Recruiting News

In this post, some recruiting updates from around the Ivy League.

For a list of committed players to attend Ivy League schools, including profiles of incoming Cornell recruits, and a listing of Cornell's prospective recruiting targets, click here. For a list of general Ivy League prospective recruiting targets, click here. Please note that we update these lists daily.

Class of 2012 News

Per ESPN, Yale scored a commitment form Jack Montague (Brentwood HS) Brentwood, TN, 6-0, G. Montague has interest from Columbia, Belmont and Lipscomb.

Zena Edosomwan (Harvard-Westlake HS) North Hollywood, CA, 6-7, F, will visit Harvard on September 22. He is also expected to visit Texas, Washington State and Gonzaga. He previously visited USC and UCLA.

MinnesotaPreps.com writes that Tyler Vaughn (Braham HS) Braham, MN, 6-0, G, has numerous D-II offers but is still fielding interest from Lafayette, Eastern Kentucky, Wofford, Texas Pan Am, Lehigh, Bucknell, William and Mary, Yale, and Columbia.

Adam Perez (Clark HS) San Antonio, TX, 5-9, G, told TexasHoops.com that in the past he heard a bit from Cornell and more recently from Arkansas Little Rock.

The Recruit Scoop notes that Ryan Frankel (Collegiate School) 5-11, G, is considering Penn, William & Mary, Columbia and Vermont.

Connor Clifford (Ocean View HS) Huntington Beach, CA, 6-10, C, has interest from Cornell, Yale and Columbia per Rivals.com.

According to TexasHoops.com, Nash Nelson (Heritage HS) Colleyville, TX, 6-1, G, has heard from Penn, Cornell, Yale, Columbia and Lafayette and attended Penn's camp.

Richard Brown (Davidson Day) Charlotte, NC, 6-5, F is being recruited by Yale, Brown and Cornell according to the Charlotte Observer.

Jeremy Schulkin, (Westtown HS) Solebury, PA, 6-4, G, is hearing from Western Kentucky, Penn, Cornell, Siena, Florida Atlantic, St. Bonaventure and Colgate. Western Kentucky is his rumored leader.

NHoops.com notes that Jason Huelbig (Middletown North HS) Middletown, NJ, 6-3, G, has interest from Mt. St. Mary's, Lafayette, Wagner, Elon, Princeton and Brown.

Class of 2013 News

Ryan Denicola (Massapequa HS) Massapequa, NY, 6-7, F, reports offers from Delaware and Rider with interest from Iona, Northeastern, Hofstra, Fordham, Yale, Cornell, Boston College, Boston University, and Marist.

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News and Notes: Thursday Edition

Below, some news and notes for Thursday...

• The Hoops Report ranks Princeton No. 59 in the country in the site's top 68 teams for 2011-2012. Harvard is also expected to crack the rankings.
  

• In Cornell roster report news, we have learned that Cornell red-shirt sophomore, Dominick Scelfo is in good health and should be on schedule to return to action on time for the 2011-2012 season. Scelfo, a 6'1" true point guard from New Orleans (Jesuit HS), missed his entire freshman year and most of his senior year of high school due to a torn MCL. Scelfo was highly recruited coming out of high school and passed up early verified scholarship offers from Saint Louis, Tulane, Samford, Texas-San Antonio, Louisiana-Lafayette, Army and New Orleans. Ironically, Scelfo's initial MCL tear occurred during an October 2009 pick-up basketball game while he was on a recruiting visit to Rick Majerus' Saint Louis program of the A-10. Scelfo was Cornell's first committed recruit for the class of 2010 and the Big Red's top guard target throughout the spring and summer of 2009, recruited primarily by former Cornell assistant and current Army head coach, Zach Spiker. Scelfo's fellow sophomore Cornell teammate, Dwight Tarwater also preserved an entire year of eligibility with a red-shirt season during 2011-2012.

• Cornell is still fully engaged in the assistant coach search. The Big Red are seeking a replacement for third assistant, Ricky Yahn who left Cornell last month to take a position at Longwood.

