Pitarresi: ND's Harangody is fun to watch

 

I was watching Luke Harangody last night, and I’m still amazed.

 

The Notre Dame center had another big game – 31 points and 11 rebounds – this time in a victory over Georgetown. I really enjoy watching this guy play.

 

Harangody might never be a good NBA player. In fact, looking at his game, I’m not sure he can be. He reminds me a great deal of Dave Cowens, and the days of 6-8 pro centers probably were over a long time ago.

 

Opposing coaches couldn’t care less. Harangody is a great college player, and a giant headache for everyone Notre Dame plays. Great feet, great hands, great positioning, great use of his big body, a soft touch. The first time I saw him was two years ago at the Carrier Dome. He ate Syracuse’s inside guys alive, scoring 21 points and grabbing 13 rebounds in a 103-91 Irish victory. In March, he scored 20 points and had 11 rebounds in an 89-83 win over the Orange in the second round of the Big East tournament.

 

Last year, the teams met just once and Harangody scored 14 points and had 14 rebounds in a 94-87 win over the Orange at the Joyce Center. SU’s Arinze Onuaku, who is bigger and stronger than Harangody if not as complete a player, had 19 points and 12 rebounds in that game. I’m looking forward to seeing the two big guys matched up when the Irish visit the Carrier Dome January 21. Get there early, because I guarantee you there will be at least 33,000 fans in the Dome.

 

One other thing. I don’t know who the best team in the Big East is - there are nine of the conference’s teams in the AP Top 25, led by Pittsburgh at No. 1 – but I think the toughest, physically and mentally, is Georgetown. Greg Monroe and DaJuan Summers make the Hoyas formidable offensively, but they also are very gritty all around and very tough defensively – opponents are shooting just 36 percent against them – just have an attitude. Nothing less than you would expect from a John Thompson coached team, whether it be John Thompson III or John Thompson II.