Hoophall West: Five-star Jaden Hardy goes off, talks recruiting
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. --The top ranked two guard in the class of 2021, five-star Jaden Hardy set the Hoophall West on fire Saturday going for 40 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds.
The 6-foot-4 junior at Henderson (Nev.) Coronado who currently ranks No. 9 nationally was in a zone in every aspect of the game but said it was all about getting a feel for the game.
“I was just coming out and getting a good feel for the game," Hardy told Rivals.com. "Just playing through my teammates and them getting me going and really lifting me up and I was just out there having fun.
“We have a team goal. When we play we try to limit the teams to eight points a quarter so that’s our goal and we want to reach that goal and try to score 100 points every game. We are just playing fast, playing together, listening to coach.”
Hardy is as pure a scorer as there is but for his team he runs the point and that ability makes him extra valuable on the next level because he can wear multiple hats as a facilitator or scorer.
“I’m just trying to show my leadership skills, that I can run a team," said Hardy. "I want to show that I can lift my teammates up and that I can really play.”
With offers from programs like Alabama, Arizona, Arizona State, Florida, Florida State, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, UCLA, USC, Wake Forest, Washington and many more, Hardy has a hard time listing them all, much less naming favorites.
“There are a lot of schools that have been in contact and making me a priority," said Hardy. "It’s like a lot so I can’t even say.”
More: Saturday Parade of Stars at Hoophall West | Race for No. 1 is a free-for-all
IN HIS OWN WORDS
Hardy saw Arizona, UCLA and USC during the fall and Kentucky is his most recent offer, he discussed each of those programs.
Arizona: “I went down there for the red and blue and it was a nice atmosphere. It was really live, the fans there love me so it was (cool).”
Kentucky: “They Just say that they want me and I would be coming in to play right away. (John Calipari) really loves me and how I play hard and that I play with a chip on my shoulder.”
UCLA: “It was really great. I went when they played UNLV because of my brother (UNLV guard Amauri Hardy). It was a really good experience. I liked their campus, I liked coach (Mick) Cronin. They showed me around for a pretty good experience.”
USC: “It was really great. I liked it there. Coach (Eric) Mobley had me there and hosted me there. It was really good.”
WHAT'S NEXT?
Since he's just beginning his junior season, Hardy hasn't yet established a priority for taking official visits and he's certainly not ready to make a decision. Since getting the Kentucky offer there has been some talk in recruiting circles that the Wildcats will be tough to beat but Hardy genuinely appears to be pretty open at this point.
“I don’t have any timeframe yet," said Hardy. "Right now I’m just enjoying the process.
“I just want to be under a winning program and a coach that is going to push you. A coach that is going to push you the hardest from day number one to get you to where you want to be.”