Ithaca Journal: Cornell Seniors Leave with Lasting Memories

Cornell men's basketball seniors get high marks from coach
Big Red's season ends this weekend

By Brian Delaney
Ithaca Journal
March 4, 2011

Come what may for the Cornell men's basketball program, the senior trio of Aaron Osgood, Adam Wire and Mark Coury will always be welcome guests in Bill Courtney's household.

The simple fact is this: in a season with several near-unbearable moments of frustration involving players used only to winning, emotions never approached the line of mutiny against a new coaching staff with a different philosophy.

"They really kept their teammates up, kept them working hard and showing a lot of leadership in that way, on and off the floor," Courtney said. "I think it's been a joy in my first year to coach a group of guys like that."

Cornell enters the final weekend of the 2010-11 season with a record of 8-18, and a 4-8 Ivy League mark. The program took a step back, but not as far back as it could have been.

Players remain close. The off-campus basketball house will continue. Most telling, Cornell didn't regress when it was officially eliminated -- weeks ago -- from winning a fourth league title. It's improved steadily, with a 4-3 record in its last seven games.

The league title could be decided Saturday in Cambridge, where first-place Princeton (22-5, 10-1) and second-place Harvard (21-5, 10-2) are scheduled to meet. Princeton then visits Penn on Tuesday night. If there's a tie for first place, a one-game playoff will be held at a neutral site to determine the Ivy League's NCAA tournament representative.

Cornell's season ends with visits from Brown tonight and Yale on Saturday.

"It's so nice to see how close-knit we are," Osgood said. "Seniors to the freshmen. Next year everyone's going to live in the same house again, and that kind of shows us that we're the leaders of this family and we've kept it together. Even through a season where a record isn't the greatest, we're still close. We're not at each other's throats if we're not performing."

The three discussed favorite memories after Wednesday's practice, and each had his own No. 1. Osgood recalled last season's Sweet 16 run, specifically a moment when the media horde surrounding Jeff Foote's locker spilled over into his own after the Wisconsin win in Jacksonville.

"Everybody wanted to talk to Foote," Osgood said. "So they're all crowding in, and some people couldn't get their microphones in so they were like, 'Well let's interview you.' So then they're like, 'Oh, who are you?' But I was loving it."

Wire's first thought went to the wild 2007-08 court-storming, which marked Cornell's first championship in 20 years. Then a freshman, his role expanded considerably in the years to follow.

Coury, who transferred from Kentucky in 2008, went with playing in so many "crunch-time games."

"It was such a team thing," he said. "It was for the whole team. It wasn't who wants the last shot or who will be the guy on ESPN. Our whole team really bought into that system, really believed in it, and it was something we wanted to protect."

Coury has played some of his best basketball over the past seven games. He hit the go-ahead shot with 35 seconds left in Saturday's two-point win over Penn.

Osgood has missed the past month with a torn MCL, but is hoping to get cleared for Saturday's game. Each of the three seniors praised Courtney for his handling of the team. Wire sees Cornell becoming a faster-paced team in years to come.

"A lot of press, a lot of up and down," he said, laughing. "So maybe it's a good time to get out of here."

Cornell split its road trip through Brown and Yale in early February, losing to the Bulldogs before beating the Bears. The Yale loss was perhaps the most frustrating moment of the season: the Big Red blew a 10-point lead with 2 minutes left and lost by a point.

Osgood believes the program isn't far away from being a winning one again.

"Hopefully next year everyone's learning time is over and they start winning those close ones," he said. "Because I honestly think if we had beaten St. Bonaventure, if we had beaten Lehigh, those early games that we lost that were devastating, I think we'd have a lot more wins. Those close losses devastated us, pretty much."

It didn't fester into discontent. Courtney has his three unassuming seniors to thank for that.

"They've been great," he said. "To have guys have such great attitude, work hard every day, great teammates, great people. Tremendous character. It's been a joy to coach these guys."

