Recruiting in college basketball is more of an art than a science.
Nobody knows this better than Jordan Hulls.
There was a time when Hulls, a star at Bloomington South HS, couldn’t keep an eye out for his college programs. In the beginning, he was actually a recruiter.
“Even when I wasn’t heavily recruited, I was sending tapes out to anyone who would take a look,” Hulls said during a question-and-answer session with the media last week.
Running with the well-known Indiana Elite program, Hulls wasn’t particularly tall or athletic at the AAU track relative to the other players on the field.
But surrounded by the right traveling teammates, Hulls had a big weekend ahead of a bunch of coaches to finally kickstart his hiring.
It’s hard to imagine a player who finished 30th in the IU career scoring standings with 1,318 points, fourth (44.1%) in career three-point shooting and third (85.9%) in career free throws percentage could fly under. radar.
But it’s hard to say what course Hulls’ basketball career would have taken if it weren’t for a strong show during a weekend in Pittsburgh.
His path eventually took him back to Bloomington after nine years of playing professional basketball abroad.
And now Hulls sits in that chair of the recruiter as Indiana’s new Team and Recruitment Coordinator.
Part of his mission is to find the diamonds in the rough like he was 15 years ago and through the lens of his own recruiting and a lifetime in the game, Hulls thinks he’s getting a head start on what to look for. Last weekend, she set out to get a first look at the state’s top talent in her new role at the annual Charlie Hughes Shootout in the northern Indianapolis suburbs.
“Seeing this in person really helps me,” Hulls said. “You can see how they control the game or its foundations. They don’t spin the ball. They are good teammates. These kinds of things go a long way.
“Obviously, you can tell from a man, you know, if you look at a guy like me who isn’t the most physical-looking person in the world, you know, but to some people you can tell. I just figured it out, are they super athletes or not, this or that? So I think for me it was attention to detail, and those were the things that really helped me personally, just staying in class and knowing that I was doing the right things.”
“So, I’m adapting to it but I’m also applying these professional philosophies that I’ve learned and really trying to pick out certain things or traits that guys have. The fun part for me is to dive in and see players with intangible assets that will help us succeed or whatever. It’s very exciting for me to watch good basketball, watch good players and try to get those guys.”
Still, as Hulls is reminded after a short weekend with dozens of players, a good talent is easy to miss as it is at the start. He embraces the challenge of finding under-the-radar kids who might be a good fit at a high major level.
“Frankly, it’s a crazy, crazy atmosphere,” Hulls said. “There are a lot of different kids in the country, so it’s enough to know that you have to go there and work. I know this worked for me and it’s still a good recipe for kids today. I guess learning more about kids and how they work is something I’m looking forward to, you know?”
In addition to playing professional basketball, Hulls managed the AAU and training programs after leaving IU. In the process, he has built an extensive network both in the US and beyond.
When it comes to the ability to succeed in this new role, Hulls believes these relationships will be key to both finding and ultimately winning the recruiting battles.
“For me, whether it’s work, hiring or whatever, relationships are everything, and that’s how I treat it here,” Hulls said. “I know this is very important to me and also important as I go through this process, but you will be playing both academically and on the field and dedicating your life to school. So you want to make sure it’s right for you, and I’m doing my best at it.”
It didn’t take long for Hulls to find the right person when it came to his own recruiting.
When things finally worked out, the list of suitors was impressive. Among those in the mix, Duke went from zero bids to nine in one week, along with Stanford and Purdue.
But the Bloomington kid with lifelong ties to IU didn’t have to think too hard about her own decision.
“My hiring process was pretty short after I got an offer from Indiana, I waited maybe two more weeks and then I decided to commit,” he said. “So this is the process for me, maybe I have a slightly different version of myself than most.”
It was a dream come true for Hulls. He now sits in the recruiter’s chair. And he will undoubtedly make several phone calls that will make a dream come true for underemployed players like him.
When Hulls finds that player and gives him his first call from a high major or a kid in the state, his first contact from a dream school like IU?
I’ll probably have a special place in my heart for that,” Hulls said.
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