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On December 15, 2007, Cornell's Mark Coury, a Kentucky transfer, played 19 minutes for the Wildcats against the UAB Blazers of Conference USA. Coury did his part, chipping in 4 points (2/4 FGs), dishing 3 assists, grabbing 2 rebounds and blocking a shot, but Kentucky fell to UAB 79-76.
Louis Dale '10, who elicits cheers of "Louuuuu" whenever the ball is in his possession, expressed his appreciation for the fans..."It's been great ... having people coming out and supporting us...It's overwhelming."
-Louis Dale, Cornell '10 with The Cornell Chronicle
In exactly two weeks... Saturday, November 14, the Cornell Big Red kick off the 2009-2010 season at the University of Alabama Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. For Cornell senior, Louis Dale (No. 12 above), it is a homecoming game for the Bimingham, Alabama native.
Below, some recruiting news from around the Ivy League...
Below, some video clip footage of Cody Toppert from his Cornell days between 2001-2005. Toppert currently plays for MEG Goettingen in German's premier league, the Budesliga.
Above, Cornell's Geoff Reeves (left) of Burlington, Kansas (point A above) and Pete Reynolds (right) of Blair, Nebraska (Point C above), make a return trip to their home region when the Big Red visit Lawrence, Kansas to face the Jayhawks on January 6, 2010. Two days later, on January 8, Cornell stays in the region with a visit to South Dakota.As the University of Kansas basketball team launches into one of it's most anticipated seasons in history, My-KSMO is the home to the Jayhawks and will have a series of specials to look at the team.The basketball specials will run prior to KU games that will appear on My-KSMO. Neal Jones will host the shows and will be joined by personalities from 810 WHB radio to discuss the Jayhawks and their match-ups.The schedule for the KU basketball specials is: Nov. 3 - Fort Hays State Nov. 10 Pittsburg State Nov. 13 Hofstra Nov. 19 Central Arkansas Dec. 2 Alcorn State Jan. 6 Cornell. All of the KU specials will start at 6:30 p.m., prior to KU games that appear on My-KSMO.
Below, some news and notes around the Ivy League. Above, a feature story on Cornell from BleacherReport.com is a lead link today on CBSSports.com.With the NCAA basketball season just weeks away, everyone’s been releasing their preseason polls. The conference polls have been trickling in over the last week, and the national polls came out today.
The Ivy League released its preseason rankings yesterday, with Penn coming in at third behind Cornell and Princeton. Cornell is, as expected, the unanimous favorite, returning all five starters from last year’s Ivy championship. You’d be hard-pressed to argue against the conference being Cornell’s to lose.
...The ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll was released today, as was the AP Preseason Top 25. ...Cornell received points in the Coaches’ Poll, getting three points total. Not sure if someone thinks they’re the 23rd best team, if three voters think they’re the 25th best team, or something in between.
Below, some recruiting news from around the Ivy League...Fielding a successful collegiate basketball team starts before any players ever step on the court. The quality of the facilities, the amount of support given by the admissions office, and the development of a student and local fan base all signal a program’s emphasis on winning... you know that Harvard’s facilities rank in the bottom half of the league... [Harvard's] Lavietes best strikes one as a high school gym, not only by its size, but also with the relative lack of buzz or excitement felt inside it... the Harvard basketball program makes little attempt to sell itself to the students and cultivate a fan base.
--The Harvard Crimson student newspaper
The basketball teams at Cornell and Utah State are better than UNLV, at least that’s according to 31 coaches.
In the newly released ESPN/USA Today coaches poll, the Rebels received two points. On the Top 25 list they check in at No. 53.
Cornell and Utah State both got three points.
Last season, UNLV went 21-11. It lost seven of its final 11 games, including an opening game in the National Invitation Tournament at Kentucky.
With returnees like Tre'Von Willis, Oscar Bellfield, Darris Santee, and transfers Derrick Jasper (Kentucky) and Chace Stanback (UCLA), all of who were stung by last season, the Rebels might have the arsenal and experience to return to the NCAA tournament next spring.
The Big Red of Cornell is the favorite in the Ivy League. It went 21-10 last season and lost to Missouri in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
The Aggies of Utah State won a school-record 30 games last season and lost to Marquette by a point in an NCAA first rounder. They are coached by 12th-year boss Stew Morrill.
