Oklahoma high school girls basketball: How Randi Harding arrived just in time to lift up Mustang

MUSTANG — Randi Harding flashed in front of the Southmoore guard and stopped her in her tracks.

Leading Mustang’s full-court press, Harding was the first line of defense, and it quickly became clear she didn’t need any help from her teammates on the possession. Harding took two quick swipes, stole the ball and burst to the lane before finishing with a layup to increase Mustang’s lead on Tuesday.

The smothering defense Harding showcased on the play was something she’s provided for Mustang all season as she’s averaging 2.3 steals per game. Her defensive presence has helped lift No. 6 Mustang to an 8-2 start, putting them on pace to shatter last season’s 13-14 record.

But being a defensive force for the Broncos wasn’t a part of Harding’s initial plans this offseason. The 5-foot-6 guard out of Oakland, California, stumbled upon the program almost out of pure luck.

“I was just visiting my uncle out here while I was in-between an AAU tournament that got scheduled, randomly,” Harding said. “He lives right in Mustang.”

Harding and her father, Carl Albert alum Randall Harding, were coming from an AAU tournament in Iowa before learning their team had been scheduled to play in Minnesota just four days later. Instead of driving back to California for a quick stop, the two detoured to Mustang to visit her uncle.

That’s when Harding learned about the Mustang High School girls' basketball program and realized she wanted to move back to Oklahoma. She had lived in Oklahoma until she was 7. Randall, who also wanted to move closer to home, was on-board with the switch.

A month later, the Hardings started to plan and moved to Mustang about three days before school started. That’s when Mustang girls' basketball coach Katie Bass learned of her new player.

“My AD called me and said that (Harding) had enrolled,” Bass said. “And I was like, ‘Oh, I don’t know who that is.’”

Once training camp began and Bass saw Harding in action, she quickly realized the gem she had. Harding was everything Bass wanted in a point guard.

“It’s not just her offensive, but it’s her defensive game because I’m such a defensive-minded coach," Bass said. "She can guard the full length of the floor and her IQ of the game is off the charts."

Coming from a small private school in Oakland with only 400 students, Harding learned it would take some time to get comfortable in one of Oklahoma’s biggest schools — where there are more than 860 students just in the senior class. But she soon found her place on the court.

“It took some time, I’m a really shy person when I first meet people,” Harding said. “It was kind of rough for me for like the first week but then we started actually playing and (had) tryouts and I was getting steals and taking the ball from everybody and people started talking to me. They were happy that I was on the team."

One player in particular was junior sharpshooter Talia Pogi, who had to play out of position to handle the point guard duties last season. With Harding on the floor, Pogi has been able to move back to shooting guard, where she can focus her time on being a spot-up shooter for the Broncos. She knocked down four 3-pointers against Southmoore on Tuesday, and she's had many games like it this season.

“It’s a lot better,” Pogi said through laughter. “I’m glad I did it because it opened up so much more of my game. But I’m glad Randi’s here because I really don’t want to do it anymore. I’d rather just shoot 3-pointers.”

Harding and Pogi’s efforts combined with Jaki Rollins, Jordyn Rollins and Karley Johnson, who was also an addition this season, and Mustang has a complete starting five unit that doesn’t pose many weaknesses, especially on the defensive end. The Broncos defense averages 12 steals per game, an improvement from last season’s 4.8.

"As a coach, you always laugh and say, 'Oh we're going to get a great move in,' but with that one, someone nobody's heard of or seen," Bass said. "She's just one of those kids that you dream about."