Nov. 20, 2006
Notre Dame, Ind. – Freshman Luke Harangody (Schererville, Ind.) has been named the BIG EAST Rookie of the Week after averaging 16.3 points and 6.0 rebounds in leading Notre Dame to a 3-1 record to start the season. He becomes the first Irish rookie since Torin Francis in 2002-03 to earn the league’s rookie-of-the-week honor.
Harangody has scored in double figures in all four contests this season becoming the first freshman since Troy Murphy in 1998-99 to net double figures in his first four collegiate game (Murphy posted double figures in the first 12 games of his career). Currently, his scoring and rebounding averages rank second on the team, while averaging 18.3 minutes per game. Harangody is shooting 58.1 percent from the field (25-43) and 93.8 percent (15-16) from the line.
The 6-8, 250-pound forward netted 12 points and grabbed eight rebounds in his collegiate debut in Notre Dame’s 92-49 win over IPFW. In a 71-69 loss to Butler in the first round of the Dick’s Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off, Harangody finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds to record the first double-double by an Irish freshman since Francis in ’02-’03. Ironically, Francis recorded his first career double-double in the second game of his career.
In a 92-60 win over Lafayette, Harangody scored 18 points and grabbed five rebounds off the bench in 20 minutes of action and then followed that performance with an 18-point effort against The Citadel in just 17 minutes of action as he finished seven-of-nine from the field and four-of-four from the free-throw line. He scored 16 points in the first half and outscored the entire Citadel team as Notre Dame held a 40-12 advantage at the intermission.
Melvin Buckley of USF was named to BIG EAST Player of the Week, while Jeff Adrien (Connecticut), Aaron Gray (Pittsburgh), Brian Laing (Seton Hall), Eric Devendorf (Syracuse) and Da’Sean Butler (West Virginia) was named to the league’s Honor Roll as the Conference named its weekly award winners for the first time this season.