WOMEN'S BASKETBALL ALL-TIME LEADING SCORER COLLEEN HART PLAYING IN SWITZERLAND

MEDFORD - Colleen Hart, a 2011 Tufts graduate, made the jump this fall from collegiate basketball in the NESCAC to the Damen LNA, Switzerland’s top flight professional basketball league. Tufts' all-time leading scorer, Hart signed with SC Uni Basel Basket.

At Tufts, Hart was named to the All-NESCAC team for four straight years, garnering first team honors from her sophomore year onward. In 2008, she was named the NESCAC Rookie of the Year. If not for an injury during her senior season, Hart would have been a strong candidate for NESCAC Player of the Year to cap off her achievements.

A 5'4" guard with a deadly shooting touch and fantastic ball-handling skills, she ended her career at Tufts with 1,422 points. She finished the 2010-2011 season with a NESCAC-leading 16.0 scoring average, 2.17 three-pointers per game and a 2.61 assists/turnover ratio. Hart is the Jumbo program's career leader in three-pointers with 231 and is second all-time with 343 assists.

"I was not ready to be done playing basketball," Hart said. "I met with Coach [Berube] about playing overseas and we talked about what we had to do to make it happen.  I put together a workout tape with friends and coaches from home, while Coach Berube helped me find an agent and get some game film together. Once I had an agent, it was really just a waiting game. I kept in shape and continued playing all summer so that if an opportunity came my way I would be ready. When my agent came to me with the opportunity to play in Switzerland, I didn't hesitate to accept the offer."

The beginning of fall has brought with it many welcome changes and a different lifestyle for Hart, who participated in a pre-season tournament with her new team in France and has recently started the regular season. In one early preseason game she hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to send the game into overtime.

"It is a different environment, but I am loving it so far," she said. "They were very welcoming and helpful when I arrived, so it has been an easy transition. Hopefully I will even pick up some German by the end of the season."

Hart has taken to enjoying basketball and life in a new place.

"I get to extend my basketball career, and enjoy a beautiful country," she said. "I cannot complain about a life of travel, basketball, and downtime!"

Visit the team's website at EuroBasket.com

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Release written by Max Jack, G14