St. Louis’ Washington University lost one of its gems as its basketball player Justin Hardy passed away really young on 29 May 2022.
Justin was Washington University’s forward, the second-leading scorer on the team, and the subject of an episode of ESPN’s SportsCenter featured in March 2022.
Now as his family and friends mourn the loss of one inspirational sports star in the making, let us tell you about the life Justin left behind, his family, girlfriend, and more.
Meet Basketball Player Justin Hardy Who Died After Cancer Diagnosis
Justin Hardy was diagnosed with stage 4 stomach cancer in April 2021 and had been receiving treatment while competing on the school’s basketball team. But even then he not just had an amazing basketball career but he also continued to excel in his studies.
College GameDay also profiled late Justin’s inspiring story earlier in 2022, i.e., before he died. In it, Justin discussed his passion for the sport, even amid his health battle. “This is me living my life regardless of the circumstances. If this isn’t beating it, I don’t know what is”, he had said.
And now that he is gone, there is a GoFundMe page that his well-wishers have launched for him. It was started with a goal to collect $100,000 and it already had raised $138,903 by 31 May 2022.
In the wake of his death, the hardy family said that the funds will be used for medical and memorial expenses, with the majority put towards the HardyStrong Scholarship, a fund for high school graduates competing athletically in college who share Justin’s gift, determination, and all-around excellence.
Justin Hardy’s Age At The Time Of His Death
Justin Hardy was 22 at the time of his death. He had celebrated turning the age on 30th December in 2021. And yes. He was a Capricorn.
Justin Hardy Family
Justin Hardy’s dad and mom are Robert and Karen Hardy respectively.
Robert, aka Bob Hardy, as per his LinkedIn, had been working as the area manager of BMW of North America in St Charles, Illinois as of August 2006. He had had his BS in Finance done at Boston College in 1988 and MBA in Finance done at Indiana University – Kelly School of Business. His wife and his kids’ mother however did not seem to have any LinkedIn accounts.
Among the two, it was Bob, who announced Justin’s death to the world. In a Tweet, the patriarch had informed everyone that his son peacefully passed away early in the morning after 13 months of courageously redefining what it means to live with cancer.
Justin also is survived by his two siblings who have always been in pride, admiration, and awe to call him their brother. There is sister Jackie Hardy (on Instagram @jackie__hardy) and brother Nathan Hardy (on Instagram @nathannhardy).
Jackie started studying Occupational Therapy at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis in 2020 and before that, she studied Psychology and Spanish at Elmhurst University. Since August 2020, she has also been a graduate research assistant at WashU Medicine.
Did Justin Hardy Leave Behind A Girlfriend?
Justin Hardy did not reveal if he had any girlfriend. He did however call Rose Stackhouse a “good girl and a great girlfriend” back in 2015 when she was his homecoming date. They both studied at St. Charles East High School at the time.
Rose continued to be seen on Justin’s social media for a couple of more years. Sharing the likes pictures where she is seen kissing Justin on the cheek, she also called herself a lucky girl and thanked Justin for being her best friend.
Fast forward to 2022, Rose studied at Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame, and seemed to have found herself a boyfriend.
Justin Hardy Height
Very-handsome-looking Justin Hardy stood 6′ 5″ and weighed 205 lbs before cancer took a toll on him.
Justin Hardy Basketball Career/Stats
As per LinkedIn, Justin Hardy had started working as a summer business analyst at McKinsey & Company in May 2021.
Also, in 2022, before he died, he graduated early from Washington University with a double major in Accounting and Finance. He did well in academics and also presented himself as a member of the Varsity Basketball Team, Sigma Chi, and the Student Athlete Advisory Committee. All this, Justin did while dealing with his treatment. He continued to be a major contributor to the Men’s Basketball Team at Wash U.
Justin had an amazing career in basketball having been dubbed the UAA Rookie of the Year; ranked in the top-10 in the UAA in four categories; Scored in double figures in 19 of 25 games, and whatnot. Even when in high school he had been named the Two-time Kane County Chronicle Player of the Year, St. Charles East Male Athlete of the Year, and had been honored with the likes of Fluer de Lis Award and Human Relations Award.
As of 2019, he had started all 25 games at power forward in his rookie season and he was second on the squad averaging 14.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game.
Related FAQs
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Where Was Justin Hardy From?
What’s more, Justin Hardy was born and brought up in Saint Charles, Illinois, and lived all his life here.
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Was Justin Hardy On Instagram?
Yes. Justin Hardy was on Instagram @jhardy_32, and it included 53 posts and 4,327 followers as of 31 May 2022. The last time he posted on the page, it was the 24th of April 2022 and the pictured he shared was of him shaking hands with the legend DeMar DeRozan at some game.
Justin also kept his people posted on Facebook and Twitter @jhardy_32.
