Just Preps : Hart Is All Business About Basketball Prospects

Jason Hart doesn’t make apologies for taking his basketball show on the road from Westchester to Inglewood this season. The 6-foot-2 senior said school loyalty isn’t what it used to be.

“Let’s be honest, sports is more like a business these days, even on the high school level,” said Hart, considered one of the top point guards on the West Coast.

“I don’t necessarily agree with the [business aspect], but I’m caught up in it and I have to play along.”

That means carrying a beeper so recruiters can always find him and showcasing his game at the best venue.

Unhappy about his athletic development and his relationship with Coach Ed Azzam, Hart checked out of Westchester after three years without saying goodbye. He enrolled at nearby Inglewood, a school with a rich basketball tradition, and gained eligibility by a change of address.

Harold Miner played at Inglewood, as did Paul Pierce, the Southern Section’s Division II player of the year last season who is now at Kansas. Hart figured playing for the Sentinels would improve his chances for a top scholarship.

“Coach [Patrick] Roy did such a good job developing Paul and helping him get to a big school,” Hart said. “I was impressed and figured he could do the same for me.”

Before transferring to Inglewood, Hart was already well known among college coaches. He was a two-year starter at Westchester, a perennial power in the City Section. As a junior, he averaged 17 points and six assists and was selected to the All-City Section Division 4-A team, along with teammate Danny Walker.

Azzam, in his 17th season at Westchester, has sent many players to college, but he has also had his share transfer out before graduating. He says he is strict and demanding.

Those characteristics, while not uncommon for coaches, weren’t acceptable to Hart. Among other things, he didn’t like being singled out for mistakes. He said his relationship with Azzam became so strained that he came home every day and told his mother, Deborah Hart, that he wanted out.

Hart wasn’t the only unhappy player at Westchester. Walker, another All-City Section senior guard, transferred to Fremont. Azzam said he was perplexed by the off-season events, especially because neither player told him he was leaving.

“There wasn’t anything to say when I left Westchester,” said Hart, who has had an easy transition at Inglewood, averaging 23 points and seven assists in the first seven games. “I just wanted to get on with things.”

Deborah Hart said she’s aware that an increasing number of players are transferring during their high school careers. She is concerned by the lack of loyalty, but she supported her son’s move because it’s what he wanted and she trusts his judgment.

“My son has always been a good student and has stayed out of trouble,” she said. “If this is what he thinks is best for him, I have to go along with it.”

The Harts agreed that a scholarship is a top priority because of financial concerns. Jason is being recruited by many top colleges and said he will sign with Syracuse in April if he qualifies academically. He said he has a 3.3 grade-point average but needs to improve his score on the Scholastic Assessment Test by 80 points.

As for the transfer, Hart said he has already seen an improvement in his game. He wishes he could graduate with friends at Westchester, but he said he understands life is a series of sacrifices.