We’re on the verge of one of many largest recruiting weekends in years for the Iowa soccer program with a slew of uncommitted prospects, together with a generational 5-star in-state deal with, and practically each present commit within the class of 2023 slated to be in Iowa Metropolis on official visits. However earlier than we get to the weekend, Iowa hoops takes heart stage as Fran McCaffery and employees performed host to a trio of unofficial guests on Wednesday.

One such customer was Moline, Illinois level guard Brock Harding, who McCaffery prolonged a proposal to on Monday. Harding wasted little time scheduling the quick journey west to Iowa Metropolis and wasted even much less time seeing all he wanted to see because the 2023 prospect introduced his dedication to the Hawkeyes on Thursday night, becoming a member of 2024 prospect Cooper Koch who dedicated earlier within the day.

Harding is an intriguing prospect who is bound to grow to be a lightning rod amongst Hawkeye followers. For starters, he’s semi-local rising up inside an hour of campus. That lends to a familiarity amongst followers that sometimes solely exists for in state prospects. However Harding is from throughout the border and didn’t develop up rooting for Iowa.

Past the fish bow that comes with being native, Harding can be on the smaller facet for an influence 5 level guard. He’s listed at 6’ tall and within the ballpark of 160 kilos. That ought to sound acquainted as Iowa followers simply watched one other native product listed at 6’ and 170 kilos as a prep for the final six seasons.

Now, Harding just isn’t Jordan Bohannon and we’re not prone to see a shooter of that caliber once more in our lifetimes. However what he’s is a relentless employee who has spent a lifetime discovering methods to make up for his bodily shortcomings. As WQAD sports activities reporter Matt Randazzo detailed final winter, Harding begins every day by getting 1000 pictures up, rain or shine, earlier than going about his enterprise.

That’s turned him into an excellent, if not Bohannon degree, shooter from past the arc. That’s greater than ok to maintain defenders trustworthy and off steadiness as Harding makes use of a plethora of strikes to penetrate into the lane. He’s bought above common quickness for the place, way more so than Bohannon or any Iowa PG over the past a number of seasons save Joe Toussaint, to go together with glorious ball dealing with, excellent imaginative and prescient and excessive finish creativity.

On movie, Harding constantly beats his man off the dribble and penetrates see into the lane the place he’s able to ending over and round larger defenders or creates east baskets for crashing teammates. He performs calm, collected and in full management of the offense in a approach that does resemble Bohannon a bit.

Regardless of these qualities, the shortage of measurement has remained a dangle up for a lot of faculty coaches in addition to the recruiting companies. Whereas McCaffery was the primary excessive main coach to increase a proposal, Harding did maintain different presents from Drake, Bradley, Colorado State, Loyola, UIC, St. Louis, Rice, Western Illinois and Illinois State. He’s a 3-star prospect in accordance with 247 Sports activities however is as of but unranked by Rivals.

Harding turns into Iowa’s second dedication within the class of 2023, becoming a member of Illinois large man Owen Freeman. Coincidentally, Freeman is an AAU teammate of Harding’s at Mid-Professional Academy and can reportedly be becoming a member of him at Moline this winter. Latest Iowa soccer commit, Cannon Leonard who has reportedly heard from Wisconsin, Michigan and Penn State since his announcement, was additionally a Mid-Professional teammate of Harding and Freeman.

Welcome aboard Brock Harding!

Brock Harding, PG
Ht: 6’0”
Wt: 160 lbs
Hometown: Moline, Illinois (Moline)
Stars: 247 Sports activities – 3; Rivals – NR