WESTFIELD, Ind. — Jaden Hardy's recruitment is in its earliest stages. The Class of 2021 guard already has a dozen high major scholarship offers, but he's a long way from making any kind of recruiting decision.
There is one coach among those dozen teams, though, he's known a bit longer than the rest. Hardy met Illinois coach Brad Underwood in the fall of 2016 when the then Oklahoma State coach was recruiting Hardy's older brother, Amauri.
Underwood ultimately secured a commitment from Amauri Hardy for the Cowboys. Then, Underwood left Stillwater, Okla., for Champaign, and Hardy de-committed and eventually signed with UNLV.