CARDINALS

Harrell: No regrets returning to U of L

Jeff Greer
@jeffgreer_cj
Louisville's Montrezl Harrell signals he just nailed a three pointer.   
March 7, 2015

SEATTLE – -- Montrezl Harrell surprised a lot of people when he decided last spring to return to the University of Louisville for his junior season, including head coach Rick Pitino.

Harrell's family, Pitino said, "100 percent" wanted the 6-foot-8 forward to enter the NBA draft. But Harrell was determined to improve in several areas, from his on- and off-court leadership to his passing, shooting and dribbling skills, and he wanted to develop those attributes in college.

Offered on Thursday a chance to review his decision to return to school before his last NCAA tournament with U of L, Harrell said he has hit the goals he set for himself.

"I don't have any regrets coming back ... I felt like I only got better coming back with my college career," Harrell said. "I've improved in so many different areas that I wasn't able to do last year.

"My progression throughout the season has been exactly where I want it to be."

Pitino agreed.

"He has improved his passing dramatically, his ball handling dramatically," Pitino said. "He has always been a warrior with the way he has played. He plays every possession as if it's his last on earth ... But he improved dramatically at other phases of the game, which I think is necessary going into the NBA level."

To ESPN analyst Jay Bilas, evaluating a player's decision to return to school or enter the NBA draft is like deciding "when is the right time to get married." It's difficult to say either way, he said, because a player would improve his game at both levels.

"It's a peresonal decision," Bilas said. "One of the things that aggravates me more than anything is how basketball players are treated relative to their future decisions. A player like Montrezl or (Wisconsin big man) Frank Kaminsky is not more virtuous than a player that leaves early. They got a better offer and they took it. The players who come back -- it's the best call for them."

Bilas's colleague, Fran Fraschilla, said "it's unlikely" that Harrell would have had much of an impact on an NBA team this season anyway.

"The fact that Louisville was caught in the situation of being among the top five teams in a great league -- but not the best team -- tended to dilute Montrezl's national profile, but it definitely did not hurt him coming back," Fraschilla said.

"This year gave him another year to mature.There's a growing gap between the college level and the NBA level because so many guys are coming into the league unprepared ... Montrezl's decision will ultinately help him with his professional career, even if it meant there was less hype on him at the end of the year."

Upset alert: Pitino on Thursday was all too aware of the early surprises that rocked the 2015 NCAA tournament, from Georgia State knocking off Baylor to UAB stunning Iowa State.

"I always get the most jitters as a basketball coach -- after 20 times being in the tournament -- in the first round," Pitino said. "What happens is, you go into the game and the seed that's lower is certainly confident they're going to win, and the other team that's higher is saying, 'Well, I got the reverse.' The emotional levels for both teams are really dramatic."