Coyote Sports Hall of Fame
Mueller, who grew up in nearby Hartford, S.D., is South Dakota’s career leader in assists (801), steals (258) and three-pointers (307), and is the second-leading scorer in Coyote history with 1,991 points. He is a three-time all-NCC honoree, a two-time all-region pick, and was one of 16 finalists for the Bob Cousy Collegiate Point Guard of the Year Award in both his junior and senior seasons.
Mueller started all 120 games for the Coyotes from 2001-05. USD was 87-33 in that span, including a 54-7 record inside the DakotaDome. Mueller scored in double figures 100 times and had 20 double-doubles. His career averages include 16.6 points, 6.6 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 2.1 steals per game.
Mueller scored a career-high 36 points as a junior in late 2003, made a program-record 109 threes as a senior, and led the NCC in assists in each of his first three seasons. He averaged 7.7 assists as a junior, the third-highest average in the nation, and finished with the fourth-best assist per game average in NCC history.
The Coyotes won the 2005 NCC Tournament and Mueller, who averaged 20 points during the tournament, was one of three USD players named to the all-tournament team. South Dakota competed in the NCAA Tournament in both 2004 and 2005 and advanced to the regional championship game in Mueller’s senior season. He averaged 19.6 points and 5.7 assists in five NCAA games.
Upon graduation, Mueller spent one season with the Sioux Falls Skyforce before playing professionally in Germany, Finland and Holland. After his playing career, Mueller became an assistant coach at Dakota Wesleyan University for two seasons. He recently founded Tri-State Ambush and Mindset basketball. He runs the affective needs department in the far northeast region for Denver Public Schools. Mueller resides in Arvada, Colo., with his wife, Kelsey, and two children, Emery and Piper.
