GREENBURGH, N.Y. –Notre Dame forward Luke Harangody has withdrawn his name from the NBA Draft and will return to the Irish, instantly making them a force in the Big East.
The 6-foot-8 Harangody averaged 23.3 points and 11.8 rebounds last season as a junior and was projected as a second-round pick.
There were concerns that he was undersized for the four position and not athletic or quick enough for the three.
“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.”
Notre Dame lost Kyle McAlarney and Ryan Ayers to graduation, but returns point guard Tory Jackson and picks up transfers Scott Martin and Ben Hansbrough. Both are expected to start for the Irish and are considered more complete players, even if they’re not as good shooters.
**Maryland junior guard Greivis Vasquez will return to the Terps, boosting the school’s chances of getting to the NCAA Tournament.
“After a great deal of thought, consideration and research, I have decided to withdraw my name from the NBA Draft and return to the University of Maryland for my senior year,” Vasquez said. “It has always been a goal of mine to graduate from the University of Maryland and earn my degree. When I signed a scholarship to come to Maryland, I promised my family back home in Venezuela that I would graduate, and doing so in four years here at Maryland will be a great achievement. The experience that I have gained over the past few weeks has been invaluable and something that will help me to better prepare to play professional basketball after my senior season. I would like to thank my family, my coaches and all my teammates who have supported me throughout this process.”
A native of Caracas, Venezuela, Vasquez the Terrapins last season in scoring (17.5 ppg), rebounding (5.4 rpg) and assists (5.0 apg).
**UConn big man Ater Majok withdrew his name from the draft but could still play overseas. Read more on Majok here.
**6-10 DePaul junior Mac Koshwal is also returning to campus.
“That was the best decision, instead of second guessing it and not knowing where I’ll go [in the draft],” Koshwal told the Chicago Tribune.
**Wake Forest sophomore guard Jeff Teague will stay in the NBA Draft, according to FoxSports.com.
The 6-foot-2 Teague averaged 18.8 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists last season. He joins forward James Johnson among Wake players leaving.
**Gonzaga sophomore forward Austin Daye said he will also remain in the draft.
“We’re excited for Austin. It’s what he wants to do,” head coach Mark Few said. “He was great to coach and was a great teammate. He will be missed. We did a lot of research to provide as much information as possible so he could make an educated decision.”
This past season Daye averaged 12.7 points and 5.8 rebounds for the Zags, whose jersey I wear on the Ultimate field.
(Photos courtesy Notre Dame, Maryland)
Terrapins92 / June 16, 2009
I know some people say Lance would not want to play with Vasquez but I really don’t know how relevant that will be in the final decision process for him. I think the process has extended so long now that there is a good chance he is looking at things a bit more maturely than some give him credit for. Vasquez will have a lot to prove to scouts as a PG next year. That could actually be a very good situation for Lance to evolve his game in.
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bball purist / June 16, 2009
I’m happy Greivis is going to finish his degree in 4 years. There have been more men’s players graduating in four years lately. I hope the trend continues.
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TheFinger / June 16, 2009
like i said before … lance will not play with another stud on the roster that also has immediate nba aspirations. and what happens the minute greives announces his return, the baltimore sun reports lance will not be playing for the terps. still sticking with my prediction that he’ll be signing with florida. it ‘s his only logical move.
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bball purist / June 16, 2009
It’s sad that Lance may not play for a Div. 1 power. Some immature behavior may have been (or not been) blown out of proportion and lead to this conundrum. The NCAA will be down the backs of whoever Lance signs with – wow – again, wow….
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OldTerp / June 17, 2009
Finger – could you see him going to Memphis? I’ll agree that Billy Donovan would probably make him a better player – maybe you’re on to something.
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TheFinger / June 17, 2009
i think he envisions latavious as a legit one ‘n doner whom wants to audition for the nba too. with that, i don’t think lance sees 20+ points coming at memphis from 2 hungry nba wannabes as much as he sees it coming from ONLY him at florida. the kid is a scoring machine and wants more than anything to exhibit that prowess to every clawing nba scout along his path. i don’t blame him for his train of thoughts of selfishness as much as i blame the bball fandom for commanding it. he is only serving up to please and make a killing at the same time.
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