LEXINGTON, Ky. _ Less than 24 hours after it was made public that UNLV basketball standout Amauri Hardy was planning to leave the Runnin' Rebels as a graduate transfer, his name has been linked to Kentucky.
Hardy _ a 6-foot-2 guard from Detroit _ is expected to be immediately eligible to play next season, and UK is one of more than a dozen schools that have already expressed interest, according to several national reports. That list also includes Michigan State, Oregon, Arizona, Memphis, Maryland and several other major programs.
He is also the older brother of Jaden Hardy, the No. 1 shooting guard in the recruiting class of 2021 and one of Kentucky's biggest targets in that group. The Hardy family moved from Michigan to the Las Vegas area a few years ago.
Amauri Hardy averaged 14.5 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game as a junior last season. He shot 33.3% from 3-point range and made a total of 63 3s in 32 games, more than any Kentucky player this past season. (Immanuel Quickley made 62 3s in 30 games _ shooting 42.8% _ and Tyrese Maxey was next with 33 3s in 31 games).
Hardy's father told the Las Vegas Review-Journal on Thursday that his son, who was UNLV's starting '2' guard for much of this past season, was looking for a school where he could be the starting point guard in the 2020-21 campaign, which will be his final year of college.
"He needs to showcase his talent," the elder Hardy told the newspaper. "Teams need to see him at point. He needs a whole year of doing it."
The Herald-Leader was told Friday afternoon that it's unlikely Hardy ultimately ends up at Kentucky for next season. There's still a decent chance that Quickley _ the reigning Southeastern Conference player of the year _ will return for his junior year, and he's also a player that NBA scouts would apparently like to see play more at point guard, which is his assumed position as a pro.
Even if Quickley does enter his name in the NBA draft for this year, the Cats have five-star point guard Devin Askew coming in for next season, along with Brandon Boston and Terrence Clarke, a pair of talented shooting guards and the two highest-rated players in UK's No. 1-ranked recruiting class. The Wildcats' backcourt is also expected to return Johnny Juzang and should feature some talented, bigger wings like Keion Brooks, Dontaie Allen and Cam'Ron Fletcher.
Possible transfers like Hardy _ as well as all other recruits _ are not permitted to have in-person contact with college coaches or visit any schools during the NCAA's current ban on recruiting due to the coronavirus pandemic.
