"Jen is such a great passer that she was able to get her teammates involved," Reisbeck said. "Her big thing is to continue to be a leader on both ends of the floor. Jen was one of the team leaders along with Meagan (Butler).
"This season, Jen was more of a leader by example, and by the end of the season she developed into a vocal leader," he said. "I liked Jen's effort on the defensive end. She had a tendency to slack off a little on the defensive end, but a big reason why we won region and 19 games was Jen's commitment to playing defense."
Hazlett says "Making it to the semifinals was the most enjoyable part of the season. The season was still a success, even though we lost to (5-A runner-up) Riverton (66-33) in the semifinals. We didn't barely make it into the tournament. We knew we could do better this season.
"Not all of us were best friends off the court, but on the court we were," she said. "The team stays pretty close during the offseason, and we hang out together. I played at Clearfield as a freshman, and I was considering staying there. But I thought about the future, and I'm so glad I decided to come to Syracuse."
In its inaugural 2007-08 season, Syracuse went 7-15 while advancing to the 5-A tournament as a fifth-place team.
"During the summer when we played together in June, we knew we were going to be good," Hazlett said. "I played mainly a '3' this season, pretty much the same position I played as a sophomore. I felt like I had to have a good game and get everyone else involved."
Hazlett averaged 13.9 points (season-high 29 versus Davis) on 42.5 percent shooting -- 34.7 percent on 3-point attempts (state 5-A leading 50 3s) -- and 62.3 percent free-throw shooting. She also averaged 4.4 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 2.3 steals and 1.3 blocks.
"I would figure out my own way to score," Hazlett said. "In crunch time, I want the ball. We had more fun this season because we were better. We didn't stress out about teams as much.
"Nobody expected us to do anything and go as far as we did," she said. "We have really good coaches and they push us every day in practice. They know if we were slacking, and if we're not going as hard as we need to we get into trouble.
"Every day after practice we would get in a half-circle at halfcourt, face west and picture what it would look like with a (Region 1 championship) banner hanging from the gym's ceiling."
Hazlett says she tries to shoot at least every day, Monday through Friday. The team scrimmages during its basketball class, while also lifting and conditioning.
"I kind of do basketball all year," she said. "From late August until December, I take a break from playing and work on my own. My body feels like it needs a break every once in a while. I get more burned out during the season because we do so much."
Hazlett plays for SLC Metro on its national team, and was in Las Vegas on April 17-19 for a tournament. Titans teammate Meagan Butler and Layton High's Addi Moore are also on the SLC Metro team.
Hazlett, who works on her shooting with her father, Patrick, missed his guidance and support this season. Patrick, a member of the U.S. Air Force, was deployed to Qatar the day after the Titans' league game versus Clearfield on Jan. 6 and is scheduled to return home in May.
"This is his second and last deployment," said Hazlett, who has an older and one younger sister. "My dad is my biggest supporter in basketball, but my mom, Jana, came to all my games.
Hazlett played soccer as a sophomore and junior, and was on Syracuse's girls golf team in 2008. She started playing basketball when she was 4 years old, playing on a comp team, Eclipse, as a seventh-grader and going to nationals in Nashville, Tenn.
"I like meeting new girls and I like the competition more," she said. "I want to play college basketball and be a pharmacist. I want to go out-of-state, but if an in-state school offers me a scholarship I'll play here.
"My dream is to be an Ohio State Buckeye," Hazlett said. "My dad grew up in Fremont, Ohio, and we go back there every year or so. I like to hang out with my friends and travel with my family.
"I've been to a lot of different states with my family," she said. "Laguna Beach, California, is my favorite place to go, and my mom keeps in touch with people she used to be a nanny for."
Illustration by ERIN HOOLEY and BRYAN NIELSEN/Standard-Examiner 