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Yale Daily News Previews Bulldogs at Cornell

Two last games

By John Ryan
Yale Daily News
March 4, 2011

After a thrilling weekend that included an emotional Senior Night victory over Harvard, 70–69, the men’s basketball team’s season will come to an end this Saturday in upstate New York.

The Bulldogs (14–12, 7–5 Ivy) will travel to the Big Apple for a Friday night matchup with the Columbia Lions (14–12, 5–7) before meeting the Cornell Big Red (8–18, 4–8) Saturday night in Ithaca. The Bulldogs will look to build off of the big Senior Night win over the Crimson last Saturday.

Last weekend, the Bulldogs hosted the Dartmouth Big Green and the Harvard Crimson for the last pair of games at the John J. Lee Amphitheater. Friday night, the Bulldogs and Big Green finished regulation tied at 65. In the overtime period, five crucial points from guard Isaiah Salafia ’14 helped the Bulldogs to a 79–75 win.

One night later, the Bulldogs hosted the visiting Crimson. Senior guards Porter Braswell ’11, Raffi Mantilla ’11 and Alfonso Costa ’11 were honored before the contest. A visiting, excited Harvard student section and a packed Yale student section sent verbal barbs back and forth in what proved to be an intense and exciting matchup.

With the teams tied at 66, Yale forward Reggie Willhite ’12 drove into the paint and made a layup to put the Bulldogs up two. But Harvard guard Christian Webster converted a three-point play to put the Crimson up one. On the ensuing Yale possession, a perfect pass from Willhite to forward Jeremiah Kreisberg ’14 led to a layup. On the last possession of the game, Harvard guard Brandyn Curry tried a shot that rolled off the rim. The team and students rushed the floor, and Yale left with a 70–69 win.

The Bulldogs will look to keep up the intensity of last weekend as they travel to Cornell and Columbia. The weekend begins with a matchup against the Lions. Noruwa Agho, a second-team All-Ivy League player last season, leads Columbia with 16.1 points and 4.4 assists. However, in the game at Yale early in the season, the Bulldogs held Agho to only six points and forced him to commit six turnovers.

After reaching the Sweet Sixteen last season, former Cornell head coach Steve Donahue left for Boston College, and six of its seven leading scorers were lost to graduation. This season, the Big Red got off to a slow start, but they have surged as of late. The Bulldogs know they cannot take Cornell lightly, as last time these two teams matched up, Yale overcame a ten point deficit in the final two minutes to pull out a 71–70 victory.

This season, guard Chris Wroblewski has led Cornell, averaging 14.3 points and 5.7 assists. Teammate Drew Ferry led the Big Red with 18 points in their loss to Yale.

Regardless of the outcomes this weekend, the Bulldogs’ season will come to an end. With first and second place out of reach, the Bulldogs are playing for third place in the Ancient Eight. The Ivy League is the only conference in Division I basketball that does not conduct a postseason men’s basketball tournament, and Yale head coach James Jones thinks that this is a problem.

“Every game we’ve played in the League has been nine or less points,” head coach James Jones said. “That being said, it would be a great year to have a tournament because there are so many teams so close to each other, but que será, será.”

Without a tournament, the Elis will try to close with two wins. The Bulldogs’ matchup with Columbia will tip off at 7 p.m. Friday night. The team will then finish its season against Cornell on Saturday night at 7 p.m.

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Cornell Daily Sun Previews Senior Weekend vs. Brown/Yale

Tri-captain Adam Wire and four other Cornell seniors will play their last game at Newman Arena on Saturday.

Men's Basketball Hosts Bears Tonight, Bulldogs on Senior Night

By Albert Liao
Cornell Daily Sun
March 4, 2011

This weekend will mark the bittersweet end to the most successful era of Cornell basketball. Newman Nation will say goodbye to seniors Mark Coury, Aaron Osgood and Adam Wire; the latter two were on the team for all three of Cornell’s Ivy League championships. Cornell (8-18, 4-8 Ivy League) will face-off against Brown (11-15, 4-8) tonight at 7 p.m. and tomorrow night, the senior class will be honored before the Red plays host to Yale (14-12, 7-5) for its last game of the season.

