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Luke Harangody Brings Luck Of The Irish To The Mad Ants

Last season Luke Harangody split his time between Cleveland and Canton and nearly led the Charge to the NBADL Finals. Now he's back in the D-League and putting in the work for another shot at playing in The Association. Will his time in Fort Wayne lead to another call-up for 'The Gody'?

By Ryan Ripley
David Richard-US PRESSWIRE

Looking to improve their front court play, the Fort Wayne Mad Ants traded the #1 pick of the 2012 NBADL Draft, JaJuan Johnson, to the Canton Charge for former Notre Dame standout Luke Harangody. Canton acquired Fort Wayne’s 2013 first round pick and gave up their third round pick to cap off the deal.

"We are all very excited about bringing Luke on board with the team," said Mad Ants president Jeff Potter in a released statement. "We feel his combination of rebounding and scoring will help get this team on the right track. It is difficult to have to part with JaJuan, but we feel that Luke addresses some of our needs and could not pass on this opportunity to acquire him."

Harangody - a former "Big East Player of the Year" - was selected in the second round of the 2010 NBA Draft (52nd overall) by the Boston Celtics. He was later traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers where he appeared in 42 games over two seasons. He averaged 4.5 points and 3.5 rebounds in 15 minutes per contest.

The 6-foot-7 forward is no stranger to the D-league. He played in 16 regular season and 3 post-season games with the Canton Charge. In his 19 NBADL games, Harangody posted 11 double-doubles, averaging 19 points and 12 rebounds per game.

Harangody did not appear in an NBA game this season. He underwent a "successful arthroscopic procedure on his right knee" in November, but was released by the Cavilers to make room on the bench for top NBADL prospect Kevin Jones.

Fresh off of five weeks of rehab for his knee, Harangody joined the Mad Ants and made an immediate impact on the team. With two games under his belt, he is averaging 20 points and 15 rebounds in 38 minutes played per game.

Harangody is shooting the ball well (50% eFG) and is a serious defensive presence in the paint (88 DRtg). Early on, he’s established his perimeter game, shooting 80% (4-5) from behind the arc, which has helped create scoring opportunities for his new teammates.

These early numbers should get even better as Harangody gets back in to basketball shape and learns the offensive and defensive sets that the Mad Ants run.

Expect to see Harangody emerge as the 20-and-10 beast that he was last year, and as a top prospect in the D-League.