Congrats to Louisville signee Montrezl Harrell on being selected to the USA under-18 national team. It’s a huge honor considering not only the stature of the other players picked for the team, but for the simple fact that more than 30 players (all specifically invited)  tried out and only 12 ultimately made the team. Harrell continues to add validity to the notion that he was extremely underrated – and undervalued – coming out of Hargrave Military Academy last year. As stated here before, his early commitment to Virginia Tech likely hurt his stock on the AAU scene last year but he’s done nothing but excel sine then. Not only will he provide adequate back-up time as a freshman behind Chane Behanan and perhaps even Gorgui Dieng, but his motor and tremendous work ethic make him a coach’s dream. Here’s the full roster:

Montrezl Harrell – Louisville

Nate Britt – North Carolina

Sam Dekker- Wisconsin

Jerami Grant – Syracuse

Shaq Goodwin – Memphis

Jake Layman – Maryland

Rodney Purvis – NC State

James Robinson – Pittsburgh

Marcus Smart – Oklahoma State

Rasheed Sulaimon – Duke

Julius Randle – Unsigned

Jarnell Stokes- Tennessee

CardNation was abuzz this week when talented power forward Montrezl Harrell commited to Louisville.  Mike DeCourcy writes that Harrell could be the missing piece for their 2013 title run. It’s quickly becoming evident how big of a steal he is for UofL, especially this late in the game.  Read the entire article here.

A 6-8, 230-pound power forward from Tarboro, N.C., Harrell played his final high school season at Hargrave Military Academy in Virginia. He chose Louisville after about five weeks of considering his options, and the Cardinals might be getting a better player than many expect. He is rated the No. 72 prospect in the Class of 2012 by Scout.com, No. 82 by Rivals, No. 89 by ESPN. But his play at the U-18 trials suggests Harrell has a bit of a Moe Harkless feel about him.

Harkless was rated only 46th by Scout in the Class of ’11 — and that was up from earlier rankings in the 90s — but he arrived at St. John’s and was No. 2 among Big East freshmen in scoring. Harkless now will be a first-round pick in the 2012 NBA Draft.

Yesterday afternoon, Louisville head coach Rick Pitino appeared on Terry Meiners’ show on 84 WHAS and had a lot to say about the current state of the program. They discussed everything from Montrezl Harrell and the departure of Stephan Van Treese all the way to the NBA and Belmont. All in all it was a decent interview, but Meiners definitely lobs him some softballs and stays away from anything controversial. Here’s a quick rundown of some highlights and you can listen to the entire podcasted interview here.

- On the addition of Harrell: He’s long, physical and plays every possession like it’s his last. They rolled out the red carpet for his visit and got the job done. Will be vital to the frontcourt depth next season. Went on to say that he spoke with Billy Donovan (who’s the coach of the U-18 National Team) and  he told Rick that he’s incredibly impressed with Harrell’s motor and work ethic.

- On departure of Van Treese: We sat down and talked after we got the commitment from Harrell and they both agreed that his playing time would take a big hit and that it might be in his best interest to go somewhere else where he can play 30 minutes a game. Rick suggested that he go to Bellarmine to get a year of confidence under his belt and compete for a national championship. Says he met with Scotty Davenport but no formal decision has been made. Says the split was amicable.

- Says that during these off-season workout’s, Kevin Ware and Russ Smith have stood out the most. Says they’ve both gotten stronger and it’s helping with their confidence and overall mentality.

- Says he wants to see Wayne Blackshear healthy so badly so that can fans can see the player he saw back in high school.

- Says he thinks Gorgui will continue to improve and have a huge junior season.

- Says he spoke with Indiana about playing as early as next season but Tom Crean didn’t wanna play them. Says they even offered to play the first game of the series in Bloomington.

- When asked about the whole conference situation, Rick stated that he did not think we’ll end up in the Big 12. Reiterated that he loves the Big East personally, but that he backs whatever decision Tom Jurich makes as it will be the best for the University.

- Says he’s writing a book with former Courier Journal columnist Eric Crawford about the current state of social media and distractions for athletes. The book is tentatively called Blinders and will delve into the ever-changing world of technology and how it effects players.

- Talks about Kevin Durant and the state of the NBA playoffs and gives his opinion on the Belmont Stakes this weekend.

Yesterday ESPN.com college basketball “expert” Eamonn Brennan listed all the top jobs in each of the power conferences,  and as we posted, he pegged Louisville as the second best job in the Big East (behind only Syracuse). Today, Brennan takes things a step further and ranks the top ten jobs overall in college basketball. Louisville checks in at #9, sandwiched in between Arizona and Ohio State. Agree or disagree with the list and UofL’s ranking?

 9. Louisville

For a program that has almost always played second-fiddle to the more popular (and populist)Kentucky Wildcats, Louisville has built a large share of its own tradition over the decades. But forget all that. This job is good right now, in 2012, for far more tangible reasons. The Cardinals boast perhaps the nation’s most glimmering arena in the KFC Yum! Center, and, with all apologies to the Louisville Bats, they’re the only game in town in what is, according to Neilsen, the 48th-largest media market in the country. That combination of facilities and massive local support makes Louisville as attractive a destination for recruits as nearly anywhere in the country.

