Louisville's Harrell staying in school

Apr 14, 2014 - 7:36 PM Louisville, KY (SportsNetwork.com) - Louisville head coach Rick Pitino received some "great news" Monday when forward Montrezl Harrell announced he will return to school for his junior season.

Harrell was expected to be selected in the first round of the NBA Draft had he opted to forgo his collegiate eligibility, but Pitino will get back an improving forward who averaged 14.0 points, 8.4 rebounds and blocked 49 shots for last season's Sweet 16 squad.

"This is obviously great news," said Pitino. "Like (former Cardinal and current Timberwolves center) Gorgui Dieng, (Harrell) will benefit tremendously from playing his junior season. We hope, like Russ Smith, that he can become a first-team All-America selection. Montrezl is a Louisville man and we're all very excited to have Montrezl as a co-captain with Wayne Blackshear."

Harrell, listed at 6-foot-8, 235 pounds, also made 60.9 percent of his shots last season, totaled 12 double-doubles and set a school record with 97 dunks.