By Noah Allison
Montrezl Harrell is one of the most ferocious and skilled dunkers in college basketball.
His jumping skills are like the Incredible Hulk in that you aren’t really sure if he is jumping
or flying. His strength is like the Hulk in that a single dunk of his can leave the backboard
swinging back and forth moments after the ball has made its way down the other end of the
court. But there is one thing that is for sure, the Hulk wouldn’t want to play Monster one-
on-one.
The sophomore power forward from Tarboro, N. C. is 6 foot 8 and weighs 230 pounds.
He plays taller than he is thanks to his 7-foot-4 wingspan. Last year, as a truly raw and
unharnessed pure athlete, Harrell came to Head Coach Pitino with a ready-and- willing
work ethic to learn. Harrell was third on the team in total rebounds with 145 and was
second on the team in blocked shots with 27.
As a freshman it was evident that even when Harrell’s play didn’t translate to success, he
was still one of the hardest workers on the court and never lacked energy or emotion for a
single moment.
“Trez brings it every play, and there are very few players like that today,” Pitino said.
Harrell’s energy as a freshman ignited the Cards when he stepped onto the court. His
energy is infectious and this year his work ethic has been too. That quality earned him the
honor of being the third captain of this year’s team, along with seniors Russ Smith and Luke
Hancock.
“Montrezl Harrell has been the hardest worker and the most vocal leader in practice so
far, and that’s why he was named a tri-captain. He’s a totally different person than he was a
season ago. He’s not only more vocal now, but I’ve seen as much improvement in him from
freshman to sophomore year as any player I’ve ever coached,” Pitino said.
On one of the most veteran teams in the country, the sophomore power forward is
respectful of his upperclassmen teammates and is honored to be in the position he is at such
a young age.
“It’s an honor for me because there are guys who have been here longer than me who
could have been named captain. Everybody wants to be a leader at some point in their
career,” Harrell said.
With the new season at hand Harrell has moved on from the elation of being a champion
and is ready to do what he can to get the Cards back to the title game. His improvement
from his freshman year to his sophomore year will be vital to the overall success of the
defending national champions.
“We just have to take every day and try to get better, we have a young team here and a lot
of guys who didn’t play last year. We had two key pieces leave our team in Peyton Siva and
Gorgui Dieng so I am just trying to take some of the knowledge they gave to me and pass it
on to those young guys,” Harrell said. “We really have to be ready to play, the season is here
and we can’t turn around and go back.”
