(Excerpted from Hart's bio in the "40 for 40" series at this site.)

As a high school recruit, Josh Hart was overlooked by most major programs, receiving interest from just three major schools: Rutgers, Penn State, and Villanova. When he graduated Villanova four years later, no one was overlooking him anymore.

Hart grew up in Silver Spring, MD and attended the prestigious Sidwell Friends School, known more as a school for the children of presidents and diplomats than future NBA draft picks. A first team All-Met selection, he averaged 24 points and 13 rebounds as a senior, and was listed at #82 on ESPN's national recruiting list. Despite the accolades, Hart was not recruited by Georgetown, located less than four miles from the school. Georgetown coach John Thompson III was all-in on recruiting St. John's All-Met guard Tre Campbell, graduating in 2014. Villanova's Jay Wright saw an opportunity in his Washington recruiting pipeline and signed Hart that November. Hart was the first of a series of Washington area recruits that sent Villanova soaring into the NCAA elite.

Despite starting just three games in his first two years on the Main Line, Hart was a valuable addition to the Villanova arsenal. He was Big East Rookie of the Week five times en route to the Wildcats' 29-5 season in 2014, as Villanova won the Big East regular season title and advanced to the NCAA regional semifinals. As a sophomore, Hart averaged 44 percent from three point range and peaked in the 2015 Big East tournament, where he shot 21 of 29 from the field and was named the winner of the Dave Gavitt Trophy as its most valuable player, as the Wildcats won its first title since 1995. For the season, Hart shot 51 percent from the field and 44 percent from three. Villanova not only matched its 29 win total from 2014, but extended it to a school-best 33-3 mark, falling in the second round of the NCAA tournament to North Carolina State.

Hart was elevated to the starting lineup as a junior and Villanova never looked back. The Wildcats lost a pair of games in the non-conference to Top 10 teams in Oklahoma and Virginia, but by the time conference play was underway, his leadership set the course for a remarkable season to follow.

Standing just 6-5, Hart posted double-double figures in points and rebounds in three of the Wildcats' first six Big East games and eight games overall, including 15 points and 12 rebounds versus Georgetown, 14 points and 13 rebounds at Providence, and 22 points and 12 rebounds versus Butler. Villanova advanced to the finals of the Big East and lost by two to Seton Hall, but were well on its way to NCAA glory.

Hart grew to national acclaim in the 2016 NCAA's, with the Wildcats winning its first three rounds of NCAA play by an average of 24 points. In the regional final, Hart scored 13 points as the Wildcats shook off a uncharacteristic 4 for 18 run from three point range to defeat Kansas and advance to the Final Four. Hart avenged the Wildcats' earlier loss to Oklahoma with a 10 for 12 shooting effort in Nova's 95-51 blowout of Oklahoma in the semifinal, than followed it up with 12 points and a team high eight rebounds in the national final versus North Carolina, a game settled on a three pointer by Kris Jenkins called by Villanova announced Ryan Fannon as follows:

"Three seconds to go, across the timeline, two seconds to go... Jenkins; three right wing to win it... He made it! He made the three from the right wing, at the buzzer! ... Thirty-one years later, Villanova is the king of college basketball once again!"

Hart considered but passed on an early entry to the NBA to return to Villanova for his senior season, and was honored as the 2016-17 Big East Player of the Year and a second award of the Dave Gavitt Trophy as the Wildcats won its second Big East title in three years. In season highlights included averaging 23 points a game in a sweep of Georgetown while scoring a season high 29 in the Big East final win over Creighton. But it was the little things that made a difference. In the conference opener with lowly DePaul, Villanova was on the verge of a massive upset. Hart scored 10 of his game high 25 points in the final 3:06, including a three pointer with nine seconds remaining for the win, one of 17 games he led the team in scoring that season. Villanova just didn't make mistakes down the stretch of games, and Hart was a big reason why. In four years, his teams posted an overall Big East record of 63-9, and a combined 47-1 at home at what is now the Finneran Pavilion.

Alongside the likes of Jalen Brunson, Kris Jenkins, Mikal Bridges, and Donte DiVincenzo, Josh Hart was a steady and consistent producer for a golden age of Villanova basketball, one which earned the Big East renewed respect following the 2013 realignment. Hart remains the only Villanova player in school to score 1,900 or more points, 800 or more rebounds, 250 or more assists and 150 or more steals in a career, and is one of just six consensus first team All-America selections in school history.