JayhawkSlant.com - Harangody?s availability for rest of season in doubt

March 1, 2010

Looking for a glimmer of hope, Irish men's basketball coach Mike Brey has been forced to be realistic about the status of senior All-American Luke Harangody, who has missed the last four games with a bone bruise to his right knee suffered on Feb. 11 against Seton Hall.

"There's a chance he would not come back this season; there's a chance he could," said Brey at a regularly scheduled Monday morning press conference. "I'd say both are a possibility."

The Irish close the regular season this week with a Wednesday home clash against Connecticut and a trip to Marquette Saturday. The Big East tournament begins Tuesday, March 9.

"I'm not confident about Wednesday, but we'll take a look at it today and tomorrow," Brey said. "If Wednesday's not a go, I have a hard time seeing Saturday as a go. Then we see where we are the next week, and by then the clock is running out."

Brey told ESPN's Andy Katz Saturday that there was a "less than 50-50 chance" that Harangody would return for the Connecticut game, and "if he can't go Wednesday, it's going to be difficult to go Saturday" against Marquette.

Brey insisted that there is no "structural ligament or cartilage damage" to the right knee, which Harangody hyper-extended with 8:10 remaining in the Seton Hall game. He returned to action briefly against the Pirates, but had to sit down the stretch, as he did the next four games against St. John's, Louisville, Pittsburgh and Georgetown.

The Irish have won their last two games against No. 12 Pittsburgh and No. 11 Georgetown without Harangody. Brey said Harangody has served as a great example to his younger teammates.

"He's a captain, a leader and kind of a coach for us, and I really appreciate him doing that," Brey said. "Since he's been down, he's been helping (freshman Jack) Cooley and (junior Carleton) Scott. At halftime (of the Georgetown game), when I left the locker room, I could hear his voice."

Brey said they would explore every opportunity to get Harangody back on the court, but not at the expense of risking Harangody's future in the game.

"There's improvement but not to the point where he can play," Brey said. "We're going to keep trying. But we're preparing like we're not going to have him.

"We've been playing for a while without him, and that's got to be our mindset. If something changes, that would be a nice thing. But it's kind of week to week right now."

Kansas NEWS

[More]

Latest Headlines:

Resources:

FEATURED PRODUCT