Hakim Hart, a senior taking pictures guard for Maryland males’s basketball, introduced Thursday afternoon that he’s declaring for the NBA draft whereas retaining his school eligibility and getting into his identify within the switch portal.
The 6-foot-8, 206-pound Hart completed this previous season ranked second among the many Terps (22-13) in factors (11.4 per sport), assists (2.6) and steals (1.2). He was an All-Big Ten honorable point out, too, and helped the crew advance to the second spherical of the NCAA Tournament earlier than falling, 73-51, to total No. 1 seed Alabama on Saturday night time in Birmingham, Alabama.
“First and foremost, I want to thank God for blessing me with the opportunity to play basketball at the University of Maryland these past four years,” he wrote by way of Instagram. “To my household, who has supported me all through this journey, thanks for the sacrifices you could have made to assist me pursue my dream. To my coaches, teammates, and the complete University of Maryland group, thanks for offering me with the sources, steerage, and help to succeed in this level in my profession.
“With that being said, I’m excited to announce that I will be pursuing my lifelong dream and declaring for the 2023 NBA draft while maintaining my college eligibility and also entering my name in the transfer portal to assure I make the best decision for my family,” he concluded.
The switch portal is a database of gamers fascinated about transferring from their present faculty. Former Maryland and Mount Saint Joseph standout Darryl Morsell made an analogous transfer on the finish of the 2020-21 season earlier than finally transferring to Marquette for his closing school season.
Because the 2019-20 season was canceled by the coronavirus pandemic, Hart, who was a freshman on the time, had an additional yr of eligibility. The day earlier than the crew’s NCAA Tournament first-round sport towards No. 9 seed West Virginia on Thursday, Hart had expressed his delight at returning to the postseason after being a member of final yr’s squad that stumbled to a 15-17 document.
“It definitely means a lot,” he mentioned. “During our college career, this is what you try to do the most. You try to win championships. It definitely means a lot to be here again.”
Hart’s announcement follows studies on Tuesday that redshirt freshman taking pictures guard Ike Cornish additionally intends to enter the switch portal.
The 6-6, 190-pound Cornish, a Baltimore native who spent two years at Dulaney High earlier than transferring to Legacy Early College in South Carolina, appeared in 20 video games this winter and averaged 1.5 factors and 0.3 rebounds.
The departures of Hart and Cornish would go away the Terps with two open scholarship positions. They are nonetheless ready to listen to from graduate scholar level guard Jahmir Young and senior small ahead Donta Scott, who may fill these remaining spots.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com