Other Mountain West Conference teams showing up in the poll are BYU (16 points) and San Diego State (8 points).
Kansas (770) points, Michigan State (732), Texas (676), North Carolina (653) and Kentucky (635) are the top five teams in the preseason poll.
Ivy League preview The Sports Xchange/CBSSports.com
Even as rivals bring in more talent to try to compete, Cornell appears to be in great shape to not only win its third consecutive Ivy League title but also to put itself in position to pull off an upset in the NCAA tournament.
It seems almost unfair that a team returning all five starters should also bring in a host of new players that includes two Division-I transfers, but that's the situation Steve Donahue finds himself in.
The biggest problem won't be finding five capable players to fill the court at all times, but to work the minutes enough to keep everyone fresh and happy.
Cornell starts off with three players who will challenge for league Player of the Year honors. The frontrunner is Ryan Wittman, a two-time All-Ivy first-teamer with NBA size and shooting ability on the wing.
But point guard Louis Dale won Player of the Year honors in 2007-08, and Jeff Foote was the league's Defensive Player of the Year last season at center. The three give Cornell the size, speed, and shooting ability to cause match-up nightmares for opponents.
Also returning is starting forward Alex Tyler, and guards Geoff Reeves and Ivy Rookie of the Year Chris Wroblewski in the backcourt, and that's as solid a group of six as has existed in recent Ivy history.
But there's more.
Joining the rotation will be UMass transfer Max Groebe in the backcourt and Kentucky transfer Mark Coury in the paint. Both have the skills to make an instant impact in Ivy play, and give Donahue incredible lineup flexibility.
But with many of the key players seniors who have bowed in the NCAA tournament first round two years running, the goals are higher than winning the league.
A brutally tough non-conference schedule is designed to prep the Big Red for the postseason, both in terms of the level of competition and the RPI.
If Cornell can win a few games against opponents that include Kansas, Syracuse, Alabama, Seton Hall, St. John's, UMass and St. Joseph's, it will be in prime position to get a good enough seeding to make its dreams of making noise in the NCAA tournament a reality.
Last season's Princeton team was an inspiration to terrible teams everywhere, because it showed how quickly things can turn around.
Coming off a 2007-08 season that saw the Tigers stagger to last in the Ivy and a 6-23 overall record, Sydney Johnson's crew didn't show many signs of dramatic improvement early.
Princeton went 5-8 in its non-conference games and showed no signs it could contend. But it surprised with a strong league season, contended for the title until the final week and ultimately finished tied for second with an 8-6 record.
Johnson hopes to build on that success, and the core of last year's surprising squad is back to help him do so.
All five starters return, led by the backcourt of Doug Davis and Dan Mavraides. Both averaged in double figures a year ago and were particularly solid in league play.
Marcus Schroeder joins them on the wing, with Kareem Maddox and Pavel Buczak in the frontcourt.
Also returning for the Tigers is sixth man Patrick Saunders, experienced big man Zach Finely and newcomer Ian Hummer. Hummer may see time at wing forward, since the Tigers have more depth on the inside than they do on the outside.
Traditionally, the Tigers have been one of the Ivy League powers. Johnson and the Tiger faithful hope that last year shows that after a brief fall from grace, Princeton can regain a position in the league hierarchy.
Tommy Amaker was brought in with an impressive resume, with his background as an assistant at Duke and head coach at Seton Hall and Michigan. His mission? To turn Harvard into a big-time college basketball team and a perennial power in the Ivy League.
Entering his third season, the Crimson are making progress. The talent level is high, and Amaker has used his recruiting acumen to bring in another solid class.
But the pressure will be on him and the program to show improvement in 2009-10, especially since recruiting season saw many of the team's higher-rated targets wind up elsewhere.
That's not to say Amaker doesn't have a lot to work with. He returns several key components from a team that beat Boston College as well as Cornell and finished with a 6-8 league record a season ago.
It all starts with Jeremy Lin, who filled up the stat sheet a year ago like nobody else in college basketball. He finished in the top 10 in the Ivy league in every statistical category, and at times seemed unstoppable on the court.
Sophomore guard Oliver McNally will join Lin in the backcourt, coming off a strong freshman season. Also looking to take a leap forward in his second season is center Keith Wright.
