Former SIU star Bryan Mullins looking to play pro in Europe

[Da Coach]

Bryan Mullins is in Italy working out in an attempt to make a pro team there.-

http://www.chicagohoops.com/articles1/euro.html

[tornado]

Mullins finally gets a deal to play in France...after trying out with the Celtics and Bulls summer league teams.

http://thesouthern.com/articles/2009/07/26/sports/29221504.txt

"J.L. Bourg Basket, a pro team located in Bourg-en-Bresse, France"
thay are in the Pro-B league...a notch below where Cellus played last year...

[tornado]

Here's a story on Booker Woodfox and his overseas options...

"I don??™t want to go where there??™s wars,??™??™ he says."

good thinking, Book...

http://www.omaha.com/article/20090726/SPORTS/707269868

[Da Coach]

Mullins finally gets a deal to play in France...after trying out with the Celtics and Bulls summer league teams.

http://thesouthern.com/articles/2009/07/26/sports/29221504.txt

"J.L. Bourg Basket, a pro team located in Bourg-en-Bresse, France"
thay are in the Pro-B league...a notch below where Cellus played last year...

In addition to signing a pro contract to play in France, Bryan Mullins is now a citizen of Ireland, and is eligible to play for the Ireland national team which could compete in the next Summer Olympics in London in 2012.

http://thesouthern.com/articles/2009/07/26/sports/29221504.txt

[tornado]

... eligible to play for the Ireland national team

there's an Irish National Team? I guess it stands to reason...but
I have never heard of them, and they are NOT ranked and not even mentioned in the full ranking of the World's Top 91 teams

http://www.fiba.com/pages/eng/fc/even/rank/p/openNodeIDs/1001/selNodeID/1001/rankComb.html

I would predict that if Mullins wants to play on the Irish National Team, he'd not only make the team and be a starter, he'd likely be the best player they have.

[tornado]

More on Bryan Mullins to France...

he will play for the Irish National Team in August, and he made significantly more $$ signing in France than he would have for the NBDL.

http://www.siude.com/sports/mullins-to-play-pro-ball-in-france-1.1787518

http://www.thesouthern.com/dawgblog/?p=418#more-418

[tornado]

In the European qualifying rounds for the auto bids to the World Championships in 2010,
the Irish National team is currently playing in Group C, facing Sweden....Ireland is in 4th place (out of 5) in their group with a 1-3 record....from games played before Mullins joined the team.

They clearly should be a better team now that they have Mullins..
here is their current schedule...

15.08.2009 (August 15) vs SWE 17:00 (in Gdansk, Poland)
19.08.2009 (August 19) vs GEO 19:00
22.08.2009 (August 22) vs LUX 17:00
29.08.2009 (August 29) vs SVK 18:00

the current game is about over and a score has yet to be posted.

[tornado]

Tough break as Ireland loses to Sweden 66-50, Bryan Mullins was Ireland's team leader with 10 pts. and he also led Ireland with 4 assists.
BMull also had 4 rebs, 3 steals, but nobody else on the Irish squad seemed able to put the ball in the hoop, and Ireland was only 3-20 from outside the arc...and got outrebounded 44-29.

http://www.eurobasket2009.org/en/cid_toT,ovGDH2EaLKL67XnPo2.gameID_6333-C-12-6.compID_qMRZdYCZI6EoANOrUf9le2.season_2009.roundID_6333.teamID_.html#{5E70D78D-E480-4F66-9B60-839D032EE21A}

[tornado]

Bryan Mullins plays next with his Irish National squad tomorrow vs the Georgian National team, in Tbilisi,Georgia.
Georgia has one of the highest scoring offenses in international play at 93.4 ppg,
while Ireland struggles a bit more with regards to scoring and 75 ppg.

Georgia hits 63% of their 2-pt FG attempts and 41% of their 3-pt attempts.
and they don't turn it over much or send the opponent to the line much.
Ireland has never beaten Georgia in 3 meetings in 1999, 2000, and 2008.
Georgia is 4-1 and Ireland is 1-4 thus far in this current qualifying group play in an effort to qualify for the 2010 World Championships in Turkey next year.

[tornado]

The Irish National team just finished playing the Georgian National team and Bryan Mullins'
Irish squad lost 98-73...with Bryan leading all scorers with 18 pts.
They now play again on August 22 vs. Luxembourg.

Here are the Ireland team's results so far, they are 1-5,
but Bryan has only played with them the past two games.

06.09.2008 vs SWE L 63-82 (A)
10.09.2008 vs GEO L 77-94 (H)
13.09.2008 vs LUX W 97-70 (A)
20.09.2008 vs SVK L 88-95 (H)
15.08.2009 vs SWE L 50-66 (H)
19.08.2009 vs GEO L 73-98 (A)


Luxembourg so far is winless having been clobbered in all five games...
they have lost by 33, 27, 43, 45, and 42 pts...

06.09.2008 vs GEO 65-98
13.09.2008 vs IRL 70-97
17.09.2008 vs SVK 67-110
20.09.2008 vs SWE 51-96
15.08.2009 vs GEO 73-115

[thefish7]

That's funky-- the citizenship/Irish national team play. Anyway, best of luck to him... Much as I dislike the Salukis and he killed us for all those years, I thought it was too bad his last season was hampered by injury.

[tornado]

plus I decided I am going to like Bryan Mullins for a couple reasons...

1-he can't hurt us any more, since he's graduated
2-his dad runs the Illinois Wolves and I sure want to stay on their good side as they really have some talent playing for them!

[thefish7]

I end up liking almost all of the MVC guys after they graduate.

[tornado]

Bryan Mullins and his Irish National team just got done beating Luxembourg 100-83
Mullins had a really GREAT game, 19 pts, 10 asst.

Here's a box score

http://www.eurobasket2009.org/en/cid_toT,ovGDH2EaLKL67XnPo2.gameID_6333-C-15-8.compID_qMRZdYCZI6EoANOrUf9le2.season_2009.roundID_6327.teamID_305.html#{5E70D78D-E480-4F66-9B60-839D032EE21A}

Ireland goes to 2-5 Luxembourg drops to 0-6 in their qualifying group
Their next game is a week from today vs. Slovakia

http://www.rte.ie/sport/basketball/2009/0822/ireland2.html

[tornado]

Bryan is averaging 16 ppg with Ireland..

He is #12 on bottom right...