The Derrick Caracter Saga continues.

The over-hyped and overweight Louisville sophomore big man who has been suspended countless times in his two-year tenure under Rick Pitino might still have a future with the Cardinals.

Caracter and Pitino had basically agreed that he’d leave for the pros after this past season. However, he elected not to go to the Orlando Pre-Draft Camp, withdrew from the draft and it appeared as though he would transfer to another school.

According to sources, the phone wasn’t exactly ringing off the hook to bring Caracter and his baggage into another program.

So now Pitino has given Caracter the chance to sit out this season and return in 2009-10 – if Caracter abides by the rules.

``He will not be a part of our team next year,” Pitino said in a statement. “He will have to measure up in three areas - as a student, as a person and as a basketball player - before I will entertain the possibility of him returning to our team for the 2009-10 season. We expect him to get a job, pay for school on his own, get in shape and abide by the other steps I have reviewed with him. If he measures up, then he can earn his way back. But that remains to be seen."

Caracter may not be a part of the team, but he’ll still be around the players – specifically fellow New Jersey native Earl Clark. I’m not sure that’s the best thing for a team hoping to get to a Final Four.

BAD DAYE IN SPOKANE

Austin Daye suffered a partially torn ACL last week at the LeBron James Skills Academy.

It came literally just after Gonzaga coach Mark Few and assistant Leon Rice walked into the gym in Akron.

Few and Rice were hopeful that it didn’t turn out to be serious (the initial diagnosis was an injured tendon in his hamstring), but their doubts were confirmed when the Spokesman Review first reported that an MRI showed that Daye suffered a partially torn ACL in his right knee.

Daye could wind up missing early season games, which would be a huge blow to the Zags. However, Few’s team is extremely deep and should be able to withstand the injury – as long as Daye returns and is healthy for the majority of the year.

QUICK MONEY

Great story by Bob Condotta from the Seattle Times about UCLA transfer Chace Stanback’s mother, Sarah Quick, winning $25,000 in a new online game called livethefasttrack.com and potentially using the money to pay for Stanback’s tuition this year so he could go to Washington or another school that doesn’t have a scholarship available for this year.

Condotta writes that the game is similar to Tetris and that Quick paid $28 for two sets of 20 games. After winning, she had a choice of a Mercedes or the money.

``It will probably be used for his tuition,” Quick told the newspaper.

Stanback is also reportedly considering N.C. State, Georgia Tech and UNLV.

VILLA 6 DEADLINE TODAY

There are already more than 100 coaches signed up for the next Monday’s inaugural Villa 6 Consortium.

This is open to everyone in the industry – unlike the exclusive Villa 7 – and is presented by VCU and Nike. The deadline to contact VCU’s Mike Ellis (o: 804-827-0805; c: 804-921-1008; mwellis@vcu.edu) is today.

Here is the agenda:

12:00 – Welcome
12:15 – The Journey featuring Florida associate head coach Larry Shyatt
1:15 – Secrets of Success featuring assistants Joe Dooley (Kansas),Russell Springmann (Texas) and Shaka Smart (Florida)
2:15 – Break
2:30 – From the Athletic Director’s Chair featuring Vic Cegles (Long Beach State), Keith Gill (American), Norwood Teague (VCU)
3:30 – The Anatomy of an Assistant featuring Dave Telep (Scout.com) and Jeff Goodman (FOXSports.com)
4:45 – What I’m Looking for in an Assistant Coach featuring Tulane’s Dave Dickerson and Drake’s Mark Phelps.
5:45 – Closing

RANDOM NOTES: Former Georgetown signee Chris Braswell will need another year at Hargrave Military Academy (Va.) and has re-opened his recruitment. … Two players who have improved significantly are Naadir Tharpe and Jordan Williams of the New England Playaz. Tharpe will be re-classified into the Class of 2011 and will spend the next three years at Brewster Academy (N.H.). Williams is getting plenty of attention from high-majors because of his size and ability to score in the paint. … Memphis guard Doneal Mack is back with the Tigers and should be eligible this season because his stay at New Orleans was so brief. … Loyola Marymount received a commitment from 6-foot-3 guard Giben Kalipinde out of Episcopal School (Va.). ... The USA U18 National Team has won both of its games thus far and will play Puerto Rico tonight before the semifinals begin tomorrow. Travis Wear (UNC) leads the team in scoring (15 ppg) while Mason Plumlee is averaging 11 points and 11 boards per game and uncommitted forward Ryan Kelly is averaging 9.5 points and 8.5 rebounds.