Carved into a wall inside of Assembly Hall is a large, white image of the state of Indiana meant for former players to sign when they return to Bloomington. On Wednesday, former Indiana point guard Jordan Hulls etched his name.
Hulls, who spent the last nine years playing professional basketball in Europe, returned to his hometown of Bloomington, Ind. to join head coach Mike Woodson's staff as a recruiting coordinator.
Indiana's sixth-year forward Race Thompson has only been around Hulls for a few short days, but he's already aware of what Hulls can bring to the Indiana program.
"He knows how to win and what it takes to win," Thompson said of Hulls.
A graduate of Bloomington South High School, Hulls was named Indiana Mr. Basketball in 2009. He also won Indiana Gatorade Player of the Year in 2009 after leading the Panthers to a 26-0 record and Class 4A state championship.
He played four seasons at Indiana from 2009 to 2013 under former head coach Tom Crean. As a senior, he helped the Hoosiers win the 2013 Big Ten regular season title and earn a No. 1 ranking on 10 of 20 AP polls.
"I think that having him around will definitely help us out as a team," Thompson said. "I think he'll be a great addition for us."
Hulls' name is found all over the Indiana record books: 30th in scoring with 1,318 points, fourth in career three-point field goal percentage at 44.1 percent and third in career free throw percentage at 85.9 percent. He also made an Indiana and Big Ten record 58-straight free throws over two seasons in 2010 and 2011. And by the time he graduated, Hulls' 135 games played rank second among Hoosiers.
“It’s hard to put into words what this opportunity means to me and my family,” Hulls said after joining the Indiana staff. “Indiana University has been a part of me my whole life and I couldn’t be more excited to come home and work with Coach Woodson, the entire staff, and our players in the program. The relationships built during my time at IU with my teammates, coaches, and community helped shape me into the person I am today. I’m looking forward to building those same type of relationships as I enter into this new and exciting chapter of life in a different role at IU.”
Since returning to Indiana, Thompson has noticed Hulls' close bond with current Indiana guard Anthony Leal. Both former Bloomington South High School sharpshooters, Leal grew up watching Hulls drain 3's en route to winning the 2013 Big Ten title at Indiana.
"I bond with Anthony," Thompson said. "So I kind of feel where Anthony comes from and how he looks up to Jordan."
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