Hardy hangs up the sneakers for the football cleats

On the basketball court, 6 feet, 7 inches doesn't usually raise eyebrows. However 6 feet, 7 inches on the football field is something that makes red-shirt freshman wide receiver James Hardy stand out amongst crowd. \nAfter red-shirting this past season in football under former IU coach Gerry DiNardo, Hardy switched from the cleats to sneakers and competed for the men's basketball team this winter. As a freshman forward for the Hoosiers, Hardy started three games averaging 1.7 points per game, with a career-high seven points against both Purdue and Vanderbilt University.\nHardy's offseason, which consisted of all of four days, is all a part of the challenge of being a two-sport athlete, he said.\n"It's very tough on my body, my legs are worn out. I have to get treatment every day and I got to get in the whirlpool just so I can run 20 to 30 minutes before and after practice," Hardy said. "It's been a toll, but this is what I chose to do so I have to do deal with it."\nEven though Hardy has only been with the team for three days, he is making an immediate impression upon the coaching staff.\nA roster that is thin at the wide receiver spot after IU's all-time leading Courtney Roby graduated, gives Hardy the opportunity to compete for significant playing time and possibly becoming a starter when the season opens Sept. 2 at Central Michigan University.\nHeight as an obvious advantage, but there is more to why Hardy could become a threat for the Hoosiers this fall, wide receivers coach Billy Lynch said.\n"James is a guy that has great hands, especially for his size," Lynch said. "Obviously being a bigger target he creates mismatches for the defense, and certainly he's done that already running by guys and going up and making big plays. But the thing that has impressed me thus far the most is just how well he catches the ball with his hands."\nDespite Hardy not being up to speed with the rest of the players, he is quickly making up ground on the rest of the team. He's making plays and causing problems for the defensive backfield, a group against which he averages a six- to seven-inch height advantage.\nThough IU coach Terry Hoeppner has had to share the coveted athlete thus far, Hoeppner is glad it is his turn right now, he said.\n"It's not hard on me, the challenge is for him," Hoeppner said. "I'm proud of him for coming out (this week). If he had taken this week off he would have been really behind, so for him to fight through this week even though he went from football to basketball and right back to football again, he's shown us enough today at probably 60 percent what a special player he can be."\nHardy, who is known for his extensive footwear collection -- ranging from 75 to 100 pairs -- knows that there are big shoes to fill with the departure of Roby, with senior wide receiver Jahkeen Gilmore being the most experience.\n"It is very important, I'm not going to try and fill the shoes, I'm just going to try and make a name for myself and do the best I can do," Hardy said.\nAlong with the other wide receivers that are competing for playing time in the fall, spring practice is an important time for the players to get a grasp of the new spread offense in time for the fall.\nHoeppner is excited about spring football because Hardy has one of the most sought after qualities in a wide receiver -- long arms and legs.\n"You can't coach tall. You can get guys faster and you can get guys bigger, but you can't get them taller," Hoeppner said. "I like tall receivers, especially guys who can run like he can run, athletic and a knack for finding the ball."\nJust because he is a freshman that hasn't seen time in a game since his days at Elmhurst High School in Fort Wayne, doesn't mean he won't be given the chance to make the same name on the football field that he has begun to make on the basketball court.\n"It gives (Hardy) a great opportunity to be an impact player for us right away for us," Hoeppner said. "He'll be a better player because he got out here this week, but we need him to be a player for sure this spring and definitely this fall."\nThough expectations might be high for the skyscraping wideout, Hardy knows that he can make an impact in his first year donning the cream and crimson, he said. \n"No question (I have high expectations for myself)," he said. "I don't have a set goal list, but for the most part I got it inside my head and I know what I'm capable of doing and I just got to go do it."\n-- Contact Staff Writer Dan Click at daaclick@indiana.edu.