Northwestern University Athletics
Tavaras Hardy Named to Big Ten Foreign Touring Team
7/5/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
July 2, 2001
EVANSTON, Ill. - Northwestern senior forward Tavaras Hardy was named to the Big Ten's Men's Basketball Foreign Tour Roster Monday afternoon. He will join Indiana head coach Mike Davis and 10 other players from nine of the other teams on a 12-day tour of England and Ireland (August 8-19). The team, which was announced on July 2, will play six games during the trip.
Hardy, a 6-8 senior, led the Wildcats in field goal percentage (.462), rebounds per game (5.7) and total blocks (30) last season while rating second on the squad with 10.7 points per contest.
Davis' team will include a pair of his own players in Hoosier juniors Tom Coverdale and Kyle Hornsby. Coverdale was a member of the 2001 Big Ten All-Tournament Team as he guided Indiana to the finals for the first time in school history. The 6-2 guard averaged 10.7 points per game and ranked second in the Conference in assists with an average of 4.94 handouts per game. Hornsby, a 2001 Academic All-Big Ten choice, ranked fourth in the Big Ten with a .426 three-point field goal percentage while adding 6.9 points per contest.
The roster also includes sophomore forward Adam Wolfe from 2001 Final Four participant Michigan State. Wolfe saw action in 23 contests and recorded 39 points.
The Foreign Tour Team includes three other student-athletes who play the forward position in Hardy, Iowa's Duez Henderson and Wisconsin's Charlie Wills. Henderson, a 6-7 senior, started 29 of 34 games for the Big Ten Tournament Champion Hawkeyes, leading the squad with a .514 field goal percentage while contributing 6.3 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. The 6-8 Wills, also a senior, saw action in 29 games in 2000-01, earning eight starts while averaging 4.2 points and 3.0 rebounds for the Badgers.
Davis will rotate a group of guards that includes Michigan's Gavin Groninger, Minnesota's Shane Schilling, Penn State's Sharif Chambliss and Purdue's Kenneth Lowe. Groninger, a 6-5 junior, started seven of 27 games for the Wolverines last season and scored 5.6 points per contest. Schilling, a 6-6 junior who can also fill the forward spot, started all 31 games for the Gophers and ranked third on the team with 261 points (8.4 ppg) while hitting 38 treys. Chambliss, a 6-1 sophomore, played in 23 games last season and scored 30 points. Lowe, a 6-3 junior, tied for the Boilermakers lead with 361 points (11.3 ppg) and dished out 59 assists in 31 starts.
Illinois is providing the lone true center on the Foreign Tour Team in redshirt freshman Nick Smith, who at 7-1 is the tallest player in Illini basketball history.
2001 BIG TEN MEN'S BASKETBALL FOREIGN TOUR ROSTER
Illinois - Nick Smith (FR C, 7-1, 245, Valrico, FL/Bloomingdale)
Indiana - Tom Coverdale (JR G, 6-2, 200, Noblesville, IN/Noblesville)
Indiana - Kyle Hornsby (JR G/F, 6-5, 205, Anacoco, LA/Anacoco)
Iowa - Duez Henderson (SR F, 6-7, 215, Detroit, MI/River Rouge)
Michigan - Gavin Groninger (JR G, 6-5, 190, Plainfield, IN/Plainfield)
Michigan State - Adam Wolfe (SO F, 6-9, 235, Westerville, OH/South)
Minnesota - Shane Schilling (JR G/F, 6-6, 200, Minnetonka, MN/Minnetonka)
Northwestern - Tavaras Hardy (SR F, 6-8, 227, Joliet, IL/Providence)
Penn State - Sharif Chambliss (SO G, 6-1, 180, Racine, WI/St. Catherine's)
Purdue - Kenneth Lowe (JR G, 6-3, 205, Gary, IN/West)
Wisconsin - Charlie Wills (SR F, 6-8, 230, Angola, IN/Angola)
2001 BIG TEN MEN'S BASKETBALL FOREIGN TOUR SCHEDULE
Aug. 8 - Depart for England
Aug. 9 - NO GAME
Aug. 10 - Ealing Tornados Basketball Club London (Hackney College Sports Hall)
Aug. 11 - Islington White Heat Basketball Club London (Hackney College Sports Hall)
Aug. 12 - London Towers Basketball Club London (Crystal Palace Sports Hall)
Aug. 13 - Depart for Ireland
Aug. 14 - Waterford Crystal Basketball Club Waterford (Slieverue Sport Hall)
Aug. 15 NO GAME
Aug. 16 NO GAME
Aug. 17 - ESAT Business Demons Basketball Club Limerick (Limerick Sports Arena)
Aug. 18 - Burger King Limerick Basketball Club Limerick (Limerick Sports Arena)
Aug. 19 - Depart for United States
