Nike Elite 100 Spotlight: Joe Girard
2019 Glens Falls (NY) point guard Joe Girard quietly put together a quality weekend at the Nike Elite 100 in St. Louis.
With a high basketball IQ and a legitimate threat from behind the arc, Girard was one of his fellow campers’ favorite players to play alongside. The 6-foot-1 guard’s ability to facilitate for others, as well as be a reliable scorer for himself made him a dangerous option in the backcourt.
Plenty of college programs have noticed Girard’s dynamic abilities as a point guard. The New York native holds a handful of scholarship offers and more are expected to come in the future.
“High Point, Albany, Siena, George Washington, Penn State, Tulane, Vermont, St. John’s, Marist, Washington, BYU, Saint Louis are my offers right now,” Girard told HoopSeen.com. “
Glens Falls, NY
Despite it being June and a rather quiet month for Girard on the travel circuit, he continues to garner interest from coast to coast. The rising junior boasts a national recruitment, as he was reminded on June 15th, the first day college coaches could contact 2019 prospects directly.
“I woke up and at midnight it said I had texts from Tulane, Washington, and George Washington. On that day I heard from all my previous offers, but I also received new offers from Washington, Marist, and BYU.”
Girard has an interesting connection with BYU. One of the greatest players to ever suit up in a Cougar uniform, Jimmer Fredette, also calls Glens Falls, New York his hometown. Because of this, Girard has become very familiar with Fredette and BYU over the years.
“I know Jimmer really well. We actually work out a lot together. Jimmer blew up at BYU and that’s my ultimate goal, to play in the NBA. BYU definitely helped him accomplish that. They have a lot of guards like me that fit into that system and are successful with it. BYU is definitely an option and I’m looking forward to building a connection with the staff.”
Washington head coach Mike Hopkins developed an early relationship with Girard while he was an assistant coach at Syracuse. Hopkins regenerated that relationship with a scholarship offer to the Pac-12 program a few weeks ago and gives Girard another intriguing option to look at regarding his future.
“Coach Hopkins just got Naz Carter and Hameir Wright and they are both New York guys, so he’s definitely tapping back to his roots. He’s an easy coach to get along with and players like him. He has basically said that he’s the boss now and he’s going to be an energetic coach. That makes him easy to play for, and that’s someone I want to play for at the next level. Coach Hopkins and I had a nice relationship at Syracuse and I’m looking forward to building that relationship at Washington, too,” Girard explained.
BYU, Washington, and the rest of Girard’s offers will have stiff competition moving forward. Plenty of schools are showing high interest and could offer soon.
“I also got calls from Michigan, Louisville, Notre Dame, Penn, Harvard, and a few others the first day coaches could contact me. It was a humbling experience. I’ve visited Michigan and Notre Dame before, too.”
Girard has taken advantage of his opportunity to take unofficial visits. Some other trips could be on the horizon if he can make things work between a busy July schedule and football beginning in August.
“I visited Saint Louis before camp started and that’s when I got my offer from them. Other than that, I’ve visited all the schools that have offered me except Washington, BYU, Marist, and Tulane. I take a lot of visits so I can see where I fit in. I’m not sure if I will take any more visits this summer with such a busy schedule, though.”