The last time Cornell played Brown, it was a shootout as the Red prevailed, 91-79. The teams combined to hit 27 3-pointers in a contest that seemed as though whoever had the ball last would win the game. This time around, the Red will look to concentrate on defense rather than rely on 3-pointers.

“We don’t average 90 points a game, so we can’t count on our shooting to be like that,” said junior guard and tri-captain Chris Wroblewski. “If you look at our defensive statistics, they aren’t great. Brown also had a great shooting night … and we just ended up hitting a few more 3’s than they did … If we don’t improve defensively, then I don’t think we’ll win [this game] because they’re a very good offensive team.”

This time around, the Bears will feature their leading scorer and rebounder, senior forward Peter Sullivan, who missed the first matchup between the two teams due to a shoulder injury. The Red will have to account for him as well as Brown’s other weapons.

“Peter Sullivan … is very, very difficult to guard … so he’ll have to be a guy that we’ll have to key on, as well as [point guard] Sean McGonagill, who’s making a run for [Ivy League Freshman] of the Year,” said head coach Bill Courtney. “We really have to guard Brown; they’re a very potent offensive team, so we’ll have to do a great job of contesting their shots, particularly their 3-point shots.”

Brown and Cornell have the same Ivy League record at 4-8, but the similarities between the two teams do not end there.

“Brown really mirrors us in the way they've been playing,” Courtney said. “They’ve picked it up, are playing well down the stretch and they score a lot of points, similar to what we’re doing.”

Yale sits third in the Ivy League standings and has enjoyed a successful season led by Greg Mangano. A candidate for Ivy League Player of the Year, the 6-10, 240-pound center leads the entire conference with 16.1 points, 10 rebounds and 3.2 blocks per game.

In Cornell’s first game against Yale, the Red limited Mangano to 14 points and nine rebounds and held a 10-point lead with two minutes to go; however, the Red collapsed down the stretch and lost a heartbreaker, 71-70.

“We played an excellent 38 minutes of basketball. We did exactly what we wanted to do; we took them out of their offense, we sped them up, we were aggressive on defense and offense, but at the end there maybe some of our immaturity showed and we … crumbled in the last two minutes,” Wroblewski said.

Cornell doesn’t plan to change much against Yale this time around — as long as it plays with intensity, the team is confident it has the ability to earn a win.

“Any time you put yourself in position to be up 10 on the road at the end of the game, you’ve played a very good game,” Courtney said. “[Against Yale], we played with tremendous intensity and the players did a good job on Mangano … I think if we can replicate some of those things we did in that game, we’ll be in good shape.”

First and foremost, this weekend will be used to honor the outgoing seniors. Despite playing in the shadows of last year’s extraordinary senior class led by stars Ryan Wittman ’10, Louis Dale ’10 and Jeff Foote ’10, this year’s class was integral to the squad’s three consecutive Ivy League championships, according to Wroblewski.

“I think they’re very underrated; they don’t get … the hype or recognition for the success we’ve had the last few years,” Wroblewski praised. “Everyone knows the big names of Wittman, Dale and Foote, but this class was there for every Ivy League victory … so I think they deserve some recognition for that.

“They also served as great leaders for us this year,” Wroblewski added. “We have some young guys on this team and we went through some adversity, some rough times with the losing, but this senior class really instilled a winning culture and a positive attitude and kept us on the right track.”

Through the course of the season, the seniors have developed close bonds with the team’s younger players, making this farewell even harder to swallow.

“This year’s senior class has done so much in Cornell basketball history, given so much to the University and to the program,” Courtney said. “It’s a tough thing, with the team being so close, to leave their friends; [it is] almost like losing a family member … We’re losing a colleague, but it’s a celebration of everything we’ve accomplished and … what they’ve meant to this program and the school.”

