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March 28, 2024

Amauri Hardy says Rebels could utilize ‘positionless’ backcourt

UNLV Rebels First Practice

Steve Marcus

UNLV’s Amauri Hardy takes a shot during the first basketball practice of the 2018-19 season at Mendenhall Center, Friday, Sept. 28, 2018.

Amauri Hardy is used to running the show. In high school, he played point guard and had the ball in his hands at all times. He was recruited to UNLV as the No. 23 point-guard recruit in the country. As a freshman last year, most of his 18.9 minutes per game came as a reserve point guard, backing up Jordan Johnson.

Point guard is his home. But despite all that history, Hardy isn’t attached to the position.

With fifth-year senior point guard Noah Robotham expected to play significant minutes this season, there was some question about how the Rebels would split up playing time at position between the two. According to Hardy, that won’t be an issue.

When the Rebels opened practice on Friday, Hardy said the team isn’t worried about positions — and he isn’t, either.

“This year we decided we’re going to go with something a little different,” Hardy said, “meaning that the 1 or the 2 can push the ball. So it really wouldn’t make a difference who was the 1 or the 2 this year.”

According to Hardy, he and Robotham could share the backcourt as guards, with no distinction between point guard and shooting guard. Whoever receives the outlet pass on any given possession would be free to push the ball and create.

When asked if he would declare a starting point guard at the outset of preseason practice, head coach Marvin Menzies emphasized that nothing has been determined yet.

“I know that [Robotham] will play a bunch of minutes, I know Amauri will play a bunch of minutes,” Menzies said. “You’ve got to let the guys earn it on the floor in practice.”

On paper, Hardy (6-foot-2) and Robotham (6-foot-1) have just enough size to pull off that sort of arrangement. But more importantly, Hardy has the proper mentality to make it work.

“Really, I see at the next level a lot of guys are positionless,” he said. “They can play the 1 or the 2. Me being on the floor is allowing me to help my team, so I don’t see it like playing the 1 or the 2.”

Hardy averaged 5.0 points per game as a freshman, but his staggering high-school numbers suggest he has the potential to develop into a featured scorer at the college level. Swinging between the 1 and the 2 could free him up to attack more, and it could set him up for more 3-point opportunities.

Hardy said he focused his offseason workouts on improving his jump shot. He made just 29.4 percent of his 3-point attempts last season, and extensive video study helped him discover some flaws in his form.

After months of practice, Hardy feels he can be a more accurate long-distance shooter this season.

“I definitely wanted to improve on my shooting, I think as my percentages showed last year,” Hardy said. “It’s a lot [of work]. More so footwork, flick of the wrist, reps. A lot of reps. It’s about trying to get the same shot down. Sometimes I felt on my catch-and-shoot shots I didn’t get a lot of lift, so I’ve been putting more emphasis on getting lift on my shot. I think that’s really helped my shot this offseason and I feel like I’ve been shooting the ball a lot better.”

How long the Rebels actually stick with a positionless backcourt remains to be seen, as the season opener is still more than four weeks away. Hardy understands the next month of practice will determine how Menzies chooses to deploy his guards.

“Nobody really has a role right now,” Hardy said. “At this time people are just trying to show exactly what they can do. I think right now it’s about me working hard and showing what I’ve improved on as far as my jump shot, IQ for the game and setting up teammates.”

Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.

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