Montrezl Harrell Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Montrezl Harrell Declines To Enter Draft

April 14th, 2014 at 11:55am CST by Chuck Myron

Louisville sophomore Montrezl Harrell has decided against entering this year’s draft, he’s announced via Twitter (hat tip to Chris Mannix of SI.com). His decision counters an earlier report that he would declare for this year’s field, and it comes as a surprise, given his solid first-round stock. The big man is the 15th-ranked prospect with Chad Ford of ESPN.com, and Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress has him 20th.

Harrell averaged 14.0 points and 8.4 rebounds in 29.3 minutes per game this season for Louisville, which lost in the NCAA Tournament sweet sixteen to Kentucky. He stepped into a starting role this year after serving mostly as a reserve last season when the Cardinals won the national championship. He’ll look to improve his free throw shooting as a junior after making just 46.4% of his shots from the line this year.

The news is no doubt a disappointment to teams projected to end up with a mid first-round pick, particularly those looking for an inside player. The 6’8″ Harrell is somewhat undersized at power forward, but it hasn’t hurt his production on the boards in college.

Montrezl Harrell, Rodney Hood To Enter Draft

March 25th, 2014 at 8:50am CST by Chuck Myron

Duke small forward Rodney Hood and Louisville power forward Montrezl Harrell will declare their intent to enter this year’s draft, reports Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv (Twitter link). Zagoria also confirms a weekend report from Chad Ford of ESPN.com that West Virginia point guard Juwan Staten is headed for the draft. The SNY.tv scribe also suggests Ohio State small forward LaQuinton Ross is draft-bound as well, although Ross said yesterday that he remains undecided.

Hood’s sophomore season ended in stunning fashion with Duke’s upset loss to Mercer in the NCAA tournament last week, but he spent most of the year rocketing up draft boards. He went from No. 67 in the preseason on Jonathan Givony’s DraftExpress prospects lists to No. 16, the same position he occupies on Chad Ford’s big board at ESPN.com. The 6’8″ 21-year-old averaged 16.1 points per game and made 42% of his three-point attempts this season.

There’s some divergence on just how hot Harrell’s stock is, with Ford pegging him 11th and Givony listing him as the 20th best prospect. He’s the same height as Hood but bulkier, enabling him to play inside. Harrell is nonetheless small for his position, though he grabbed 8.4 rebounds per game to go with 14.0 points per contest. His Cardinals are still alive in the NCAA tournament.

Draft Notes: Wiggins, Parker, Embiid, UCLA

March 19th, 2014 at 5:56pm CST by Alex Lee

In his latest chat with readers, Chad Ford of ESPN.com insists that Andrew Wiggins has solidified his position as the No. 1 draft prospect. Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com disagrees, debuting his own Top 30 list based off discussions he’s had with league executives. It has Jabari Parker at the top. Howard-Cooper also touched on a multitude of other draft topics in another post. Let’s sort through his latest and more draft-related stuff here:

Front offices are wavering between Parker and Kansas’ Joel Embiid for the top spot, according to Howard-Cooper. He adds that no one has more at stake in the NCAA Tournament than Embiid, who only has a shot to return from back issues if the Jayhawks advance without him.
Austalian guard Dante Exum is right behind the troika of Parker-Embiid-Wiggins. That foursome is followed by Julius Randle and Marcus Smart, before a big drop off at No. 7.
Jusuf Nurkic is flying up draft boards, according to Howard-Cooper. The 19-year-old Bosnian center, currently playing in Croatia, is in one team’s top ten and may ultimately challenge Dario Saric as the first European off the board.
UCLA’s Zach LaVine has yet to convince scouts that he projects as a point guard in the NBA, Howard-Cooper writes. It doesn’t help than teammate Kyle Anderson has been handling the ball more as point forward lately, presumably boosting his draft stock. LaVine is still an attractive prospect, but his value will take a hit if his future looks to be on the wing. Both Bruins project as mid first rounders should they choose to come out.
USA Today’s Adi Joseph includes Embiid and Anderson on his list of eight NBA hopefuls with the most to gain in the NCAA Tournament, along with Keith Appling, Jahii Carson, Cleanthony Early, Tyler Ennis, Montrezl Harrell and Shabazz Napier.