Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Harangody and McAlarney Getting Some Love

On Monday, Luke Harangody was named to the Big East Honor Roll for the 2nd time this year. He averaged 16.5 points, 13.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists in wins over Kansas State and Northern Illinois.

The Irish big man has been getting some national press lately. Clark Kellogg listed Bamm-Bamm as one of his top 9 sophomores on December 6th. Luke was the only Big East player broken down, though Syracuse's Paul Harris and Villanova's Scottie Reynolds were listed as honorable mentions. He's also gotten some play on national blogs, including being called the "Dancing Bear."

Luke is not the only Notre Dame player who is quickly becoming famous. NYCNJhoops.com ran a nice long article on the Staten Island native after the Kansas State game. K-Mac was on the Big East Honor Roll last week following wins over Colgate and Eastern Michigan.

There are two games including the Big East tonight. So far (13 min left in the 2nd half), 4-4 Cincinnati is playing #17 Xavier tough. The Musketeers are up a basket. 2-3 DePaul has a home game against #21 Vanderbilt. Two of the worst teams in the Big East playing top 25 squads. If one or both of those teams can pull of the upset, it would go a long way to make up for a disappointing nonconference season so far.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Harangody and McAlarny are what ND basketball is all about: mental toughness and a winning spirit. I am so impressed with how Kyle has come back after having to leave the team last year and showing how much he is a Loyal Son of ND. And as for Bam-Bam, he gives 110% every game, has a soft touch under the basket and knows how to use his big body to block out.

Do you think these guys will stay for 4 years or will Brey lose one or both to the draft?

BlackandGreen said...

I'd hate to think either would leave early and to be honest I doubt that will be a problem. You hit the nail on the head... these guys embody what it means to be a Notre Dame athlete.

McAlarney is the less likely of the two. No matter how the season goes, I certainly think the team will be even better next year. He will want to stick around for that because his draft stock will certainly not be high enough after only one year of national exposure. Keep in mind that both Chris Quinn (a better-known player and more effective point guard) and Colin Falls (a better pure shooter) went undrafted after four years at Notre Dame. He should have decent pro credentials, but needs to finish with two good years to get where he will want to be.

Harangody is a little different. He's gained more fame than Mac early in his career and is quickly becoming a household name. He will certainly be back next year, but could see his draft stock rise to the last first round range with continued development. Still, I think he's a lock to stay unless he can be assured a lottery pick after junior year.