Salukis Land another...

[siudawgs]

I wish all the teams could be so lucky and have a two time second teamer like Armon Fletcher and a two time third teamer like Kavion Pippen not be considered a really good recruit/player for our program.

I know everyone is giving Mullins huge kudos for getting Marcus Domask - as if that is some kind of big time recruiting coup because he was Mr. Basketball in Wisconsin. I will say again, I think Domask will be a good MVC player. Reminds me of Sean O'Brien (who must have been garbage because Barry recruited him) so maybe that's not a good thing.

Here is the list of schools who offered Domask: Northern Kentucky (original commitment), Indiana State, Wright State, American, Milwaukee, Green Bay, Bucknell, Air Force, Western Michigan, Akron, Elon, Idaho State, and Montana State.

One more time - I like Marcus Domask. I really think he was underrecruited and will be a good MVC player. But let's not act like Bryan went up to Waupun and schooled Louisville, Marquette and Creighton for the dude.

I love how some fans downgrade Anthony Beane because he was the son of an assistant but its cool if Bryan Mullins taps into the Illinois Wolves AAU program that his dad runs.

I've already spent too much of my week rehashing the joys of the Barry Hinson era, but I'll end with this question (feel free to address or to treat as a rhetorical question): If Hinson was a good recruiter, why did each of his seven Saluki teams ends their seasons the first weekend of March, never even garnering serious NIT consideration or appearing in an Arch Madness final?

I believe the proof is in the pudding there.

[tribecalledquest]

I wish all the teams could be so lucky and have a two time second teamer like Armon Fletcher and a two time third teamer like Kavion Pippen not be considered a really good recruit/player for our program.

I know everyone is giving Mullins huge kudos for getting Marcus Domask - as if that is some kind of big time recruiting coup because he was Mr. Basketball in Wisconsin. I will say again, I think Domask will be a good MVC player. Reminds me of Sean O'Brien (who must have been garbage because Barry recruited him) so maybe that's not a good thing.

Here is the list of schools who offered Domask: Northern Kentucky (original commitment), Indiana State, Wright State, American, Milwaukee, Green Bay, Bucknell, Air Force, Western Michigan, Akron, Elon, Idaho State, and Montana State.

One more time - I like Marcus Domask. I really think he was underrecruited and will be a good MVC player. But let's not act like Bryan went up to Waupun and schooled Louisville, Marquette and Creighton for the dude.

I love how some fans downgrade Anthony Beane because he was the son of an assistant but its cool if Bryan Mullins taps into the Illinois Wolves AAU program that his dad runs.

I've already spent too much of my week rehashing the joys of the Barry Hinson era, but I'll end with this question (feel free to address or to treat as a rhetorical question): If Hinson was a good recruiter, why did each of his seven Saluki teams ends their seasons the first weekend of March, never even garnering serious NIT consideration or appearing in an Arch Madness final?

I believe the proof is in the pudding there.

I never said Hinson was a great recruiter. I have said it wasn't as awful as made out to be. And it wasn't because he didn't "work hard" at it.

My point isn't that Hinson was awesome and that he should still be the coach. He shouldn't. It's that Mullins is a guaranteed lock to be better than Hinson. Or that he works SOOOO much harder and has been a recruiting genius two months into the job.

While Barry never won as much as expected he wasn't awful either. He was average. Average after a long time gets you fired. And I understand people being excited about Bryan Mullins. All fans are with new coaches. But let's slow the accolades on Mullins a little bit.

[Braves4Life]

Rev up your Yugos boys! The dogs are back!

[Salukimadness86]

Rev up your Yugos boys! The dogs are back!

Since you chose to chime in, it's Dawgs not Dogs.
Go Gargoyles

[Braves4Life]

Haha, right. Good luck to your Dawgs. The Valley needs teams like SIU to be good again.

[tribecalledquest]

Rev up your Yugos boys! The dogs are back!

Since you chose to chime in, it's Dawgs not Dogs.
Go Gargoyles

Dawgs aren't even a real thing

The race for second place in the MVC should be interesting the next 5-6 years with Mullins at SIU.

[Birdfan2018]

Rev up your Yugos boys! The dogs are back!

