Hakim Hart declared for the 2023 NBA draft while maintaining his college eligibility and entering the transfer portal, he announced Thursday.

The senior would be leaving Maryland men’s basketball after four years. He played a large role for the Terps this season, averaging 32.9 minutes per game — the most of any player.

Hart notched 11.4 points per game, 4.1 rebounds per game and 2.6 assists per game during the 2022-23 season — career highs in each category.

 


Hart is the second Maryland player to enter the transfer portal after the Terps’ loss in the second round of the NCAA tournament to Alabama on Saturday following the departure of former four-star recruit Ike Cornish.

[Maryland men’s basketball ended its season on a low. It won’t be how it’s remembered.]

Jahmir Young and Donta Scott, Maryland’s other two seniors who could use their extra year of eligibility due to COVID-19, have not announced whether or not they will return to the program.

Hart joined the Terps as a three-star recruit in 2019 and played a small role off the bench during his freshman year, in which the Terps claimed a share of the Big Ten regular season championship. The guard soon became a mainstay in the starting lineup.

The Philadelphia native started all but one game during his junior and senior seasons.

The potential absence of Hart’s efficient offensive play, responsibility as a ballhandler and defensive tenacity gives coach Kevin Willard a large hole to fill next season, whether it be with incoming freshmen or transfers.