April 5, 2008
SAN ANTONIO, Texas – Notre Dame sophomore forward Luke Harangody (Schererville, Ind.) has been named a State Farm first-team All-American, it was announced Saturday by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) at its annual awards luncheon in San Antonio, Texas. Harangody becomes the seventh Irish player selected to the five-man NABC first team and first since Troy Murphy in 2001.
Joining the 6-8, 251-pound Harangody on the first-team list are: Tyler Hansbrough (North Carolina), Chris Douglas-Roberts (Memphis), D.J. Augustin (Texas) and Michael Beasley (Kansas State).
Other Notre Dame players who have garnered first-team All-America honors from the NABC include: Murphy (2001), John Paxson (1982, 1983), Adrian Dantley (1975, 1976), John Shumate (1974), Austin Carr (1971) and Kevin O’Shea (1948).
The 2008 BIG EAST Player of the Year and a first team all-conference honoree, has been named to several All-America teams. Harangody led the Irish in scoring and rebounding as he averaged 20.4 points and 10.6 rebounds and became just the second player in BIG EAST history to lead the conference in both of those categories with 23.3 points and 11.3 rebounds.
Harangody scored 672 points during the season — the third most by a Notre Dame sophomore. He scored in double figures in 32 of 33 contests during the 2007-08 campaign, including the final 31 games of the season.
Harangody netted 20-plus points in 18 contests that included three 30-plus point performances and recorded 19 double-doubles. He scored a career-high 40 points in a loss at Louisville on February 28 and grabbed a career-high 22 boards versus Washington State in Notre Dame’s NCAA tournament second-round loss on March 22. The 22 rebounds were the second-most by an Irish player in an NCAA tournament game and the most in an NCAA contest since Tim Duncan grabbed 22 in a first round game in 1997.
Harangody reached the 1,000-point mark this season with 1,031 career points after 65 games for a 15.9 career scoring average.
— ND —