Hulls-Teague Match-Up Worth the Hype

Indianapolis – Two of the state’s best prep basketball players will be going head-to-head Friday night when Jordan Hulls' No. 1 Bloomington South squad faces Marquis Teague and Pike. There will be no shortage of college coaches in attendance as well for the big match-up...

Indianapolis – Two of the state’s best prep basketball players will be going head-to-head Friday night.

When No. 1 Bloomington South (13-0/4-0) faces Pike (8-4/4-0) tonight at 7:30 p.m. in Indianapolis, it will include a match-up of arguably the state’s top senior and sophomore. IU-bound Panther guard Jordan Hulls is the unquestioned leader of the state’s top team and is one of the favorites to win the Mr. Basketball award, while Pike sophomore Marquis Teague is the most talked-about underclassman in the state this year.

“This should be a nice match-up between different players,” said Scout.com recruiting analyst Evan Daniels.

While both Hulls and Teague are considered among the state’s top perimeter players, they clearly get from A to B in different ways. Hulls is known for his toughness, perimeter shooting, court vision and decision-making, while Teague is a highlight waiting to happen thanks to his athleticism and ball handling.

They have also gotten to where they are in very different ways. Hulls went from a mid-major level recruit to a high-major talent thanks to a huge summer with the Indiana Elite AAU program, while Teague has been a well known commodity dating back to his freshman season.

It makes for an intriguing match-up that will determine the Conference Indiana championship.

Hulls is averaging 15.1 points per game for the Panthers, who are ranked No. 7 nationally in the latest USA Today high school rankings. He’s the top scorer on a balanced attack that has three other players averaging in double figures (Dee Davis – 14.2, Spencer Turner – 12.2 and Erik Fromm – 10.2). Hulls is also shooting 55.1 percent from 3-point range and averaging nearly five assists per game.

Teague, meanwhile, is averaging 20.5 points/game and has scored a season-high of 35. He’s helped Pike rebound from a 1-2 start to win five out of six and position itself for a shot at a conference title if it can upset Bloomington South tonight.

“On one end you have the steady and fundamentally sound veteran in Jordan Hulls and on the other end you have an athletically-gifted top-10 underclassman that many think is the wave of the future of Indianapolis basketball.”

There will be no shortage of interested on-lookers tonight in Indianapolis. Coaches from Purdue, Louisville, Ohio State, Michigan and Wisconsin are all expected to be in attendance, while IU, Kentucky and Notre Dame might be represented as well by members of their respective staffs.

With Hulls having already pledged to IU, the college coaches will be there to see a handful of sophomores, most notably Turner and Davis from South as well as Pike sophomore Chandler Thomas. But the Teague is probably the one that the most eyes will be tonight thanks to his rapidly-building reputation.

“Teague is a guy that has already made a name for himself not only in the Midwest, but across the country,” Daniels said. “The 2011 class looks like a talented one and Teague has established himself as one of the best point guards in the class and an early top-10 prospect.”

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