UofL's Caracter unlikely to be back, Pitino says

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Derrick Caracter

Rick Pitino said Wednesday it's unlikely forward Derrick Caracter will return to the Cardinals after declaring for the NBA draft.

Caracter announced his intention to enter the draft following Louisville's loss to North Carolina in the NCAA tournament last month, but has since approached Pitino about staying in school.

Pitino told Caracter, who averaged 8.3 points and 4.5 rebounds this season, his game wasn't NBA ready.

"I think he's been looking in the mirror and conning himself for a long, long time," Pitino said. "Now he's got to go and find out what the real world is like."

Caracter is enrolled at Louisville and has yet to hire an agent, leaving open the possibility of his return in the fall. Pitino however, doesn't think Caracter will be back in the fall.

"That's not in the cards for him right now," Pitino said. "It's not in his best interest as well as our best interest. Our best interest and his best interest right now is to try to become a second-round draft pick. Too much has happened for him to turn around now."

Last week, the school said forward Earl Clark will return to the Cardinals next season rather than enter the NBA draft.

The sophomore originally said he would bypass his final two years with the Cardinals following Louisville's loss to North Carolina in the South Region finals of the NCAA tournament. Clark, however, did not sign with an agent or complete the necessary paperwork to declare for the draft, allowing him to return.

Clark averaged 11.1 points and a team-high 8.1 rebounds for the Cardinals.