The rest of the frontcourt will be controlled by Doug Miller, Paul Magranell and Andrew Van Nest, along with highly touted freshman Kyle Casey. Max Kenyi is the top returning guard off the bench.
When Harvard was at its best a year ago, it could compete with any team on its schedule, but the problem was that it wasn't at its best very often. Getting a high level of play consistently from his players will be the key as Amaker hopes to take the Crimson to the next level.
Year in and year out, there's no Ivy League program with more of a big-time feel than Penn. That can be good and bad, as coach Glen Miller and the Quakers are finding out.
Penn might play in a league noted for academics, but it's located in a city that prides itself on being perhaps the biggest college basketball hotbed in the country.
The Quakers aren't only members of the Ivy League, they're part of the Big Five, a city-wide group that also includes Villanova, Temple, LaSalle and St. Joseph's.
Add Drexel to the mix, and there's no shortage of big-time basketball in the area -- and no shortage of fans with high expectations.
That hasn't been a great thing for Miller, who has struggled in Years 2 and 3 since taking over for Fran Dunphy, who now is coaching at local rival Temple.
Two seasons out of serious Ivy League title contention have left the fans restless, and it would be good for his long-term future at the school if he could improve upon last season's disappointing 6-8 conference mark.
For that to happen, Miller will be counting on Zack Rosen and Tyler Bernardini.
Bernardini, the Ivy League's Rookie of the Year last season, is a high-scoring forward and team leader. Rosen, who many think should have won that honor a year ago, already is one of the best point guards in the league entering his sophomore season.
The question is, who will play alongside them? One player who looked like the answer last season was Harrison Gaines, but he elected to transfer. So Miller is hoping for some of the players who lost last year to injuries -- such as Andreas Schreiber and Darren Smith -- to fill the void.
The 2008-09 season was Penn's first losing season in the Ivy League since 1990-91. Regardless of injuries, bad luck or the unusually talented Cornell team at the top of the preseason standings, that's not going to fly for the Quakers faithful for much longer.
With the new talent at Joe Jones' disposal, Columbia is one of the few teams in the Ivy League that can match up with Cornell.
Columbia offers challenges that few can match among the Ancient Eight. In addition to the 13 returning players, new faces add host of challenges for opposing coaches to deal with.
The Lions have added Brian Grimes, a transfer from LaSalle who missed the 2008-09 season because of a torn ACL, and 7-footer Max Craig, a transfer from Loyola Marymount.
That, combined with returning frontcourt players Asenso Ampim and Zack Crimmins, gives the Lions some depth in an area that it had trouble with a season ago.
The backcourt was the strength of the team, and nearly everyone of note is back in 2009-10.
Patrick Foley missed significant time because of an injured foot but can take the team to another level if healthy. Nico Scott and Noruwa Agho are contenders for All-Ivy honors, and Kevin Bulger and Steve Egee are capable threats off the bench.
Columbia isn't quite at the level of its Ivy League travel partner, but even with the Big Red's additions, the separation is not as large as it has been in the past.
This is a team that can definitely surprise.
The Bulldogs suffered some key losses during the offseason, but there's still enough in New Haven to give Yale a shot at staying in the top half of the standings.
Alex Zampier is the only returner among the top three scorers of a year ago (Ross Morin and Travis Pinick graduated). He averaged 13.2 points per game in 2008-09 in earning honorable mention honors on the All-Ivy team.
The loss of Morin and Pinick affects the Bulldogs in the scoring column and on the glass. That will put pressure on the veterans returning in the frontcourt -- Garrett Fiddler, Michael Sands, Paul Nelson and Jordan Gibson.
Fiddler in particular brings a physical presence to the paint but now will need to be more active on offense as well.
But the key to the team might be at the point. Porter Braswell had an up-and-down season a year ago and will be looking to emerge as a force as a junior.
If he doesn't, he will be pushed hard for minutes by freshman Michael Grace.
James Jones has led the team to a .500 or better finish in the Ivy League for the past nine seasons.
Getting that to double digits will be difficult, but the pieces are in place to make that a definite possibility in 2009-10.
The Big Green were one of the Ivy surprises in 2008-09.
After being buried in the basement thanks to only two victories in the non-conference schedule, Dartmouth rebounded behind Ivy League Player of the Year Alex Barnett to stay in the conference race until March, finishing with a 7-7 record.
