A tough loss for an Africentric squad that had been rolling prior to this game, the Nubians will get better from this experience. This senior laden group has seen it all and remains one of the favorites in the Columbus city league as well as a contender in Division V thanks to players like Hardy. I liked Hardy’s finishing ability at the rim, scoring off cuts, drives and in transition. Making a couple jumpers in the second half as well, Hardy was the Nubians most consistent offense on Saturday. 

I liked the way Hardy impacted the game against Walnut Ridge. He is a long athletic player that can do a lot of things on the floor. With this, you often see these types of players who try to do everything and are not that effective. Hardy did the opposite and was very effective. He was great on the boards and defensively. He got to the rim when it was there. He played the middle against zone well. I was impressed with his decision-making.

Columbus Africentric has an excellent 2026 trio that should help the Nubians get back into the state title picture that they were in during the 2022 and 2023 seasons making the final four. Hardy is a versatile wing who can defend, play in transition and make quick moves on the ball. Hardy still has a little more development to make compared to some of the other players featured in this article, but his positional size, athleticism and offensive flashes make him a stock riser who I’m buying early on and expecting the production and college interest to follow this summer.