• Cornell's 2011-2012 schedule is complete in all material respects. However, two opponent contracts remain unsigned while the teams negotiate final dates. While Cornell will face several major conference opponents this year, the Big Red will not continue its series with Syracuse this season. The teams could resume the series in 2012-2013.

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Kobe But Kobe Wins Out

Kobe but Kobe wins out

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Cornell Basketball in the News:The Pilot Reports on Adam Wire

Wire Headed to Denmark

By Charlie Bergmann
The Pilot
July 20, 2011

Former Pinecrest and Cornell University basketball player Adam Wire has signed a contract to play ­professional basketball in Denmark.

The 6-foot-5 forward will report to the Vaerlose team in Copenhagen in September. Vaerlose is a member of the 10-team Ligaen BBK of Denmark, the country’s premier league.

A May graduate from Cornell with a degree in business, Wire and Cornell teammate Aaron Osgood-Richardson will be the only Americans on the Vaerlose squad. His eight-month ­contract includes working with youth basketball programs in Copenhagen.

Wire was a member of three Ivy League champion Big Red teams that made it to the NCAA tournament, including the 2010 edition that finished 29-5 after a loss to Kentucky in the Sweet 16.

A versatile and hardnosed player, he was among the team leaders in rebounds and steals throughout his Big Red career. As a senior at Pinecrest, he averaged 13 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and three steals per game, earning all-conference honors.

Wire’s parents, Mike and Cheryl Wire, currently live in Memphis, Tenn., but still own property locally. Reached by phone while visiting in Greensboro this week, Cheryl said that she and her husband are looking forward to making a trip to Denmark.

She also indicated that Adam plans to make a trip to Norwich, Conn., in 10 days to see former Pinecrest basketball and baseball teammate Seth Maness. Drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in June, Maness pitches for the Batavia Muckdogs team of the New York Penn League that will be meeting the Connecticut Tigers.

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George Mason to play FIU in first round of NIT Season Tip-Off

We have known for awhile that George Mason will be playing in the 16-team field preseason NIT and that they would be in the same pod as Virginia Tech.  The school confirmed today however that they will playing Florida International in the first round, with the winner advancing on to play Virginia Tech. The Patriots will be a #5 seed and two victories in Blacksburg will advance them to the semifinals in New York City at Madison Square Garden in late November.  

The first round games are from November 14-16 at Virginia Tech's campus at the Cassell Coliseum.  The preseason NIT represents one of the better early tournaments to kick off the college hoops season and gives the Patriots some great tests early on.  A chance to see George Mason battling it out at Madison Square Garden will be an early season treat for fans and hopefully a great resume builder for March.

Full bracket here

Florida International has struggled under head coach Isiah Thomas but he is starting to bring in some talented recruits.  The team could be on the up but hopefully they won't give the Patriots too much trouble so fans can see a George Mason vs Virginia Tech battle. The last time the Patriots played two ACC teams during the regular season was during the '03-'04 season when they lost to both Maryland and UNC.

Click here for more on what we know so far for next season's schedule

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Kobe Bean Bryant (born August

Kobe Bean Bryant (born August

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News and Notes: Wednesday Edition

Above, a promotional poster we found from the 2010 NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16. Lou Dale ('10) makes the cut. Below, news and notes for Wednesday...

• Sports Illustrated notes that former Cornell basketball head coach, Scott Thompson, who coached the Big Red between the 1996-1997 and 1999-2000 seasons, was the victim of a ponzi scheme which cost him $65,000 in investments with the late Houston-area businessman and AAU basketball operator J. David Salinas. Numerous other high profile college basketball coaches were also victims. "I'm shocked and surprised like everyone else, and trying to figure it all out," Thompson told SI.com. "I think David befriended many people, and many coaching friends, and I invested with him like many other people did." Thompson, who was Steve Donahue's predecessor, was forced to step down from his position at Cornell due to a battle with cancer.

• LEB Gold league team (Spain's 2nd Division), Ourense, formally announced the signing of Cody Toppert ('05). Jeff Foote ('10) played in the LEB Gold last season with Melilla.
  

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