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Knicks' Josh Hart Praises New Villanova Coach

New York Knicks star Josh Hart offered a vote of confidence to his alma mater's new head coaching hire.
Geoff Maggliocchetti|
Mar 11, 2016; New York, NY, USA; Villanova Wildcats guard Josh Hart (3) celebrates a dunk against the Providence Friars during the second half in the semifinals of the Big East conference tournament at Madison Square Garden. The Wildcats won, 76-68. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
Mar 11, 2016; New York, NY, USA; Villanova Wildcats guard Josh Hart (3) celebrates a dunk against the Providence Friars during the second half in the semifinals of the Big East conference tournament at Madison Square Garden. The Wildcats won, 76-68. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

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New York Knicks

One New York Knicks star believes that the Villanova Wildcats' new pick for head coach is up to scratch.

Josh Hart put forth a vote of confidence for the college basketball happenings on the Main Line, where he played four seasons under the watch of Jay Wright. Villanova, having gone three years without an NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament appearance since Wright retired after a Final Four showing in 2022, recently parted ways with successor Kyle Neptune and hired Maryland boss Kevin Willard.

"I'm super excited," Hart said in video from SNY after the Knicks, appropriately, earned a 105-91 over the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday. "Kevin was at Seton Hall when I was playing and I admired him, I had admiration for him. I hated playing against him because he was a hell of a competitor, had a tough team, a physical team and he's going to bring that back to Nova. So I'm super excited to have him at the [alma mater] and I know that the [Nova] Nation should be excited."

Willard, a Huntington, NY native, is fresh off a Sweet 16 appearance with the Maryland Terrapins and has also led Iona and Seton Hall. As Hart mentioned, Villanova fans should be well-versed in his game thanks to furious matchups with the former throughout the late 2010s.

Some of those showdowns, in fact, took place under Madison Square Garden's iconic roof: under Willard's watch, Seton Hall defeated a Villanova squad led by current Knicks Hart, Mikal Bridges, and Jalen Brunson in the 2016 Big East Men's Basketball Tournament final.

The Wildcats, however, not only went on to win that season's national championship but they took revenge against the Pirates in the Big East final three years later, becoming the first squad to pull off a three-peat at MSG. Seton Hall's aforementioned win was the only thing stopping that streak from reaching five.

As the Knicks (48-27) took down the 76ers, the modern Wildcats partook in the opening round of the inaugural College Basketball Crown tournament in Las Vegas. Under the watch of another former backcourt star, interim coach Mike Nardi, Villanova downed Colorado 85-64 on a night where Eric Dixon succeeded Kerry Kittles as the leading scorer in men's program history.

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Geoff Magliocchetti
GEOFF MAGGLIOCCHETTI

Geoff Magliocchetti is a veteran sportswriter who contributes to a variety of sites on the "On SI" network. In addition to the Yankees/Mets, Geoff also covers the New York Knicks, New York Liberty, and New York Giants and has previously written about the New York Jets, Buffalo Bills, Staten Island Yankees, and NASCAR.

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