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By Jonah Hecht
WVBR, The Voice of the Big Red
June 30, 2010
Talk in the Cornell Athletics Department several weeks after Cornell hired Bill Courtney surrounded the fact that the Red's new basketball coach was considering using the full-court press next season. Some in the department, however, worried that Cornell would be too tired on Saturday nights during Ivy play, particularly on the road, to use the press effectively. In his recent interview with WVBR's Jase Bernhardt, Courtney talked about seeing if Cornell will need to change its style of play since the Red has lost so many great players. Courtney sounded as though he were considering a whole host of changes and hasn't decided on what changes, if any, he will make.
That being said, the full-court press is something worth considering, given Cornell's roster. Cornell will have 19 players on its roster this season. The Red will have a great deal of depth, but not a clear talent advantage over the rest of the league the way it did with Ryan Wittman, Jeff Foote, and Louis Dale. True, the Red have more talent returning than many realize. Errick Peck was offered a full scholarship by Butler and may be the league's most athletic player. Chris Wroblewski is proven, and former Cornell coach Steve Donahue called Max Groebe the best three-point shooter he had ever coached. Nonetheless, Harvard has a lot of young talent, Princeton returns everyone from a team that nearly beat Cornell twice last season, and Penn's Tyler Bernardini, a former Ivy League Rookie of the Year, will be back from injury this year to complement Zach Rosen.
After Wroblewski, Peck, and possibly Groebe, the Red have a lot of pretty good players, each of whom have particular strengths. Cornell's players individually are not clearly better than those on some other Ivy rosters, but they are numerous. Courtney could rotate them in and out quickly and maintain the same level of play. The press can wear down the opposition, and force some turnovers to give Cornell easy buckets and open threes, negating any advantage the opposition would have. One can wonder if players will be tired Saturday, but opponents, who would likely have a shorter rotation and be unaccustomed to facing the press, would probably be even more tired. Cornell's advantages are its selflessness, work ethic (what Courney calls Cornell's “winning culture”), and its depth. The press would take advantage of all three.
That being said, the full-court press is something worth considering, given Cornell's roster. Cornell will have 19 players on its roster this season. The Red will have a great deal of depth, but not a clear talent advantage over the rest of the league the way it did with Ryan Wittman, Jeff Foote, and Louis Dale. True, the Red have more talent returning than many realize. Errick Peck was offered a full scholarship by Butler and may be the league's most athletic player. Chris Wroblewski is proven, and former Cornell coach Steve Donahue called Max Groebe the best three-point shooter he had ever coached. Nonetheless, Harvard has a lot of young talent, Princeton returns everyone from a team that nearly beat Cornell twice last season, and Penn's Tyler Bernardini, a former Ivy League Rookie of the Year, will be back from injury this year to complement Zach Rosen.
After Wroblewski, Peck, and possibly Groebe, the Red have a lot of pretty good players, each of whom have particular strengths. Cornell's players individually are not clearly better than those on some other Ivy rosters, but they are numerous. Courtney could rotate them in and out quickly and maintain the same level of play. The press can wear down the opposition, and force some turnovers to give Cornell easy buckets and open threes, negating any advantage the opposition would have. One can wonder if players will be tired Saturday, but opponents, who would likely have a shorter rotation and be unaccustomed to facing the press, would probably be even more tired. Cornell's advantages are its selflessness, work ethic (what Courney calls Cornell's “winning culture”), and its depth. The press would take advantage of all three.
