RANKINGS: 2021 Top 35 | 2020 Rivals150 | 2019 Rivals150
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- One of the top players in the class of 2021, five-star guard Jaden Hardy is taking things slow with his recruitment as coaches and fans get to know his name and game.
A 6-foot-4 do-it-all guard at Henderson (Nev.) Coronado, Hardy ranks No. 6 nationally in the sophomore class and can score at the rim, in the mid range and from deep with ease. However, it's his all-around game and ability to play as a combo guard with size that impresses the most.
"Right now I'm trying to become more of a team leader and get all of my teammates involved," Hardy told Rivals.com. "Everybody knows that I can score, pretty easily, but right now I'm working on my playmaking ability.
Hardy is certainly well known to college coaches considering he's gotten offers from programs like Arizona, Arizona State, Illinois, Florida, Florida State, LSU, Missouri, Oklahoma, TCU, UNLV, USC, Washington and many others.
So far, though, he's not been the type to take a flurry of visits and had a relatively quiet fall on the visit front.
"I did one to USC, it was good," said Hardy. "I went with my AAU teammate Julian Strawther. It was a nice campus and I liked the coaches."
Hardy is also quite familiar with UNLV where his brother Amauri Hardy plays.
"It's a great vibe," said Hardy. "My brother is there right now and he's doing a good job. They are trying their best to get on my good side."
Look for Hardy to put up monster numbers as a sophomore and see his name grow in recruiting circles, but don't look for him to all of the sudden take a bunch of visits. He's focused on his season and won't get too serious with his recruitment for a while
"Right now I have nothing lined up," said Hardy about any potential unofficial visits. "Probably sometime next year going into my junior year I'll get more serious."
