Olympic’s Jaden Hardnett is The Observer’s boys’ basketball player of the week
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Eight nominees posted standout stat lines; several have 20+ ppg season averages
- Poll is open now and closes at noon Friday; readers may vote repeatedly online
- Top contenders include Badio, Dollar, Guyton and McConneyhead by impact
Olympic High’s Jaden Hardnett is The Observer’s boys’ high school basketball player of the week.
The 6-3 junior scored 19 points, had five rebounds and three steals in an 85-40 win over Academic Magnet in the Carolina Invitational in Charleston, SC, on Dec. 27.
Hardnett also scored 14 points and grabbed five rebounds in a 67-64 loss to Woodmont in the same tournament on Dec. 29.
The next day, Hardnett scored 21 points and had six rebounds in a 45-44 win over Clinton in the tournament finale.
Hardnett is averaging 21.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.6 steals for Olympic (5-7).
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Last week’s finalists
Austin Bradway, Charlotte Christian: The 6-foot-6 junior scored six points, grabbed nine rebounds, had three assists and two steals in an 84-42 win over Rock Hill in the Carolina Invitational in Charleston on Dec. 27.
Bradway also scored 15 points to go with five rebounds, two assists and four steals in a 90-67 victory over Stall in the same event on Dec. 29.
Bradway finished the tournament with 18 points, four rebounds, six steals and four assists in a 75-68 overtime win over Bishop England on Dec. 29.
Bradway finished off the week with five points, seven rebounds, five steals and one assist in a 59-43 victory at Heathwood Hall in the Charlotte vs. Columbia Challenge on Jan. 3.
Bradway is averaging 11 points, seven rebounds, two assists and two steals per game for a Charlotte Christian team (13-5) that has won more games this season than the last two years combined.
M.J. Gladden, Statesville: The 6-4 junior scored 41 points, had 11 rebounds, two assists, four steals and a block in an 82-69 win over Forbush in the opening round of the North Iredell Holiday Classic on Dec. 27.
Gladden followed that up with 30 points, seven rebounds, three assists, four steals and a block in a 100-68 loss to West Cabarrus in the tournament semifinals on Dec. 29.
The next night, Gladden scored 29 points to go with 11 rebounds, four assists and four steals in an 80-59 victory over host North Iredell in the final game of the same tournament.
Gladden is averaging 26.4 points, 6.5 rebounds, 4.5 steals and 2.7 assists per game for Statesville (4-9).
Gary Grear, Pine Lake Prep : The 6-2 sophomore averaged 25 points, 12 rebounds and three steals in three games last week at the Mountaineer Holiday Classic at Shelby.
Grear led Pine Lake Prep (4-7) to a 55-54 win over Northwest Cabarrus on Dec. 29, while the Pride also lost to Shelby (82-64 on Dec. 27) and to Gaston Day (64-48 on Dec. 30).
Da’Montre Harlee, Jay M. Robinson: The 6-5 senior forward scored 28 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in a 95-80 win over Cox Mill in the opening round of the Mount Pleasant Holiday Classic on Dec. 29.
The next night, Harlee posted another double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds in a 68-62 victory over Mooresville in the tournament championship game to earn most valuable player honors.
Harlee is averaging 12.9 points and 6.9 rebounds per game for Jay M. Robinson (9-1).
Ben Houpt, South Mecklenburg: The 6-5 senior scored 18 points, grabbed seven rebounds, five assists, two steals and two blocks in a 71-51 at Richmond Senior on Jan. 3.
Houpt is averaging 18.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.3 blocks for South Mecklenburg (5-8).
Donnie Jones, Ardrey Kell : The 5-8 sophomore guard scored 12 points, had four assists and four steals in a 72-58 win over Forest Hills in the Ardrey Kell Winter Classic semifinals on Dec. 29.
The next night, Jones scored 12 points, including 10 in the fourth quarter, as well as seven assists in a 56-54 win over Butler in the tournament championship game.
Jones is averaging 11 points, four assists, three rebounds and one steal per game for Ardrey Kell (11-2).
Note: Information published today includes statistics through January 3.
This story was originally published January 5, 2026 at 8:05 PM with the headline "Olympic’s Jaden Hardnett is The Observer’s boys’ basketball player of the week."
