Dan Hurley Sends 3-Word Message on Braylon Mullins' UConn Return
With significant recent roster news, Dan Hurley and the UConn Huskies look like they could have another run in the NCAA Tournament towards the National Championship.
On Saturday, their freshman star and March Madness hero, Braylon Mullins, announced his decision to return to play his sophomore season under Hurley at UConn. It immediately made college basketball headlines, after much speculating that Mullins might opt to leave early to pursue an NBA career.
Some critics indicated that Mullins wasn’t quite ready yet, despite making a huge name for himself in the tournament with that game-winning three against Duke.
He officially decided that he’ll give another season at go, likely to improve his skills and stats and boost his NBA Draft stock. The decision likely arrived after a conversation involving Mullins, his parents, and head coach Hurley.
Read more:UConn's Braylon Mullins Announces Major Career Decision After Freshman Season
Hurley was clearly excited over his star prospect’s return for another run, as he took to X on Saturday evening to share the news from a post originally from Braylon Mullins’ dad, Josh Mullins.
That post also included a highlight reel video of some of Braylons’ plays from the past season and NCAA Tournament.
Hurley also had a message regarding his returning player and his shooting abilities, giving him a clever nickname.
“Bringer of Rain,” Hurley wrote, including a husky emoji and a blue heart in honor of UConn’s “Bleed Blue” slogan.
Read more:Dan Hurley, UConn Land Big East Rival Forward in Transfer Portal Move
The big news also arrived on Mullins’ birthday, as he turned 20 on Saturday. Ahead of his decision, many had projected him to go at least before No. 17 in the 2026 NBA Draft. Now he has a serious shot at moving up much higher in the 2027 NBA Draft, depending how his next college season goes.
Earlier this week, the team received additional positive news when Silas DeMary Jr. announced he would return to the starting lineup for UConn. Additionally, reserve Jayden Ross announced he’s returning to the lineup, and after showing his potential throughout the season and tournmanet, could get a bigger role in the upcoming season.
With the transfer portal departures for Eric Reibe and Jaylin Stewart, Hurley has also been working the portal. In the past week, UConn landed former Seton Hall big man, Najai Hines, and Duke transfer forward Nikolas Khamenia.
Both of these players should add to an intriguing lineup, which will likely need another center to attempt to fill the voids left by Taris Reed Jr. and backup Eric Reibe. Nonetheless, Mullins’ return gives the team a huge boost as he could easily become the team’s top star.
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This story was originally published April 18, 2026 at 6:40 PM.