Nov. 9, 2005
University of Notre Dame men’s basketball coach Mike Brey has announced the signing of Luke Harangody (Schererville, Ind.) and Tory Jackson (Saginaw, Mich.) to national letters of intent. The two high school prep standouts will enroll at the University in the fall of 2006.
“With the addition of Luke and Tory, we have filled some immediate needs. When you look at both of them in addition to the four freshmen we now have in our program, that’s going to be a very strong six-man nucleus for the future and one that I am excited and looking forward to coaching,” Brey says.
Harangody, a 6-8, 250-pound forward, attends Andrean High School in Merrillville. As a junior, he led his team in scoring and rebounding, averaging 23.2 points and 12.3 rebounds. Among all high school players in Indiana in 2004-05, his scoring and rebounding totals ranked 11th and third, respectively. In addition, he shot 63.7 percent from the field.
Harangody guided his Andrean squad to the Gary (Ind.) Class 3A sectional championship and an overall record of 21-3 last season. Named the’05 Indiana Player of the Year by the Post Tribune Northwest and The Times Northwest, he was an all-state selection by the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association (IBCA) and all-Lake Conference honoree. Harangody played in the Indiana Senior-Junior All-Star contests during the summer of ’05 in an event that featured the state’s top talent.
A two-time all-state selection by Hoosier Basketball Magazine, Harangody averaged 21.0 points and 14.6 rebounds as a sophomore and shot 55 percent from the field. In his freshman season, he netted 8.8 points and 5.0 rebounds while connecting on 50 percent of his shots.
Harangody’s father Dave played football at Indiana, while brother Ty currently is a freshman tight end for the Hoosiers.
“Luke’s presence on the floor will give us an immediate toughness and physicality,” Brey says. “He is an extremely skilled player in and around the basket. With the losses of Torin Francis and Rick Cornett after this season, we’re going to need Luke to step in right away as a freshman and contribute immediately.”
Jackson, a 5-10, 175-pound guard, was named the ’05 Michigan Class C Player of the Year and was one of four unanimous selections to the all-state team. In addition, he was named to the Detroit Area Dream Team. A two-time first-team all-state honoree, he paced his Buena Vista High School squad as a junior to a 17-6 record and No. 3 ranking in the final regular-season poll, while averaging 30.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 3.0 steals. In addition, his team won the district championship.
In his sophomore season, Jackson led his prep team to a 21-5 record en route to the Class C Michigan state title as he averaged 24.5 points, 7.0 rebounds and assists and 4.0 steals. In the championship game, he scored, 18 points, dished off six assists, made five steals and grabbed three rebounds. During his freshman campaign, he averaged 18.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists.
Jackson has been a member of the Michigan Hurricanes AAU team for 10 years. This past summer at the ’05 Youth Development Festival, he was a member of the Blue Team that garnered a silver medal with a 3-1 record at the International Sports Festival in San Diego, Calif. During the four games, he averaged 8.5 points and ranked second in steals (3.5) and tied for seventh in assists (3.5). Heading into his final scholastic campaign, Jackson has 1,999 career points.
Like Harangody, Jackson hails from an athletic family. His brother Shawn played basketball at Western Michigan, while sister Lynnette played at Central State University in Ohio.
“Tory gives us immediate quickness that we haven’t had in our program for a while,” Brey says. “He handles the ball extremely well, and with the graduation of Chris Quinn after this season, we’re going to need another individual who has the ability to do that. In addition to his quickness and ball-handling abilities, he’s a point guard that can score, and in our program, we’ve had success with guards who can do that. Tory has the personality to be a great leader for us in the future.”