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Big money ballin’

Former Mahoning Valley standout Hardin hopes to play in $2M tourney

Submitted photo Former Warren G. Harding standout basketball player Jesse Hardin, shown here playing in a game in Chile with the ABA Ancud, is hoping to compete in The Basketball Tournament for a chance to win $2 million.

WARREN — Jesse Hardin Jr. could soon be entering a basketball tournament with a $2 million grand prize and that will be broadcast on ESPN. He’ll do it as a huge underdog.

That’s nothing new to Hardin or his teammates.

The Warren G. Harding graduate and Walsh University alumnus is part of The Basketball Tournament, a 5-on-5, single-elimination tournament that is played every summer and open to players of all levels. The grand prize is $2 million.

Hardin is part of a team made up of the most elite former NCAA Division II players in the country. It’s a group of guys he appreciates because of their background and mindset.

“It’s good to play with D-II guys because we’re not selfish,” said Hardin, a 6-foot-2 sharp-shooting point guard who scored 1,604 points during his career at Walsh. “We know what it takes to win. We’ve already been counted out since Day 1 just by going to a Division II school. …

“I feel like that’s the mentality we can take to the TBT.”

Like all sports, the event has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The tournament had 64 teams at eight regions in 2019, with a group made up mainly of former Ohio State players winning the title. This year, there is expected to be 24 teams all playing Columbus.

There are several safety guidelines intact, including daily testing for the coronavirus. If a player tests positive, he and the team will be eliminated.

Hardin understands the restrictions and is doing his best to both stay in shape and stay safe as he trains.

“I can do some stuff, play some hoops outside, I can go shoot,” he said. “It’s just different being in a gym. Now that everything is opening up, I can get to the Wellness Center or the YMCA to get some shots up and train. Usually, I’ve just been doing body weight (workouts) and little things to be ready to go.”

Harding has kept his game sharp overseas the last few years.

After he graduated from Walsh in 2016, when he averaged 21 points, seven rebounds and three assists as a senior, Hardin began his professional career in Hungary. In 2018, he played in Uruguay and had a great season, averaging 26 points, six rebounds and three assists per game.

His 2019 campaign took place in Chile, where he averaged 18 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game. He started 2020 back in Uruguay, but the season was suspended.

He’s back in the Mahoning Valley these days, but he’s hoping to take a trip out of town soon to start preparing for the TBT.

“We’re supposed to have a training camp in Charlotte, N.C., (from June) 24th through the 29th,” he said. “If we get in, we report down to Columbus between the 29th and the 31st.”

This is Hardin’s fourth year in the TBT.

He said he played for the Canton Bulldogs and Mid-American Unity in the past. The competition is steep in the TBT. The teams for this year’s event have yet to be announced, but in the past, there have been alumni groups from Kentucky, Illinois, West Virginia, Syracuse, Cincinnati, Marquette, Dayton, Tennessee and Wichita State, just to name a few.

The team known as Carmen’s Crew, which won the championship in 2019, is made up mostly of Ohio State alumni, such as Aaron Craft, Dallas Lauderdale and David Lighty. Former Buckeye Jared Sullinger is the head coach/general manager.

Hardin, who said he expects to know if his team is included any day now, is well aware of the competition. Entering his fourth year playing in the tournament, the most games his teams have won is two, but they’ve had wins over teams from Kansas State and Wisconsin.

“We’ve been taking steps in the right direction,” he said.

His former team was made up of players mostly from the Canton, Akron and Cleveland area, but Hardin made a change to the current group of former Division II standouts in hopes of a better outcome.

The team is known as “D2” and has 13 players. They’re going to have to learn their roles and create a chemistry in a hurry if they make the final cut. The tournament is set to begin on July 4, and their training camp won’t start until two weeks prior.

The process for qualifying for the tournament is a complex one, but votes by fans, players’ experience (overseas, NBA, etc.) and social media following are all taken into account. As of June 9, Hardin said “D2” was ranked 25th – and 24 teams will be taken.

Hardin and his teammates are anxious for a chance to play for a share of $2 million and to showcase their skills on ESPN.

“This is what everybody looks forward to in the summer,” he said. “After the overseas season is over with, it’s like, ‘OK, we’ve got a little bit of time to relax, but TBT is coming.’ It’s 2 million dollars. If that’s not enough to get you excited, just to be in that atmosphere, I don’t know what will.”

The team can be followed on Twitter and Instagram (@d2unheralded).

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