Dwight Hardy put his professional career on hold for one last chance at New York City glory.
The former St. John’s standout and Bronx native was supposed to leave for Italy Wednesday night to join his new Pistoia Basket team. Instead, he asked the club if he could change his flight and was granted permission.
He set a new destination for Monsignor Kett Park in Inwood for the Dyckman title game to play for Ooh-Way Records opposite bitter rival Team Nike.
“It was the rematch of the year,” Hardy said. “They are a great team. I knew my team needed me out there.”
A funny thing happened on his way there. The crowd at Dyckman was so large that it took Hardy nearly 20 minutes to get into the park and he was unable to properly warmup. Ooh-Way was forced to stall the game’s start time waiting for Hardy and coach Tony Rosa to finally make it through the overflowing crowd and onto the court.
“I actually was here,” Hardy said. “They weren’t letting anyone in.”
The Bronx native wasn’t provided the happy sendoff he was hoping for as Team Nike earned a 71-70 overtime win in front of a packed house. Hardy got off to a slow start after not getting a chance to warmup, but finished with 16 points and nearly had the game-winning bucket.
He connected on a short jumper along the left side to give Ooh-Way a 70-69 lead with 13.5 seconds left to play. Team Nike’s Anthony Glover, however, would make two free throws with three ticks left to secure the win in a game Ooh-Way led 49-40 with 5:15 remaining in regulation.
“We were up with 10 seconds left,” said Hardy, who led St. John’s to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2002. “Then Glover made some great free throws and we didn’t come up with a great shot at the end and we lost.”
It was his contested 3-pointer that fell short at the final buzzer and he also committed a key turnover late in regulation that aided Team Nike’s comeback. Hardy was the hero in a, 66-61 win over Team Nike during the regular season with two back-breaking 3-point plays late in the tight contest. He took on the all-and-important role of point guard this season on a team filled with stars.
“Dwight Hardy is the heart and soul of our team,” Ooh-Way coach Tony Rosa said. “He is the Ooh-Way guy. He is the one from the block. All year long it’s been about winning a chip for Ooh-Way.”
Hardy will leave for Italy Thursday night now with summer ball behind him and a professional career about to begin. Even in defeat he was happy to be a part of a memorable Dyckman final.
“Of course,” Hardy said. “Two great teams, crowd was amazing. It’s Dyckman basketball. It was worth it even though we lost.”