President Obama Will Host Villanova Wildcats at White House

And Josh Hart is returning for one last season!

It’s back-to-back good news for the Villanova Wildcats.

The Villanova basketball team is scheduled to visit President Obama at the White House next Tuesday for an honorary ceremony celebrating their NCAA championship win in April.

The announcement came just as Josh Hart declared he’s returning to the defending national champion team for his senior season.

The Wildcats’ leading scorer last season, Hart tweeted the news last night, which was followed by a statement from Villanova.

Hart, a 6’5” shooting guard with an average of 15.5 points per game and 6.8 rebounds was one of 65 players invited to the 2016 NBA draft combine, along with fellow Wildcat and junior Kris Jenkins, who nailed the buzzer-beating 3-pointer against North Carolina that gave Villanova its second national title.

Jenkins withdrew his name from the draft combine earlier this month.

Hart, of Silver Spring, Maryland., worked out for several NBA teams, including the 76ers, the Los Angeles Clippers, the San Antonio Spurs and the Boston Celtics. He removed his name from the 2016 NBA draft process just before the May 25th deadline.

“I enjoyed the process and learned a lot,” Hart said in a statement released by Villanova. “It was definitely worthwhile. I look forward to graduating next year and coming back to play with my teammates.”

Both Hart and Jenkins give the Wildcats a legitimate shot at repeating a championship win next year.

Hart will join the team next Tuesday for its visit to the White House, where Obama regularly hosts professional and college title teams.

Villanova coach Jay Wright and team captains Ryan Arcidiacono and Daniel Ochefu will lead the Wildcats for the welcoming ceremony, which is expected to begin around 4 p.m. The event will be livestreamed.

Follow @ClaireSasko on Twitter.