Mark Pope says adding Jason Hart to his staff was a "no-brainer"

Hart has plenty of coaching and playing experience.

Nov 3, 2021; San Francisco, CA, USA; G League Ignite head coach Jason Hart calls out from the sideline during the first quarter against the Santa Cruz Warriors at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images / Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images

After taking the Kentucky head coaching job back in April, Mark Pope was tasked with not only building a roster from scratch, but also an entire coaching staff to surround him with. One of those guys he added to his staff was Jason Hart, a former NBA player with years of experience coaching at all three levels.

He is a very highly-touted coach, so much so that Pope called the hire of him a "no-brainer." Coming to Lexington after being a head coach in the G League, Hart is one that could even climb the ranks fast in the NBA, a real threat to do so with how much coaching talent he has.

"J-Hart's a no-brainer. He just finished as a head coach in the G League. If he hadn't taken the job with the Ignite, he would be a head coach somewhere else right now. He's one of those guys that's just on an insane trajectory in this business because he's that good. Like, he is THAT good. He could be an assistant coach on an NBA bench next year, and be a head coach in the NBA two years from now. He's universally beloved throughout basketball. After I hired him here, an NBA team actually came really, really hard after him. He went through the interview process and just decided it wasn't the right time or situation for him. He is like elite of elite. He's an unbelievable relationship person, he's got an unbelievable basketball IQ. He's a great player developer."

- Pope on Jason Hart.

It's crazy to think that Hart turned down an NBA coaching position to stay in Lexington, but he really proved his loyalty with that. Kentucky is lucky to have an assistant like Hart, and he has proven it at all levels of basketball.