Hoosier Favorite No. 1? Picking Favorite Indiana Basketball Players, One Number At a Time

There are no names on the Indiana basketball jerseys, just a number, and those digits mean a lot to all Hoosiers fans. We want to know who your favorites are, resuming with the No. 1 in Indiana basketball history that's meant the most to you. Pick your favorite, and we'll do this every day for the rest of the summer.

Haley Jordan | Jul 8, 2022

USA Today

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Welcome back to our summer series where Hoosier basketball fans can vote on their favorite Indiana players to ever wear each number. Today, we resume with all the greats to wear No. 1.

Hoosier favorite?

Every day we're going to give you four choices along with a short player bio to pick your favorite Hoosier who wore a certain number.

Here are your four No. 1 jersey choices in alphabetical order so that we're not showing bias. Be sure to take the poll below via Twitter or Facebook, or both if you're that passionate about your favorite player!

(Editor's Note: We'll take results for 48 hours on the poll and then share results on this story the next day, so keep coming back to see the results.)

James Blackmon Jr. (2014-17)

Guard James Blackmon Jr. hails from Marian, Ind. where he played for his father James Blackmon at Marian High School scoring 2,387 career points and ranked No. 19 in recruiting class by ESPN.

Blackmon Jr. made his mark early for the Hoosiers ranking sixth among all freshmen in the country in scoring with an average 15.7 points per game. As if this wasn't enough of an amazing feat for a freshman, Blackmon Jr. made 77 three-pointers in the season setting a new record for Indiana freshmen.

A knee injury struck part of his sophomore season, but he bounced right back his junior year where he led Indiana in scoring (511 points) and field goals made (91), which ranks second all-time in Indiana single season history.

In 2017, Blackmon Jr. signed as an undrafted free agent with the Philadelphia 76ers until he was later waived.

James Blackmon Jr. — James Blackmon Jr / USA Today

Al Durham (2017-21)

Guard Aljami Durham (also called Al) came to Indiana from Lilburn Ga. in his freshman season where he made nine starts in 31 games played and especially showed the Durham way in the Big Ten Tournament swishing all 10 free throws against Rutgers.

He remained consistent throughout his next couple years and was awarded Team Captain for both his junior and senior seasons.

Durham started in all 26 games he played in during his final season at Indiana averaging 11.3 points and 2.6 assists. He was awarded the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award and also ranked 51st on Indiana's all-time scoring list with 1,026 points.

For his COVID-19 bonus year, Durham transferred to Providence where the Friars advanced to the Sweet 16 this past season.

Jordan Hulls (2009-13)

Here's a name you might have heard of in Indiana news recently. Before he signed on as the Hoosiers' Team and Recruiting Coordinator under head coach Mike Woodson, the Bloomington native had a standout career with the Hoosiers starting his freshman season.

In his senior season, Hulls played in all 36 games and averaged 9.7 points, three assists and 2.3 rebounds. Quite the three-point shooter, Hulls shot 44.4 percent from beyond the arc connecting on 80 triples in his final year.

Following his collegiate career, Hulls played for MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg in Germany’s top league still known for his impressive three-point shooting.

Jared Jefferies (2000-02)

Bloomington native Jefferies was recruited by Bob Knight for his freshman season at Indiana before Knight was fired ahead of the season.

In Jefferies' freshman season, he started in all 34 games and averaged 13.8 points per game improving to 15 points the next season.

In his final season at Indiana, Jefferies was a key component to Indiana's Cinderella run to the NCAA Tournament title game versus the Maryland Terrapins. Jefferies and the Hoosiers fell short 64-52, and Maryland won their first NCAA title.

After two seasons at Indiana, Jefferies was selected by the Washington Wizards with the 11th pick in the NBA draft. Playing for four different NBA teams, Jefferies retired in 2013 to become a scout for the Nuggets.

Jared Jefferies :: Doug Pensinger/Getty Images

All-time No. 1's at Indiana

Here are all of the players who have worn No. 1 at Indiana:

Rob Phinisee —(2018-22)
Aljami Durham — (2017-21)
James Blackmon Jr. — (2014-17)
Noah Vonleh — (2013-14)
Jordan Hulls — (2009-13)
Evan White — (2009)
Michael Santa — (2009)
Jared Jefferies — (2000-02)
Ken Alward — (1922-25)

Vote for your favorite No. 1 on Twitter

You'll be able to vote on Twitter for your favorite player with each number. Here's the link to today's poll for No. 1.

Hoosier favorite? We resume a fun series where you get to pick your favorite Indiana basketball player who wore a certain number. Today's is No. 1. Who you got? Here's the story, and we'll share the results tomorrow. https://t.co/Q0xlYNMdJB
— Indiana Hoosiers on SI (@HoosiersNowFNSI) July 8, 2022