Prospect Watch: Brendon Hardy (2018)
Class of 2018 guard Brendon Hardy of Farmington is one of the top prospects in St. Francois County, which has a number of excellent young players coming through the area.
A 6’3″ shooting guard Hardy is the ringleader of a Farmington team that won 19 games last sesaon to lead a team full of underclassmen. The Knights fell one point short of a district championship in 2017, but all of their key players will be back next season, led by Hardy.
“We feel like we can go a lot farther next year in the state tournament,” Hardy said. “We definitely want to win a district championship next year.”
Hardy has developed into an excellent all-around offensive player with his size, perimeter shooting stroke and his ability to score from different parts of the floor. He can stretch the defense with his excellent 3-point range, but he also displayed the ability to score on the drive and get to the free throw line this past season.
As a junior, Hardy averaged 20 points and 3.7 rebounds while shooting 48 percent from the field, 45 percent from 3-point range after making 89 from long distance. He also shot 88 percent from the free throw line.
“I can shoot the ball well, but I’ve been really working hard on my dribble penetration game and rebounding,” Hardy said. “I’m looking to be a better ball handler and also work on my on-ball defense.”
Hardy will be playing for the SEMO Storm during the grassroots season for the third consecutive year. Hardy is one of many top perimeter threats for the Storm, which advanced to the semifinals of the recent Adidas All-American Tournament in St. Louis. Hardy and his Storm teammates have a great chemistry with each other as they move the ball and shoot the 3-pointer with tremendous accuracy.
“Our team chemistry is amazing,” Hardy said. “We all get along great, on and off the court. It helps us play together as a team.”
This particular Storm team will be playing on the Adidas Circuit in the Silver Division on the Gauntlet Series.
“It’s going to be a lot of fun,” Hardy said. “We’re looking forward to playing a lot of good teams from around the country.”