Hadaway ready for MAC-tion at Ohio University
As the old slogan goes, “you never get a second chance to make a first impression,” and that saying wasn’t lost to Aidan Hadaway or Ohio University.
The Mid-American Conference (MAC) school was the first to offer the LaFayette basketball standout and Hadaway opted to sign with the Bobcats on Friday in front of friends, family, coaches, teammates and other wellwishers at the school.
“It feels amazing,” said Hadaway, who verbally committed to Ohio back in the summer. “I’m glad to get all the recruiting stuff out of the way and I’m just ready to start my new future at Ohio.”
The 6-foot-8, 207-pounder said “everything just clicked really well” on all of his visits.
“All the coaches, they are just great people and I just fit in really well with their style of play,” he added. “Plus, I may have a chance to start and play early. I’m just going to bring my effort and do whatever I can do to help us win the MAC.”
LaFayette head coach Hank
Peppers said that Hadaway “can keep rising and be as good as he wants to be.”
“He’s put on weight now, so he has good size and he’s working out, lifting weights and getting stronger,” Peppers said. “He’s continuing to get quicker by playing on the perimeter, defensively, against other quick guards.”
Hadaway burst onto the scene as a sophomore, his first full season as a varsity starter, and earned the Region 6-AAAA Player of the Year award and a GACA Class AAAA North All-State award by averaging 20.1 points, 10.7 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.3 blocks a game.
Last season, he followed up by being named the Player of the Year in Region 6-AAA and helped the Ramblers to another region title and the program’s third trip to the Elite Eight in the past four seasons.
His stat line of 23.4 points, 12.1 rebounds, 1.5 blocks and 2.6 assists — including 59 percent shooting from the floor — earned him Junior of the Year in Class AAA by
HoopSeen.com and landed him a spot on its five-player All-State first team, while Sandysspiel.com selected him to the Class AAA second team for the 2020-2021 season.
Those stats, combined with another jaw-dropping summer of travel ball from the two-time Walker County Co-Player of the Year, has started the ball rolling on more accolades going into the 2021-22 campaign.
Sandysspiel.com has named him preseason first team AllState in Class AAA, while several other media outlets have tabbed him one of the top senior prospects in the state.
“Division I players are extremely rare,” Peppers added.
“It’s just a testament to his hard work. He’s been as hard a worker as I’ve ever seen in my life. He’s obsessed with getting better and he always has been.
“We got started with him in the fourth grade and he was just always consumed with basketball. He loved it and worked at it. Then when he got to high school, he started growing and just took off once his athleticism caught up to his height.”
Hadaway said he is considering business marketing as a major, but as for now, he is looking forward to one final ride with the Ramblers.
“He’s been a blessing to coach and a blessing to our program and his teammates,” Peppers said. “He’s a huge part of our success and our culture and our success moving forward will be great because of Aidan Hadaway.”