When Rick Pitino became the head coach at Louisville, Brandon Bender, a 6-10, 232-pound power forward/center from Ballard High School in Kentucky, thought he had the perfect match. "It just wasn't," Bender said. "So it was time to move on."

Bender told us last night it was tough leaving a program like Louisville but he felt he had no choice. "It was about playing time," Bender said. "I feel I didn't get the time I deserved. So I wanted to go to a place where I would get the time."

When asked if he could handle the legendary tough Pitino practices, Bender said: "The practices were tough at all. I just felt I wanted to go to a place where I could relate better to the coach and play more."

Charlotte, Alabama, and San Diego State are the three schools that Bender has mentioned to us about possible future destinations. He still leaves the door open talking to other schools.

"I just didn't fit into the program at Louisville," Bender said. "So it was best for me to try somewhere else."