Josh Hart has withdrawn from the NBA Draft and will return to Villanova for his senior season.
“I enjoyed the process and learned a lot,” Hart said in a statement. “It was definitely worthwhile. I look forward to graduating next year and coming back to play with my teammates.”
The return of Hart means the Wildcats will welcome back a trio of starters from their national championship unit as Hart lines up with classmate Kris Jenkins and guard Jalen Brunson. The Wildcats must replace senior captains Ryan Arcidiacono and Daniel Ochefu but have a number of other key parts of the lineup set to return in Phil Booth, Darryl Reynolds, and Mikal Bridges.
Hart and his Villanova teammates will meet with President Obama on May 31 at the White House and then get to the business of trying to reach another Final Four and possibly repeat as NCAA champions in 2017.
“Definitely, definitely,” Hart told me at the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago. “I think if I come back we can be a great team. You have Donte DiVincenzo is coming off that medical redshirt year. Eric Paschall is going to be really good.. Tim Delaney is coming back off a redshirt year. Omari Spellman and Dylan Painter are coming in as talented humble freshmen. And then obviously the guys that are coming back.
“So I definitely think we have a chance to repeat, that’s definitely going to factor into my decision. That’s definitely something I’m flirting with.”
The Big East will lose Seton Hall sophomore Isaiah Whitehead, Marquette freshmman forward Henry Ellenson and Providence sophomore forward Ben Bentil to the NBA Draft, while Hart and Xavier sophomore Trevon Bluiett are both returning to campus.
Hart led the 2016 NCAA national champion Wildcats in scoring as a junior with a 15.5 ppg average. He scored 23 points and grabbed eight rebounds in a 95-51 NCAA Final Four victory over Oklahoma and averaged 6.8 rebounds per outing, most among BIG EAST Conference perimeter players.
“Josh Hart did a great job in this process,” said Villanova head coach Jay Wright. “I’m really proud of the way that he showed himself. I am really happy for him that he is returning to play with his classmates and that he will graduate on time.”
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