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Northwestern basketball coach Bill Carmody hired one of his former players as an assistant coach Monday, and recruiting Chicago-area talent is part of the job description.

“That will be a major part of it,” said Tavaras Hardy, a Providence High graduate who played in a school-record 118 games at Northwestern. “Having played here, I got a chance to know a lot of coaches. Chicago has so much talent, it’s very important going forward to establish those relationships.”

Hardy replaces Craig Robinson, who was named head coach at Brown in June.