NCAA Basketball: 10 best players from state of Maryland of last decade

2. Josh Hart – Villanova

It’s clear that Maryland has produced some really talented basketball players in recent years, and Hart is another clear example. A 6’5 guard from Silver Spring, he was a top 100 prospect who committed to Villanova and played his collegiate career under the great Jay Wright. Hart arrived on campus in 2013 and didn’t leave school until he was a national champion and one of the best players in the nation.

Hart’s first two seasons saw him as a bench player who got a lot of run, actually averaging 10.1 points per game as a sophomore. Junior season saw him starting in the backcourt, where he racked up some impressive numbers. He had a 23-point performance against Oklahoma in the Final Four, two days before he helped the Wildcats win the national championship. As a senior, he averaged 18.7 points and 6.4 rebounds per game, developing into one of the country’s best players.

Having already won Big East Sixth Man of the Year as a sophomore and being named NCAA All-Tournament as a junior, Hart really needed a trophy case for his senior season. He was Big East Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Tournament MVP, a First Team All-American, and winner of the Julius Erving Award. Hart became a late first-round draft pick in 2017 and has played the last five years in the NBA, having certainly established himself as one of the most efficient and proficient basketball players in recent memory and with a title ring as well.