Hart and Morris Selected Among 100 Most Impactful/Influential High Major Assistant Coaches
Oct 7 | Men's Basketball
DALLAS (SMU / Silver Waves Media) – SMU associate head coach Jason Hart and assistant coach Jay Morris were selected to the 2026-27 Silver Waves Media 100 Most Impactful/Influential High Major Assistant Coaches in the country. Both are making a second straight appearance on this prestigious list.
Hart is in his first season at SMU. He is entering his 17th year as a coach following nine seasons playing in the NBA. He was previously on Head Coach Andy Enfield's coaching staff at USC for eight seasons from 2013–21.
Hart spent the past two seasons (2024–26) as an assistant coach at Kentucky, helping the Wildcats to a 46–26 record, with a trip to the NCAA Sweet 16 in 2025 and the NCAA Second Round in 2026. Prior to joining the Wildcats, Hart served as the head coach of the NBA's G League Ignite (2021–24), where he had 10 players selected in the NBA Draft from 2022–24, including five first-round selections.
In 2019, he was selected for the inaugural Collegiate Coaching Consortium, a collaboration between the NABC and AthleticDirectorU to help train and develop the next group of leaders in the basketball coaching profession.
Morris is in his third season at SMU and his sixth working with Enfield. SMU was 20-14 last season, earning the program's first NCAA Tournament bid since 2017. The Mustangs are 44-25 in his first two seasons, including a 21-17 ACC record.
Morris helped USC make two NCAA Tournaments in his three seasons (2021-24). He spent the previous three seasons as an assistant coach at San Diego State (2018-21), where he helped the Aztecs to a combined 74-20 overall record with a 42-11 mark in the Mountain West Conference. SDSU won back-to-back MWC regular-season titles (2020, 2021) and the 2021 MWC Tournament crown to reach the 2021 NCAA Tournament.
Morris was one of 50 rising coaches selected for the 2026 TopConnect Basketball Symposium presented by Just Play Sports Solutions in Las Vegas. He was previously named to the 2025-26 100 Most Impactful Men's High Major Assistants by Silver Waves Media and invited to the Elite 75 Future Head Coach Power Lunch hosted by Silver Waves Media at the 2025 NCAA Final Four.
Over 50 coaches on the Silver Waves Media 100 Most Impactful/Influential High Major Assistant Coaches list have become Head Coaches in the last seven years, including former associate head coach Chris Capko who is in his first season leading Ball State.
The Mustangs enter their third season under Head Coach Andy Enfield with one of the nation's top transfer classes, ranked No. 22 nationally by On3. SMU is coming off its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2017 after earning two top-25 wins and appearing in both the AP Top 25 and USA Today Coaches Poll for the first time in nine seasons. The Mustangs tied for the ACC lead with three All-ACC selections and finished among the nation's top 30 in scoring, assists, field-goal percentage and three-point percentage.
The Mustangs host Texas A&M in an exhibition at Moody Coliseum on Oct. 25 and then open the season at home on Nov. 2. SMU season tickets for the 2026-27 season are available HERE. Additionally, Mustang Partners recently announced the launch of the Epoch Wine Bar, a new premium hospitality experience inside Moody Coliseum debuting this season. More information on the Epoch Wine Bar can be found HERE.
Hart is in his first season at SMU. He is entering his 17th year as a coach following nine seasons playing in the NBA. He was previously on Head Coach Andy Enfield's coaching staff at USC for eight seasons from 2013–21.
Hart spent the past two seasons (2024–26) as an assistant coach at Kentucky, helping the Wildcats to a 46–26 record, with a trip to the NCAA Sweet 16 in 2025 and the NCAA Second Round in 2026. Prior to joining the Wildcats, Hart served as the head coach of the NBA's G League Ignite (2021–24), where he had 10 players selected in the NBA Draft from 2022–24, including five first-round selections.
In 2019, he was selected for the inaugural Collegiate Coaching Consortium, a collaboration between the NABC and AthleticDirectorU to help train and develop the next group of leaders in the basketball coaching profession.
Morris is in his third season at SMU and his sixth working with Enfield. SMU was 20-14 last season, earning the program's first NCAA Tournament bid since 2017. The Mustangs are 44-25 in his first two seasons, including a 21-17 ACC record.
Morris helped USC make two NCAA Tournaments in his three seasons (2021-24). He spent the previous three seasons as an assistant coach at San Diego State (2018-21), where he helped the Aztecs to a combined 74-20 overall record with a 42-11 mark in the Mountain West Conference. SDSU won back-to-back MWC regular-season titles (2020, 2021) and the 2021 MWC Tournament crown to reach the 2021 NCAA Tournament.
Morris was one of 50 rising coaches selected for the 2026 TopConnect Basketball Symposium presented by Just Play Sports Solutions in Las Vegas. He was previously named to the 2025-26 100 Most Impactful Men's High Major Assistants by Silver Waves Media and invited to the Elite 75 Future Head Coach Power Lunch hosted by Silver Waves Media at the 2025 NCAA Final Four.
Over 50 coaches on the Silver Waves Media 100 Most Impactful/Influential High Major Assistant Coaches list have become Head Coaches in the last seven years, including former associate head coach Chris Capko who is in his first season leading Ball State.
The Mustangs enter their third season under Head Coach Andy Enfield with one of the nation's top transfer classes, ranked No. 22 nationally by On3. SMU is coming off its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2017 after earning two top-25 wins and appearing in both the AP Top 25 and USA Today Coaches Poll for the first time in nine seasons. The Mustangs tied for the ACC lead with three All-ACC selections and finished among the nation's top 30 in scoring, assists, field-goal percentage and three-point percentage.
The Mustangs host Texas A&M in an exhibition at Moody Coliseum on Oct. 25 and then open the season at home on Nov. 2. SMU season tickets for the 2026-27 season are available HERE. Additionally, Mustang Partners recently announced the launch of the Epoch Wine Bar, a new premium hospitality experience inside Moody Coliseum debuting this season. More information on the Epoch Wine Bar can be found HERE.
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