Louisville's Rick Pitino says Montrezl Harrell stripped himself of captaincy

Louisville coach Rick Pitino said on his weekly radio show that junior Montrezl Harrell self-removed his team captaincy.

Louisville coach Rick Pitino said on his weekly radio show that junior Montrezl Harrell self-removed his team captaincy, according to Sporting News. 

On Tuesday, Pitino confirmed a report that Harrell was no longer the Cardinals' captain. Senior Wayne Blackshear is Louisville's only remaining captain, according to The Courier-Journal. 

Earlier this week, Pitino sought to downplay the captaincy change to The Courier-Journal. 

"Absolutely no big deal," he said in a message to The Courier-Journal. "Totally nothing. He is still the leader of our team."

Harrell, who decided against entering the NBA draft after his sophomore season, is averaging 14.9 points and 9.2 rebounds this season. He was named a preseason All-American. 

The No. 10 Cardinals are 15-3 and play at Pittsburgh on Sunday. 

- Stanley Kay