FERRIDAY, La.&160;- When Jason Scott was in eighth grade, his mother told him to get a hobby. &uot;My mom said to quit hanging around the house and go do something,&uot; the Ferriday senior said. &uot;I had always played basketball on the playgrounds, and I thought it was something I could do.&uot;

Good choice.

Scott is so far averaging more than 27 points and 12 rebounds a game in his senior campaign for the No. 6-ranked Trojans. His abilities have attracted the attention of Division I schools like LSU and Louisiana Tech, although the 6-foot-4, 182-pound Scott isn’t yet sure where he will go.

&uot;Mom keeps telling me to wait,&uot; he said. &uot;I guess she doesn’t want me to make a quick decision.&uot;

Scott admitted he was leaning toward LSU, even though his friend and All-State linebacker Stan Smith has already committed to playing football for the Techsters.

&uot;He’s been telling me to come up there and be roommates with him,&uot; Scott said.

LSU scouts got a first-hand glimpse of Scott last Tuesday when they attended Ferriday’s near upset of what many consider Mississippi’s best team, the Natchez Bulldogs.

&uot;We wanted to play them,&uot; said Scott, who scored 27 points in the game. &uot;We wanted to see where we were as a team. We’ve got nothing but respect for them, and I hope they go all the way.&uot;

Scott has several ties to Natchez. Former Bulldogs football coach Elbert &uot;Mo&uot; Lyles is Scott’s uncle, and Natchez athletic director Robert Cade was Scott’s coach during his first years of playing organized basketball.

&uot;Playing under coach Cade was great,&uot; Scott said. &uot;I really credit him with being the player I am today.&uot;

Current Ferriday coach James Davis is happy to have the player Scott is today.

&uot;His game is good all around,&uot; Davis said. &uot;But first he’s a good person.&uot;

Davis said Scott has emerged this year as one of the team leaders, a role that has sometimes gone empty in past years.

&uot;The guys look to him for leadership,&uot; Davis said. &uot;They listen to him. A lot of times when a guy doesn’t do a lot of talking, the guys sit back and listen when he does to hear what he has to say.&uot;

Being a leader is important to Scott, especially as a senior, he said.

&uot;It means not being selfish, and controlling the tempo of the game,&uot; he said. &uot;It means being a leader on and off the court.&uot;

Ferriday will need Scott’s leadership and ability Tuesday when the Trojans host No. 10 ranked Vidalia in a key District 3-2A match-up.

&uot;We need to come out and play hard,&uot; Scott said. &uot;We have to keep Jarvis (Vaughn) out of his game.&uot;

After losing to No. 1 ranked McCall Friday, Ferriday dropped to 2-1 in district play. With home games against Vidalia and McCall on the horizon, Tuesday’s test is a must-win, Scott said.

&uot;Our district is stacked. There’s three teams ranked in the top 10,&uot; he said. &uot;We can’t afford to go 2-2. That would be like stabbing ourselves in the back.&uot;

With a district and a state title a tangible goal, Scott is trying not to look too far ahead at the future. But regardless of which school he attends after Ferriday, he plans to major in engineering.

&uot;My mom doesn’t care much about basketball,&uot; he said. &uot;She just wants me to go to college.&uot;