Ahead of Pac-12 tournament, Huskies find ‘electric bolt’ in sophomore guard Elijah Hardy
There was more than one reason for Washington’s sweep of Arizona State and Arizona last week. The Huskies made their free throws. They cut back on turnovers. They got two strong performances from Jaden McDaniels, who was named the Pac-12 Freshman of the Week.
Head coach Mike Hopkins and his players mentioned all of those factors in post-game meetings with the media — the free throws, in particular. But when it came to naming the true architect of the turnaround, they all came back to the same name: Elijah Hardy.
The sophomore point guard didn’t have the most eye-popping stats during UW’s final road swing. He had nine points, five assists and four turnovers against Arizona State followed by two points, two assists and three turnovers in the win over Arizona. But Hardy’s biggest impact wasn’t quantifiable.
“He’s always just had a great, positive attitude,” Hopkins said during a phone interview from Las Vegas on Tuesday. “I think that attitude has also helped our team, too. He’s always positive. He’s always energetic. That positive energy and those types of things just elevate everybody on the floor, like an electric bolt.”
Before Arizona State, Hardy had played a combined 11 minutes in UW’s last three games, and he hadn’t played more than 6 minutes since the loss to UCLA on Feb. 15. But Hopkins was looking for a way to attack Arizona State’s pressure, so Hardy played 32 minutes against the Sun Devils. He then played 26 against Arizona. With Hardy in a prominent role, UW looked looser and more confident than they have since the non-conference season. According to the Huskies, that’s no coincidence.
“His ability to pass and get in transition has been a spark for us,” Hopkins said. “It’s a contagious game. Once it’s unselfish, everyone continues to be unselfish. I think that’s really helped us at the offensive end.”
Said Hardy: “I just take pride in winning games. As long as my teammates have energy, I’m happy. As long as we play hard, I’m happy.
Ever since starting point guard Quade Green was declared academically ineligible in January, UW has been searching for answers at point guard. Hardy started the first game without Green. Hopkins then turned to a more experienced sophomore in Jamal Bey before settling on freshman Marcus Tsohonis as the starter. For a while, Hardy’s minutes were inconsistent. His time was often limited, or didn’t see the floor at all. Still, Hopkins said, his attitude never changed.
Tsohonis is still the starting point guard, and he’s done an admirable job running the offense — particularly for a player who once expected to redshirt. Last week, though, UW discovered one of its best lineups features both Tsohonis and Hardy. It’s a combination of the player Hopkins has referred to as a Ferrari and the slower, steadier Tsohonis.
“I just think they complement each other,” Hopkins said. “They’re both really good players. They both have specific skills and now they utilizing them within the team concept. We talk about the process. … You can’t rush it and sometimes it just happens. Right now, it seems like it’s happening and that’s really, really positive.”
With Hardy on the floor, Tsohonis can spend more time playing off the ball. He’s become a consistent outside threat for the Huskies, shooting 41.8 percent from the field and 43.8 percent from the three-point line. He went 3-of-6 from beyond the arc against Arizona State and Arizona.
“Marcus can really shoot,” Hopkins said after the win over Arizona. “Having two points guards in there, Elijah’s got that speed and with these wide receivers like we have, when we can move that ball up and do that, it helps Isaiah, it helps all the wings and Marcus. Now you have two point guards on the floor instead of just one. That helps us become a different type of dynamic team. It helps us, for sure.”
Last week, the Huskies didn’t look much like the team that struggled through Pac-12 play and once endured a nine-game losing streak. The question now is: Which version will show up for a rematch in the conference tournament against Arizona on Wednesday afternoon?
“This is a momentum-builder,” Hardy said after the win over Arizona State. “We’re just going to try and go out there and play hard and keep the momentum going. Get momentum for the next game, then the next game, next game, you know we take it game-by-game. Trying to win games.”
This story was originally published March 10, 2020 at 2:53 PM.