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How George Mason made out at the CAA awards banquet last night

Here is a list of all the winners from the CAA awards banquet that was held last night in Richmond:

All-CAA 1st Team

Chaisson Allen, Northeastern

Denzel Bowles, James Madison

Frank Hassell, Old Dominion

Charles Jenkins, Hofstra

Cam Long, George Mason

All-CAA 2nd Team

Kent Bazemore, Old Dominion

Samme Givens, Drexel

Ryan Pearson, George Mason

Jamie Skeen, VCU

Chad Tomko, UNC Wilmington

All-CAA 3rd Team

Jawan Carter, Delaware

Chris Fouch, Drexel

Luke Hancock, George Mason

Quinn McDowell, William & Mary

Joey Rodriguez, VCU

2011 CAA Player of the Year – Charles Jenkins, Hofstra

2011 CAA Coach of the Year – Jim Larranaga, George Mason (this is his 2nd time winning this award, last time was 1999)

2011 CAA Rookie of the Year – Devon Saddler, Delaware

2011 CAA Defensive Player of the Year – Kent Bazemore, Old Dominion

A lot of Mason fans think Andre Cornelius got snubbed by not even being in the top 8 for voting for the All-Defensive team. It's a bit of a shock considering the Patriots are one of the best defensive teams in the CAA but let's remember how much of that success is based on a total team effort.  ODU's Kent Bazemore won defensive player of the year, probably because media members saw his steals per game statistic. It's all subjective especially when it comes to who is among the leagues best defenders and unless the voters watch every game closely it's very hard to choose.

Also an argument can made for Ryan Pearson on the 1st team and if he played the whole season like he played in February he would have been in discussion for player of the year as well.

Depsite a good night for the green and gold at the banquet, there is still a few other pieces of hardware I'm sure they are more interested in.

[Photo via GoMason]

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SlopeTV Recaps Cornell's Win Over Penn

SlopeTV's recap of Cornell's victory over Penn last Saturday.

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Yale Athletics Game Notes for Visit to Cornell

Regular Season Concludes With New York Road Trip
Bulldogs Face Columbia Friday, Cornell Saturday
Yale Athletics

Related links

• Complete Release In .pdf Format
• Yale-Columbia Video
• Yale-Columbia Live Stats
• Yale-Columbia Audio
• Yale-Cornell Video
• Yale-Cornell Live Stats
• Yale Statistics
• Columbia Statistics
• Cornell Statistics

NEW HAVEN, Conn. - The Bulldogs conclude the regular season with a trip to Columbia on Friday and Cornell on Saturday. The start time for both games is 7 p.m.

Yale is coming off a thrilling weekend sweep of Dartmouth and Harvard. The Bulldogs edged Dartmouth 79-75 in overtime and followed it up with a 70-69 victory that knocked Harvard out of first place. In fact, all 12 of Yale's Ivy games have been decided by nine points or less. The Bulldogs have never played a full league season where all 14 games were decided by single digits. Yale has played two one-point games (70-69 win over Harvard, 71-70 victory over Cornell), one two-point game (60-58 loss to Penn), one three-point game (78-75 loss to Harvard) and two four-point games (79-75 overtime victory over Dartmouth, 67-63 loss to Princeton). Yale's five Ivy losses have come by a combined 24 points. The Bulldogs are already guaranteed their 11th straight fourth-place or better finish. A pair of victories would secure third-place and give Yale 16 overall wins, its most since 2001-02. Individually Greg Mangano is trying to become the first Ivy player to average a double-double both overall and in just Ivy games since Harvard's Kyle Snowden in 1995-96. Snowden averaged 15.1 ppg, 11.1 rpg. in all games and 14.1 ppg, 10.8 rpg. in Ivy games. Mangano is currently averaging 16.1 ppg, 10.0 rpg. overall and 18.6 ppg., 10.3 rpg. in league games. The last Yale player to average a double-double for the season is Chris Dudley (17.6 ppg., 13.3 rpg. in 1986-87). Mangano also has 83 blocks, the third most in a season in Ivy history. He is seven shy of Princeton's Chris Young, who had 90 in 1999-2000 and nine behind Brian Gilpin, who had 92 in 1994-95. Mangano's 49 blocks in Ivy games are a new league record. He is eighth in the nation in blocked shots per game (3.2) and 24th in rebounding.

