Former Syracuse guard Jason Hart won’t join Mike Hopkins’ staff at UW

Former Syracuse Orange guard and NBA player Jason Hart won’t join Mike Hopkins’ staff at the University of Washington, according to reports.

Hart was initially linked to an assistant position with Hopkins due to the Syracuse connection, but has ultimately decided to remain at Southern California. Hopkins recruited Hart to play for the Orange back in the mid-1990s.

Hart played for Syracuse from 1996-2000 where he became the first freshman in Big East history to lead the league in minutes played. Hart is SU’s all-time leader in steals and second in assists.

The former SU point guard joined the USC staff in 2013.

The Seattle Times had first reported that Hart would join Hopkins at Washington.

Hopkins retained assistant Will Conroy at UW, but is still looking to fill the rest of his staff. In his contract, Hop was given $1.35 million to develop a coaching staff. He’ll need someone with strong West Coast ties, similar to Conroy, who has developed relationships with the top AAU and high school programs.

Hart received a two-year contract extension earlier this week, according to the Daily News in Los Angeles.

It appears that Gerry McNamara and Adrian Autry are staying put at Syracuse. It’s unknown if Hopkins tried to bring either with him to his new program.