Memphis Tigers Basketball Head Coach Tubby Smith and Assistant coach Pooh Williamson stopped by Farmington, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit to visit North Farmington High School point guard 6-foot-2, 180-pound Amauri Hardy, a lefty with a strong handle, powerful build, and a penchant for getting buckets.
As a senior, Hardy averaged 29 points, six rebounds, six steals, and four assists per game. He was also a finalist for the the Hal Schram Mr. Basketball Award, and is widely considered to be one of the top five players in the state of Michigan. Hardy also played on the Nike EYBL D1 circuit with The Family Detroit, a well-known AAU basketball program on the national scene that has produced five McDonald’s All-Americans and several NBA players most notably Draymond Green.
Hardy was originally headed to play at Oklahoma State next season, but de-committed on March 30, following the departure of former Cowboys coach Brad Underwood, who recently resigned as Head Coach and accepted the same position with Illinois.
Hardy is suddenly a hot commodity on the recruiting trail and is one of the top available guards remaining in the class of 2017. He currently holds offers from SEC schools Arkansas, Florida, Missouri, and Georgia along with fellow AAC member Cincinnati amongst a host of other schools.
Tubby Smith’s latest visit to Michigan shows he along with members of his coaching staff are willing to go anywhere in the country to find a prospect, and are still recruiting some of the best players available to add to the Memphis Tigers 2017-18 basketball roster.
If the Tigers were to add a point guard the caliber of Hardy to their current five-man incoming recruiting class, this group could be responsible for putting Memphis basketball on the map where most believe it belongs.
Memphis has already signed 6-foot-4 shooting guard Jamal Johnson, 6-foot-7 small forward David Nickelberry, 6-foot-8 Victor Enoh along with junior college All-Americans 6-foot-3 shooting guard Kareem Brewton and 6-foot-8 Kyvon Davenport. Not included in the aforementioned incoming 2017 class is 6-foot-11, 240-pound Karim Azab, a center who sat out last season, but spent time in practice with the team for most of last season.
If Memphis’ past success with Detroit-area players is a sign of things to come, Tiger Nation could be in for a real treat. Former First-Team All-American Chris Douglas-Roberts also hails from Detroit, and he attended Cass Tech High School before helping lead Memphis to the 2008 National Championship game.
Douglas-Roberts is also an alumni of The Family Detroit and last played in the NBA for the Los Angeles Clippers.
Memphis’ future Hall of Fame Coach Tubby Smith is hoping that Amauri Hardy is the next member of The Family Detroit Basketball choose to play for the Memphis Tigers.
