Old Dominion Silences Notre Dame's Harangody; Monarchs Advance
Notre Dame's star forward, Luke Harangody, briefly considered leaving South Bend in the spring of 2009 to enter that summer's NBA Draft. Instead, he withdrew his name, returning to campus in the fall, in an attempt to help ND return to basketball glory. Harangody's jersey will always hang high in the Joyce Center's rafters, but his collegiate career has ended on a down note. His Notre Dame team was upset in the opening round by No. 11 seed Old Dominion, keying in on Harangody and holding him scoreless for the game's first 39 minutes. He was largely inefficient, not having his usual impact on both ends of the floor.
In early February, the senior was averaging nearly 35 minutes per game and dominating the glass and low blocks. He was the favorite to obtain his 2nd Big East Player of the Year award, but then, Harangody suffered a knee injury against Seton Hall. He missed the next five games entirely and returned to find his team on a three-game win streak and in the discussion of NCAA Tournament bubble talk. The team's best player returned to the court, only to find his role diminished and starting spot gone. Over the next five games, including today's loss to Old Dominion in the NCAA Tournament, Harangody was averaging about 20 minutes per game and producing at a much lower rate. He ends his career unspectacular-ly, scoring just 4 points (2-of-9 shooting) and 7 rebounds. A year after an NIT appearance, the Irish are bounced in the opening round of March Madness.
His 2,472 career points, are 88 short of Notre Dame's all-time record.
By Corey Ruff - President - 3-18-10
