Q&A with star U of L forward Montrezl Harrell

Louisville hoops star Montrezl Harrell surprised just about everyone in April when he opted to return to school for his junior year instead of enter the NBA draft as a projected first-round pick.

The 6-foot-8 power forward has added about five pounds to his frame this summer and, according to Louisville coach Rick Pitino, has improved his jump-shooting and ball-handling.

The preseason All-American in several publications figures to be the key figure in Louisville's 2014-15 season. The Courier-Journal sat down with on Wednesday for a 15-minute Q&A.

Here's what Harrell had to say:

How's practice going so far?

Practice is going really well. We have a lot of young guys on the team, a lot of young freshmen who don't know our style of play. There's a lot of defense and a lot of stuff we do on offense. For where we're at right now, our practices are going really well. There are a lot of things that the young guys still need to learn. We have to do a lot better on defense. That's going to be our toughest aspect -- getting the freshmen to be able to play defense the way we play.

On the offensive end, I really don't see us running into too much trouble. We have a lot of guys who can score the ball and put up numbers. That's not really going to hurt us. Our defense is really not where it needs to be right now.

How are the freshmen adjusting to

playing for Rick Pitino?

Some are adjusting better than others. It's really a big move, going from your high school coach to a college coach, especially to a coach the way Coach P coaches. I feel like some guys are picking up quicker than others, some are not letting it get to them as much as others. It's something they kind of shut down from, but it's going to help them in the long run. They have to become mentally strong.

We have a lot of tough games on the road to a lot of tough crowds. It's building them up for what we're getting ready to head into.

Who has really stuck out to you this summer?

I want to say Terry (Rozier) and Wayne (Blackshear). They really stuck out to me. Honestly, I can say it's everybody that's back as a veteran. Chris, he's improved a lot. He's lost a lot of weight and gotten so much quicker at the point guard spot. Terry has molded his jump shot to where he's a very consistent shooter. Wayne's getting to the basket and not just becoming a jump shot. Mangok has transformed his body and gotten much stronger. That's what we're going to need from him. Everybody who came back, who is a veteran on this team, they've really improved a lot to me.

Freshmen-wise, I would say it's Quuentin or Chinanu. They've stuck out to me. They took the criticism of the coaches and didn't let it bother them. And they're really doing well in practices, especially for what we add and the style of play we're doing.

What did you take away from the decision to stay in school? What did you learn?

A lot of people told me multiple things, from different coaches telling me that they feel like I have to improve free-throw shooting and knock down a consistent 14- or 15-footers

or my ball-handling has to get better. It was just a lot of different stuff like that and I really feel like I worked really hard and put in the time and improved my game and those areas that were lacking in my game. I'm playing confident basketball right now and I'm feeling pretty good about where I'm at. I'm ready to get the season started.

Take me back to April ... You weren't quite sure, then you were leaning toward leaving and then you woke up and changed your mind. What was that process like for you?

It was pretty tough. It was like the recruiting process all over again, trying to make the best choice for you in the long run. I honestly feel like I made the best choice for me, coming back to school and getting a year under my belt and playing in the ACC. That's how the NBA is going to be. You have to play every night in the NBA because any given night you could lose. That's how it's going to be in the ACC. There's a lot of tough opponents that we're going to play both home and on the road.

I feel like I've improved my game both offensively and defensively. I really have to get back to playing defense how I was in the past few years. I feel like my choice coming back to school was the best move for me.

You grew up in North Carolina, in ACC country, so to speak. What does the move into that league mean to you?

It means a lot. That was always my dream to play (in the ACC). My first school was originally Virginia Tech and they play in the ACC. I didn't end up there but I feel like everything happens for a reason. I wasn't supposed to be at Virginia Tech and that's why I'm here now and why I'm in the position I'm in now. It's really a blessing.

For us to go into the ACC and play where I wanted to play all along, it's going to be fun for me. Like you said, ACC country -- I know all the teams, studied all of them growing up -- the North Carolinas, the Dukes, the States, all the teams in North Carolina. Those are the premier teams, so being able to play there and play against those schools and go back home is really going to be fun for me.

I remember back when you guys played UNC last November, there was a little motivation for you because they didn't really recruit you in high school. Is that feeling still there?

It's in the past. It doesn't faze me. Our first time playing them, I was really hyped up about playing them. I think that's why I performed the way I performed (He fouled out with five points, 10 rebounds and three turnovers in a Louisville loss.)

I really didn't perform the way I wanted to. I was so jacked up saying, 'It's North Carolina, it's North Carolina.' I ended up making myself have a bad game. At first, it did bother me. But like I said, everything happens for a reason. I wasn't mean to be at North Carolina, I was meant to be at Louisville. Now we get to play them. I get to prove what I can do. I'm not just zoned in on North Carolina, though. I'm ready for all of it.

They put out the media guide a few weeks ago and I saw that Jeff Green is your favorite NBA player. Why?

There are so many things about his game, but the first thing that drew me into watching Jeff Green was his story. He was faced with having open-heart surgery and he has the scar. That just goes to show you that you can't take anything for granted. One day you could wake up and you might not be able to do the things you could do the day before. You have to take everything one day at a time and be grateful for everything that's in front of you.

