SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Sacramento State men’s basketball team signed its first player of the spring, point/shooting guard Chris Hart, to a National Letter of Intent, it was announced today by Hornets’ head coach Jerome Jenkins. Hart will enroll as a junior at Sacramento State in the fall of 2006.

Hart spent the past two seasons at Long Beach City College, where he was a first team all-South Coast Conference selection last year and received honorable mention all-conference accolades as a freshman (2004-05). A 6-0, 175-pound combo guard, Hart helped lead Long Beach CC to its second-consecutive South Coast Conference South Division title and a state championship Final Four appearance last NCAA season.

He averaged 10.8 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.2 steals per game in 2005-06. In addition, the Long Beach, Calif., native shot 47.6 percent (146-307) from the field and averaged more than two offensive rebounds per game despite being a guard. As a freshman, he averaged 7.7 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.9 steals per game.

“Chris will bring the defensive intensity and on-ball pressure that we had with DaShawn Freeman,” Jenkins said. “He’s a physical guard who is very good in the open floor and will make his teammates better.

“I’d like to thank (Sacramento State) assistant coach Lorenzo Watkins on the great job he did of landing a very talented player. Chris will play a big role in the maturation of this program as we continue to get better every year.”

Hart prepped at Long Beach’s Wilson High School where he was a two-year team captain and received first team all-CIF Southern Section honors during his senior season in 2003-04.

Hart joins Apollo High School (Glendale, Ariz.) swingman Tristan Wilson, who inked with the Hornets during the early signing period. Wilson was recently named both the 4A Player of the Year and first team all-Arizona (given to the top five high school players in the state) for the second year in a row.

Sacramento State finished the 2005-06 season with a 15-15 overall record and a Big Sky Tournament semifinals appearance. The 15-15 record marked the team’s highest winning percentage since joining the Div. I ranks in 1991-92.