Unfortunately for coach Terry Dunn, Barnett graduated. That means the underclassmen who let Barnett carry the load a year ago will need to step up their production.
Chief among those players are sophomores David Rufful and Jabari Trotter, who both had their moments a year ago but deferred to the red-hot Barnett most of the time.
Now that the security blanket is gone, both will have to adjust to their new roles in the offense.
So will the rest of the veterans, but the good news is that there are a lot of them on the roster.
Forwards Herve Kouna, Josh Riddle and Clive Weeden and guards Ronnie Dixon and Robby Pride all were effective role players a year ago.
It's difficult to predict how the Big Green will do, since last year was so Barnett-focused that there weren't many opportunities for the remaining players or any pressure for them to step up their game.
Both will be abundant in 2009-10.
There's nowhere to go but up for the Bears.
After coming in last place in the Ivy League with a 3-11 conference record in Jesse Agel's first season at the helm, the Bears welcome back a solid core of players who will look to make a bigger impact in the standings this time.
Like last year, Brown will be dominated by its frontcourt.
Leading the way is center Matt Mullery, a first team All-Ivy pick who took to Agel's motion offense like it was second nature. He averaged 16 points a game, highlighted by a 20-20 double-double against Harvard.
Back alongside him is Peter Sullivan, who will also see younger brother Matt added to the backcourt. Sullivan was the fifth-leading scorer in the Ivy a season ago, and led the conference in minutes played.
The other forward slot will likely be taken by either Chris Taylor or Stefan Kaluz.
Once again, the questions occur in the backcourt, specifically ball-handling. Adrian Williams will open as the point guard, with Garrett Leffelman alongside.
However, if Marques Coleman can come back from the injury that sidelined him a year ago, he could move into the lineup and shift Williams to the wing. That would give Agel increased flexibility to use a smaller lineup.
There's no question Mullery and Sullivan are good enough to get the Bears a few more Ivy victories than the team earned a year ago. Now, the task for Agel and his staff is to find the right mix of players who can do the same.
Below, the preseasons polls from the coaches and the associated press (Click on the image to zoom). Cornell received 3 votes in the coaches' poll. (Image courtesy RushThe Court)
After picking up votes in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches' Top 25 Poll, Cornell did not receive any votes in the preseason Associated Press Poll. Above, Mark Coury's (No. 42) former team, the Kentucky Wildcats, check in at No. 4. Below is the full A.P. Poll. Cornell opponents in italics.
Below, a recap of Cornell's preseason individual honors...
From ESPN's Andy Katz:Cornell was picked for a three-peat as Ivy League champs in the preseason poll. Princeton was slotted second, followed by Penn, Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Brown and Dartmouth. The Big Red will have player of the year candidates in Ryan Wittman and Louis Dale. But don't sleep on Harvard's Jeremy Lin as a possible POY, even if the Crimson doesn't win the league.
Syracuse fans are taking notice of Cornell's appearance in the voting results for the Top 25 ESPN/USA Today Preseason Coaches Poll Preseason Coaches Poll.
After watching a practice in Cambridge, Jeff Goodman of FoxSports.com is claiming that Harvard is getting itself in a position to claim its first-ever Ivy League crown.HARVARD: FROM NOBODY TO CONTENDER
BOSTON - Harvard coach Tommy Amaker called it the worst practice thus far.
``If we play like this, we won’t beat anyone,” Amaker told his team following Wednesday’s practice.
That may be accurate, but the Crimson will improve. Amaker and his staff have brought in recruits that will eventually put Harvard in a position to claim its first-ever Ivy League crown.
``These guys are way better than I was as a freshman,” Harvard senior guard Jeremy Lin admitted. ``Harvard hasn’t seen this level of recruit – ever.”
While Cornell is the clear-cut favorite to win the Ivy League, Harvard has put itself in a position to be in the mix with the return of Lin (who ranked in the Top 10 in the league in just about every statistical category last year) and the addition of guys like freshman wing Kyle Casey.
Amaker calls Lin (17.8 ppg) a throwback player.
``I think I’m qualified to say that he can play anywhere,” said Amaker, who played at Duke and coached at Seton Hall and Michigan. ``The kid can play.”
