The J.J. Kelly High School girls basketball team has put a unique lineup on the floor on several occasions during the course of games this season.
It will consist of junior guard Kaely Mullins, junior forward Casey Mullins and sophomore post players and twin sisters Allison and Ashley Mullins. Another player not named Mullins will join them.
“It’s pretty crazy,” Casey Mullins said. “Everybody kind of has something to say about it because there’s like four of us with the same last name.”
The name game has been just one part of a special season for the Indians, who will play Chilhowie on Saturday in the quarterfinals of the VHSL Group A, Division 2 state tournament at Virginia High’s
Bearcat Den.
J.J. Kelly has compiled a 20-6 record and is fresh off winning its first regional title since 2002. That’s a nice accomplishment for a team that has just two seniors on the roster.
“We knew we had some potential,” said Kelly coach Robin Dotson. “But we didn’t know we would be in this position. We were sort of looking at continually getting better and maybe being in this position next year.
“So, I have to be pleased with where we’re at. But we can’t be satisfied just to be here. Since we’re here, we want to take the next step.”
The Mullins quartet will look to help make that happen. Only Allison and Ashley are related, while the others share a last name that is common in the coalfields of Southwest Virginia.
“We have a lot of Mullins where we live,” Kaely Mullins pointed out.
Kaely Mullins has been a key contributor in Kelly’s backcourt and aplays with plenty of tenacity and intensity.
Meanwhile, Allison and Ashley Mullins have been forces inside. Allison Mullins is averaging a double-double and starred in Kelly’s 48-47 win over Lee High last Saturday in the Region D, Division 2 finals.
The sisters have been playing since kindergarten and have waged plenty of intense battles in the post – including against each other in practice.
“Pretty much all the time,” Ashley Mullins said. “I love competing with her.”
Dotson has been pleased with the twin sisters and the matchup problems they create.
“It’s a definite factor to have the both of them,” Dotson said. “Allison’s stepped up in the postseason. They are both good passers and both are unselfish.”
Meanwhile, Casey Mullins has provided depth off the bench for the Indians. All of them have helped carry on the tradition of a strong Kelly program.
“It feels awesome to win the region,” Allison Mullins said. “It’s kind of like following in the footsteps of the people in front of you. It’s something we’ve always wanted to do.”
Dotson has seemingly done it all in his long coaching career and his teams are consistently some of the best conditioned and most disciplined quads in the area.
He cracked a smile when asked about the Mullins quartet and the rest of his current team.
“This has been a fun group of girls to coach,” Dotson said. “They don’t care who gets the credit. They all get along well and it’s a team effort all the way. They’re a good group to be around.”
J.J. Kelly’s Mullins Quartet
ALLISON MULLINS
6-2, Soph., Forward
13.9 points, 12.1 rebounds, 1.5 blocks per game
ASHLEY MULLINS
6-2, Soph., Forward
9.9 points, 8.3 rebounds, 1.4 blocks per game
CASEY MULLINS
5-6, Jr., Forward
1.8 points, 1.3 rebounds per game
KAELY MULLINS
5-6, Jr., Guard
8.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.8 steals per game
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Advertisement