The version of Josh Hart’s story in which he fails to survive is one that is never shared. When a school in Washington, D.C. removes a struggling student from its student body after threatening to do so. Where a young man from Silver Spring, Maryland, struggles to get his bearings. Although that version didn’t come to pass, it nearly did, and knowing that near-miss reveals nearly everything about Josh Hart’s personality.
Hart was raised in Silver Spring, Maryland, which is situated near enough to the nation’s capital to sense its vibrancy without actually being a part of it. He may have continued his high school education at Wheaton High School, a highly reputable public institution. However, basketball had more ambitious goals. Hart moved to Washington, D.C.’s Sidwell Friends School, which is more well-known for educating the offspring of diplomats and presidents than for turning out NBA players. There was no decorative academic pressure. It was genuine. Hart admitted that he almost didn’t meet it.
He was on the verge of expulsion. Bad grades—the kind that don’t last long in a school with Sidwell’s standards. A petition was what saved him, not a scholarship offer or a highlight reel. Parents and students banded together to advocate for him to be given another chance. Perhaps more than any basketball drill, that experience shaped Hart. Something about that story—the notion that others had faith in you before you had earned it—tends to stick with people.
As a senior, Hart averaged 24.3 points and 13.4 rebounds per game by the time he graduated. The Washington Post selected him for the first team All-Met. In addition to all of that, he was working with Troop 1083 in Rockville, Maryland, to complete his Eagle Scout rank, which he attained in 2013. Participating in the Eagle Scout program is a serious commitment. It takes years, not weeks, of consistent work, volunteer work, and proven leadership. Hart’s ability to complete it while competing at his level reveals something about his time management and priorities.
Villanova wasn’t the most obvious choice. With Penn State and Rutgers in the picture, Hart wasn’t considered a blue-chip recruit; according to ESPN, he was ranked 82nd in his class. However, the words he used when he committed to the Wildcats in November 2012 are noteworthy. He promised to do whatever it took to win, including going after rebounds and diving for loose balls. Scoring titles was not what he was promising. He was making a good effort. It is uncommon for a seventeen-year-old to have such self-awareness.
During his four seasons as a Communications major at Villanova, Hart rose to prominence as one of the team’s most accomplished athletes. By star standards, his freshman year was unremarkable (7.8 points, 31 percent from three), but the coaches saw “amazing confidence.” In his sophomore year, he was named the Big East’s Sixth Man of the Year and the tournament’s most outstanding player, making history as the first bench player to do so. In his junior year, he helped the Wildcats win their first national championship since 1985 by scoring 23 points in a Final Four game in Houston. He won Big East Player of the Year and was a consensus first-team All-American in his senior year. In January 2022, Villanova finally decided to retire his number three jersey.
It’s difficult to ignore the similarities between Hart’s educational and gaming arcs. He wasn’t the most gifted by nature. He wasn’t the prospect with the highest ranking. However, he persisted, continued to work, made it through the challenging times, and emerged stronger than nearly everyone had anticipated. Although Hart’s degree in communications may seem insignificant, it doesn’t seem like a coincidence when you watch him speak after games these days. He is calm, straightforward, and quick with context. There is a level of fluency that indicates someone who has taken the time to learn communication skills rather than just playing hoops in college.
It’s genuinely unclear if the player the New York Knicks currently rely on is the result of the Villanova education, the Eagle Scout experience, the near-expulsion, or a combination of all three. It is difficult to untangle these things. However, it seems noteworthy that the franchise record holder for triple-doubles in a single season is a man who barely made it through high school. Classrooms are where some education takes place. Some occur in much more difficult locations than that.
