Purdue signs Hart to add guard depth

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) -- Beech Grove guard John Hart has signed with the Purdue basketball program for the 2008-09 season, the school said in a news release.

Hart was a member of the Indiana Junior All-Star team in 2007, and was named the Marion County player of the year as a senior. He averaged 18.9 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists this past season to help Beech Grove finish with a school-best 19-4 record.

"During the last recruiting period, I had numerous coaches telling me that John Hart was a very good player," Purdue coach Matt Painter said. "I stopped by Beech Grove for an open gym and could not believe that someone with this athleticism and skill was available."

The Boilermakers return all five starters from a 25-9 team that reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament and finished second in the Big Ten.

Hart joins 5-9 Lewis Jackson of Eisenhower High School in Decatur, Ill., and 6-3 Ryne Smith of Toledo (Ohio) Whitmer.

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