Former Kentucky basketball player Joey Hart announces new school via NCAA transfer portal

After spending his first college basketball season in Lexington — and playing sparingly — former UK basketball guard Joey Hart has announced his next college stop.

On Thursday, Hart committed to Ball State out of the NCAA transfer portal, making a return to his home state of Indiana.

A former three-star recruit out of Linton-Stockton High School in Linton, Indiana, Hart was part of Kentucky’s top-ranked 2023 recruiting class under former head coach John Calipari. Hart was a late addition to that group: He wasn’t coveted as a high-major recruit until late during his final high school season, and was originally signed to play at Central Florida.

Hart reopened his recruitment and picked Kentucky last summer over Rutgers and Indiana, a decision that came when UK was in scramble mode to fill out its roster for last season amid several stay-or-go player decisions.

During his final high school season at Linton-Stockton, Hart averaged more than 23 points per game and shot 41% from 3-point range.

During his lone season in Lexington, Hart — a 6-foot-5 guard — played a total of only 10 minutes over seven appearances with the Wildcats. His season-high in playing time was three minutes in Kentucky’s 118-82 win over Marshall on Nov. 24, and he scored his only points as a Wildcat — a 3-pointer with 40 seconds remaining — in that game.

According to college basketball statistician Evan Miyakawa, Hart ranked as the No. 781 overall player in the transfer portal, as of Friday morning.

Hart entered the transfer portal when it was apparent that Calipari would be leaving UK to become the new head coach at Arkansas, although that news wasn’t yet official when Hart entered the portal. Calipari was replaced at UK by Mark Pope, the former head coach at BYU and Utah Valley and a member of Kentucky’s 1996 NCAA championship team.

With Hart officially out of the fold for Kentucky, the complete roster transformation ahead of Pope’s first season as UK’s head coach continues.

Hart joins Aaron Bradshaw (Ohio State) and Zvonimir Ivisic (Arkansas) as players from UK’s 2023-24 squad that will transfer to new schools. Additionally, Adou Thiero and D.J. Wagner are also still in the NCAA transfer portal.

Also from last season’s squad, Rob Dillingham, Justin Edwards, Ugonna Onyenso and Reed Sheppard have declared for the 2024 NBA draft. Tre Mitchell and Antonio Reeves have exhausted their college eligibility.

Five of the six players that Calipari had lined up as part of Kentucky’s 2024 recruiting class have decommitted from the UK program, including all three of Kentucky’s McDonald’s All-American recruits. In-state guard Travis Perry, the all-time leading scorer in Kentucky high school boys basketball history, is the only one of those six recruits expected to remain committed to UK.

Collin Chandler, a combo guard and former BYU signee, announced Tuesday morning that he would be following Pope to Kentucky. Chandler was a four-star prospect in the 2022 recruiting class before taking a two-year mission trip.

Pope has also lined up a transfer portal visitor, former Drexel big man Amari Williams, who has UK among his top three schools. That visit will begin Sunday.

UK was among the top three schools for former BYU and Charlotte center Aly Khalifa, but on Thursday, Khalifa announced he would be transferring to Louisville and redshirt the 2024-25 season.

College basketball players have until May 1 to enter the transfer portal. The early-entry deadline for the 2024 NBA draft is April 27, and players who enter the draft with remaining NCAA eligibility will have until May 29 to remove their names from consideration and return to school.

Reed Sheppard will enter the NBA draft. His Kentucky career is over.

Mark Pope’s first Kentucky recruit hasn’t played basketball in two years. Does it matter?

One of the best defensive players in college basketball is taking a recruiting visit to UK

BYU’s best basketball recruit in nearly a decade now Mark Pope’s 1st commitment at Kentucky

The story behind UK’s coaching search: Mitch Barnhart’s process in arriving at Mark Pope

What is Reed Sheppard’s future with Kentucky basketball? New UK coach Mark Pope weighs in.

Kentucky’s starting point guard is in the transfer portal. All options are on the table.

Another Kentucky men’s basketball signee decommits from the Cats’ 2024 recruiting class

Mark Pope’s Kentucky basketball contract includes several incentives and regular raises

Travis Perry, still a Kentucky signee, talks about his potential UK future with Mark Pope

New Kentucky basketball coach Mark Pope has already lined up a transfer portal visitor

New UK coach Mark Pope walking into his first Kentucky-Louisville recruiting battle

Mark Pope’s debut was something else. ‘It felt like the best days of Kentucky basketball.’