Hart Keeps Eye On Sooners

One junior college player who had an interest in Oklahoma's performance at the NCAA Tournament was Jarrett Hart, a 6-4, 195 pound point/combo guard from the University of Arkansas/Fort Smith in Fort Smith, Ark.

Hart spent part of his freshman season at Oklahoma in 1999-2000 before transferring into Westark (now Arkansas-Fort Smith). He admitted that he keeps a wandering eye on the Sooner program, which qualified for the Final Four with a victory over Missouri on Saturday.

Of course, Hart had even a more vested interest in Fort Smith's performance at last week's NJCAA Tournament in Hutchinson, Kan. After leading his team to a fifth place finish in 2001, Hart helped the Lions achieve a seventh place finish in 2002 with a 100-80 victory over Walters State on Saturday afternoon.

Hart told JUCO Junction/Rivalshoops.com that he has seen interest this spring from Arkansas, Arkansas State, Cincinnati, Oklahoma State, Arkansas-Little Rock, Louisiana State, SW Missouri State, Kansas State and George Washington.

A native of Little Rock, Hart admits he has been to several UA-LR games this season, and one source close to him thinks he might wind up at the Sun Belt Conference program.

Hart told us that he will return home to Little Rock in a few weeks, consult with his mother, and then knock his list down to five schools.

A ruggedly built combo guard, Hart has a knack for finding seams in the defense and has good body control. He plays at a deliberate pace and does a good job of locating open teammates off dribble penetration. On top of all that, Hart is a solid offensive player who can score.

Hart averaged 19.4 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game this past season, shooting 49.5 percent from the field and 45 percent from beyond the three point arc.

Last week at the NJCAA Tournament, Hart averaged 16.5 points and 5.3 assists in four games as the Lions rebounded from an opening round loss to eventual champion Dixie State College to place seventh.

Hart was selected to the all-tournament squad for his performance.

Should Hart plan some official visits in the coming weeks, we'll keep you posted via the site, so stay tuned.