Player: Erich Harding
Class: 2024
Height: 6'9
School: Westminster Catawba
Each event, it seems that we come away with a name to really start monitoring more, and one young prospect that attracted my eyes was 2024 Erich Harding from Westminster Catawba. Harding brings a really good frame and skillset to the table, and it seems that he continues to take the next steps as a player.
Our very own Colby Lewis saw him earlier this summer with Team Curry, where he had this to say:
'Erich Harding comes from a basketball family. Both his mother and his father played collegiately at UNCW. He has really good touch at the forward position, and consistently knocks down jumpers from the midrange out to three. He excels in pick and pop situations where he shoots the ball really well off the catch. Also, a very underrated and overlooked skill at times is making outlet passes. This is something Harding does very well. He snatches defensive rebounds and immediately looks up the court for a teammate to initiate the break.'
Playing JV last year, Harding should be moving up and be a critical piece at Westminster Catawba this year. His developing skillset is highly intriguing and it will be interesting to see the steps he continues to make. Harding moves extremely well, operating inside and out. He has a nice touch to his game, especially around the rim but also has the ability to stretch the floor. When speaking more to Coach Whaley about Harding's game, he mentioned his ability to stretch the floor to go along with his touch and that he is very comfortable facing the basket.
Watching how he operates, Harding is certainly a name to keep in your back pocket in the Class of 2024; he shows flashes of what he could be at the end and one college coaches will want to check out.