MASON CITY – The NIACC men’s basketball team recently signed a pair of players from Florida for the 2017-18 season.
Signing with the Trojans were Rudge Hyppolite, a 6-1 guard from Naples, Fla., and Hollis Hardwick, a 6-5 forward from Naples, Fla.
Hyppolite, who played at Lely High School, averaged 19.9 points, 7.1 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 3.7 steals per game as a senior and helped lead his team to a district championship. Hyppolite was a Class 5A third-team all-state selection.
Hyppolite was a three-year starter at Lely and reached the 1,000-career point mark late in his senior season.
“He’s a coach’s player, man,” Lely coach Fritz Jacques was quoted as saying in the Naples News. “He’s the first one in the gym, last one out.
“He makes 1,000 shots a day. Everything I asked of him, he did it. My first all-state kids. I’m just very proud of him.”
Hardwick, who played at St. John Neumann High School, helped lead his team to a 7-3 record in the district. He scored 18 points in the Collier County Senior Showcase all-star game.
Even though the two played at different high schools in Naples, Fla., the two future Trojans are familiar with each other.
“Knowing somebody I’ve played basketball with is going to make it easier,” Hardwick was quoted as saying in the Naples News. “Going to a school far away from home, having somebody I know with me is going to be a comfort.”
