LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- As tempting as it is to present another Basketball Misery Index after what happened to Kentucky (grimace), Indiana (grimace and howl) and Louisville (grimace, howl and then shrug) Wednesday night, I come today to offer encouraging news:
Former Cardinal Montrezl Harrell is enthusiastically committed to playing for the team of mostly former U of L players that will compete in The Basketball Tournament (TBT) next summer at Freedom Hall.
Even though Harrell doesn't know who all of his teammates will be because The Ville's roster is not complete.
Even though Harrell is only about 90% recovered from his torn ACL and meniscus knee surgery.
Even though he intends to resume his NBA career next season but will compete in the TBT without a guaranteed pro contract.
"I'm using this as part of my journey to get back there," Harrell said during a Zoom call with local media members Thursday to discuss his addition to The Ville squad.
"This is like a helping tool for me and a blessing for me because it's an opportunity to show that all my hard work and my rehab that I put in toward getting myself back has paid off."
Harrell, for the record, was in Freedom Hall for two of the three games The Ville played last August before they were eliminated in the single elimination tournament that carries a $1 million winner-take-all prize.
He had a front row seat as the team drew impressive crowds of more than 5,000 people as local fans began their love affair with the event.
He saw how much joy Peyton Siva, Russ Smith, Chinanu Onuaku, Wayne Blackshear and other former Cardinals had renewing locker room bonds and competing for local fans starved for basketball success.
At 6 feet, 7 inches tall and 240 pounds, Harrell has scored more than 6,200 points and grabbed more than 2,500 rebounds while playing for the Rockets, Clippers, Lakers, Wizards, Hornets and Sixers. He's competed in the NBA playoffs six times.
But Harrell wanted in this event — even though he suffered his serious injury Aug. 23 while working out in preparation for his return to the Philadelphia Sixers and his ninth NBA season.
After signing a one-year contract worth about $2 million, Harrell, 30, was waived in October. He said he's been doing basketball workouts but is not ready to compete in practice or games.
By summer, he will be cleared to join Siva and the roster that team manager Jordan Sucher will put together.
In fact, Harrell said that he was already exchanging text messages with his former NBA teammate Eric Bledsoe about the potential of a Kentucky-Louisville game, with Bledsoe assisting in the organization of a team of former Wildcats. That will be the first TBT team of former UK guys.
"It's close to how the rivalry is with Lakers' and Clippers' thing but it's way deeper with Kentucky and Louisville," Harrell said.
"It's almost compared to a gang — blue and red, man. It's either you bleed blue or you bleed red. It's crazy. It's a rivalry and it's real. ... I'm working my tail to get back to where I was before the injury."
Harrell, of course, saw that during the three seasons — 2013-15 — that he played for Rick Pitino with the Cardinals, a key freshman contributor to the 2013 team that won the national title that was later vacated because of NCAA rules violations.
Harrell said that he's been a TBT fan for years with multiple former teammates who competed in the event. His visits to Freedom Hall last August convinced him that he wanted to make another run with his former U of L teammates.
"To be able to watch it along the years it's been a great experience to see," Harrell said.
"Then to actually go and be a part of it, it's even bigger. To be a part of it and actually play this year, it's going to be a lot of fun.
"I'm going to be around a lot of guys who took different paths in their careers in different ways.
"It's going to be great to get back together and just be around the guys that you did some special things with all your years in college."
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