Hulls named Mr. Basketball

In November, Jordan Hulls officially signed to play for IU. In March, his high school team completed an undefeated season and won a state championship. On Sunday, he was named Indiana’s Mr. Basketball.

“It’s a dream come true,” Hulls, a senior at Bloomington High School South, said. “Every Indiana kid growing up dreams of winning that award. Just being even on the same list with some of the other players who’ve won the award, it’s just an honor.”

Each spring, Indiana high school coaches and media vote for the best senior basketball player in the state. Since South’s state championship win March 28, there seemed to be little doubt that Hulls would take home Mr. Basketball honors.

That was confirmed Sunday, as Hulls ran away with the voting, getting 131 of the votes – more than five times as many as second-place finisher Bruce Grimm Jr. of Rochester High School, who had 26 votes.

While Mr. Basketball is given to a single player, the point guard was quick to credit his teammates.

“I never would’ve gotten this without my team this year,” Hulls said. “It’s a team game, and I play with four other guys out there on the court.”

Hulls’ father, J.C. Hulls, a former all-state football and basketball player at Bloomington High School North, echoed his son’s comments, calling the honor a “total team effort.”

“That’s how we always looked at it because of how well South did as a team and because he was one of the team leaders on that team, winning a state championship and going undefeated,” he said.

The elder Hulls said his family is “extremely excited and thankful.”

“It’s a little bit overwhelming, to be real honest with you,” J.C. Hulls said.

Tipton High School senior and fellow 2009 IU recruit Derek Elston finished third behind Hulls and Grimm with 18 votes.

“My coaches were telling me if I wasn’t going to be Mr. Basketball, I’d be No. 2,” Elston said Sunday. “But I guess I shouldn’t have that kind of attitude. I’m glad they chose me as a top three, and I’m honored to be up there with those guys.”

But Elston said he is happy for his future teammate.

“I’ve been telling all the other reporters, and even friends, ‘Even if I don’t win it, then I hope Jordan does,’” Elston said. “To see that he has won, that’s no problem to me. I’m glad that if I didn’t, he got it.”

This weekend, Hulls spent time with two other incoming IU recruits, Maurice Creek and Christian Watford. The future Hoosiers played together at the Wazoo Sports Derby Festival Basketball Classic on Friday and Saturday in Louisville.

While Hulls said he is looking forward to spending the next four years with Creek and Watford, he will forever be in the same company as past Indiana Mr. Basketball award winners.

Hulls will become the 25th Indiana Mr. Basketball to continue his career at IU, joining the likes of college All-Americans Bill Garrett, Jimmy Rayl, Dick and Tom Van Arsdale, George McGinnis, Kent Benson, Steve Alford, Jay Edwards, Damon Bailey, Jared Jeffries and Eric Gordon.

With a state title and now the Mr. Basketball award, Hulls has lofty goals for his four years at IU.

“There’s a lot of things that I have set, just like I set goals for myself to be Mr. Basketball,” he said. “It’s going to take a lot of hard work, but we eventually want to win the Big Ten, then go to a Final Four and win a championship in those four years that I’m there.”