Boulder – Coaching longevity at Mullen isn’t a sure thing.
At a private school known to attract some of Denver’s best athletes, winning is an expectation. Some might argue it’s a right.
Call Porter Cutrell a survivor.
In his 10th season at Mullen, Cutrell secured his second state championship in his fifth trip to the Final Four on Saturday as the Mustangs handled Cherry Creek 54-40 at the Coors Events Center.
The pressure can come from all sides – parents, boosters and preseason rankings that usually have the Mustangs pegged at or near the top.
It’s the kind of pressure that can wear on a coach.
“No question,” Cutrell said with a smile after handing off the Class 5A championship trophy to an assistant coach. “There’s pressure for us and the kids. There’s pressure for them to perform in the classroom. We put pressure on them to perform out on the court, and we also put pressure on them to perform out in the community and be the students and the citizens they really want.
“It’s kind of an all-around school effort.”
The pressure had been on the Mustangs all season. After advancing to the Final Four in 2004, Mullen went 14-12 last season and exited in the Sweet 16, a low mark for a team that had 6-foot-11 center Ray Hall, a senior this season and considered one of the state’s top big men.
Cutrell, a big man himself, said a player like Hall needs time to develop.
Sounds a lot like coaching.
“He’s been waiting for this for four years,” said Mullen senior Jon Ward of Cutrell. “He’s known this was the year. He put it all on the table at the beginning of the year and said ‘We’re winning state, that’s our goal.”‘
Cutrell took over in the 1996-97 season and led the Mustangs to the Final Four. Mullen lost in the final in 1998 to Horizon and followed with consecutive appearances in the Great 8.
Cutrell won his first state title in 2001, which made a 3-17 mark in 2002 much easier to stomach. Mullen’s next three seasons saw the Mustangs advance to the quarterfinals, Final Four and Sweet 16.
“It’s a lot of pressure, but to a point, it’s real good because it keeps us going,” junior standout Devin Aguilar said.
With a career mark of 176-65, Cutrell knows that success breeds more success.
“When they grow up in our program, they see the other kids going through and they get a chance to talk to the kids about what it was like,” he said.
It’s a good bet they’ll be talking about this title for years.
