Matt Mullery '10 became just the 23rd player in Brown history to score 1,000 career points, hitting the milestone in the men's basketball team's game against No. 22 Cornell last weekend. The Bears were ahead in the second half against the Big Red, but Cornell ultimately won, 74-60. Mullery led all scorers with 21 points.
The forward leads Brown in points (15.3 per game), rebounds (6.0 per game), assists (3.0 per game), blocks (1.5 per game) and field goal percentage (55.3) on the season. Last weekend, he led the Bears in points and rebounds for both the Cornell and Columbia games. The Herald has named him Athlete of the Week.
Herald: What was going through your head when you guys were ahead against Cornell last weekend?
Mullery: I mean, they took the lead about five minutes into the second half, but it was really a close game throughout. It would have been great to pull it out, but they're so deep that they just keep bringing guys in and out. They've got fresh legs, and I think that had a lot to do with it as the game went into the second half. But we were all — you know, you get a little excited inside at that point, when you're beating a team that's ranked, on the road.
Did you realize during the game that you had scored your 1,000th point?
I knew going into the game that I was close. It wasn't until after the game that I knew exactly when I had gotten it … It was nice, for me personally. It's really a — you know, it's an honor — to be along with other names in the program's history who have done it also.
I'm sure you've seen Cornell on SportsCenter and ESPN. What's it like to be an Ivy League player and see the conference getting that kind of press?
Any time that you can get that kind of press, I mean obviously it's great for them, but it's also great for the league. It gets the league — not just the team — but the conference and the league in the minds of a lot of people.
The Ivy League is the only Division I conference without a postseason tournament. What are your thoughts on an Ivy League tournament?
I don't know how soon it will happen or if it will happen, but I think it should happen. When you have eight teams, the reality of it is that after five games, you have a couple of teams that are kind of out of it already. I think the league would be more competitive down the stretch if there were one because there are teams that are basically eliminated from any chance of having a postseason.
You guys are 1-5 in the league and obviously not where you want to be in the standings. Do you feel like you're one of those teams this year?
You could do the math and realize that we're a far cry from first place right now. But we still have some stuff to play for. We want to beat some teams in the top half of the league and finish well. I'm not going to be here next year, but to sort of set the precedent for what Brown basketball is going to be and how they're going to compete next year. From a competitive standpoint, nobody — especially me, in my last year — wants to go out losing games left and right. I want to beat some teams in the top half of the league.
What was the funniest moment for the team this season?
I would say secret Santa was definitely one of the highlights this year.
What happened?
Oh, I don't want to get in to too much detail. The gifts are not traditional gifts, they're gag gifts … We have a guy who can't really focus too well — he kind of zones out a lot. You'll be talking to him, and he'll be on the BlackBerry instead of listening, and then he'll be like ‘Oh, what?' So someone got him a Ginkgo Biloba or something — it's like a memory, mental sharpening pill — a remedy for people who can't focus.
What do you want to do after you graduate?
Right after I graduate, I want to give playing a shot. I'm hoping to go overseas for at least a year and try it out and see where it goes. But if that doesn't work out, I'm not sure. I have a degree in history, so I might want to go to law school, I might want to start working somewhere — I'm not really sure. I think I'm not going to know what exactly I want to do for a living unless I actually start working.
