Tavaras Hardy, a four-year letterwinner and three-time captain for the Wildcats from 1998-2002, was named assistant coach on July 17, 2006. He is in his second season on Coach Carmody's staff. "We are thrilled to have Tavaras join our staff," Carmody said. "As a player, Tavaras was a tremendous example of hard work and toughness. We know that he will bring the same intensity and energy to our coaching staff. He has played and coached in the Chicago area all his life and will be a valuable asset to the program. Tavaras was the type of true student-athlete we hope to attract to Northwestern and a great example of the kind of young men we hope to produce. Hardy, a two-time All-Big Ten selection, was one of the all-time greats to don the purple and white. He still holds the Northwestern record for most games played in a career with 118 and ranks in the top 20 in seven major categories. He ranks second with 113 starts, fourth with 101 blocked shots, 10th with 640 rebounds, 11th with 227 assists and 98 steals and 20th with 1,122 career points--one of only 26 Wildcats to eclipse the 1,000-point plateau. His mark of 113 starts was a program record at the conclusion of the 2002 season before Jitim Young broke that mark in 2004 with 117. Hardy enjoyed his best year as a senior in 2001-02 when he helped lead the Wildcats to a 16-13 overall mark. He was second on the team 12.3 points per game, scoring in double figures 19 times, while grabbing a team-high 6.4 rebounds--good for sixth-best in the Big Ten. That same year he was awarded the Billy McKinney Leadership Award, which honors the Northwestern student-athlete who best demonstrates outstanding leadership and sportsmanship on and off the court. Hardy then went on to play professionally for one season in Finland with the KTP Basket Oy in one of the top professional leagues in Europe. Prior to NU, Hardy spent three years an analyst/banker for JPMorgan Chase & Co. while also serving as a head coach for the Illinois Defenders boy's basketball program. Among their many accomplishments, his under-16 team captured the championship of the 2005 Las Vegas Main Event tournament with a perfect 7-0 record. The Joliet, Ill., native received his bachelor of arts degree in political science from Northwestern in June of 2002. Hardy is married to the former Billée Russell (Northwestern, '02) who lettered three years for the Wildcat women's basketball team from 1999-2002. They have a daughter, Mariah, and reside in Chicago. |
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