Jan. 27, 2008
Notre Dame, Ind. – Sophomore Luke Harangody (Schererville, Ind.) has been named one of the Top 30 candidates for the John R. Wooden Award, the nation’s top basketball players. The midseason list, which was announced by The Los Angeles Athletic Club’s John R. Wooden Award Committee, is based on individual player performance and team records during the first half of the season.
Harangody, who was not part of the Wooden Preseason Top 50 list, leads the Irish and BIG EAST Conference in scoring and rebounding. Dating back to last season, he has started 34 straight games. The 6-8, 251-pound forward is averaging 19.3 points and 9.6 rebounds overall and 22.5 points and 10.8 boards in BIG EAST play. He has scored in double figures in 17 of 18 games and currently owns a career-high 16-game double-figure scoring streak.
Harangody also tops the team with nine double-doubles and scored 20-plus points on nine occasions. He has been Notre Dame’s leading scorer nine times and led the team in rebounding in 12 contests. Harangody scored a career-high 29 points against both West Virginia and Marquette and grabbed a career-high 16 boards in the Irish win over the Mountaineers.
Named to the BIG EAST All-Rookie Team in 2007, he has been named the league’s player-of-the-week once and selected to the weekly honor roll twice. Harnagody was among 11 players selected to the midseason Top 30 list who were not on the preseason list.
The Top 30 list includes: D.J. Augustin (Texas), Michael Beasley (Kansas State), Jon Brockman (Washington), Chase Budinger (Arizona), Mario Chalmers (Kansas), Stephen Curry (Davidson), Chris Douglas-Roberts (Memphis), Wayne Ellington (North Carolina), Shan Porter (Vanderbilt), Eric Gordon (Indiana), Jamont Gordon (Mississippi State), Malik Hairston (Oregon), Tyler Hansbrough (North Carolina), James Harden (Arizona State), Roy Hibbert (Georgetown), Chris Lofton (Tennessee), Kevin Love (UCLA), Derrick Low (Washington State), O.J. Mayo (USC), Raymar Morgan (Michigan State), Demarcus Nelson (Duke), Tyrese Rice (Boston College), Brian Roberts (Dayton), Derrick Rose (Memphis), Brandon Rush (Kansas), Sean Singletary (Virginia), Jason Thompson (Rider), D.J. White (Indiana) and Sam Young (Pittsburgh).
Notre Dame is currently 14-4 overall and 4-2 in BIG EAST play.