Joey Hart’s second college basketball recruitment ends with a commitment to Kentucky

The Kentucky men’s basketball program has gone into enemy territory to help fortify its roster for the 2023-24 season.

On Saturday afternoon, the Wildcats received a commitment from class of 2023 shooting guard Joey Hart out of Indiana, as head coach John Calipari adds yet another freshman to next season’s team.

Hart will arrive at Kentucky after a distinguished high school career in small-town Indiana, and at the end of his second college recruitment.

Hart played prep basketball at Linton-Stockton High School in Linton, Indiana. Listed as 6-foot-5 and 180 pounds in a Saturday afternoon news release from Kentucky, Hart averaged more than 23 points per game and was a 41% three-point shooter as a high school senior last season.

He was a major reason why Linton-Stockton posted a 29-2 record and finished as the Class 2A state runner-up last season in Indiana. For his high school career, Hart finished with 1,901 points, 424 rebounds and 224 assists.

This senior-season performance was enough to earn Hart the prestigious accolade of being named an Indiana All-Star, although he wasn’t able to play in this year’s rivalry series against Kentucky due to a turf toe injury.

“I’m excited to get started at Kentucky,” Hart, who is already on campus, said in the UK news release. “I chose UK because of Coach Calipari, the supportive fan base and Kentucky’s ability to develop players. I’m looking forward to having the opportunity to compete and play in the NCAA Tournament.”

Hart’s senior season — and his hot-shooting performances on the Under Armour grassroots circuit — were also good enough to change the trajectory of his college basketball pathway.

After a junior season in which Hart averaged more than 20 points per game while shooting 42% on three-pointers, he committed to Central Florida in August 2022. Hart then signed his national letter of intent with the Knights last November.

But Hart was released from that letter in May, which reopened the recruiting process for him.

Despite interest from other high-major schools like hometown Indiana and Rutgers, Hart’s second college recruitment was sealed after he visited Kentucky last weekend.

A few hours prior to Hart’s commitment to the Wildcats on Saturday, a social media image showing a locker already outfitted with Hart’s name and number (20) made the rounds.

“Joey can really shoot the basketball, but also brings a tremendous all-around game to this class,” Calipari said in Saturday’s news release. “His best days of basketball are ahead of him and I look forward to watching him develop alongside the rest of the class.”

According to the 247Sports Composite, Hart is ranked as a three-star prospect and the No. 197 player overall in the 2023 recruiting class.

Hart is now the seventh freshman on the UK roster for the 2023-24 season. Hart is the second class of 2023 player to commit to the Cats this week following Monday morning’s commitment from small forward Jordan Burks.

His commitment to Kentucky comes as the Wildcats are now less than a month away from participating in the “GLOBL JAM” in Toronto, a four-team event featuring squads from the United States, Canada, Germany and Africa.

UK will be representing the United States at the event, which is viewed as a key offseason opportunity for the Cats to build reps and find team chemistry with a young group of players.

Current Kentucky men’s basketball roster outlook

Here’s a current breakdown of all the scholarship players joining and leaving the Wildcats, along with the question marks that still exist for next season’s team.

Incoming players: Aaron Bradshaw (freshman center), Jordan Burks (freshman small forward), Robert Dillingham (freshman guard), Justin Edwards (freshman small forward), Joey Hart (freshman shooting guard), Reed Sheppard (freshman guard), DJ Wagner (freshman guard).

On Friday afternoon, NBA insider Shams Charania reported that Bradshaw suffered a fracture in his foot and may miss the start of next season.

On Friday night, Bradshaw participated in the Kentucky men’s basketball team’s father-son camp at the Joe Craft Center. Bradshaw wasn’t wearing a boot on either of his feet and he participated in basketball activities during the camp.

Returning players: Brennan Canada (fifth-year guard), Ugonna Onyenso (sophomore forward), Adou Thiero (sophomore guard).

Outgoing players: Daimion Collins (forward, transferred to LSU), CJ Fredrick (guard, transferred to Cincinnati), Chris Livingston (forward, NBA Draft), Oscar Tshiebwe (forward, NBA Draft), Jacob Toppin (forward, NBA Draft), Cason Wallace (guard, NBA Draft), Lance Ware (forward, transferred to Villanova), Sahvir Wheeler (guard, transferred to Washington).

Yet-to-be announced: Antonio Reeves (guard).

Reeves pulled his name out of the NBA Draft and will return to college basketball for next season, but he hasn’t confirmed whether or not he would return to Kentucky for his final season of NCAA eligibility.