Well, at least part of the scholarship-crunch question was just answered as Indianapolis, In. junior Stephan Van Treese was granted his formal release from Louisville today and will transfer. Van Treese appeared in just three games last season and will reportedly apply for a retroactive medical redshirt that will allow him to play two more seasons of D-1 basketball. If granted his medical hardship, he could transfer to a non-Big East school and play right away. If he’s denied, he’ll either have to go the D-2 / NAIA route for a season and then come back to D-1, or transfer and sit out this coming season before having one final year of eligibility. While it initially appeared that Van Treese was the one who wanted out and the transfer was all on his end, he spoke with the Indy Star last night and said that Pitino informed him that it would be in his best interest to transfer as playing time would be minimal. In the end, it’s the right move and now he can move on somewhere else and play significant minutes. The debate about whether or not it’s “the right thing to do” will inevitably rage on, but in the end, isn’t the ultimate goal to win the most games you can? To win the National Championship? If so, in order to accomplish said goals, you have to assemble the best possible talent at your disposal. That means there could possibly be casualties along the way. Also, Van Treese will land on his feet. It’s not like he’s being kicked to the curb by a staff with no connections or sympathy for his situation. He will get a strong letter of recommendation from Pitino and the staff will use those aforementioned connections to make sure he ends up in a good situation. We wish him well in all his future endeavors.

Here’s the official statement from the athletic department on his release.

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Coach Pitino wants to see Wayne evolve into the player he knows he can be.

Coach P doesn’t blog as much as we all would like, but when he does, it is packed with great info.  In this installment, he describes in detail how they are working with each player’s jump shot.  Additionally, he gives his thoughts on Montrezl Harrell, the NBA Playoffs, and the Belmont.  Some tidbits:

Russ Smith:   It’s interesting how much Russdiculous has changed in two years. Upon arrival as a freshman, we witnessed someone who didn’t’ like the weight room and could not bench press 125 pounds. He now does 185 lbs., 17 times. He had a contest with pull ups vs. Peyton. Peyton got 35 but told Russ, who has gained eight lbs., that he weighed 15 lbs. more. Russ put on a sand bag around his neck and did 36.  Pretty amazing!   We are not only concentrating on his form, but trying to cut down on his off balance shots. He’s stronger, wiser and a lock-down defender. He’s maturing into a fierce competitor. Real proud of him.

Wayne Blackshear: Three areas of concentration -

• Getting ball over his forehead on jumper
• Drawing body-to-body vs. his defender. He has a tendency to drive wide off his jab.
• Keep him healthy. He’s had enough time away from the court. It’s time to step up and be the player I know he can be.

Peyton Siva:  He’s worked diligently at developing proper form. We do a shooting drill at the end of individuals; two balls and three shooters. They are on the move from the clock for two minutes. Our record was 35 and it was broken by Peyton, Russ and Kevin. I was shocked to see these three do it. Peyton missed two shots during the rapid fire in the shooting drill. It’s not only difficult to break 30, but it’s an extremely tough conditioner.

Kevin Ware: The third member of the trifecta that broke the record. He’s made the biggest strides in improving his shot. Pretty similar to Russ as a freshman, in that he’s weak and doesn’t enjoy the weight room. It’s always the same. As they get stronger you witness a different attitude. He is an explosive athlete and I’ve witnessed noticeable improvement on offense.  He must get stronger and work harder when he fatigues. That will come with maturity.

Great stuff to help CardNation get through the summer….

Would love to see where he “experts” rank the Louisville job nationally, but as far as the Big East goes, it’s pretty high.

2. Louisville: Some might be surprised to see the Cardinals this high, but consider the fact that Louisville offers a brand-new palace to play in, big budgets that currently have Rick Pitino among the highest-paid coaches in the nation and a passionate fan base with the backdrop of a basketball-mad state. Great tradition. Great job.

Not sure what to make of the “Some might be surprised to see the Cardinals this high” comment.  Who in their right mind would actually be surprised?

H/T to Mike Hughes for bringing this to our attention. Great interview from the Under-18 USA Basketball trials in Colorado Springs in which Louisville’s newest signee is making a name for himself

The AAU circuit is in full swing and Cardinal fans have a lot to be excited about heading into the summer. Last week at the annual Pangos All-American Camp in Long Beach, California, one future Louisville commit and several key targets impressed scouts and analysts on their way to earning top honors. Here’s a quick look at a few names from Scout.com’s national recruiting analyst Evan Daniels as he writes about some of the camp’s big time performers. Note – no subscription required.

According to multiple “sources” (god I love that word / phrase) Louisville is in great shape with Virginia Tech transfer Dorian Finney-Smith. The former 5-star 2011 prospect just wrapped up a visit to Louisville and will reportedly make a decision within the next ten days or so. While there has been some speculation on whether Finney-Smith would even still take other visits, according to Adam Zagoria, he will check out Iowa State starting tomorrow as originally planned.

Virginia Tech transfer Dorian Finney-Smithis back from his Louisville visit and will head to Iowa State next.

“The visit was cool,” his mother, Desiree, told SNY.tv. “I loved it. It wasn’t like I thought it was. I thought it was country.”

During the weekend Finney-Smith visited Louisville, former Virginia Tech commit Montrezl Harrell committed to the Cardinals, with his father, Sam, telling SNY.tv he could be the final piece in a national championship team.

Next up for Finney-Smith is a visit to Iowa State.

“We’re going to Iowa State Thursday,” his mother said.

Still, he is considering Florida, Marquette and Texas and hopes to decide in the next few weeks.

“Late June,” his mother said, “before he goes to the [Kevin] Durant camp.”

I don’t think Cards fans have much to worry about from the Iowa State side of things, but there have been rumors that Florida is still a serious option. If Finney-Smith did sign with Louisville, he would have to sit out the 2012-2013 season under NCAA transfer rules, but would have three years of eligibility left starting the following year. The 6-7 wing is an outstanding scorer and rebounder and was named to the freshman All-ACC team last season after averaging 7 points and 7 boards a game. Certainly this would also add more intrigue into the scholarship situation if he ultimately does end up picking Louisville, but in the end you simply can’t deny the talent and impact of a player like Finney-Smith.

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