Hullender set to hoop it up at Dalton State
After a standout career at Ringgold High School, Logan Hullender’s basketball playing days are set to continue next season at nearby Dalton State.
The 2019-2020 Catoosa County Boys’ Player of the Year put up a career-best in both points (18.3) and rebounds (7.3) per game to earn a first team All-Region (6AAA) selection last season as a senior. He was also named to the Catoosa-Walker Dream Team first team in his sophomore and junior campaigns.
Hullender explained that a friendship between former Ringgold assistant Nick Scott and a recruiter for the Roadrunners got the ball rolling, especially after the Tigers’ coaching staff was able to send some game film on Hullender to the staff at DSC.
“They contacted me for a workout, but I never got to go to the workout because of COVID-19,” Hullender explained. “But we ended up sending them some more film and Coach (Alex) Ireland, their head coach, finally called me and told me I had a spot.
“It’s right beside home and I thought it’d be a really good fit (for me).”
Hullender became the Tigers’ go-to player this past season, earning a reputation as not only one of the region’s top scorers, but as one of its toughest and most hard-nosed all-around players.
He passed the 1,000-point mark in his career late in the season, thanks in part to a memorable run that saw him score 20 or more points four times in a span of five games, including a season-high 31 in a home win over Haralson County. He added 27 in his final game, a near-upset of Sonoraville in the Region 6-AAA tournament.
Greg Elkins, Hullender’s former head coach at Ringgold, said Dalton State was getting not only a good academic student, but a basketball gym rat who “eats, sleeps and drinks basketball” every single day.
“He’s been that way for quite some time,” Elkins said. “His drive and love for the game has always been there for him since he’s been at Ringgold and for as long as I’ve known him. They’re also getting a kid that’s vastly matured in a lot of good ways. They’re going to get a hard worker and I think he’s determined to show everybody that he can play at that level.”
The Roadrunners relaunched their basketball program in 2013 after an absence of nearly 40 years. They went 26-4 in their first season, but were ineligible for postseason play. However, they went 32-4 and won the NAIA Division I national championship the following season.
They have been a perennial contender practically every year since, averaging over 25 wins while earning two more NAIA DI national tournament appearances. The 2019-2020 team looked primed to bring home another title, having amassed a 30-3 record and a Southern States Athletic Conference tournament championship. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 outbreak would cancel the national tournament before it began.
“It’s a really good program and I think his love for the game is going to get him through a lot of that,” Elkins said. “He’ll still face some adversity, but I think he’s way more suited and ready for that now compared to where he was as maybe a freshman or sophomore in high school.
“He showed a lot of growth and a lot of maturity his senior year, taking on a completely different role than what he was used to. To say that I’m proud of him is an understatement. I’m super proud of him.”
“I’m just going to work hard, hustle and do whatever I can to help,” added Hullender, who said he would be playing guard at the next level. “(Whether that’s) grab loose balls or shoot the ball for them.”
Hullender said he was currently undecided on a major, but considering nursing as a field of study.