BHSS Panther point guard to play at IU

One day after giving a verbal commitment to IU, Bloomington native Jordan Hulls held a press conference to make the official announcement that he will be a Hoosier starting in the 2009-2010 season.\nHulls, a junior point guard from Bloomington High School South, said playing in his hometown drew him to IU.\n“I used to watch IU all the time when Coach Knight was here,” Hulls said. “When he left, they fell off the map for me. I am excited because I know all the tradition they have.”\nWhile the 6-foot guard was becoming a hot prospect on the national recruiting scene, Hulls said he felt most comfortable with IU coach Tom Crean and the Hoosiers.\n“I am really excited about my decision,” Hulls said.\nHulls went Tuesday night to Assembly Hall to give Crean his verbal commitment. The new Hoosier head coach was ecstatic to have Hulls join the program.\n“He was really excited, which made me fell really good knowing that,” Hulls said. “He just gave me a big hug and welcomed me to the program with open arms.”\nHulls averaged 16.9 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.9 assists a game for Bloomington South last season, where he played both the point guard and shooting guard positions. When he transitions to the college game, Hulls said his primary role will be to run the offense as a point guard.\n“Me being a true point guard is huge for coach Crean,” Hulls said. “I don’t necessarily need to score to be effective.”\nThe Bloomington native saw his stock rise this spring during AAU events with Indiana Elite. Hulls had received interest from Purdue, Stanford and Duke because of improved play during this time. \n“He has helped his game develop, and colleges around the country have noticed that the last two weeks,” Bloomington South coach J.R. Holmes said.\nThe toughest part of choosing IU was telling the other coaches, especially Purdue coach Matt Painter. Purdue had been recruiting Hulls for some time before officially extending a scholarship offer earlier this month.\n“It was really tough to say no to Coach Painter at Purdue because I’ve gotten to know them for two years now,” Hulls said.\nHolmes said Hulls’ improved driving ability showed coaches he could be a player at the highest level. His play with the Indiana Elite team gives Hulls the chance to play with a number of Division I players, including 2009-10 commit Bobby Capobianco.\nThrough his play with Indiana Elite, Hulls was able to secure an offer from Crean. After several meetings at Assembly Hall, Hulls knew he wanted to join the upstart Hoosier program.\n“He told me, I don’t care who else calls, I want to go there (IU),” Holmes said. “Then I told him, we are done then.”