Mark Pope is close to finalizing his first coaching staff and potentially landing his first transfer commitment.
News broke on Thursday that former G-League Ignite coach Jason Hart was set to join the Kentucky Basketball staff.
Now, it appears Hart will land in the Bluegrass next week, according to Adam Zagoria.
In addition, Drexel transfer Amari Williams has arrived for his visit with Kentucky. During the trip, Jeff Goodman reported that Williams had cut his list to Kentucky and Mississippi State.
This was viewed as a Kentucky vs. St. John’s battle, so seeing Rick Pitino’s bunch out of the mix is great news for the Wildcats.
The 6-foot-10, 265-pound Williams is one of the best frontcourt transfers currently available and would be a massive get for Kentucky, who currently does not have an upperclassman committed for next season.
This past 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 came in 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 tells you just how badly Kentucky wants this kid. Time to see if they can seal the deal this weekend.
As for Hart, when news broke he was joining Kentucky’s staff, it was widely praised by national media, largely due to his run as an assistant coach at USC from 2013-21. He has extensive ties to the West Coast, so we should see an uptick in recruiting for that area, something the previous staff didn’t have much success with.
