OAKLAND, Calif. – On the court, Elijah Hardy did whatever was needed to win basketball games.
That’s what Lou Richie remembers.
“He would have games like 5 points, 10 rebounds and 20 assists,” the Bishop O’Dowd boys basketball coach said. “Or 30 points, 5 assists and 15 rebounds.
“Just freakish. At 6-1, he was our leading rebounder his senior year. That’s why we couldn’t take him off the floor. It didn’t have anything to do with his shooting or his passing or his defense. It was his rebounding.”
Two years ago, Hardy, a four-star recruit with offers from USC and Nevada, was considered the next great Oakland point guard in a long and storied list that includes Damian Lilliard, Jason Kidd, Gary Payton and Brian Shaw.