News and Notes

Below, some news and notes...

• Photographed, Cornell's Alex Tyler and Mark Coury appear with Alabama forward Justin Knox. The photo is used in connection with a Tuscaloosa Times story on how Knox is attempting to transfer from Alabama. Cornell beat Alabama in Tuscaloosa on November 14, 2009.

• Cornell players, Aaron Osgood and Pete McMillan, living proof that Cornell basketball players actually study.
  

• Chris Wroblewski was named among the "Top 15 Sophomore Athletes of 2009-10" by the Cornell Daily Sun.

• The Cornell Daily Sun's Jasmine Marcus provides updates on a few of Cornell's basketball players. She writes:

Louis Dale: Passed his swim test!

Jeff Foote: Even though he mentioned hating squirrels, he recently rescued a baby squirrel that got trapped in his window.

***

Chris Wroblewski: One Tree Hill just came back on last Monday, and he is pumped.

His alarm clock is still Miley Cyrus.

The UMass coach was right when he predicted Cornell a Sweet 16 team.

Jasmine’s theory that Cornell is the best team in the country works for the second year in a row (Cornell beat Wisconsin, who beat Duke).

***

I have played Super Smash Brothers with Ski.

I’ve run into Max at parties and am always happy to see him!

I cheered on Lou and Foote during their intramural softball game. Go Dog Pound!

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Cornell's strength will remain with the shooters

After finishing both the 2007-2008 and 2008-2009 seasons ranked third in the country in three-point shooting accuracy, Cornell concluded the 2009-2010 season ranked first in the nation.

The Big Red could lead the nation once again during 2010-2011.

Chris Wroblewski (45% 3-PTs, 54/119) and Max Groebe (56%, 3-PTs 23/41) highlight Cornell's key returning marksmen. Meanhile, the Big Red add into its high powered offense, junior college sensation, Andrew Ferry, who shot 45.5% from beyond the arc last season at Palm Beach State College and Anthony Gatlin, a 6'8" forward who has shot 38.3% from deep during his two-year career at Division I Centenary before joining Cornell last season.

Catch some highlights of Cornell's sharpshooting in the 2009-2010 season highlight video, which is now posted on The Cornell Basketball Blog's right side side column.

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News and Notes

Below, some news and notes....

• An update on agency signings. Louis Dale has signed with World Wide Hoops while Ryan Wittman has signed with Ohio-based representation, Mark Termini Associates Inc.

• The Cornell Daily Sun named Errick Peck to its Top Ten Freshmen Athletes.

• Now that Columbia has made its hire, all eight Ivy League schools have a head coach, with only one coach hired before the 2007-2008 season. Below is a list of the Ivy coaches with their first season in parentheses.
  

Yale - James Jones (1999-2000)
Princeton - Sydney Johnson (2007-2008)
Harvard - Tommy Amaker (2007-2008)
Brown - Jesse Agel (2008-2009)
Columbia - Kyle Smith (2010-2011)
Cornell - Bill Courtney (2010-2011)
Dartmouth - Paul Cormier (2010-2011)
Penn - Jerome Allen (2010-2011)

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Recruiting News

Below, some recruiting news from around the Ivy League...

A few more of Cornell's JuCo targets have committed to Division I schools. Brylle Kamen (Western Nebraska Community College/Jacksonville State University) Paris, France, 6-7 220, committed to San Jose State of the WAC after receiving significant recruiting attention from Cornell. The Big Red was reportedly Kamen's top choice until Cornell appeared to move in a different direction.

Dennis Tolliver (South Mountain Community College/Hawaii Pacific U.)/ Phoenix, AZ 6-9 committed to defending NAIA national champion Oklahoma Baptist after getting some courtship from the Big Red.

Former Marist committed recruit, Naofall “Ming” Folahan (Wibraham & Monson School) Wilbraham, MA, 6-7, has committed to attend Wagner University after several Ivies, including Penn made a late push for his services.

