Kentucky coach Mark Pope heaps praise on one of his assistants

Kentucky basketball assistant coach Jason Hart was praised by Mark Pope at Thursday’s press conference.

Once Mark Pope was hired to be the new head coach of Kentucky basketball, one of his first acts was to hire a staff. One of the first additions was Jason Hart, who coached in the G-League for a few years before coming to Lexington.

On Thursday, at his press conference, Pope had plenty of praise for Hart, and his future in basketball. He also said he’s on track to advance his career as soon as next year if he wants. In fact, he noted that an NBA team tried to hire him this year, but Hart declined.

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J-Hart is a no-brainer. He just finished as a head coach in the G League. If he hadn’t taken the job with Ignite, he would be a head coach somewhere else right now. He’s one of those guys who’s on an insane trajectory in this business because he’s that good.

Pope added that Hart was “really, really special” and that he’d eventually be one of the best coaches in the game.

Kentucky fans have a good one, and had better appreciate him while they can.

Former USC assistant Jason Hart hired by Mark Pope at Kentucky

Jason Hart is a really good hire by Mark Pope. USC fans respected Hart for the work he did.

Former USC basketball assistant coaches are getting hired. This next hire could lead to a college head coaching job in the near future. Jason Hart, who went from USC to the G League and is viewed as a coach with a lot of potential, has been hired as an assistant coach at Kentucky by new Wildcat head coach Mark Pope. The former Andy Enfield assistant is back in the college game, hoping to make a significant impact and elevate his own profile.

Jason Hart is a hire who could enable Pope to thrive at Kentucky and counter the critical and negative reaction to Pope’s arrival in Lexington. His recruiting chops and energy could put Pope in a position to succeed.

When Andy Enfield left for SMU, Jason Hart wasn’t at the forefront of anyone’s list, but his name did come up occasionally. USC fans remember the positive influence he had when Enfield was coaching the Trojans. Pope made what a lot of industry experts will regard as an astute hire.

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