PJ Hardwick gets opportunity to shine

Harry · January 5, 2013

P.J. Hardwick didnt know when he would get an opportunity to play a major role at North Texas.

That was part of the deal when he joined a team that already featured Chris Jones, one of the Sun Belt Conferences top point guards.

There were games when Hardwick played a couple of minutes and others in which he barely saw the court. None of that bothered Hardwick, who kept grinding away in practice and hoisting extra shots on his own.

I am a team player and believe in winning, Hardwick said. Whether I am playing for two minutes or 30, I am going to cheer for my team and play hard when my opportunity is there.

For Hardwick, his time is now.

A series of dominoes fell in just the right way to elevate Hardwick to the starting lineup, where he will be for the second straight game today when UNT faces Louisiana-Monroe. The Mean Green (6-9, 1-3 Sun Belt) will take on the Warhawks (2-8, 1-3) in a doubleheader that will begin with the womens game at 5 p.m.

UNT heads into tonight looking for its second straight win after knocking off conference foe Troy 76-59 on Thursday.

Hardwick played a key role in that victory in his first start, handing out seven assists in one of the Mean Greens most efficient offensive outings of the season.

UNT shot 48.3 percent (28-for-58) from the floor, despite being shorthanded. Small forward Jacob Holmen didnt start due to a foot injury that will keep him out of todays game as well, and backup forward Keith Coleman served a one-game suspension after a violation of team rules.

Being shorthanded made it all the more important for UNT to get the ball to star forward Tony Mitchell. Hardwick played a key role in making sure UNT did just that on a night when Mitchell scored a season-high 29 points.

I feel good about P.J., UNT coach Tony Benford said. Defensively he did a good job on the ball, was vocal out there and got guys the ball in the right spots. He tried to hit a home run a couple of times; I told him to make the simple plays. If he does that, he will be fine.

Read more: http://www.dentonrc.com/sports/colleges/north-texas-headlines/20130105-basketball-freshman-hardwick-gets-opportunity-to-shine.ece