Schedule Update: Big Red Basketball to Madison Square Garden

Cornell Basketball is headed to the World's Most Famous Arena this December. The Associated Press confirms that The Big Red will participate in Madison Square Garden's annual ECAC Holiday Festival between December 20-21.

The news of the tournament was not expected to be fully released until later this summer after all contracts were signed. Nevertheless, Cornell is headed to MSG.

The Big Red will play in two games with St. John's hosting the event. The other tournament participants include Davidson and Hofstra. MSG Network is expected to provide television coverage. Cornell opens the event against Davidson on December 20.

Madison Square Garden was particularly interested in Cornell as a participant in the event because of the Big Red's consecutive Ivy League championships. MSG was also attracted to Cornell's tremendous alumni base in the New York Metro area which led to a MSG sell out two years ago for a Cornell-Boston University hockey game.

As far as the individual match-ups, Davidson and Cornell are not complete strangers. Last summer, Cornell head coach, Steve Donahue served as an assistant to Davidson head coach, Bob McKillop during the U.S. Men's Basketball U18 Trials. Donahue mentioned to the Cornell Daily Sun last summer, “I think that Davidson-Cornell would be a good match. The two schools have similar academic missions, and that would be a good game. In the right situation [it would be great to play] Davidson..."

As for St. John's, the Big Red fell to the Red Storm last season in the opener of the NIT Season Tip-Off, 86-75 after trailing the Big East squad by just 1 point at halftime. Cornell, however, played the Red Storm without All Ivy League point guard, Louis Dale.

The balance of Cornell's 2009-2010 nonconference schedule is brutally challenging. Cornell will have home games against Seton Hall and St. Joseph's along with road games at Kansas, at Syracuse, at Alabama and at La Salle. Cornell will also visit UMass in the opening round of the Legends Classic.

Below is the A.P. press release:

Davidson to play in Holiday Festival in New York

DAVIDSON, N.C. (AP) — Davidson coach Bob McKillop will make his homecoming next season when the Wildcats play in the Holiday Festival in New York.

McKillop said Tuesday that Davidson will open against Cornell on Dec. 20 at Madison Square Garden, while St. John's faces Hofstra. The winners and losers meet a night later.

McKillop was born in Queens, went to high school on Long Island and played basketball at Hofstra. He later coached high school basketball on Long Island.

This is the second straight year the Wildcats will play at Madison Square Garden — but the first without Stephen Curry. Davidson beat West Virginia 68-65 last season behind Curry's 27 points.

Curry has turned pro. He is expected to be selected early in Thursday's NBA draft.

Read more »

Schedule Update: Another Legends Classic Update

Jeff Goodman of FoxSports notes today that Valparaiso will join Toledo in the Michigan State region of the Legends Classic. While the assignment of Valpo and Toldeo to East Lansing makes geographical sense, this report is contrary to the news we reported earlier today that Toledo would play in the UMass region with Cornell.

MassLive.com, our original source, indicated Toledo would play in Amherst. Still, good news that Valpo is added to the 12 team Classic field. In addition to Michigan State, Valpo, Toledo, UMass and Cornell, the other known Classic participants are Rutgers, Drexel, Vermont, and Florida. Thus far, looks like every game in this tournament will be a tough test for the Big Red.

Read more »

Wittman Finishes with 12 in Summer League Debut

Last night, Team B-2-X lost 104-91 to A&A Millworks in second game of the first day of the Howard Pulley Pro City League in St. Paul. Cornell's Ryan Wittman had a tough first game for B-2-X, finishing with 12 points on a 5/16 shooting performance. Teammate Blake Hoffarber of the Minnesota Gophers had 17 points on 7/13 shooting for the game.

Tonight, Cornell rookie, Josh Figini makes his summer league debut with the Errol Carlstrom Playaz. They face the Madison Magic at 7 pm.

Read more »

Schedule Update: Improved Legends Classic on the 2009-2010 Schedule

Some contracts still need to be signed before Cornell can finalize and announce the balance of its 2009-2010 schedule. We previously have indicated that anticipated opponents on the schedule include: Syracuse, Kansas, Alabama, Seton Hall, St. Joseph's, La Salle, Boston University, South Dakota, Bryant, and a holiday tournament.

Also among the expected games is Cornell's involvement in the Gazelle Group's Legends Classic, an exempt 12-team tournament which will run during November.

During its first three seasons, the Legends Classic struggled to assemble a competitive field of teams. For example, last season the Classic featured five non-Division I programs. This year's field appears to be much stronger.

The information we received indicates that UMass, Rutgers, Florida and Michigan State will each host the Classic's regional rounds with three teams in each of the four regions. After each region completes round robin play, the four host schools automatically advance to Newark, Jersey's Prudential Center for the "semifinal" rounds. The remaining eight schools move on to the "consolation" rounds where they are guaranteed two more games.

As an exempt tournament, Cornell's four games in the Legends Classic count as only one game towards Cornell's 28 game schedule limitation (as imposed by the NCAA and Ivy League). Thus, because of the Legends Classic, Cornell could schedule as many as 31 regular season games this season.

