'There wasn't anywhere else I wanted to be.' John-Michael Mulloy gets his Butler farewell.
Butler center John-Michael Mulloy's introductory meeting with new head coach Thad Matta had no mentions of his place in the rotation or how many touches he needs in the paint.
Mulloy, a graduate student in his fifth year at Butler had accepted his role as a reserve with the Bulldogs. The Carmel native came to Butler as a four-star recruit, fresh off leading the Greyhounds to the 2019 Class 4A state title. Mulloy played sparingly as a freshman under former coach LaVall Jordan. His playing time topped out at six minutes per game over 18 games as a sophomore. Ankle and foot injuries cost him the entire 2022-23 season, but he chose to come back for his final year because he couldn't see himself being anywhere else.
"I'm not one to run away from the fire," Mulloy said. "Obviously my time at Butler hasn't gone exactly how I envisioned or how I planned out, but especially after my last four years, there wasn't anywhere else I wanted to be.
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"I knew we had a challenge in front of us and I was fully dedicated and excited to be a part of it again, guns blazing like we have been the whole time. It's been an unbelievable experience, and it's been an honor to be a leader on this team."
Mulloy said he didn't know what "The Butler Way" meant before committing to the school, but former teammates like Kamar Baldwin and Sean McDermott quickly showed him everything it exemplified. Mulloy applied those lessons on and off the court. He's an active member of the community and an engaged student in the classroom. He's the type of student to show up bright and alert to his 8:35 a.m. Professional Sales class, less than 12 hours after playing a late-night road game against St. John's.
The 6-10 center was a freshman on Butler's best team in recent history, the 2019-20 team that went 22-9 before the COVID-19 pandemic canceled the season during the Big East tournament. As Butler heads back to New York for the 2024 Big East tournament, Mulloy sees remnants of the '19-20 team within his current teammates. He sees the foundation of success the previous Butler class built starting to grow under Matta. Regardless of the minutes he sees on the floor, Mulloy is proud to represent Butler the best way he can.
"I've seen what Butler basketball is and I've seen some pretty freakin’ good players, front row seat, for quite a while now. So, I've seen winning, I know what winning takes," Mulloy said. "It doesn't matter if you're on the bench or on the court to know what (winning) is, and to set that standard for yourself. To hold others accountable is a huge thing and that's what I took as my main goal for this year.
"When coach got the job. That's the first thing I told him, I was like, 'I want to lead and I want to get this team back to not just playing Butler basketball but acting like it as well.'"
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Butler basketball: John-Michael Mulloy gets his Bulldogs farewell
