Harrellson has come a long, long way
NEWARK -- Josh Harrellson never anticipated anything like this -- an assortment of microphones and tape recorders scattered in front of him, people with TV cameras clambering to get closer, reporters hanging on his every word.
A year ago, no one cared what the Kentucky forward had to say. But after three seasons of being a nobody, Harrellson now is the man.
"I only did interviews if the other guys didn't want to do them," he said with a smile, referring to the one or two interviews he gave before the Wildcats' Elite Eight loss to West Virginia last year.
Now media from all over the country are hard-pressed to hear how a junior college transfer who played 88 minutes last season could wind up being the X-factor in Sunday's Elite Eight matchup between fourth-seeded Kentucky and second-seeded North Carolina.
Tyler Zeller outshined Harrellson in the team's previous meeting Dec. 4, setting then-career highs in points (27) and rebounds (11) and blocking a career-high five shots in the Tar Heels' 75-73 win. Now Harrellson and his teammates hope to snap their 0-2 NCAA Tournament streak against North Carolina.
"He's just been killing it," Harrellson said of the 7-foot Zeller, who is averaging 27.3 points and 8.7 rebounds in the tournament. "He just makes it look so easy. It's going to be a tough matchup, but hopefully I can do what I did last night."
Kentucky (28-8) knocked off overall No. 1 seed Ohio State Friday night, thanks to a game-winning jumper by Brandon Knight. But had it not been for Harrellson's 34 minutes of one-on-one defense on big man Jared Sullinger, the outcome might have been different. Sullinger finished with 21 points and 16 rebounds, but it was Harrellson -- 17 points, 10 rebounds, three blocks and an emphatic heave of the ball into Sullinger's chest to avoid stepping out of bounds -- who stole the show.
"I never thought I would be the player that I am today," said Harrellson, averaging 15.7 points and 9.3 rebounds in the tournament.
He could have left Kentucky and gone to a program where he would have been a stud right away. Instead, he stayed in Lexington -- even after former coach Billy Gillispie became so incensed during a game at Vanderbilt that he banished Harrellson to a bathroom stall and forced him to ride home in the equipment truck after the loss.
Things only got worse when John Calipari was hired in the spring of 2009. After Harrellson voiced frustration about his lack of playing time on Twitter earlier this season, Calipari suspended his account and made him run 30 extra minutes before practice. But that eventually became part of Harrellson's daily routine. As a result, he's lost almost 15 pounds and established himself as one of the toughest big men in the tournament.
The 6-10, 275-pound senior was determined to step up after 6-11 Enes Kanter was ruled permanently ineligible by the NCAA for taking money from a Turkish basketball club. In the process, he's changed his level of commitment and his level of play. "You see a player that's had as big an impact on college basketball as anybody right now," Calipari said.
"He's a great defender, a great rebounder and he just does the little things for his team that everyone needs," North Carolina forward John Henson said. "And as of late, the team's been looking for him a lot, and I think that adds another dynamic to their team. It's going to be a little tougher to guard him than it was the first time."
After years of sitting on the bench behind DeMarcus Cousins, Patrick Patterson and Daniel Orton, Harrellson's confidence is higher than ever -- and his sights are set on reaching the Final Four.
"Hopefully, a lot of people will look up and see what I've done and see my story: a lot of hard work and a lot of dedication, a lot of perseverance and a lot of patience," he said. "I waited for my chance . . . and I took full control of it."
