Hearing loss hasn't kept Hardaway from leading UTSA to March Madness showdown with No. 1 UConn

Audio By Carbonatix

STORRS, Conn. (AP) — Those who think that walking into Gampel Pavilion and getting ready to play the 12-time national champion UConn women’s basketball program is about as challenging an endeavor as a basketball player can take, they haven’t spent much time with UTSA senior point guard Ereauna Hardaway.

Hardaway lost most of her hearing when she was in first grade. A few years later, she began playing basketball surrounded by teammates and friends who didn’t treat her any differently than the other players. That's exactly how she was welcomed into the UTSA program after three seasons at North Texas.

Now the Roadrunners are in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2009.

“We joke around about it a lot,” Hardaway said. “They make me feel comfortable and make me feel comfortable wearing (hearing aids) and the coaches encourage me to wear them all the time. They have been supportive in this process.”

Hardaway communicates by reading lips and not through sign language. Her hearing loss didn’t keep her from pursuing her dreams. She led Jonesboro High School to the Arkansas 5A title in 2021 before embarking on life as a Division I point guard. She started 111 career games in college, including 31 of 32 this season heading into Saturday’s game against UConn in the first round of March Madness.

“She is one of the most resilient kids that I know,” UTSA assistant coach Amber Gregg said. “Her story is pretty incredible.

“She always has a smile on her face and she has continued to get better in listening and learning, being able to communicate with the coaching staff. It has been amazing to watch.”

Hardaway responded with a nervous chuckle when asked if she considers herself a role model in the hearing-impaired community. This is the first season that she wears her hearing aids during games. She’s thrilled if that will encourage others to do the same.

“Hopefully, younger people who have trouble and are scared to wear them will be confident wearing them,” Hardaway said. “They do help, so I hope it encourages others to wear them.”

Her teammates have no issues communicating with their point guard. It didn’t hurt that she is more willing to tell others of her hearing loss than she was a few years ago.

“When I first got recruited, I did not (address her hearing loss),” said Hardaway, the second-leading scorer for the Roadrunners, who leads the team with 150 assists and 51 steals. “As I got older, I started telling people about it because I got tired of saying, ‘huh, what are you saying?’ I just started telling some people ahead of time so they don’t have to worry about repeating themselves a lot.”

___

AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness