Around Greenfield, Mullins’ moment was nothing new: ‘I’ve seen that shot a thousand times’

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GREENFIELD — Katie and Josh were high school sweethearts at Greenfield-Central High School, where years later the last name they eventually shared would be represented on their school’s Wall of Fame — and the only one to be placed there twice

But the “Mullins” name that hangs in the blue and yellow-coated gymnasium didn’t belong to Josh, a 1999 basketball alum, but instead to their son Braylon — once for his spot on Indiana’s Mr. Basketball, and again for making the McDonald’s All-American team, something no other GCHS student has accomplished.

Katie and Josh Mullins are the parents of a sensational 5-star recruit who is now the hottest name in college basketball.

A week ago, there were 10 seconds remaining in UConn’s game against Duke when game when the parents looked onto the court in Capital One Arena. “There’s just not enough time,” Josh remembered thinking to himself as the Huskies, down by two and defending against an inbound pass, needed a miracle to continue their basketball season and move on to the Final Four.

Katie, sitting among a crowd of people on their feet, followed the ball as it landed in the hands of her Braylon, their eldest, off a tipped pass. She and Josh watched their son pass the ball to the right, then receive a returning pass. That’s when Katie couldn’t watch anymore. But Josh, a father who had seen his son take the same shot many times before, knew instantly when Braylon released the ball from 35 feet away, “It was good.”

UConn beat the top-ranked Duke Blue Devils 73-72.

After that game, the family embraced in what Katie describes as a “blacked out” moment.

The 19-year-old Mullins instantly became a college basketball legend in those 10 seconds, cementing his ‘March Moment’ in the history books of the NCAA tournament. The journey that brought Braylon to the Instagram feeds of every sports fan, including his younger brothers, started years ago in Greenfield.

“He was literally in diapers batting basketballs around our house, it was just a need for him to find a basketball, mess around with it, play with it, everything,” said his mother.

“These are like the things you dream of as a parent,” said Josh, who is currently an assistant basketball coach for the Cougars and the school resource officer. “My kids get to come follow in my footsteps and the goal is always to make it where your kids are better than you growing up. Obviously, Braylon’s exceeded that.”

Braylon, a 2025 graduate, is already remembered in the Greenfield-Central community. But after his game-winning shot to give UConn a comeback win over Duke, nobody in Greenfield will ever forget him.

“He’s just a great kid, great competitor, awesome student athlete,” said GCHS Athletic Director Jared Manning. “He worked his tail off day-in and day-out … really was a great student-athlete for us.”

Mullins, who shot 47% from 3-point range and averaged nearly 33 points a game during his senior year, was named to the Big East’s All-Freshman team with the Huskies this season. According to his high school coach, Luke Meredith, Braylon’s work ethic always stood out. “I met him [in the gym] at 7:15 a.m., an hour before school, every single day for four years,” he said. “This is what success looks like and this is how you obtain success.”

Meredith stepped down this past season as the head coach to become a strength and conditioning coach but took the honor of being Greenfield-Central’s all-time winningest basketball coach with him – a feat that wouldn’t be possible without Braylon’s impact.

Meredith remembers the exact moment Braylon stepped into the game winning 3-pointer. “I’ve seen that shot a thousand times,” he said. “In my mind, I was like, ‘That’s going in.’” The former coach shared that Mullins was able to make time between the Pat McAfee Show, Today Show, and SportsCenter to give him a call earlier this week.

Braylon’s father shared a similar reaction when he recognized the spot Mullins shot from. “He walked right into it,” Josh Mullins said. “I was like, ‘This is something we’ve done in here numerous times.’” He continued, “If you’ve seen some of his high school games, [that’s] where some of his shots came from, the volleyball line.”

Growing up, Braylon Mullins idolized Kobe Bryant and was surprised one day when his father took him to Indianapolis to see a Lakers game. However, Josh was quick to compare Braylon’s playstyle to that of Steph Curry’s. For Clay and Cole Mullins, their older brother was the only player they looked up to.

“I kind of try to be like him,” said Clay Mullins. “But you know, I can’t. He’s still better than me. But I still try to do what he does.” The brothers each shared that Braylon’s competitiveness growing up motivated them to be better, especially in 2-on-1 basketball games that the twins rarely won. Cole and Clay, 2026 graduates of Greenfield-Central, will play basketball at Franklin College next year.

Now, as the Huskies prepare to take on Illinois in the NCAA Men’s Final Four, a homecoming welcome is in store for Braylon. The Mullins family plans to be in Indianapolis with Braylon throughout the entire weekend. As for the students at Greenfield-Central, they’ve got big plans too.

With the help of Indiana Sports Corp, the GCHS boys and girls basketball teams, as well as the students in the Athletic Leadership Council, were bussed 30 minutes west to Lucas Oil Stadium for Connecticut’s open practice on Friday. They also sat in on Illinois’ open practice and watched a USA Basketball 3×3 session. Throughout Greenfield, watch parties are being hosted at homes and restaurants for Saturday’s matchup.

The Mullins are treating Saturday’s game just like any other. Katie Mullins said, “We’re gonna do what we normally do every single time we go to a game. We’re kind of superstitious.” She explained that the family intentionally skips the send-off parties, tries to interact with Braylon as little as possible before games, and that she wears specific clothing to basketball games.

“The Mullins Shot” will forever be referred to when listing the most iconic moments in college basketball. The UConn Huskies have an opportunity to capitalize on Braylon Mullins’ clutch moment by winning the next two games and taking home their seventh national championship.

Ultimately, they wouldn’t be in this spot without the Greenfield native, an acknowledgment his veteran teammate, Alex Karaban, pronounced after the game, “The Indiana kid sent us to Indianapolis.”

Colby Shannon writes for the Sports Capital Journalism Program at IU Indianapolis.