Season Overview: Some second-rounders enter the pro ranks as unknowns. That was not the case with rookie Luke Harangody, who shattered school records at Notre Dame that had stood since the days of Austin Carr himself.
Harangody came into the league as the only Big East player to average 20 points and 10 boards over the course of his career. He was a three-time first-team All-Big East selection and the first men's player to lead the conference in both scoring and rebounding in consecutive seasons.
But the NBA isn’t the Big East, a fact Harangody quickly learned in Boston, where he got 30 DNP-CDs before a deadline deal brought he and Semih Erden to Cleveland. And while Harangody had very little opportunity to crack the veteran lineup in Beantown, he found a home with Cleveland’s collection of youngsters.
The 52nd player selected in the 2010 Draft got plenty of opportunity with the Wine and Gold, seeing action in 21 of Cleveland’s final 23 games. Like any rookie, Harangody has his share of ups and downs – finishing with a 6.2 ppg scoring average, shooting 38 percent from the floor and 25 percent from beyond the arc.
The bruiser from Decatur, Illinois will likely find the frontcourt competition a little more crowded when Camp opens next fall. Harangody isn’t the most skilled athlete on the floor, but he’ll scrap for everything – including a roster spot with the Wine and Gold.
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Highlight: It only took Luke Harangody two games in a Cavaliers uniform to make an impression – and along with new teammate, Baron Davis, starred in a dramatic March 4 win over Carmelo Anthony and the Knicks at the Garden. In that thrilling 119-115 win, Harangody went 6-for-11 in 22 minutes off the bench, netting 18 points, four boards and a pair of assists while battling an injured hip.
Lowlight: Harangody saw plenty of action down the stretch for the young and often undermanned Cavaliers – yet was the only player on the season-ending roster to not start a single game.
Odds and Ends: During the early stages of the NCAA Tournament, fellow rookie Christian Eyenga would tease Harangody in the Cavs locker room about his “brudda” playing on Notre Dame’s team.
At first, media members thought Eyenga was confused and referring to Ben Hansbrough – brother of Pacers forward Tyler Hansbrough. But actually, Eyenga was referring to current Notre Dame forward, Jack Cooley, who really does look like Harangody. (So much so that Yahoo Sports’ Jeff Eisenberg wrote an article entitled: “Notre Dame Didn’t Replace Luke Harangody – It Cloned Him.”)
When reporters finally figured it out, Harangody rolled his eyes and said: “(Eyenga) makes that same joke every day.”
By the Numbers: .455, .900 … Harangody’s shooting percentage from the floor and the line in Cavaliers’ victories. He shot just .299 and .625, respectively, in Cavs’ losses.
Looking Forward: Harangody isn’t going to wow anyone with his athletic ability. But he competes hard on every possession and will scratch and claw on the defensive end. The former Domer’s effort will never come into question.
But if the former second-rounder wants to flourish in the league, it’ll probably be as a Matt Bonner-type. And if that’s the case, he’ll have to improve on his long-distance shooting. On the year, Harangody shot just .242 from beyond the arc. He struggled to hit the outside shot down the stretch, but still finished strong – going 3-for-5 from long-distance in the Cavs finale against Washington.
Quotable: Harangody, referring to Doc Rivers’ comment that he sometimes held Luke out of Celtics practice because of his bruising style on an aging veteran team …
“I have to go all out to be successful, so that’s the only way I really know how to go. I’m not the most athletic guy. I have to go in there and get to work. And if someone gets hurt, that’s what happens.”