Multiple colleges recruited Hill City senior guard Lexi Hardiek, but interest slowed later in the summer for the 2009-10 Hays Daily News co-Girls' Basketball Player of the Year.
"The closer it got to my senior year, I got worried," Hardiek said. "I am the kind of person that likes to have things planned out, just be able to know what I am doing and what I am working towards."
Several junior colleges and NCAA Division II schools, such as Pittsburg State University and Missouri Science and Technology, looked at Hardiek. However, NCAA Division I University of Missouri-Kansas City came to the forefront late.Hardiek had spoken with UMKC a year ago. At the time, the Kangaroos needed a power forward, not a shooting guard. Things changed, and UMKC coaches watched Hardiek at her last MAYB basketball tournament this summer, played in Kansas City. The next week, UMKC offered Hardiek a scholarship. She gave a verbal commitment and will sign during the early signing period in November.
"I talked to a lot of other schools and something about UMKC felt right," Hardiek said. "I didn't feel like I could pass up that offer."
The commitment met a longtime goal for Hardiek, the Ringnecks' all-time leading scorer and a two-time first-team all-area selection.
She helped lead Hill City to a 23-3 record and runner-up finish to Olpe in Class 2A last winter. Hardiek earned first team all-state honors by the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association after she averaged 21 points per game, shot 86 percent from the foul line and 46 percent from beyond the arc.
Hardiek shared the HDN Player of the Year honor with Thomas More Prep-Marian's Kaylee Hoffman, a University of Wyoming signee.
Hardiek's best attribute is her 3-point shooting; several Mid-Continent League coaches said they have never seen a shooter like her. Hardiek broke the state record with 132 treys and helped the Ringnecks sink 242 3-pointers for 37 percent. As a team, Hill City set Kansas marks for 3-point field goals attempted (651) and free throw percentage (71.96).
"That was my dream and goal since the fifth and sixth grade," Hardiek said. "The only way I would have signed early is if it was a Division I school. If I had not gotten any offers from Division I, I would have waited until the late signing period in April."
UMKC, which finished 16-16 in 2009-10 in the Summit League, at first didn't appear to be an option for Hardiek. At one point, Hardiek didn't know how many choices she had. Hardiek said Fort Hays State University, with several area players that she either knew or played with in summer tournaments, "really didn't" factor in. Hardiek labeled FHSU "a really cool place to go," but wanted to get farther from home.
UMKC offered the opportunity to play Division I ball -- and be in a new environment outside of western Kansas.
A few weeks ago, the Kangaroos contacted Hardiek, and said they needed a shooting guard. Hardiek was going to Kansas City for the basketball tournament. The coaches liked Hardiek's game and offered a roster spot.
"Towards the end of the summer, it really slowed down, died down a lot," she said. "I think that was another reason that I was getting worried, because I don't know if there was a lull in the recruiting process. It's also weird because there are so many regulations and rules. It was confusing, and it was just getting a little frustrating. When UMKC came up, it was really exciting."