Since you chose to chime in, it's Dawgs not Dogs.
Go Gargoyles

Dawgs aren't even a real thing

The race for second place in the MVC should be interesting the next 5-6 years with Mullins at SIU.

I think SIU might finish in second place a couple times the next 5-6 years, with the rest being 3rd, 4th, and no worse than 7th!!!

[Dawgbit]

Have there been any FBS transfers to Valley schools in recent years that have been great? I'm sure there have, but none are coming mind. Brady Ellingson from Iowa was solid at Drake last year, but he was mostly a shooter. Seems like more have transferred out and had success at the power 5 schools than vice-versa.

Depending on how you define "recent", Rolan Roberts wasn't exactly a slouch.

[Dawgbit]

I'd say both views have their point. Clearly Saluki fans have a right to be excited just as Bear, Ace, and Bulldog fans were last year. And new recruits generally create excitement as they all are about potential which is boundless until they play a bit. But at the same time pretty universally, fans will always say the new coach is recruiting better, practices are harder and more intense, the energy around the program is the best it's been in ages, etc. etc. It's the fan version of "coach speak", just noise in the air until games actually get played. And to say Mullins is one of the "best hires " the MVC has made in a while when you're talking about a totally unproven commodity just invites the eye roll at this stage of the game.

I like the hire, to me it was a no-brainer for SIU, but it doesn't mean it will be a great hire; most aren't in the long run. Mullins is doing what Ford, Devries, and Mac all did , which is scrambling to fill a roster while being as visible as possible in his community . Nothing unique there, pretty much basic job description, and his recruits are a similar grouping of some nice adds and some reaches. It's what you do that first year.
I hope SIU is very successful under Mullins, the Valley needs SIU to be a viable program and Mullins is a Valley guy.

Agree with most of your post. Mullins has yet to coach a game as a HC in the MVC, so yes he is unproven. Ford and Devries will be gone in a couple of years IMO unlike Mullins who is building a program with class balance. Considering SIU lost six seniors, this staff has done well. Again, I'm comparing to the former staff, and it's like night and day.
Yes, the Valley and Arch Madness needs SIU to be relevant again. Plain and simple.

In the time Bryan Mullins has been at SIU what has he done that Barry Hinson and staff wouldn't have done? I am 100% certain Barry would have all 13 scholarships filled by the time the school year starts in August - the same as Mullins will do.

Making this about "work ethic" is ridiculous. Especially when Mullins has been there like two months.

I understand everyone gets excited over new coaches, recruits, etc. Bryan Mullins/SIU won't be the first and won't be the last. I wasn't a Barry Hinson lover but making it sound like he didn't work hard enough is a cheap shot.

He worked hard all right, he made sure the SIU Arena had A Barry's BBQ Sauce kiosk.

[Dawgbit]

You're off base on this. Mullins already has signed a Mr. Basketball from Wisconsin (Domask) and a kid who averaged 10 ppg as a freshman at a D-I program (Harvey), plus four other recruits who all appear to have some significant upside. He already is recruiting at a higher level than Hinson did with very little time on the job, and the volume of on-campus visits has gone way up.

If you're trying to argue that Barry Hinson was as good or as energetic of a recruiter as Mullins is, you're going to look pretty foolish, sooner than later.

Marcus Domask was committed to Northern Kentucky before the coaching change. He wasn't offered by Marquette or Wisconsin or any BCS level school. I personally think he will be a good MVC player but he wasn't some BCS steal. Harvey played for an awful EIU team. It wasn't like Mullins went to Charleston and ripped him away from all the big dogs who wanted him.

Armon Fletcher was a second team all league guy two years in a row. Kavion Pippen was third team two years in a row. Sean O'Brien was a second team guy. Anthony Beane made the first team in 2016 when Barry was coach of the year.

Barry didn't get the job done in the end. However, you would think he finished 9th every year with a bunch of D2 level scrubs they way SIU fans are now rewriting history about his ability to recruit. Quit acting like SIU had no talent under HInson. It's ridiculous.

Can you enlighten the readership as to how Barry failed to EVER get to the NCAAs in almost two decades of coaching? Hope this doesn't qualify as a "cheap shot" on my part. And if Mr. Wisconsin is such a blah player you need to tell that to the people from Wisconsin who gave him the award.