But the difference is that the Crimson will be more athletic and have quality depth with a freshman class that includes Casey, point guard Brandyn Curry and wings Dee Giger and Christian Webster.
Harvard also brings back sophomore big man Keith Wright (8 ppg, 5.5 rpg) and talented face-up forward Andrew Van Nest – who missed his entire freshman campaign due to a shoulder injury. Senior Pat Magnarelli, after suffering a knee injury that cost him all of last season, is also back healthy.
``We talked about going from a nobody to an upstart,” Amaker said. ``And this year we want to position ourselves to be a contender.”
``Cornell is clearly the favorite,” he added. ``We want to be in the mix.”
Harvard, in Amaker’s second season at the helm, finished 15-15 last season and 6-8 in league play – but showed its potential with a victory at then-ranked Boston College and also on its home floor against Cornell.
But this is a different Crimson team. Even with the addition of the freshman class, there are holes to plug. Point guard Drew Housman is gone and will be replaced by sophomore Oliver McNally or Curry. Evan Harris (5.0 ppg) was a solid reserve and Andrew Pusar (6.4 ppg) was invaluable due to his leadership abilities.
The 6-foot-3 Lin, who grew up in Palo Alto, Calif., and played his high school ball basically across the street from Stanford, wasn’t truly recruited by the Cardinal. He chose the Crimson over Brown and has developed into a player who will make money playing professionally next year.
While he has seen his improvement and also the strides that the program has made since he arrived, there is still one more goal.
``To win the Ivy,” said Lin, who wants to become a pastor working with inner-city underprivileged kids down the road. ``That’s all we’re looking at. To be honest, that’s all I want.”
Above, the transformation of Cornell's Jeff Foote. The senior transfer from St. Bonaventure arrived at Cornell during 2006 weighing just 220 lbs. on his 7'0" frame (see insert above). In three years he has bulked up to 265 lbs with increased muscle mass. Below some news and notes around the Ivy League. League officials held a conference call Wednesday to discuss the season and reported that defending champion Cornell is a strong choice to win again. The Big Red received all 16 first-place votes for 128 points.
Princeton is picked second with 96 points, followed by Glen Miller’s Penn team with 92, Harvard 86, Yale 59, Columbia 55, Brown 41 and Dartmouth 19.
Cornell (21-10, 11-3) returns all five starters, including three all-Ivy choices. ``It’s a great group to coach,” said Big Red coach Steve Donahue. ``There’s very little maintenance.”
It came as no surprise yesterday that two-time defending champ Cornell, with all five of its starters back, was picked to take the Ivy League men's basketball crown again.In the media poll, the Big Red were the unanimous choice after going 21-10 overall and 11-3 in the conference. The team returns three all-league players in forward Ryan Wittman, guard Louis Dale, and center Jeff Foote, who was the Ivy League's defensive player of the year. Chris Wroblewski, a guard, was the '09 rookie of the year.
"They're a very good team, and they've proven they can play both ends of the floor," Penn coach Glen Miller said. "For the league to be won by some other team than Cornell, it's going to take multiple teams to beat Cornell. We've improved, and other teams have improved also."
Below is Cornell Athletics' official press release from the Ivy League media day.
Below is the Preseason USA TODAY/ESPN Coaches Top 25 Poll. Cornell received 3 votes, while a pair of Cornell's 2009-2010 opponents appear in the Top 25 with #1 Kansas and #25 Syracuse. 1. Kansas (27) 0-0 770
2. Michigan State (3) 0-0 732
3. Texas 0-0 676
4. North Carolina (1) 0-0 653
5. Kentucky 0-0 635
6. Villanova 0-0 620
7. Purdue 0-0 586
8. Duke 0-0 528
9. West Virginia 0-0 501
10. Butler 0-0 408
11. Tennessee 0-0 406
12. California 0-0 370
13. Washington 0-0 364
14. Connecticut 0-0 361
15. Michigan 0-0 279
16. Oklahoma 0-0 244
17. Ohio State 0-0 241
18. Minnesota 0-0 151
19. Mississippi State 0-0 149
20. Georgia Tech 0-0 136
21. Georgetown 0-0 134
22. Dayton 0-0 130
23. Louisville 0-0 123
24. Clemson 0-0 114
25. Syracuse 0-0 111
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