Fear the mullet: Klingele’s game deserves as much attention as his choice of hairstyles

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Breiton Klingele’s hairstyle came down to a choice.

Not a bet. Not a dare. Not anything other than a conscious decision to let it grow.

“I just decided it one day, so I started growing it,” Klingele said. “No other reason. I just wanted a mullet.”

The Liberty senior’s long, curly locks drew as much attention during Thursday’s Class 1A boys basketball state semifinals as his game did. That’s quite a bit on both fronts.

A Liberty fan had “Mullet Power” painted on his chest during the Eagles’ 75-41 victory over Scales Mound at the University of Illinois’ State Farm Center, and the sideline reporter for the IHSA television broadcast actually donned a mullet wig during the second half of the game.

It wouldn’t have been a focal point if Klingele hadn’t delivered. Named an honorable mention all-stater by the Associated Press on Wednesday, Klingele scored the Eagles’ first four points and six of the first 12 as they dashed to a 12-3 lead three minutes into the game.

Neither Klingele nor the Eagles let up.

They doubled up the Hornets 22-11 by the end of the first quarter and built a 37-15 advantage by halftime with Klingele scoring 11 of his 17 points in the first two quarters combined. He went 7 of 13 from the field and used the mid-range jumper effectively.

“I loved it,” Klingele said of the State Farm Center shooting background. “I was really comfortable in that environment. I loved the gym and everything.”

His ability to make baseline jumpers and bury 10-footers in the middle of the lane, along with scoring at the time, drew comparisons to the old man leagues at the YMCA and other places.

“I’m perfectly fine with that,” Klingele said.

So is Liberty coach Greg Altmix.

“You want to call it the old man’s game? I love hearing that,” Altmix said. “What that tells me is our players are fundamentally sound. They know how to play the game and they play it the right way. That warms my heart.”

If the ball movement on offense leads to openings for Klingele, the Eagles expect him to take those shots.

“When Breiton gets into his rhythm, especially on the baseline, if I get him the ball there, I shouldn’t get the ball back,” Liberty senior forward Loagn Robbins said. “He should be shooting it.”

That’s because it’s often a really good look.

“As an old-school coach, I want the best shot available,” Altmix said. “These guys have accepted that. Could these guys have made more 3-pointers, could they have taken more? Yes. But they’re kind of like, ‘Coach, we’re getting good shots.’

“Those shots Breiton took were good shots. Why move out 10 more feet when he’s able to knock those shots down?”

Klingele has turned the mid-range jumper into an art form.

“That baseline jumper is probably my favorite shot,” Klingele said. “I practice them a lot, and that’s where I sit whenever a point guard comes through the lane. I’m sitting ready for the ball.”