CaneSport.com - Harangody awaits draft call

June 24, 2010

Nobody stuffed his basketball r?m?t Notre Dame quite the way Luke Harangody did.

He finished No. 2 on the school's all-time scoring list with 2,476 points, and would have surpassed Austin Carr had it not been for a late-season knee injury. He also finished No. 2 on the all-time rebounding list (1,222) at Notre Dame behind Tom Hawkins. No one had more double-doubles (64) in school history than Harangody.

But when commissioner David Stern steps to the podium in New York's Madison Square Garden tonight to announce one by one the draft choices by the NBA's 30 teams, Harangody's name will not be called in the first round, and there's a better than even chance it won't be called in the second round either.

That's because as hard as Harangody worked to make himself a great college basketball player, as much as he battles under the backboards and plays a baseline-to-baseline game regardless of the score and the circumstances, and as much as he did to revive the fortunes of Notre Dame basketball the last four years, the NBA only cares about what Harangody can do on their level.

At 6-foot-6 without shoes and a shorter than average wingspan and standing reach, Harangody is a classic "tweener." He's not quick enough to play the three spot. He would never be able to stay up with the speed of small forwards in the NBA. He's not tall enough to play the four spot where power forwards would tower over him and, in many cases, out-quick him.

Those shortcomings likely relegate Harangody to a career as a backup, which means a possible second-round selection but also the very real prospect of heading down the free agency route, which at least would allow Harangody to select a team whose depth chart fits his needs best.

"No one could have done more or worked harder or made greater sacrifices to become a great player and to help our team than Luke did," said Irish head coach Mike Brey.

"Luke and Tory (Jackson) brought a toughness to our program which we really needed. I have no doubt that Luke would bring the same qualities to the NBA team that decides to draft him or sign him."

While several mock drafts have Harangody going to Milwaukee, Utah, Indiana and Orlando in the second round, a source told Irish Illustrated that the Detroit Pistons, who hold the 36th overall pick, have indicated a strong interest in selecting Harangody.

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