Harangody looking to bust out of Hansbrough's shadow

Hilarious.

(By the way, there is also a drink called the Mexican Leprechaun. Just thought you should know that.)

Anyway, back to Harangody and Hansbrough and the fact that the two players were pretty similar last season even if the hype suggests otherwise. Like I wrote above, Harangody averaged 20.4 points and 10.6 rebounds while recording 19 double-doubles. Meantime, Hansbrough averaged 22.6 points and 10.2 rebounds per contest while also recording 19 double-doubles (despite playing in six more games).

Not much difference there, is there?

If Hansbrough is the Great White Hope, Harangody has to be Version 2.0. And yet you wouldn't know it by the contrast in attention, coverage or fawning. So I asked Harangody's teammate, Luke Zeller, if he understood why.

"I could give you the answer that I would get from (our) marketing (department)," Zeller said. "But that's not going to do you much good."

Point taken, Mr. Zeller.

I appreciate the honesty.

But the reality is that this probably isn't some grand conspiracy as much as it's just a case of Hansbrough being a guy who has done it longer and at a more prestigious school. Harangody wasn't a McDonald's All-American like Hansbrough. And he wasn't a freshman All-American like Hansbrough. And he doesn't play at a school of legends like Hansbrough, because though Troy Murphy is nice, he doesn't quite register like Michael Jordan.

In other words, Hansbrough entered college as a star on a national stage and has done nothing to diminish himself while Harangody has had to work to make himself known, even to basketball enthusiasts. But you still shouldn't be surprised if Harangody pushes Hansbrough for National Player of the Year honors this season because he'll have the numbers to support his candidacy, and the Irish should be in the national spotlight enough to where Harangody will be impossible to ignore -- even if he is ignored these days, at least relative to his more-famous colleague from the ACC.

"It just makes me want to work harder to get more respect," Harangody said. "It just motivates me."

Let the Big East be warned.