Maryland’s Hakim Hart declares for NBA draft whereas placing identify in switch portal – The Mercury Information

Hakim Hart, a senior capturing guard for Maryland males’s basketball, introduced Thursday afternoon that he’s declaring for the NBA draft whereas retaining his school eligibility and coming 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-Huge Ten honorable point out, too, and helped the staff advance to the second spherical of the NCAA Event earlier than falling, 73-51, to total No. 1 seed Alabama on Saturday evening in Birmingham, Alabama.

“Before everything, I need to thank God for blessing me with the chance to play basketball on the College of Maryland these previous 4 years,” he wrote by way of Instagram. “To my household, who has supported me all through this journey, thanks for the sacrifices you will have made to assist me pursue my dream. To my coaches, teammates, and all the College of Maryland group, thanks for offering me with the assets, steering, and assist to succeed in this level in my profession.

“With that being mentioned, I’m excited to announce that I will likely be pursuing my lifelong dream and declaring for the 2023 NBA draft whereas sustaining my school eligibility and in addition coming into my identify within the switch portal to guarantee I make the perfect determination for my household,” he concluded.

The switch portal is a database of gamers excited by transferring from their present college. 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.

As a result of 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 staff’s NCAA Event 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 undoubtedly means rather a lot,” he mentioned. “Throughout our school profession, that is what you attempt to do probably the most. You attempt to win championships. It undoubtedly means rather a lot to be right here once more.”

Hart’s announcement follows reviews on Tuesday that redshirt freshman capturing 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 Excessive earlier than transferring to Legacy Early School 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 depart the Terps with two open scholarship positions. They’re nonetheless ready to listen to from graduate pupil level guard Jahmir Younger and senior small ahead Donta Scott, who may fill these remaining spots.

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