Harrell hopes his high energy pays off

CHICAGO -- There is a reason why University of Louisville basketball coach Rick Pitino showed Montrezl Harrell so much film of Kenneth Faried, an undersized power forward who has made a living in the NBA as a high-energy rebounder and hustler.

Not only does Harrell, a 6-foot-7, 254-pound prospect, play a similar style to Faried, but Faried has created a path for a player like Harrell to follow into the NBA, and it has become a potentially lucrative one. Last summer, after averaging 12.1 points and 8.6 rebounds per game over the first three seasons of his career, Faried inked a five-year, $60 million contract extension with the Denver Nuggets.

That's why Harrell, considered a likely first-round pick in next month's NBA draft, has spent the past six weeks of post-college workouts focusing on what he does best: Rebounding, running the floor and finishing around the basket.

"To come in and play with such energy and passion every night, it can take you a long way in the game," Harrell said. "That's just what I bring to the table every night. Every time I step on the court, no matter if it's workouts, games or practice, I'm going 110 percent all the time. That's just the way I play."

Harrell didn't participate in any of the 5-on-5 scrimmages or physical testing here at the NBA draft combine. He conducted interviews with several teams whose front-office personnel were mainly collecting background information as the draft process heats up. He went through medical exams and got his body measurements.

In other words, he did nothing to hurt that first-round stock, and he solidified what many already thought about him, that if he is going to start and maintain a career in the NBA, he will do so as an undersized but energetic big man, a player who is just 6-7 without shoes but carries a gigantic 7-4 1/4 wingspan, one of the longest in the draft pool.

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"I just want to make sure I stay true to who I am and what I do best," Harrell said. "I'm not trying to prove anything to anyone that I'm trying to be this or trying to be that. I'm the same person I was. It's just me."

Beyond this weekend, Harrell isn't sure what's next. He planned to meet with his agent, Rich Paul, a powerful figure in the NBA who represents LeBron James, to discuss and plan his private team workouts in the coming weeks. He admitted Friday that he hasn't paid much attention yet to that element of this process.

Ultimately the former U of L star seemed poised, calm and confident. He laughed when told that his former teammate, Terry Rozier, teased him for skipping the 5-on-5 workouts. He recalled an odd question from one team interview about what kind of meal he would prepare for his girlfriend. He said he hoped his story and his path to the NBA draft would show his younger (and former) Louisville teammates what it takes. He relished the chance to return home to tiny Tarboro, N.C., and catch up with his family.

"It's just been a pretty smooth process," Harrell said.

But for Harrell, this moment in his career is a long way from what he experienced as an incoming freshman at U of L. He was a highly rated prospect out of prep school, but he was nothing close to what he is now, a far more polished, though nowhere near complete, offensive player who can score in the post and hit the occasional 15-foot jumper.

"My coaches worked with me and got me better every day and pushed me to make myself better. I commend them," he said. "I always had a hard work ethic, but those guys had faith in me to push myself. I got better in so many different areas in my game, developed a back-to-the-basket game, being able to handle the ball and also extending the game out to the 3-point line. I definitely got better every year that I attended the University of Louisville."

And now he's getting compared to Faried, who has carved out a niche that suits Harrell well, too. He's watched all those videos. He's made so many tweaks himself.

With the draft fast approaching and private workouts coming up, Harrell's happy to put all that to good use. Those skills, no matter how many other things he tried to add to his game at U of L, are his money makers at the NBA level.

"I'm Montrezl Harrell," he said. "That's who I play like."

Reach U of L beat writer Jeff Greer at (502) 582-4044 and follow him on Twitter (@jeffgreer_cj).