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As AAU teammates with Mid-Atlantic Select basketball, Zaid Hearst and Ryan Frazier were told, according to the team website, "elite training prepares you for the future."

That is why they will soon be school teammates for the first time.

After playing together this summer, both will be hundreds of miles away at Salisbury School, a college preparatory program in Connecticut. Hearst, a Chevy Chase native who attended Bethesda-Chevy Chase and Springbrook from 2006-2009, spent this past academic year at the boarding school.

Frazier, a first-team All-Gazette selection at Blake last season, had been contemplating the move for some time.

"I was at the Hoop [Group] Elite Camp with Zaid this past summer; his prep school coach saw me and recommended that I come," Frazier said. "I talked to another prep school and my dad, and he kind of opened my eyes about how it's going to be something different that prepares me for college. Moving away actually wasn't that difficult a decision for me."

It was the right one for Hearst, who has benefited from his new digs more than even he expected. Merely a sixth man during the Blue Devils' 2008-09 Class 4A state championship, he thrived in his new surroundings, leading the Crimson Knights in scoring (18.0 ppg), rebounding (11.0 rpg) and assists (4.4 apg) over the winter.

In doing so, he has gone from virtual unknown to Division I prospect. He has scholarship offers from more than 10 programs, including Boston College, American (D.C.) University, Temple (Pa.) University and Quinnipiac (N.Y.) University, where he would join Sherwood alumnus Deontay Twyman.

"I actually went to one of [Twyman's] games during the season; he's doing really well," Hearst said. "We could be a backcourt."

That, more than just opportunity, may explain why Hearst's game took off this year. In his high school seasons, the 6-foot-4 rising senior played in the paint. In fact, he was a forward during B-CC's 2007-08 regional championship.

But Salisbury is preparing him for his college position: guard. His one-year YouTube portfolio showcases the perimeter skills he previously only displayed for his club team.

"By far, he's our best player," said James Lee, head coach of the Mid-Atlantic Selects U-17 team. "Honestly, he could land at a big school or a mid-major and be All-Conference. He's going to be something, someone I try to have my young kids look after."

One year his junior, Frazier will join Hearst after his second, and final, varsity season at Blake. He went out with a bang, averaging a team-high 17.1 points per game in leading the Bengals to a 3A West Region championship, along with AAU teammates Brandon Hedley and Matt McGugan.

Frazier expects his role also to change at Salisbury.

"I'll be one of the point guards, definitely much more of a facilitator," Frazier said. "I'm not going up there expecting or trying to average 20 points a game."

Point guard will be the future position for Frazier, who is roughly 6-foot tall.

"It seemed like it helped Z a lot in college recruitment," Frazier said. "The goal is to become a D-I basketball player, but more than that, just to become a more well-rounded person."

The future prep teammates will play together all summer in AAU, on a team that also includes Georgetown Prep's Taylor Abt, Good Counsel's Matt McCarthy, recent Bullis graduate Andre Hodo and Springbrook rising seniors Enerio Jones and Jarid Watson.

"We don't do anything local; the whole point is to get these guys out on a national level," Lee said. "That's why overall, prep school in general is a great fit for the guys. Whether they wind up at an Ivy League school, the Patriot League, [Atlantic Coast Conference], Big East, this is going to truly prepare them."'