here? For the answer to that question you could just go ask Bryan Mullins. Flashback to Mullins' freshman year when Division II Alaska-Anchorage beat the Salukis 72-64 in the land of the midnight sun.

But this game is a home so an upset could never happen here, right? Ask Michigan State about it. It was just one year ago that Grand Valley State (ranked two spots below Southwest Baptist in this year's preseason poll) pulled off an 85-82 double overtime upset of the #8 ranked Spartans AT the Breslin Center.

All this being said, is an upset really likely to happen? Probably not. The Salukis will be running 11 deep tonight, on their homecourt, with superior talent. The Salukis simply need to cut down on the turnovers and they'll be lighting up the scoreboard all night long.

Salukis v. Southwest Baptist

The Salukis are set to take on the Southwest Baptist Bearcats Thursday night in the second and final game of the exhibition season. While the game will likely have all of the competitive zeal of a Harlem Globetrotters - Washington Generals match up, fans of SIU basketball will still have plenty to get excited about.

This game will feature our first extended look at Ryan Hare, who will be making his college basketball debut after sitting out Monday night's game for reasons unspecified by Chris Lowery.

In addition to the newcomers, the returning Salukis will be tuning up for the regular season, which begins next week. Senior point guard Bryan Mullins will look to keep the rest of the squad under control and in the process, cut down on the 34 turnovers recorded against Missouri Southern.

- Opponent Info -

Southwest Baptist is highly regarded among D-II aficionados. Preseason polls have ranked the Bearcats at #6 (Sporting News) and #12 in the nation (NABC). They return four starters and have some players with D-I experience. Matt Rogers is 6'11" and a preseason All-American.

Photo Credit- SIU Sports Information Dept

Salukis 'run' 10 deep

The Salukis had 10 guys play double digit minutes and put 82 points on the board vs Missouri Southern. It was an up-tempo pace that Saluki fans aren't used to seeing, but with the guard depth that this team has, a fast break style will play to their strengths.

Carlton Fay came out shooting, scoring 17 points in only 11 minutes of action, but tallied just one rebound. This team will need Fay to hit the boards hard when they start playing against some talented big guys. Overall, the Dawgs won the battle of the boards 57-23, but it won't be so easy when teams like UMASS come to town. Nick Evans had some awkward moments but ended up with 11 rebounds in 15 minutes.

Anthony Booker played calm and collected, for the most part, shooting 4 for 9 with 9 points and 4 rebounds. However he did commit 4 fouls in 15 minutes, something he'll have to improve on if he's going to see big time action.

Kevin Dillard looked slick in his debut. After the game he indicated that he didn't feel nervous because of the hard work that he and his teammates have put into each practice. The talent level of this freshman is through the roof, but he'll have to limit his turnovers (he had 8 tonight) and be careful not to carry the ball. The refs let him get away with at least one carry, but called him on it when he did it a second time.

Christian Cornelius looked comfortable and went for 8 points and 9 rebounds in 23 minutes of action. After the game he said he feels healthy for the first time since his knee injury.

Clemmons had a rough game and didn't seem to get into a groove at any point in the night. Ryan Hare didn't play, and Lowery did not give a reason why, but did say that Hare will play on Thursday.

This year's team looks quite a bit different than those of years past, but the talent is undoubtedly there. We'll get another chance to evaluate that new talent on Thursday night when the Dawgs play their second exhibition game of the season.

Photo Credit- SIU Sports Information Dept

Saluki basketball kicks off with tune up #1

Monday night against Missouri Southern, six new Salukis will look to get their first taste of action in a game environment at SIU Arena.

Kevin Dillard, Justin Bocot, Ryan Hare, Torres Roundtree, Nick Evans, and Anthony Booker aren't just looking for a few cleanup minutes in an exhibition game. All six of these players will be attempting to be impact players right away.

You can expect to see 11 guys get some playing time in this game, which will probably look like some form of organized chaos over 40 minutes.

Elsewhere around the net-

Jim Henry of the Joplin Globe looks back on Lowery's years as an assistant coach at Missouri Southern

At the DE, Louis Medina notes Bryan Mullins task will be to distribute the ball equally in the motion offense as well as being a defensive stopper.

At the Southern, Todd Hefferman examines Kevin Dillard's role as the point guard of the future.