Mark Pope moves closer to finalizing his first coaching staff and could earn his first transfer commitment.
News broke Thursday that former G League Ignite coach Jason Hart will be joining the Kentucky Basketball staff.
Well, it looks like Heart will be landing in bluegrass next week, According to Adam Zagoria.
Additionally, Drexel transfer Amari Williams has arrived for a visit to Kentucky. During the trip, Jeff Goodman reported that Williams was downlisted to Kentucky and Mississippi State.
This was considered a battle between Kentucky and St. John's, so it's great news for the Wildcats to see Rick Pitino's team out of the lineup.
Drexel transfer Amari Williams will choose between Kentucky and Mississippi State, officials said. @aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.
St. John's is currently exempt.
โ Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) April 20, 2024
At 6-foot-10 and 265 pounds, Williams is one of the best frontcourt transfers currently available and would be a great acquisition for Kentucky, which is currently without seniors for next season.
Last season, Williams averaged 12.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.8 blocks per game, including eight double-doubles. His best year was 2022-23, when he averaged 13.7 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 2.2 blocks per game.
Pope actually visited Williams on Thursday before the trip to Lexington, which shows how much Kentucky wants the kid. It's time to see if they can seal the deal this weekend.
As for Hart, when news broke that he would be joining Kentucky's staff, he received widespread praise from the national media, largely due to his time as an assistant coach at USC from 2013 to 2021. He has extensive ties to the West Coast, which should increase recruiting in that region where previous staffers had less success.
I see @KyleTucker_Ath Reportedly, Jason Hart will be coming to Kentucky as an assistant.
If so, this is a monster hire.
I spent a lot of time around him at USC. He's a great coach, talent and recruiter, and frankly, he should have been a college head coach 10 years ago.
โ Aaron Torres (@Aaron_Torres) April 19, 2024
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