Skip to main content

Maryland transfer Hakim Hart commits to Villanova

joe tipton headshot updatedby:Joe Tipton04/21/23

TiptonEdits

Hakim Hart
(Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images)

Maryland transfer Hakim Hart has committed to Villanova, he told On3.

The 6-foot-8, 205-pound small forward averaged 11.4 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 2.6 assists this season for the Terrapins, who finished fifth in the Big Ten with an overall record of 22-13.

Hart, a native of Philadelphia, discussed his commitment to Villanova with On3.

“I chose Villanova because I feel like it was great fit for me and it’s close to home which is a plus,” he said. “I also know a couple of players on the team already, which makes the transition easier.”

The Villanova Wildcats, led by Kyle Neptune, finished the 2022-23 season sixth in the Big East with an overall record of 17-17.

To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire

Hakim Hart is headed to Villanova, transfer portal background information

The NCAA Transfer Portal, which covers every NCAA sport at the Division I, II and III levels, is a private database with names of student-athletes who wish to transfer. It is not accessible to the public.

The process of entering the portal is done through a school’s compliance office. Once a player provides written notification of an intent to transfer, the office enters the player’s name in the database and everything is off and running. The compliance office has 48 hours to comply with the player’s request and that request cannot be refused.

Top 10

  1. 1

    CFP contenders

    31 teams remain in contention

  2. 2

    Hunter Heisman

    Colorado star becomes betting favorite

  3. 3

    Klatt predicts CFP

    FOX analyst has a new 12-team field

    New
  4. 4

    Michigan loses QB

    Carter Smith decommits from Wolverines

    Hot
  5. 5

    LSU DL back in 2025

    Jacobian Guillory makes it official

View All

Once a player’s name shows up in the portal, other schools can contact the player. Players can change their minds at any point and withdraw from the portal. However, once a player enters the portal, the current scholarship no longer has to be honored. In other words, if a player enters the portal but decides to stay, the school is not obligated to provide a scholarship anymore.

The database is a normal database, sortable by a variety of topics, including (of course) sport and name. A player’s individual entry includes basic details such as contact info, whether the player was on scholarship and whether the player is transferring as a graduate student.

A player can ask that a “do not contact” tag be placed on the report. In those instances, the players don’t want to be contacted by schools unless they’ve initiated the communication.

The portal has been around since Oct. 15, 2018 and the new calendar cycle within the portal begins each August. For example, the 2021-22 cycle started Aug. 1. During the 2020-21 cycle, 2,626 FBS football players entered the transfer portal (including walk-ons). That comes after 1,681 entered during the 2019-20 cycle and 1,709 during the abbreviated 2018-19 cycle. In comparison, 1,833 Division I basketball players entered the portal during the 2020-21 cycle after totals of 1,020 in 2019-20 and 1,063 in 2018-19.