Nate Pace Photo
Nate Pace is the sports editor of the Greene County Daily World in Linton, Ind., and says he has been a Kentucky fan since 1995 when he was 5 years old.
He covered the high school career of recent Kentucky signee Joey Hart, a 6-5 guard, in Linton, Ind., and says fans there are “excited” about having him joining coach John Calipari’s team.
Hart averaged 23.6 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game for Linton-Stockton High School and shot over 40 percent from 3-point range. His team went 29-2 and reached the Class 2A state championship game before losing last season.
The next few days I’ll share some of Pace’s insights into Hart to let you know more about him.
How does Pace think Hart will fit in at Kentucky with his versatile skill sets?
Pace: “Joey Hart was instant offense in high school. Labeling him as a ‘sharpshooter’ is under selling him. Sure, he can shoot but he was also able to get to the rim and be the best dunker in Western Indiana.
“The only times where he struggled to beat his defender were against players with plenty of length. If Kentucky and Calipari can switch him onto smaller guards, he should be able to get by them or get off a 3 with ease. In transition, Hart is a dunk waiting to happen every time.”
What about his defensive transition to college basketball?
Pace: “Defense is tougher to tell. Linton played a 1-3-1 zone-trap to the point where it was almost a religion and was physical as a team. His individual defending against SEC caliber players is something we will not know until January.”
