Kentucky coach Mark Pope heaps praise on one of his assistants

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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.

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.