Everyone thought Jordan Horn's college playing days were behind him last year.

After all, it had been several years since the former Tartan standout was a 2017 Mr. Basketball finalist. He was walking the halls of his alma mater as a school behavior specialist and 10th-grade boys basketball coach.

Horn ran his own clothing brand business, bought a town house in Woodbury with his girlfriend. His college hoops career seemed well in his rearview mirror after stints at Siena, North Dakota State and Texas Permian Basin.

So why is the 25-year-old, St. Paul native now at Concordia (St. Paul), his fourth program in seven years? How did he get convinced to become arguably the oldest college basketball player in Minnesota this season?

"I definitely got that itch back to play," Horn said. "I just missed the feeling."

Horn's skills didn't evaporate, even after a year removed. The 6-2, 195-pound scoring machine led the NSIC and ranked top 10 in NCAA Division II with 23.9 points per game before a hamstring injury sidelined him after eight games last month.

While rehabbing to play for the first time since early December, Horn's been a natural leader and mentor for his much younger teammates who not surprisingly nicknamed him "Old Man."

"He does have a unique journey," Concordia coach Matt Fletcher said. "People keep giving him chances because they realize what he can do in the locker room. I had known who Jordan was forever, but I thought he was done — as did pretty much everybody else."

Horn never believed he would still be on a college basketball roster in his mid-20s, but he's an example of what can happen in the crazy and unpredictable NCAA transfer portal era.

In 2017-18, Siena went 8-24 in Horn's freshman season, but he averaged 7.9 points and started 13 games. He hadn't intended to leave until coach Jimmy Patsos resigned amid investigations of verbal abuse and other internal issues. Horn transferred to North Dakota State and received a waiver for immediate eligibility, as did others.

In his first season at NDSU, Horn came off the bench to score a season-best 11 points in an NCAA tournament loss against Duke's Zion Williamson, R.J. Barrett, and fellow Minnesotan Tre Jones.

Horn averaged 16 points starting the first six games for the Bison in 2019-20, but his season ended abruptly with a broken foot. With likely a lesser role coming back from injury, he approached his coaches about transferring to D-II.

"Going from Division I to Division II, it wasn't that big of a situation," Horn said. "My [NDSU] coaches kind of vouched for me to find a better place. It wasn't really as stressful. The most stressful part of the transfer process was my credits. I never failed a class in college. I was [great] student. But I always would lose credits from transferring."

In two seasons at UT Permian Basin, Horn was an all-conference player both years. He thought he was graduating with a kinesiology degree in the spring of 2022, but several class credits from previous schools weren't transferrable. He found out in an email before his final semester.

The transfer process can make it more difficult for a player to graduate, but that isn't a side of the story told much, which Horn said is "unfortunate."

After changing his major for the third time, Horn took classes remotely last year to graduate with a bachelor's degree in psychology and a minor in kinesiology. He worked closely with Tartan's student body, especially the 10th graders.

"Had to be a grown-up," Horn said. "I took a break from basketball, which I think was very much needed. I got to be around kids and tried to impact young lives in this new generation."

Nobody knew Horn still wanted to hoop because he didn't know. But playing in local Pro-Ams last summer with fellow ex-Tartan star Antwan Kimmons led him to Concordia for one last ride.

Despite his hamstring injury, Horn's not done with basketball yet after all these years. He's fighting to get back to the court soon.

"I've been around the block a little bit and experienced some things," Horn said. "I'm definitely happy to get the chance to be playing basketball at a high level again."

FULLER'S FIVE

Five Minnesota ballers who stood out:

Drake Dobbs, St. Thomas

The senior from Eden Prairie combined for 30 points on 8-for-16 shooting and 11-for-11 free throws in wins vs. Idaho and UMKC for the Tommies, who opened Summit play 2-0.

Maddyn Greenway, Providence Academy

Greenway had 32 points and 10 rebounds in an 83-81 win against Minnehaha Academy and fellow junior standout Addi Mack on Tuesday.

McKenna Hofschild, Colorado State

Former Prior Lake star had 34 points and 12 assists in an overtime loss vs. San Diego State last weekend. She leads the nation in assists per game (8.8) and ranks sixth in scoring (23.1).

Morgan Kelly, Gustavus Adolphus

The 6-foot junior from Saint Peter had 19 points and seven rebounds in a 64-60 win vs. Concordia (Moorhead) on Wednesday to remain undefeated atop the MIAC standings.

Tatum Woodson, Hopkins

Younger sister of Michigan freshman Taylor Woodson had a breakout game last week with 22 points for Hopkins in a victory vs. Minot, the No. 1 Class AA team in North Dakota.

NUMBERS GAME

5,160 Career assists for former Timberwolves point guard Ricky Rubio, who announced his retirement from the NBA on Thursday after the Cleveland Cavaliers bought out his contract.

3,000 Career points milestone for Minnehaha Academy's Addi Mack last week, the fifth fastest to reach the mark in girls state basketball history.

400 Career victories for Mankato East boys basketball coach Joe Madson in a win last week vs. Orono.

5 Winning streaks for both the Tommies and Gophers men's basketball teams this week starting the New Year.

3 Consecutive games with five straight three-pointers for former Gophers standout Jamison Battle, first Ohio State player since 2009 to reach that mark after six threes Wednesday vs. Rutgers.

. . .

Basketball Across Minnesota will be published weekly on startribune.com. Don't be a stranger on X after reading — chatting about these stories makes them even more fun to share. Thanks, Marcus (@Marcus_R_Fuller on X).