Braylon Mullins, projected NBA 1st-round pick, to stay at UConn

UConn freshman Braylon Mullins, a projected NBA first-round draft pick, will return to the Huskies for his sophomore season, his father announced Saturday.

Mullins is a former five-star recruit and McDonald’s All American who was ranked No. 17 on ESPN’s most recent NBA draft big board. Instead of entering the draft as a borderline lottery pick, however, he will look to boost his stock with a second season in Storrs.

The 6-foot-6 Mullins, who made the shot of the NCAA tournament with his 35-footer to beat Duke and put UConn in the Final Four, will be an obvious breakout candidate next season under Dan Hurley. He averaged 12.0 points per game last season, making 33.5% of his 3-pointers, but he was slowed by an ankle injury that kept him out of the first six games of the season.

Mullins entered college with the reputation as one of the elite shooters in the country, and while he was inconsistent from beyond the arc, he made at least five 3-pointers in a game on three occasions.

Hurley and the Huskies also landed a key player out of the portal Saturday, with Duke transfer Nikolas Khamenia announcing his commitment to UConn.

Khamenia, a former top-15 recruit, primarily came off the bench during his freshman season with the Blue Devils. But he saw an increased role when starters Caleb Foster and Patrick Ngongba II were sidelined with injuries and responded by averaging 10.7 points and 5.7 rebounds, to go with 41.7% 3-point shooting, in three ACC tournament games.

The 6-8 Khamenia averaged 5.7 points and 3.3 rebounds per game for the season.

Mullins and Khamenia are projected to start for what should be a preseason top-five team aiming for its fourth Final Four appearance in five seasons. All-Big East guard Silas Demary Jr. has announced his return, while backcourt mate Solo Ball could also go back to Storrs. Up front, UConn added Seton Hall transfer Najai Hines to help replace Tarris Reed Jr. and Eric Reibe.