Below is the anticipated Legends Classic field:

Amherst Region
UMass (host)
Cornell
Toledo

Piscataway Region
Rutgers (host)
Drexel
Vermont

Gainseville Region
Florida (host)
Team 2 tba
Team 3 tba

East Lansing Region
Michigan State (host)
Team 2 tba
Team 3 tba

Read more »

Recruiting News

Pictured above, 6'8" point-forward, Anthony Gatlin is a transfer to Cornell from the Summit League's Cetenary College. Gatlin maintains two years of eligibility commencing 2010-2011 after starting 28 of his 58 games in a Gents uniform. Below, some recruiting news from around the Ivy League.

The Cornell Basketball Blog previously reported that Penn offered a roster spot to Evanston's (Illinois) Eric Dortch. According to Wilmette Life, the 6'3" Dortch is also being recruited by Cornell, Columbia and Brown.

The same article also notes what we previously reported that New Trier, Illinois big man, Fred Heldring committed to William & Mary on Friday. He selected W&M over Cornell, Harvard, Davidson and Loyola-Chicago. Sources indicated that his decision came down to W&M and Cornell.

HoopScoop, among other sources, indicates Kevin Noreen, a 6'8" forward from Minneapolis Transition Charter School committed to Boston College. Noreen was a target of Cornell's.

Read more »

Big Red Brackets

In his June 17, 2009 edition of Bracketology, ESPN's Joe Lunardi projects Cornell as a No. 13 seed in the 2010 NCAA Tournament. Lunardi previously projected Cornell as a No. 12 seed back on April 13, 2009.

Read more »

Alumni News: Aubry and McCord Having Stellar Seasons Overseas

In alumni news, Jeff Aubry (pictured above) (Cornell '99), a 6'11" center for the Arecibo Capitanes in the Puerto Rico basketball league is averaging 10.4 points, 11.2 rebounds (3rd in the league) and 2.1 blocks per game (4th in the league) through 29 games. The Capitanes, the defending league champions currently sit in first place in the league standings.

Through 33 games in the French Pro B League, 6'6" John McCord (Cornell '97, 1st Team All Ivy League '97) is averaging 15.8 points, 8.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game for Antibes.

John McCord, Cornell '97 inbounds the ball for Antibes in French B League action.

McCord, an athletic slasher takes the ball to the basket.

McCord finishes a drive with a slam.

Below... an archived article on McCord from 1997:

CORNELL'S MCCORD, A LATE BLOOMING IVY

By Wayne Coffey
New York Daily News
February 28, 1997

Steve DeMeo, an assistant coach at Iona, was the head man at Monroe Community College in the Bronx a few years back when a long, lean kid named John Allen McCord walked into the gym one day.

DeMeo's team was never the same, and neither was the young life of McCord, who has emerged as one of the unlikeliest stars of the college basketball season.

"It's an amazing story," DeMeo said.

The 6-6, 215-pound McCord is a high-jumping, late-blooming forward for Cornell, by way of West 183d St. in the Bronx. He turned 24 two days ago. He finishes his one and only Ivy season tonight at Penn, and tomorrow in Princeton, the sole question being:

How good might he be if he'd played at Walton HS? If he'd started in organized ball before age 20?

"I think about it a lot," McCord says. "I wish I had pursued basketball more when I was (younger)."

McCord leads the Ivy League in scoring (18.4 ppg), is second in rebounding (9.2) and fourth in blocks (1.3). He's shooting 59% from the floor. He had 26 points and 11 boards in his Big Red debut. In Cornell's first victory over Penn in six years, McCord put up 23 points and 20 rebounds.

Born in Orangeburg, S.C., McCord is the son of Annie and John McCord. He never met his father, John Allen McCord Sr., who died in a car accident the very day his son was born.

Annie McCord, a home health aide, moved the family to the Bronx. John enrolled at Walton, grew from 5-10 to 6-3 before his sophomore year, and began to develop his slashing, explosive game, albeit on the playgrounds and in summer tournaments. But despite the urging of friends, including Kerry Thompson, point guard at Florida State, he opted not to play on the school team. McCord had gotten a job at Pius XII Youth Center, two blocks from home, and enjoyed working with kids and earning some money.

"By me working there, it showed me the light of what it takes to be responsible," McCord said.

McCord continued at Pius XII for two years after high school before attending Bronx CC, and transferring to Monroe CC, following his friend, Stanley Green, who finally convinced him to play on the team. McCord was an instant sensation at Monroe, becoming a first-team JUCO All-American as a sophomore, leading DeMeo's team to a 28-3 record. By then Cornell assistant Tyrone Pitts had seen him, and loved him. Other suitors included UConn, Alabama, Long Beach State and Iona, but McCord elected to become an Ivy Leaguer.

"He's like a natural, man," Pitts said. "It's almost like you don't even have to show him. He knows how to do it instinctively."

Cornell made him sit out his junior year to aid in his academic adjustment, and though he thought of leaving, McCord stuck it out. His college career, as sparkling as it has been brief, has two games left. John Allen McCord is a candidate for Ivy Player of the Year.

"You don't find kids like him every day," DeMeo said.

Read more »