Storm's Hardy has a terrific game in loss
St. John's Red Storm guard Dwight Hardy (12) drives to the basket during the second half of the Big East Tournament Quarterfinal against the Syracuse Orange at Madison Square Garden. (March 10, 2011) Credit: Christopher Pasatieri
Pressure and expectation are going to double-team Dwight Hardy now more than ever as he heads into his first NCAA Tournament. Not a problem. Hardy seems to do better when he gets that crowded feeling.
That is the way it looked Thursday, anyway, as the St. John's guard kept his team in its Big East Tournament quarterfinal game against Syracuse. Every time it looked as though the Orange was going to pull away, Hardy would hit a big shot. Every time Syracuse appeared to have him bottled, it never got him rattled.
"He made some shots that you almost want to see him take," Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said, "but he made them. He's a terrific player."
Hardy seemed to embrace the moment and the Orange's vaunted 2-3 zone as challenges. When it looked as though there was no way to get to the basket or get off a shot, he did both, and made the hoop.
"Open shots are what you always want, but if you want to be an elite player, you're going to have to make tough shots at times," Hardy said after a 22-point effort in a 79-73 loss. "I dared to make some tough shots tonight, and I credit that to my coaching staff, working hard with me in the offseason, making me take different kinds of shots."
He was as important to the Storm's resurgence this season as anyone. He averaged 17.9 points and was named to the All-Big East first team.
He made 9 of 17 shots Thursday against a defense that was focusing on him, a strong improvement from his 4-for-15 shooting in a loss to Syracuse in January. "I was shooting bad shots and just forcing the action," he said, thinking back two months. "The coaching staff did a wonderful job in working on zone offense and helping me get into open areas and getting my shot off."Responsibility on him will be greater in the NCAA regional, given that D.J. Kennedy, one of the Storm's most reliable players, appears to have been lost to a knee injury. "We've just got to go back to Square One," Hardy said, "and get ready for this tournament."
