Sports

Scouts on lookout for Big East talent

Beauty — or talent — is in the eye of the beholder. And some of the eyes beholding Big East Tournament talent yesterday were NBA scouts and team executives of every level.

They are forbidden from being quoted about non-seniors, and the players who intrigued most on day two of the tournament mostly fall into that category, with Notre Dame’s Luke Harangody the lone exception.

The strongest afternoon-session appeal came from Georgetown center Greg Monroe, projected to go “somewhere from 10 to 20” of the first round by at least two of the NBA types, and South Florida junior guard Dominique Jones, who most agreed is a late-first to mid-second-round pick. Jones, though, insisted he has not made a firm decision about leaving the Bulls.

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“The NBA is not going anywhere,” he said, “so I’ll take my time to make my decision.”

What do the scouts see in Jones?

“High-volume shooter, has a knack for scoring. Not very athletic, not very fluid. Shoots a lot of contested shots,” one scout said.

“There’s a toughness about him,” said another. “Has point guard size [6-foot-4], but he’s probably going to have to be a third-guard type guy.”

Monroe, despite lottery potential, brings a lot of questions.

“Real light in the [butt]. I don’t know how he’ll fit in the NBA. A good NBA passer, but he’ll never get double-teamed. Stiff when he runs,” one guy assessed.

“It’s his lower body where you worry. He has a good basketball IQ. But what is he? A power forward? A three? He’s not a five,” appraised another.

Harangody was viewed as a player who will make the NBA, then be a question mark. Seton Hall’s Herb Pope appealed with his legit NBA body (6-8, 235). And that size is one of the first things scouts look for.

“Size for position,” one scout said. “Like if you’re a 5-11 shooting guard, you better be [really] good.”

“Size and athletic ability always help,” another evaluator said. “But you must have tangible skill.”

The assessment of Harangody?

“Great college player, really knows how to play,” one scout said. “I like how he scores, but I don’t think his game translates to the NBA. He’s a winner and he’ll make a team, but I think it will be hard for him to be a rotation player. Range is only 15-to-17 feet.”

Pope? They like him because, “he’s an NBA rebounder. He has size for position. He’s a true power forward.”

fred.kerber@nypost.com