Hurd is a freak athlete with excellent defensive ability. The 6-foot guard can be deployed on virtually anybody and will get into the body, slide his feet extremely well, and use his strength to wall up in the paint. He had one special defensive possession where he fought over numerous screens before finding a way to peel out to an offensive player on the perimeter. Hurd hit some threes on the offensive end, too, and had a number of impressive takes in transition where he took contact and finished with both hands. He’ll be an extremely important piece for Nobles this season.

Hurd is a hard-playing two-way guard who can get into the lane with relative ease. He is a blur in transition and does a good job of mixing aggressive drives with probing the defense and creating opportunities for his teammates. Hurd plays with excellent pace and understands how to use spacing. His quick hands and even quicker feet also make him a high-level defender.

During the open gym that I attended this week, Hurd was phenomenal. The 6-foot guard has a football build and is a total freight-train when he’s driving at defenders downhill—he consistently overpowers opponents with his strength and athleticism. But he can also make shots from the mid-range and the outside and handles the ball comfortably against pressure. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Hurd deployed against the opposing team’s best guard on a consistent basis, too, because he slides his feet quite well and is always engaged.

Hurd is only a sophomore but looked quite comfortable against a pesky Boston Latin Academy defense. The 6-foot guard is very quick off the dribble, and he’s an excellent pull up jump shooter in the mid range. He consistently got into the paint and elevated over his defender, and he looked very smooth shooting the basketball. Hurd also locks up on the defensive end; he slides his feet quite well and has super active hands, so he gets lots of steals. He could certainly earn himself a starting position for Nobles this year and should see a jump in his recruitment following this season.