Feb. 4, 2005
This week’s featured Lobo is junior Jeff Hart. Hart is a former walk-on for the Lobos who earned a scholarship prior to the season. A sharpshooting guard from Albuquerque, Hart has seen action in 10 games this year. He has hit three of his eight 3-pt. FG attempts and all four shots from the FT line. Hart has played in 58 games with seven starts during his three years at UNM. He scored a career-high 15 points against IPFW on December 6, 2002 during his freshman season. Hart was a Mountain West Conference Scholar Athlete last season and also earned the Inspirational Award at the men’s basketball awards banquet following the 2004 campaign.
Jeff just finished as outstanding week, starting both games against UNLV and San Diego State in place of the injured Kris Collins. Jeff scored six points, grabbed five rebounds and had a career-high three steals in 26 minutes against UNLV. He scored four points in 19 minutes against San Diego State. Here are some of the questions you submitted for junior guard Jeff Hart.
Hey Jeff, now that you play at UNM, what is your favorite song to hear played in The Pit during warm-ups? (Angelynn – Chapel Hill)
JH: Probably the fight song. When we first come down the ramp and the crowd noise hits you, it really gets you pumped up.
Hey Jeff, you are such an awesome player…what part of your game do you feel you need to improve on? (Tammi – Rio Rancho, N.M.)
JH: I need to improve on guarding a forward and bigger guards, because they have a tendency to post me up.
Hey Jeff, I saw you play the other night and you were great…is there an NBA player that you model your game after? (Carley – Albuquerque, N.M.)
JH: He doesn’t play anymore, but it is Larry Bird. I watched him play when I was growing up, and I learned how much shooting can improve your game.
How did it feel to come up so big in the UNLV game?
JH: It felt nice, I really didn’t know how I was going to impact the game. But coming out and getting a couple of big buckets meant a lot.
Who has the best sense of humor on the Lobos? (Sebastian – Santa Fe, N.M.)
JH: Probably Mark, he doesn’t really show it much, but he can just look at you and make you laugh.
How does it feel to have been a walk-on and finally earn a scholarship, and was that your main goal?
JH: I would say my main goal was getting on the court and playing…but it does mean a lot because it shows that coach knows that I improved as a player.
At 6’1″, can you dunk? (Jimbo)
JH: Yes, I can dunk the ball. Come to the Pit and I’ll show you.
What is your favorite high school memory on the court? (Emilio, Boston, Mass.)
JH: My favorite high school memory is from my freshman year. I went in for the first time in the second game of the season. My coach put me in because everyone was playing bad. At the end of the first half I hit an “And one three”, and he kept playing me from then on.
Hey Jeff, you are my favorite Lobo…what are your plans after college? (Amy Stillwater)
JH: I will probably go to a two-year program to do physical therapy and become a physical therapist.
Jeff what happened on that tip-in, I was expecting a tip-dunk? (Mike S. Albuquerque, N.M.)
JH: I didn’t know that the ball was going to come off the rim, because Dave usually finishes lay-ups. If I would have known that it was coming off, I would have dunked it, and hung on the rim!