Notre Dame senior All-America forward Luke Harangody announced Monday that he has withdrawn his name from consideration for the upcoming NBA Draft and will return for his final season at the University in 2009-10.

Luke Harangody To Return For Senior Season In 2009-10

June 15, 2009

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NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Notre Dame forward Luke Harangody (Schererville, Ind.) announced Monday that he has withdrawn from the 2009 National Basketball Association Draft scheduled for June 25 and will return for his senior year in 2009-10.

“First of all, we are thrilled that Luke has decided to return to Notre Dame and be a part of our program for his senior year,” Irish head coach Mike Brey said. “I believe that the past several weeks have been a great learning experience for Luke and his family. He has handled this as a man and I am very proud that he went through this whole process.

“Luke has had my full support from day one and whatever final decision he made, I was doing to support him,” Brey added. “With that being said, I am excited that he is going to be back. We have a great nucleus next year and I know one of Luke’s goals is to get back to the NCAA tournament. He also has the chance to carve a unique place in the long and storied history of the Notre Dame basketball program.”

A two-time member of the John R. Wooden All-America Team and two-time Associated Press Second Team All-American, Harangody became the first player in BIG EAST history to lead the conference in scoring (25.2) and rebounding (12.8) in consecutive seasons, while also leading the Irish in both categories, 23.3 points and 11.8 rebounds, for the second straight year. Additionally, he was the only player nationally to rank in the top 10 in both scoring (8th) and rebounding (6th).

Harangody registered an Irish single-season best 25 double-doubles (15 in BIG EAST play) and ranks fourth all-time at Notre Dame with 50 career double-doubles. He scored in double figures in all but two games, netted 30-plus points on six occasions and registered 20-plus points in 25 contests. Harangody established a BIG EAST single-season rebounding record with 231 rebounds in 18 regular-season conference games.

A two-time first-team all-BIG EAST honoree, he earned a spot on Dick Vitale’s All-America squad and was a second team selection to the United States Basketball Writers (USBWA) All-America unit. He also was named a State Farm/NABC third team All-American.

Harangody is one of only four players in Notre Dame history with 1,800 career points and 900 rebounds, ranking eighth all-time with 1,823 points and standing fifth with 949 rebounds. In his three-year BIG EAST career, the 2008 BIG EAST Player of the Year has scored 1,031 points (19.9 ppg.) in 52 league contests. Only three other players in BIG EAST history — Ray Allen (Connecticut), Richard Hamilton (Connecticut) and Pat Garrity (Notre Dame) — have scored more than 1,000 points in three seasons.

— ND —