The Kentucky Wildcats managed to keep assistant coach Jason Hart over the summer after an NBA team attempted to poach him.

Hart, who receives very high praise from head coach Mark Pope, was contacted by a team in the association, interviewed, and eventually opted to stay in Lexington.

More information than that is really unknown at the time, including which NBA team wanted him, but it is always ideal to keep an assistant who is highly praised as a rising star in the business.

Hart played collegiately at Syracuse from 1996 to 2000 and was eventually drafted with the 49th overall pick in the 2000 NBA Draft. He went on to play for numerous teams before eventually getting into the coaching game.

Hart attended Taft High School, then attended Pepperdine, USC, and the NBA G-League Ignite before joining the Cats this offseason as part of Pope’s first staff in Lexington.

In 2000, Hart was a first-team All-Big East player, so he certainly played the game at a high level.

With multiple former high-level players on the coaching staff, the Cats have a well-versed team capable of leading them into the future.