It was a blessing for him to be back out there on the court, and for him to do everything that he did, carrying his team against the Heat ... He's just a leader. He gets people to follow him. He plays hard. There's just so much I love about him and his game.

Speaking of that, you emerged last year as a vocal guy in the locker room and on the court. But while you were obviously already in that role, how are things different with the seniors gone?

I feel like it's going really smooth for me. I learned from people ahead of me. I learned from people like Russ (Smith) and Luke (Hancock) ... Gorgui (Dieng), Stephan Van Treese, Tim (Henderson), Peyton (Siva), all of those guys who were in front of me. They were all great leaders and they brought me along. I was a young guy once upon a time. By being under them and the way they carried themselves, I learned from a lot of great people.

When you have great people like that around you, it tends to rub off on you. I'm really grateful for being around them for the three or four years that they were here. I learned so much from them and instilled it myself. I got a lot of my vocal confidence from Gorgui. When he came in, he was just like me. He didn't talk much, didn't say much. People didn't understand how he was. But his junior year, he was our vocal leader. He told everythwere to be on defense. He understood scouting reports. Learning from him, he really took everything in stride.

It's hard for the people who follow this program and who have seen you play to imagine you being a quiet guy.

The quiet person I was when I first came here is long gone. I haven't been back to it since then. How you all see me on the court -- vocal, emotional, happy, all those things -- that's how I am off the court. I try to be the same person all the time.

Switching gears a little bit ... Russ did a Twitter Q&A this summer and he said he didn't like Kendrick Lamar as much. Then I saw that you listed him as your favorite artist. Does that bother you?

It doesn't because, being around Russ for so long, he listens to some weird music. Russ is weird. He listens to Lil B. Have you heard anything by him? Terrible. Me and Russ, musically, couldn't see eye to eye. No way. There's never in a million years a time when I'd play a Lil B song. Ever.

I listen to Kendrick Lamar because he tells a story from him growing up. That's the thing I love about him -- his story. I'm the same way with J. Cole. They tell stories in their rhymes. I'd rather have someone tell me a story and play it out than someone just on an instrumental and making noises like Lil B does. I don't want to hear that ... Everybody has their opinion of what they want to listen to. I'm not telling him what to put on his iPod.

Do you listen to music before games?

Yeah. I'm in that category. I listen to music, but I also get speeches in there. I listen to speeches like the "How Bad Do You Want It?" speech by Eric Thomas. I listen to the speech from the Rocky movie where he's talking to his son. I listen to Ray Lewis when he talks in the Stanford locker room. Just motivational things that prepare me for the game.

Is that something you do regardless of if there's a game?

Yeah, motivational speeches like that, I do.

Rick Pitino does a lot of motivational speaking himself. Do you think that's part of why you like it, being around him so much? Or was it something you enjoyed before you got here?

It's just something I got into and grew to like. I started doing it when I got here. He's given us a lot of good quotes, and I just kind of took it upon myself to find different ones that I liked that related to my life and my situation that I'm in. That's kind of how I got into it.

He told us last season that the team has a lot of meetings about stuff other than basketball, whether you guys talk politics or finances or whatever. Now that it's clear that, I'd assume, you're headed to the NBA after this year, do you find yourself taking those conversations more seriously now?

The summer of my sophomore year was when I started taking a lot of it seriously. I started talking to Coach P and understood that I'd be put in a position where I'd be fortunate enough to make money playing basketball. Being here over the years, you listen to them and have them teach you different things about finances and learning how to handle your money and understanding all that.

I don't know the best way to phrase this, so hopefully you get what I'm asking, but you're close now to making a significant amount of money in the NBA -- about eight months away from it. What is that like right now, where you know it's coming but it's still in the future?

I try not to let myself think about it too much. If you start thinking about those things and worrying about those things, you stress yourself out. 'What's going to happen at this point in time or where will I be next year at this time?' I can't worry about that stuff right now. I just have to worry about making myself a better basketball player and helping better my team. I still have a long season in front of me. I'm going to enjoy playing every home, every road game. I'm going to enjoy playing with a University of Louisville basketball jersey this year.

OK, so I know about Chris Jones with his Kool-Aid pickle snack. I know about Terry Rozier with his spaghetti, sugar and ranch. I know you eat three pieces of candy before games. Do you have ones you eat every time?

At home games, I eat two plain Hershey bars and a Reese's.

Why those?

Hershey bars are my favorite. I used to eat Reese's a lot. That combination is a good combination for me. (Laughs.) I also take half of a Mountain Dew and mix it with a Gatorade.

OK ... Wait, why? What flavor Gatorade?

(Laughs.) I take a regular red Gatorade or a (lemon-lime) Gatorade. I mix it with the Mountain Dew.

Is it the carbonation? Why do you do that?

The carbonation is good and then soda has caffeine in it, so that jacks you up with energy. The Gatorade takes it and balances it out so you're not drinking too much caffeine before the games so you don't cramp up.

How long has this been a routine?

I've been doing that since I got here. I do it before every game. Three pieces of candy and the mix of the soda and Gatorade.

That's a lot of sugar.

I know, but I'm ready to play. (Laughs.)