One of Mark Pope’s first hires as the new Kentucky men’s basketball coach has officially signed his contract with the university.
Jason Hart, who was announced as an assistant coach on Pope’s first staff on April 22, signed a two-year deal with the Cats last week, according to UK’s records. Hart will have a salary of $500,000 for the 2024-25 season and $525,000 for the 2025-26 season.
Those are the same salary teams as fellow UK assistant coach Cody Fueger, who was also named to Pope’s staff April 22 and signed his contract with the team the following month. Hart and Fueger were the first two additions for Pope, and both of those assistants will join the UK head coach as two of the team’s three primary off-campus recruiters.
Associate head coach Alvin Brooks III, whose contract information has not yet been officially confirmed by the university, will be the other Pope assistant with regular off-campus recruiting duties.
The UK coaching staff also includes longtime college head coach Mark Fox, as well as assistant coach Mikhail McLean, who will both be permitted to recruit off campus in place of Brooks, Fueger and Hart, should the need arise. Fox has signed a one-year deal worth $200,000.
Hart, 46, most recently spent the past three seasons as the head coach of the NBA’s G League Ignite program, which featured several star recruits who went on to become draft picks. NIL reforms at the NCAA level led the NBA to discontinue the program earlier this year.
Before that, Hart was an assistant at Southern Cal for eight seasons, and he was associate head coach for the Trojans’ team that reached the 2021 Elite Eight, the first time in 20 years — and just the second time since 1954 — that USC had advanced that far in the NCAA Tournament.
Strangely enough, Hart was an assistant at Southern Cal under Andy Enfield, whose departure for SMU earlier this offseason led to Arkansas coach Eric Musselman taking the Trojans job. That vacancy was filled by John Calipari, and UK hired Pope to replace him in April.
Hart, a former standout at Syracuse, was an NBA point guard for a decade before beginning his coaching career. During Hart’s rookie season with the Milwaukee Bucks, Pope was one of his teammates.
Pope and Hart were together on the recruiting trail for an Adidas event Thursday, the opening day of the first of three July evaluation periods as the Cats look to add to future rosters.
In addition to the salary terms agreed to by Fox, Fueger and Hart, the new UK assistant coaches will have the opportunity to earn bonuses based on the Wildcats’ success.
All three UK assistants will also be eligible for an additional $20,000 for a Sweet 16 appearance, $30,000 for a trip to the Elite Eight, $50,000 for a Final Four appearance or $100,000 for a national championship. The trio would also earn $30,000 for an SEC regular-season title and $20,000 if the Cats win the SEC Tournament.
Pope has agreed to a five-year deal worth $27.5 million to coach the Wildcats, and his contract also includes several bonuses and incentives based on the team’s success.
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