Prospect Watch: Dominique Hardimon (2019)
Class of 2019 forward Dominique Hardimon is a prime example of the adage, “it’s now how big you are, it’s how big you play.”
The 6’2″ Poplar Bluff standout is a physical performer who seems small for the position, but he constantly outplays bigger opponents with his physical strength and relentless motor. The bigger the player he comes up against, the more he likes it and the harder he seems to compete.
“I’ve always been that way,” Hardimon said. “I’ve always enjoyed playing against bigger people. It just makes me feel good when I go out and play hard.”
Hardimon played his freshman year at South Pemiscot, a Class 2 school in Southeast Missouri. He averaged 16 points and eight rebounds a game at South Pem. As a sophomore, his family moved to Poplar Bluff, which is a Class 5 school, thus a big step up in competition.
Hardimon made a seemless adjustment to playing for a bigger school as he averaged 18 points and eight rebounds a game in helping the Mules to a berth in the district championship game. He was selected to the Prep Hoops Missouri All-Sophomore Team for his efforts.
During the grassroots season, Hardimon is playing for the SEMO Bulls 16U team. Hardimon himself is a SEMO Bull in a basketball china shop. He is a strong performer in the low post and an active offensive rebounder. He also does an excellent job of running the court and beating him opponents for transition buckets. He was the MVP of the St. Louis Spring Showcase after leading the Bulls to the 16U championship.
The next step in Hardimon’s development will be the continued improvement of his overall perimeter game. He is very good at driving to the basket, which causes matchup problems against bigger defenders. He is working to develop his outside jumper to make him even harder to defend.
“I’ve been working a lot on my jump shot and dribbling skills,” Hardimon said. “I got the drive game down good, but if I can develop a consistent jump shot, I will be unguardable.