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| Washington U. athletics file photos |
By Ryan Scott
D3hoops.com
In an unpredictable year, the Washington University Bears have been a particularly unpredictable men’s basketball team. “Just getting through a full schedule feels like a great accomplishment,” says head coach Pat Juckem.
WashU was preseason No. 18 in the D3hoops.com Top 25 poll, but with stars Jack Nolan and Justin Hardy back from a strong albeit cut-short 2020 tournament campaign, things were looking bright.
Nolan had rejected Division I graduate transfer options to return to school and finish what he’d started. This is the final class of students Juckem didn’t recruit before he came from UW-Oshkosh to replace legendary coach Mark Edwards.
“I was a freshman when they were freshmen,” notes Juckem. “After going through COVID together, the bond couldn’t be stronger.”
That COVID break, a whole season off with very little contact, especially when many other schools in the region were practicing and playing most of the year, was a big challenge to overcome, evidenced by an early loss to Webster. It was avenged in a 32-point drubbing a week later, but the questions remained. At least until WashU looked like the best team in the country en route to thumping Illinois Wesleyan just before Christmas, in a game that wasn’t even as close as the 71-61 final score.
“It’s hard to say how much the year off impacted things, but it had to make a difference,” Juckem said. “We saw it with our incoming freshmen that all played seasons last year and their rhythm and timing compared to my returning players who didn’t play any basketball or even really practice. You could see the difference in our own team dynamic, let along other teams in the region who played last year.”
Christmas was also around the time that news of Hardy’s struggles became public. Diagnosed with Stage IV stomach cancer in April 2021, the prognosis was not good, but with determination and blessing of his doctors, worked himself back into playing shape and was able to contribute on the floor at a level approaching what he’d shown in 2019-20 – including a 28-point, 11-rebound performance against Dubuque.
“Having him here has been the best thing about this year,” says Juckem. “He’s so others-focused. His leadership of our team has been as acute and stronger than ever. When you’re done playing, no one will remember the details. It’s all about the support system you have and to be a part of 18- to 22-year-old men being vulnerable with each other and pouring out emotions — it’s been incredible to watch and be a part of that.”
After blowing through the early part of one of the toughest UAA schedules in recent memory, WashU slipped up losing both games of the Carnegie Mellon/Case Western Reserve road trip. Nolan played in both, but was injured. When the Bears had to face the same two opponents the next weekend at home, without Nolan, Hardy stepped up with 28 and seven against Case, while freshman Hayden Doyle put in 21 against CMU.
They lost the next four, as Nolan returned to play at less than full strength and Hardy’s treatments and ongoing physical deterioration have kept him off the floor. Two wins over Chicago in the final week was enough to secure an NCAA berth and even a surprise opportunity to host the first two rounds.
This will allow Hardy, who was able to suit up for Senior Day and score the game’s final bucket, to be with the team. “Having him on the bench is not quite as good as having him on the floor,” says Juckem, “but it’s worth 10 points to us, probably. The inspiration that he is.”
Justin Hardy @WashUBasketball pic.twitter.com/vur14G9xS8
— Hilltopper: Washington University Basketball Blog (@HilltopperBlog) February 26, 2022
Nolan’s injury is likely causing him a good deal of pain, but as with many seniors facing down the end of their college (and possibly playing) career, he’s determined to give everything he’s got to the very end.
“If he’s hurting, he’ll never admit it,” says Juckem. “He’s as stoic and as mentally tough as anyone I’ve ever been around. He hasn’t told me how it feels and I don’t ask. Jack has earned the right to play through anything. He really takes care of his body and we trust our medical staff. If he can be out there, he will be.”
Healthy or not, WashU’s path to Fort Wayne won’t be easy. If they get past Cornell in the first round it’s on to Wheaton or Hope, two strong teams that might well be favored, given the Bears’ 4-6 finish to the season. One bright spot is that if they do come through the weekend, and top seed Emory does as well, St. Louis may the only location all four teams can get to within the 600 mile driving limit, likely giving WashU some more home games.
“We’re just glad to be in it,” says Juckem. “There are advantages to both home and road games. Sometimes it’s better to be together in a hotel than living with all the distractions of campus.
“It doesn’t matter where, if you earn the right to have one more day of practice, that’s a reason to celebrate. We’ve experienced some incredibly beautiful things this season and we’ve experienced some really challenging, difficult things.
“We are going to embrace the great things.”