June 17, 2011
After three years at De La Salle, Chris Mullin Jr. will be making the trek back east to Cushing Academy in Ashburnham, Massachusetts for his junior year. Mullin's father, Chris Mullin, is originally from Brooklyn, New York before playing his collegiate years at St. John's University and the majority of his professional career for the Golden State Warriors. As a result, going back east to Cushing is a return to Mullin's roots as he he has family in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York.
Mullin made the decision to attend Cushing Academy because he has more colleges in contact with him on the east coast where he has been spending most of his past summers attending camps. The 6-foot-2 and 185 pound combination guard has been getting interest from Cornell, Davidson, University of Denver, Fordham, San Francisco, and UC Santa Barbara. Mullin is deceptively quick, has a big build for a guard, and has a good right-handed shooting touch similar to his father.
This 2013 prospect is a finesse player because he does not force his shots and lets the game come to him instead of forcing things that may lead to mistakes. His best attribute is perimeter shooting. During this offseason, he is working heavily on his ball handling and shooting because he wants to be a more complete guard and wants his perimeter game to be at an elite level.
In addition, the junior Mullin will be playing for Team 94 where Coach Phil Handy is well known as a developer of basketball talent and coaches in the NBA Development League for the Reno Bighorns. Handy has these impressions about his guard. "I am very impressed with Chris and his ability to defend. He is a very strong kid who competes and really has taken the challenge of guarding guys. He has good speed, good footwork, and a decent handle. The most impressive and surprising thing I have seen in him is his craftiness. He has surprised me several times this spring with some great moves to the basket and also being able to finish. He runs the floor very hard and is good in transition!"
Mullin elaborates about his Cushing decision. "I chose Cushing because I have a few family friends that went to Cushing as they had a great experience. The Pressey family has two kids who both went there and eventually played at the University of Missouri. It is somewhat known for being a good basketball school but it is not a basketball factory but it is always a good team and produces good players at the D1 level." The Pressey brothers are the sons of former Milwaukee Buck, Paul Pressey.
Handy supports Mullin's decision to head east, "Chris is an unknown kid other than people know him as Chris Mullin's son. Kid can play and going to Cushing Prep will definitely help him get exposed and show people that he has some skills. He has been working hard on his game and Cushing will only continue to help develop him into an even better player. Once coaches have a chance to see that another Mullin is on the rise, I think his recruiting will definitely pick up. Skill development is always good for a player's game, but at some point game experience is what helps a basketball player's instincts!"
Mullin says about his father's impact, "I have learned everything I could ever know about basketball from my father and am very grateful for having him in my life. I didn't really learn much from when he played because I don't really remember so much because of how young I am. Now, I do watch some of his old game film and try to see what he does that I can apply to my game that can help me. All in all, my father has really taught me too much to put into words."
Handy, who played with Chris Mullin with the Golden State Warriors, compares junior to his father. "Although he is a Mullin, his game is very different from his dad's. He is not as tall as senior, but he has better speed. I know Chris is not into drawing comparisons to his dad's game and he plays like it. There is no doubt, when you see him that he is a Mullin but he is working hard to blaze his own trail. He looks like an unassuming player, but he has some very sneaky skills and can shoot the ball from deep. Mullie (dad) has definitely played a significant role in handing down the family genes in the hoop world. Chris is a fearless player who like his father also carries a decent jump shot."
Before Mullin heads east, Team 94 will still be playing several west coast summer events. After the summer, he will leave for Cushing. Expect Mullin Jr. to be on a college program in the 2013 season.
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