Adam Zagoria covers basketball at all levels. He is the author of two books and an award-winning journalist whose articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Sports Illustrated, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide.
Josh Hart Says ‘Nova Is Only School That Didn’t Negative Recruit Him
Josh Hart is a 6-foot-5 small forward from Sidwell Friends in Silver Springs, Md., who will announce his college choice sometime on Wednesday afternoon.
Hart told SNY.tv Monday that he is “still deciding” between Penn State, Villanova and Rutgers — all of which he’s visited officially — but that one school stands out in one regard.
“Villanova, I really like the coaching staff,” Hart said. “They’re really great, really genuine. They are the only school that hasn’t negatively recruited during the whole recruiting process. That’s always a positive.”
He added: “That’s one thing I definitely like about Villanova. They weren’t really too focused on what other people had; they were focused on what they had to offer me and that’s a great thing. That shows their character level.”
It speaks volumes to the state of recruiting today that Hart — the Rivals No. 17 small forward in the Class of 2013 — said only one school didn’t negatively recruit throughout his whole recruitment.
Hart also feels a bond with one of Villanova’s new guards.
“I have a pretty good relationship with Dylan Ennis,” he said. “I knew his brother [Tyler] and when I went up to Villanova me and him got talking. He texted me every other day, every couple days, keeping in touch like that.”
Still, he’s also considering Penn State and Rutgers as potential destinations.
“Penn State, I really like the coaching staff,” Hart said. “They really want to turn their program around. They’re going to push me to be a great player. The players are really good and I fell like thye’re a program on the rise.”
Rutgers is also pitching itself as a program on the rise.
“I really like Coach [Mike] Rice and [Coach David] Cox,” Hart said.
“Coach Rice, he’s going to make you feel comfortable. He’s always going to be there for you, always going to be in your corner. He reminds me of coach Keith [Stevens] from Team Takeover.”
He also has a bond with a guard at Rutgers
“I have a pretty good relationship with some of the players like Jerome Seagers,” he said. “I talke to Eli Carter a little bit, but mostly Jerome.”
Hart said location isn’t really that key of a factor because, “They’re really all about two or three hours away. No matter what, I’ll be close to home.”
Wherever he lands, Hart hopes to be a “glue guy.”
“Just going in doing whatever the coaches want me to do to win,” he added. “Set screens, dive on the ball for loose balls, play defense on the team’s best offensive player. Doing the dirty work that’s going to help us win.”
Adam Zagoria is a Basketball Insider who covers basketball at all levels. A contributor to The New York Times and SportsNet New York (SNY), he is also the author of two books and is an award-winning journalist and filmmaker. His articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide. He also won an Emmy award for his work on the SNY mini-documentary on Syracuse guard Tyus Battle.
A veteran Ultimate Frisbee player, he has competed in numerous National and World Championships and, perhaps more importantly, his teams won the Westchester Summer League (WSL) championships in 2011 and 2013.
He lives in Manhattan with his wife and children.
Josh Hart is a 6-foot-5 small forward from Sidwell Friends in Silver Springs, Md., who will announce his college choice sometime on Wednesday afternoon.
Hart told SNY.tv Monday that he is “still deciding” between Penn State, Villanova and Rutgers — all of which he’s visited officially — but that one school stands out in one regard.
“Villanova, I really like the coaching staff,” Hart said. “They’re really great, really genuine. They are the only school that hasn’t negatively recruited during the whole recruiting process. That’s always a positive.”
He added: “That’s one thing I definitely like about Villanova. They weren’t really too focused on what other people had; they were focused on what they had to offer me and that’s a great thing. That shows their character level.”
It speaks volumes to the state of recruiting today that Hart — the Rivals No. 17 small forward in the Class of 2013 — said only one school didn’t negatively recruit throughout his whole recruitment.
Hart also feels a bond with one of Villanova’s new guards.
“I have a pretty good relationship with Dylan Ennis,” he said. “I knew his brother [Tyler] and when I went up to Villanova me and him got talking. He texted me every other day, every couple days, keeping in touch like that.”
Still, he’s also considering Penn State and Rutgers as potential destinations.
“Penn State, I really like the coaching staff,” Hart said. “They really want to turn their program around. They’re going to push me to be a great player. The players are really good and I fell like thye’re a program on the rise.”
Rutgers is also pitching itself as a program on the rise.
“I really like Coach [Mike] Rice and [Coach David] Cox,” Hart said.
“Coach Rice, he’s going to make you feel comfortable. He’s always going to be there for you, always going to be in your corner. He reminds me of coach Keith [Stevens] from Team Takeover.”
He also has a bond with a guard at Rutgers
“I have a pretty good relationship with some of the players like Jerome Seagers,” he said. “I talke to Eli Carter a little bit, but mostly Jerome.”
Hart said location isn’t really that key of a factor because, “They’re really all about two or three hours away. No matter what, I’ll be close to home.”
Wherever he lands, Hart hopes to be a “glue guy.”
“Just going in doing whatever the coaches want me to do to win,” he added. “Set screens, dive on the ball for loose balls, play defense on the team’s best offensive player. Doing the dirty work that’s going to help us win.”
