AURORA | Anthony Hardin’s run as Smoky Hill’s boys basketball coach has come to an end after a decade and a lot of excitement and winning.
Hardin told the Sentinel Tuesday that he and the school had “agreed to part ways,” after he had held the job since the 2015-16 season and guided the program to nine postseason appearances in 10 seasons. He said he plans to coach again elsewhere next season.
The Smoky Hill job has been listed on the Cherry Creek School District site and is listed as open until April 17.
“We thank Anthony for everything he did and we wish him the best,” Smoky Hill athletic director John Thompson said. “I know we didn’t get to where he wanted to, but he created some good times here. I think the kids had a blast and the student body had a blast watching. He did a lot here.”
Hardin left his assistant job at Overland in 2015 to take over the Smoky Hill program in the wake of the departure of Keenon Clement and went 155-87 (a 64 percent winning percentage), including a 13-10 mark in the recently completed 2024-25 season.
Aside from a 4-19 opening season, Hardin’s team’s won double figures nine straight times and made the postseason each time, with its deepest push coming in 2023-24 when the Buffaloes lost to eventual state champion Valor Christian in the semifinals.
For comparison, only three other Aurora coaches were on the bench for that same span in Rangeview’s Shawn Palmer, Regis Jesuit’s Ken Shaw and Overland’s Danny Fisher and Hardin ranks third among them over that span with his 155 wins behind the 196 of Palmer and 166 of Shaw. Both Palmer and Shaw had records below .500 during that span, however, while Hardin did not, while Fisher and Palmer both won state titles.
Hardin guided the team to the Final Four once, plus three other trips to the Great 8 and four more Sweet 16 berths.
In the 2024-25 season, Smoky Hill finished as the runner-up to eventual state champion Eaglecrest in the Centennial League Challenge and as the No. 14 seed in the Class 6A playoffs lost its first playoff game against visiting and 19th-seeded Rock Canyon.
The Buffaloes featured three All-Centennial League first team selections in seniors Lorenzo Contreras and Kaylan Graham along with junior Carter Basquez. Conteras, Graham and Tashawn Isaac graduate, but Smoky Hill had a large group of juniors on varsity with a few sophomores and a freshman.
Courtney Oakes is Aurora Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at sports@sentinelcolorado.com. Twitter/X: @aurorasports. IG: Sentinel Prep Sports
ANTHONY HARDIN’S COACHING RECORD AT SMOKY HILL
2015-16: 4-19 (missed state tournament); 2016-17: 16-9 (lost in Class 5A Sweet 16); 2017-18: 18-8 (lost in Class 5A Great 8); 2018-19: 20-6 (lost in Class 5A Great 8); 2019-20: 18-7 (lost in Class 5A Sweet 16); 2020-21: 10-6 (lost in Class 5A Sweet 16); 2021-22: 16-8 (lost in Class 5A Sweet 16); 2022-23: 20-6 (lost in Class 6A Great 8); 2023-24: 20-7 (lost in Class 6A Final Four); 2024-25: 13-11 (lost in Class 6A 2nd round): Total 155-87.
