Recruiting Report: Maleeck Harden (2019)
Moorhead wing Maleeck Harden has been taking giant steps toward becoming a D1 level player this summer and a scholarship offer from NDSU was the latest. Harden’s thoughts on the offer? NHR gives them to you now.
Maleeck was at the North Dakota State camp earlier this summer which may have been his defining moment as a scholarship prospect. Harden not only played well in front of the NDSU staff, but several division two staffs that offered scholarships (like Sioux Falls and Minnesota State-Moorhead) viewed Harden there as well.
NDSU watched Harden play this July in Milwaukee and Sioux Falls and Harden’s consistent performances as a top prospect in those locations led to the recent offer.
“(It’s) well deserved and exciting,” Maleeck said about the offer. “I just try and stay humble through the experience!”
A big part of that experience has been Harden’s development through the ECI Basketball program. ECI made headlines winning the GPA in June and Harden grew a lot with the program.
“I learned how to score in different ways without always having the ball in my hands,” Maleeck said of his four months with ECI. “Milwaukee was just a great experience in general the competition level was at a high.”
Another thing that will be high is expectations at Moorhead this winter. The Spuds were four games under .500 a year ago but with Harden back, Cole Hagen returning at guard, as well as Eli Larson and Logan Garcia capable of scoring in double figures, this team should certainly flip their record from a year ago at the very least.
“At Moorhead we expect to click in the beginning of the season right away as we have a lot of young talent with a lot of potential,” Maleeck said.
Then there is recruiting. Harden told us recently that he is down to North Dakota State, South Dakota State, Minnesota State-Moorhead, and Sioux Falls but it sounds like his choice is a ways out. Three of those four have offered scholarships and he has either visited those schools, or will be soon (SDSU at the end of August).
“In terms of recruitment I’m taking it one step at a time enjoying the experience and I have yet to plan any other visits yet and I will most likely play my senior year out then decide a college.”