Harden headed to the Big East
St. Mary's of Stockton small forward Joe Harden is one of the top unsigned prospects in his class in Northern California. The No. 7 ranked player in the Class of 2006 by NorCalPreps.com, Harden has finally decided to end his recruitment and head east.
Harden, the 6-foot-5 Rams' forward, has verbally committed to South Bend and play for coach Mike Brey at Notre Dame. Harden committed yesterday after Brey flew in to meet with Harden on Tuesday night.
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"It means a lot," said Harden of Brey coming to see him. "They have seen five of my playoff games."
Harden will now look to come in and help the Irish rebound from a disappointing season that saw them lose many close games, especially in Big East play. Harden said he liked the education opportunities offered by Notre Dame and their level of basketball, which Harden said is perfect for him.
Notre Dame won out for Harden's services over such schools as San Diego, Loyola Marymount, and UC-Davis. Harden also said Virginia and Pittsburgh had started showing some interest, but it was only minimal.
Harden, who averaged 20 points and 10 rebounds his senior season, including a 40 point and 14 rebound effort in the playoffs, led the Rams to a Northern California championship at ARCO Arena earlier this month. He hopes to help his new team reach similar heights at Madison Square Garden.
"They play a lot of good teams," Harden said. "It would be pretty sweet playing in Madison Square Garden."