Sophomore forward Luke Harangody had the cast on his injured right hand removed Tuesday and will play limited minutes in Notre Dame's exhibition game against St. Edward's tonight at 7:30 in the Joyce Center, Assistant Athletic Director Bernie Cafarelli said.
Harangody tore a ligament in his right thumb during practice on Oct. 15. and didn't play in Notre Dame's 109-53 win over St. Ambrose last Friday. Since injuring his thumb, Harangody practiced with the cast, but Tuesday was the first day he went without it.
Junior forward Zach Hillesland, who started in Harangody's place against St. Ambrose, grabbed 14 rebounds and scored 12 points - including an acrobatic baseline dunk and a couple of difficult reverse layups, against the Fighting Bees.
The Irish emptied their bench against St. Ambrose and allowed four freshmen on the team to see extended minutes - a theme that's likely to continue through the soft, early portion of Notre Dame's schedule. Brey said he was happy with the freshmen's first effort against St. Ambrose.
"I said to [the freshmen], I thought as a whole, you guys came in and were very prepared, you concentrated," Brey said. "And I liked your mental frame of mind. Again, it's obvious when the eight veterans are healthy, they've established themselves at one level, and it's a matter of what's left for the young guys."
Of the freshmen, forward Tyrone Nash could see significant minutes once Notre Dame enters the Big East portion of its schedule. The 6-foot-8 Nash had seven points in 13 minutes against St. Ambrose. Nash's size and athleticism allows him to play inside or outside on offense and said the coaching staff is helping him become a more complete player.
"In practice they have me both with the guards and in the post position," Nash said. "So, I need to work on my shooting, post moves, defense and communication. Communication is probably the most important out of everything."
Note:
uThe Irish gained a verbal commitment for the recruiting class of 2009 but missed out on a crucial recruit for this year's class. Joey Brooks, a 6-foot-5, 200-pound junior at Strait Jesuit College Prep in Houston, Tex., committed to Notre Dame after visiting campus this weekend. Meanwhile, Tyler Zeller, brother of Irish junior forward Luke Zeller, turned down a scholarship offer from Notre Dame and verbally committed to North Carolina Monday.