Brett Ervin (Eden Praire HS) Eden Prarie, MN, 6-5 and Peter Crawford (Benidle-St. Margaret's HS) Minneapolis, MN 6-4 both accepted scholarships to Division II Minnesota-Dulth. Both players received considerable recruiting attention from Ivy schools such as Dartmouth and Yale.

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ESPN, "Cornell's basketball coach gets unique title"

Cornell's basketball coach gets unique title

ESPN College Basketball Nation
May 3, 2010

At most places, the men's basketball coach is just that: "Head men's basketball coach." Or "head coach of the men's basketball team". Or, if he's especially well-entrenched, maybe "associate athletic director (men's basketball)." You get the point.

Not at Cornell. The Ivy League has lots of cool traditions -- or, depending on your perspective, lots of hoity-toity customs -- and the men's basketball position at Andy Bernard's alma mater is no different. At Cornell, the men's hoops coach is officially called the Robert E. Gallagher '44 men's basketball coach. To paraphrase Mr. Bernard, ever heard of it?

I hadn't actually, but that's the position filled by Bill Courtney, the newest men's basketball coach at Cornell. Courtney will replace Steve Donahue, who led the Big Red to their most successful season ever in 2009-10 before leaving to take the head men's position at Boston College. As far as I can tell, the Robert E. Gallagher '44 thing is a reference to the class of 1944, and Gallagher's contributions therein. If any Cornell grads want to come out of the woodwork in the comments and give us the whole story, please do. In the meantime, we love you, Ivy League. Your quirkiness -- or, again depending on your perspective, haughtiness -- never fails to entertain.

Speaking of the Ivy League, Cornell wasn't the only program to fill a vacant position this weekend. Columbia hired St. Mary's assistant Kyle Smith to replace former coach Joe Jones, who left the school to join Donahue as an assistant at Boston College. The hire, like Courtney's, makes sense; Smith was a longtime assistant at a very successful small Division I program and will have a good handle on what it takes to win in a league that gives its coaches funny titles.

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News and Notes: Monday Edition

Below, some news and notes...

• Cornell's 2010-2011 roster is now online at CornellBigRed.com. The roster does not include incoming freshmen and transfers.

• Columbia quickly filled its head coaching vacancy with the hiring of Saint Mary's assistant, Kyle Smith. RushTheCourt.net notes, "There have been several more comings and goings in the coaching ranks over the last few days. Two Ivy League schools filled head coaching positions, with Cornell replacing Steve Donahue with Virginia Tech assistant Bill Courtney, and Columbia replacing Joe Jones with St. Mary’s assistant Kyle Smith." The Columbia Spectator also notes, "While the league’s rigorous admissions make the recruiting trail even more difficult [in the Ivy League], Cornell drew up a blueprint for success on a national scale with its shrewd recruiting and high-powered offense."

• Cornell's Jeff Foote tweets, "Back on twitter, debating what to do next year with one year of eligibilty left, but having to graduate."
  

• Several sources are reporting that Kentucky's team GPA during John Calipari's first season was 2.025. Kentucky elimintated Cornell in the Sweet Sixteen during the 2010 NCAA Tournament.
  

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Potential Walk-On Commits to Attend Cornell

A source close to the situation confirmed for The Cornell Basketball Blog that Cornell has added a potential walk-on to the to the 2010-2011 roster. Jamal Cherry G 6-4 185 Tampa FL Tampa Prep School has committed to attend Cornell and was offered an opportunity to try out and walk onto the team next season.

Known as an athletic slasher and defensive stalwart in the mold of former Cornellian, Jason Battle, Cherry was a multiple-year selection to the FHSAA Class 2A - All State team and the All-County Team by the Tampa Tribune and St. Petersburg Times.

Cherry averaged 13 points and 4.6 rebounds per game as a senior. As a junior, he averaged 14.4 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. Cherry also averaged better than 2 steals per game during both his junior and senior seasons.

His Tampa Prep teammate, Jay Bowie, a 6-5 wing is headed to Marist.

Cherry boast a 3.8 GPA, better than a 1300 on the SAT and scored a 30 on the ACT.

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