Overlooked : As 6-4 Center at Rolling Hills, John Hardy May Be in Wrong Spot for Recruiters to Take a Look

When Cliff Warren received a recruiting newsletter listing the top players from the Las Vegas Holiday Tournament played last December, the Rolling Hills High basketball coach naturally looked for John Hardy’s name.

After all, Hardy was the top scorer and rebounder in the tournament, which some consider the finest gathering of prep talent in the nation.

The newsletter listed 14 players, including two from schools Rolling Hills had beaten, but omitted Hardy.

Dumbfounded, Warren dropped the newsletter into a wastebasket and wondered again why his star center had been overlooked.

“I just didn’t understand it,” he said. “If nothing else, I thought his stats would merit him being listed. It almost made me believe the (scout) did not go to the tournament.”

Warren’s frustration is shared to a lesser degree by Hardy, a senior whose accomplishments have exceeded the interest shown by college coaches and scouts.

The early signing week in November came and went with no offers, and since then Hardy has received only nibbles from recruiters. This for a player who’s led Rolling Hills to a 44-11 record and has ranked among the top scorers and rebounders in the South Bay over the last two seasons.

“I’m just waiting,” Hardy said. “It is kind of frustrating. I thought I would get (an offer) by now. I’ve gotten calls from a few schools, but I don’t know how serious they are. You never know if they’re interested or not unless they invite you for a visit.”

Hardy knows why he hasn’t attracted more interest. At 6-4, his future in basketball probably is at the guard position. But, because of Rolling Hills’ lack of height, he has been forced to play the post. Not many colleges are looking for a 6-4 center, or even a forward at that size.

However, Warren contends that recruiters are selling his star short.

He points out that Hardy handles the ball on the break, possesses 18-foot range on his jump shot and is the quickest player he has ever coached. That includes former El Segundo guard Dana Pagett, the 1967 Southern Section 3-A Player of the Year who played for USC.

In other words, Warren believes Hardy possesses all the skills that would allow him to convert to guard or small forward in college.

“I feel he can play guard for a variety of reasons,” Warren said. “This is the first year his agility has caught up with his body. His ball-handling skills have improved. He’s the only big man in nine years of coaching who I’ve ever let handle the ball on the fast break. He has the quickness and he’s our best passer.”

Others share his opinion. Don Mead, who scouts preps for major colleges, is one of Hardy’s biggest supporters in Southern California.

Mead reasons that recruiters have shied away from Hardy because they still remember him from his younger days, when at times he presented a lackadaisical attitude on the court.

“They saw him play when he wasn’t enthusiastic,” Mead said. “That hurt him a little, but I think the interest in him will get better. I would think there are a lot of teams that could use him. He could be a wing in college. I think he’s improved a lot. I hope (recruiters) go see him.”

Anyone who watched Hardy in the Titans’ Southern Section 3-A playoff opener Wednesday night got an eyeful.

With visiting Lompoc concentrating on defending Rolling Hills’ three-point shooters--guards Mark Tesar, Steve Clover and Ron Dinnel--Hardy rampaged inside for a career-high 44 points on 18-for-27 shooting in an 87-66 win.

The top-seeded Titans (23-4) play host to Bellflower (17-9) in the second round of the playoffs at 7:30 tonight.

Scoring has never been a problem for Hardy. What has made a difference in his game this season, according to Warren, is that he has become a shooter.

“All of a sudden this fall he had a different shot,” the coach said. “I don’t know why, but he started shooting the ball correctly. Before, he just threw them up there.

“A lot of ex-players come back and have shooting contests, and they can’t beat him. I don’t compete him against the players on our team, but I’ll you what, as good a group of shooters as we have on our team they’d have a hard time staying with him from the 18-foot range. Inside 18 feet, he can shoot with anybody.”

Hardy’s improved shooting range has netted him a 28.3 scoring average this season, second in the South Bay behind Inglewood forward Harold Miner (28.8). Hardy led Rolling Hills to the Bay League title while Miner guided Inglewood to a second-place finish.

Miner, a talented athlete with tremendous leaping ability, signed an early letter of intent with USC.

Does that make Hardy feel inferior to his Bay League rival?

“I don’t think (Miner) has that much over me,” he said. “He’s a good player, but I’m not going to say that he’s better than me. We play different games. He can jump so high. He’s more of an explosive player, always flashy.

“I think I sneak in places. A lot of times people don’t notice me scoring so much. I don’t notice myself sometimes.”

Hardy, who displays little emotion on the court, says the fact that he has not been recruited more heavily is starting to bother him.

“I see other people who have signed,” he said, “and I see that I’m doing basically as good as they’re doing. I don’t know what the deal is.”

More than performance, college coaches and scouts base their evaluation of high school players on potential. Where they see a player three or four years down the road is more important than impressive stats.

Recruiters, judging by their mild interest, seem to be telling Hardy that they consider him too small to be a front-court player in college and lacking the guard skills that would enable him to play in the back court.

To this, Warren says hogwash.

“I go to see a lot of college games, and I feel there are a lot of teams he could start for right now,” he said. “I think a college has a real shot of converting him to guard, or even playing forward. Indiana is playing (Joe) Hillman at forward at 6-2, and they’re winning (the Big-10 race).

“I know one thing. UCLA had Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul-Jabar) and Bill Walton, but let’s keep in mind the No. 1 thing John Wooden looked for in a player was quickness. If I have a choice, give me shooting and quickness, and (Hardy) has that now.”

Statistically, he is one of the South Bay’s most well-rounded players. In addition to leading Rolling Hills in scoring, he ranks first in rebounds (11.5 a game) and total steals (52). He’s also one of the Titans’ top free-throw shooters (210 of 280, 75%) and is shooting more than 50% from the floor.

And Hardy has proved himself against top-notch competition. He averaged a tournament-high 32.8 points and 11.7 rebounds in Las Vegas against highly regarded teams from across the nation, and last summer he played guard for Rolling Hills during a demanding off-season schedule.

A stellar prep career would have satisfied Hardy last season. Being a year older and a wiser, he realizes that playing college basketball is what he wants to do.

“I can’t see myself not playing,” he said. “I told myself, ‘Why not go for it.’ ”

Now Hardy only needs to convince a college to go after him.