BULLDOGS PROVE PROGNOSTICATORS WRONG - AGAIN

Yale was picked to finish fifth in the Ivy League by the select panel of 17 Ivy media representatives prior to the start of the season. However, for the fifth time in the last six years, the Bulldogs will finish higher than projected.

LEAGUE LEADERS

Yale leads the Ivy League in blocked shots (125), is second in field goal percentage defense (.420) and third in scoring defense (66.8 ppg.) and free throw percentage (.741). In Ivy only games, the Bulldogs have a league best 71 blocks. Yale is tied for second in field goal percentage defense (.418) and third in scoring defense (65.4 ppg.).

HISTORY LESSONS

The Bulldogs are looking to sweep the season series from Columbia for the second straight year. Yale built a 16-point halftime lead in a 72-67 victory over the Lions on Feb. 5. Michael Grace was 5-for-5 from the field and scored 11 points off the bench for the Bulldogs. Yale has won four straight games over Columbia but still trails in the all-time series 122-97.

The Bulldogs are trying to sweep the season series from Cornell for the first time since 2004. In the first meeting, Yale rallied from a 10-point deficit in the final two minutes to escape with a 71-70 victory. Austin Morgan's three-point play with 12 seconds left capped the comeback. Cornell leads the all-time series 107-102.

***

SCOUTING CORNELL

The Big Red (8-18, 4-8 Ivy) has won four of its last seven games, including a thrilling 74-72 victory over Penn at The Palestra last Saturday. Chris Wroblewski leads Cornell in scoring (14.3 ppg.) and assists (5.7 apg.), while Drew Ferry is pouring in 11.7 ppg. Sophomore Errick Peck is the third double figure scorer, averaging 11.2 ppg. Cornell ranks seventh nationally in 3-point field goals per game (9.0). In the last eight games, the Big Red's bench has outscored its opponents bench 355-156 (an average of 44.4-19.5).

***

2011-12 SCHEDULE

The 2011-12 Yale schedule is starting to take shape. The season is tentatively set to begin on Nov. 12 against Central Connecticut at the Connecticut 6 Classic at the Mohegan Sun Arena. The Bulldogs will play non-league road games at Quinnipiac, Seton Hall, Army, Hartford, Sacred Heart, Rhode Island, Wake Forest and Florida. Vermont, Bryant and Holy Cross are scheduled to visit Lee Amphitheater.

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Ivy Office Weekend Notes

The Ivy League Office has published the championship clinching scenarios for the weekend and its weekend preview. The League Office notes with respect to Cornell:

Brown (11-15, 4-8 Ivy) @ Cornell (8-18, 4-8 Ivy)
Date: Friday, March 4 – 7 p.m.
Location: Newman Arena • Ithaca, N.Y.
Brown-Cornell Series: Cornell leads, 69-45
Last Meeting: Cornell 91, Brown 79 • 2/5/11 • Providence, R.I.
Live Stats | Video | Audio
Brown Game Notes | Cornell Game Notes

Yale @ Cornell
Date: Saturday, March 5 – 7 p.m.
Location: Newman Arena • Ithaca, N.Y.
Yale-Cornell Series: Cornell leads, 107-102
Last Meeting: Yale 71, Cornell 70 • 2/4/11 • New Haven, Conn.
Live Stats | Video | Audio
Yale Game Notes | Cornell Game Notes

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