Hardy has had an excellent senior season for Cleveland Heights as the lefty has shown up in big moments this season. None bigger than the victory over city rival Lutheran East at the NEO Christmas classic where Hardy dominated. Hardy is a shifty guard with range out to 25 feet. His ability to get downhill and attack is tough to stop and when he’s finding teammates, he’s one of the toughest players to stop in NEO. Hardy needs to play at an up-tempo system at the next level with an emphasis on pushing the pace and applying high defensive pressure. Scholarship, JUCO and prep programs this could be a point guard to check out. Cleveland Heights takes on Brunswick this Thursday in a marquee playoff battle.

One of the more dynamic lead guards in Ohio, Hardy has the shiftiness and scoring ability to take over a game. In a rivalry game victory over Lutheran East, Hardy showed off all his skills with numerous tough shots and some dimes to teammates for easy buckets. When Hardy is locked in, there’s few guards in northeast Ohio that can match his impact on a game. Scholarship programs take a look at Hardy if you need a lead guard who can create for himself and others with the ball in his hands.

Hardy is the best available PG prospect I have seen after watching him both at the Elks Elite Showcase and the Ohio PBP. The lefty guard has some of the more explosive attacks I’ve seen this season and I’ve watched him score from multiple levels against 2 teams with scholarship talent on their roster. Hardy is continuing to show me he too can be a scholarship athlete, and Division II programs should be monitoring his play.

I would usually advise kids not to publicly talk trash online before a big game because it could blow up in your face. Well Hardy talked that talk and walked that walk, willing Cleveland Heights to a convincing victory over city rival Lutheran East. Hardy was awesome in this contest, making some tough shots early and then letting his passing ability set up teammates for easy buckets. On the defensive end, Hardy was applying excellent ball pressure on the Falcons guards, not giving them a chance to breathe. The biggest battle for Hardy is bringing this energy every game of the season because he showed on Thursday night what he’s capable of, now it’s time to replicate it game in and game out.

Hardy had his explosiveness on full display against a highly touted Olentangy Orange team on Saturday. The lefty has quick first steps to get by initial defenders and used his explosiveness to get paint touches and shots around the rim. Also showed a consistent midrange jump shot off the dribble as he was able to get set and elevate even with a defender in his face. Hardy had a great showing last week against Centerville and now with another high performing game against a suitable opponent, his stock should continue to rise and become a name for scholarship programs to monitor.

Hardy impressed me in the 1st half of the loss against Centerville. One of the quicker handles I saw during the weekend. Steps into midrange shots with confidence and with limited dribbles. Explosive as heck.

Hardy is a unique prospect because he’s got some skills that are incredibly intriguing but still figuring how to put them all together. Hardy has some nasty shiftiness to his game and the ability to create for himself like few in the state can match. Hardy also puts in good effort defensively when guarding on ball and can force turnovers. From a shooting perspective, Hardy is tough to stop when he’s hot from the outside. It’s really about figuring out how to use these skills in more translatable ways. I’d like to see Hardy score using less dribbles and be more decisive with the ball in his hands. If Hardy can become better at playing within an offense, he could be a steal for a scholarship program who will give him a shorter leash than he’s allowed during the high school season. Cleveland Heights has a lot of talent in the program right now so I’d expect college coaches to be in and out the door all winter checking out their variety of prospects.