Last Sunday Drexel beat Stony Brook 68-60 in the CAA tourney women’s title game to earn an automatic bid to this week’s NCAA tournament. The Dragons had a losing record in 2014 but have now had 10 straight winning seasons and are heading back to the NCAA tourney for the 2nd time since 2021. Earlier today HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to speak with Drexel SR G Brooke Mullin about her team’s remarkable run.
You were born/raised in Pennsylvania: what made you choose Villanova to start your college career? It was close to home and is a great institution/program/culture. There were a lot of good things that led me to Villanova.
In the 2022 NCAA tourney you beat BYU before losing to Michigan and in the 2023 NCAA tourney you made the Sweet 16 before losing to Miami: what did you learn from your postseason runs that you think will help you this week? Experience is huge: just being in those situations and embracing those moments.
Why did you decide to transfer last year, and what made you choose Drexel? They have a similar system to Villanova, and I knew that Coach Amy Mallon was a great coach, so it was an easy decision for me.
What makes Coach Mallon such a good coach, and what is the most important thing that you have learned from her so far? She cares about us both on and off the court. She has taught me to be in the moment and take in everything without taking it for granted.
Last December you scored a career-high 27 PTS in a win over Buffalo: was it just 1 of those scenarios where every shot you put up seemed to go in because you were “in the zone”? Yeah: my shot was flowing that day and my teammates kept finding me.
Last Sunday in the CAA women’s tourney title game you had 16 PTS/4-9 3PM/5 STL in an 8-PT win over Stony Brook: what did it mean to you to win a title, and what was the feeling like in your locker room afterward? It was such an exciting moment. Nobody thought that we would even make the title game, much less win it, but it was an extremely fun experience to do so.
You are 1 of 6 seniors on the roster: how crucial has all that veteran leadership been to your team’s success? It is always great to have more upperclassmen because everything is new for the freshmen. I have tried to help lead them throughout the season.
Your team’s 55.1 PPG allowed is top-15 in the nation: what is the secret to playing great defense? Just focus/effort. I was always more of a defensive player at Villanova, so I have tried to take it further at Drexel. It is what keeps us in games and Coach says that our offense is our best defense.
Your father John played college basketball, your mother Alexa was an All-American gymnast, your sister McKenna played college soccer, 1 of your brothers plays college basketball, and your uncle Chris is in the Basketball Hall of Fame: who is the best athlete in the family? It is very competitive: that is all I will say!
How do you feel about being a 16-seed, and what do you know about Texas? We will focus on the Longhorns today/tomorrow. We will take it like any other game, worry about us, and see what happens.