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News and Notes: Saturday Edition

Below, some news and notes for Saturday....
  • The Chicago Sun Times writes, "Highland Park Wroblewski caps off stellar career at Cornell-He earned accolades. He reached milestones. Highland Park’s Chris Wroblewski certainly made his mark playing Division I basketball. The star guard capped off his career with Cornell University by earning first-team all-Ivy League honors this winter. No doubt, that honor was expected. He was a second-team selection as a junior, while he was honorable mention as a sophomore when his team went deep into the NCAA Tournament (Sweet 16). Wroblewski also had a celebrated first season with Cornell. He was named the Ivy League Rookie of the Year during the 2008-09 season. He also was clutch in the classroom. He was a two-time Capital One Academic All-American. Milestones? Wroblewski scored his 1,000th point this season. He ranks 13th all-time at the school (1,202 points). And he ranks No. 1 at the school in career assists (482), while he’s No. 4 in three-point field goals made (189) and No. 9 in free-throw percentage (82.3) and steals (139). Meanwhile, Wroblewski didn’t spend a lot of time on the bench. He played in 119 games (second all-time at Cornell) and logged 3,584 minutes (third all-time). His senior season was, as usual, very steady. He led the Big Red in scoring (11.5) and ended up third in the conference in assists (5.3) and third in steals (1.6)."

Above, Jeff Foote (Cornell '10) in action last night in the NBA D-League. Foote and his teammates wore a special issued "Army themed" jersey. Fans can bid and purchase the actual autographed jersey on Ebay.com. All net proceeds from the sale of this uniform will be donated to the USO.

News and Notes: Friday Edition

Below, some news and notes for Friday...

At tonight's game, Foote will wear this special issued "Army themed" jersey. Fans can bid and purchase this autographed jersey on Ebay.com. All net proceeds from the sale of this uniform will be donated to the USO.
  • Committed Cornell recruit, Nolan Cressler (Plum HS) Plum, PA, 6-4, G announced via Twitter that he was selected to the Pittsburgh Post Gazette's Fab 5 Team, arguably the most prestigious honor in western Pennsylvania basketball. Cressler already was selected to the Roundball Classic All Star Game to be held April 21, 2012 at Geneva College and played on March 24, 2012 in the Cager Classic All Star Game at Highlands High School in Natrona Heights (PA) where he set the all-star game's 16-year single game scoring record with a 38 point performance.
  • The Oklahoman lists a group of college basketball coaches that "have been successful in the past but have fallen from grace." The Oklahoman list includes a pair of Cornellians and writes, "...Dave Bliss: This would be the ultimate redemption attempt. Bliss’ Baylor scandal trumps all others – he tried to paint murdered player Patrick Dennehy as a drug dealer, to cover up NCAA violations. Bliss is 68; he’s not likely to get another chance... Jan van Breda Kolff: The son of long-time NBA coach But van Breda Kolff, Jan coached Cornell, Vanderbilt, Pepperdine and St. Bonaventure. He took Pepperdine to the 2000 NCAA Tournament (losing to OSU, after beating Indiana). But an academic scandal at St. Bonaventure cost him his job."

News and Notes: Thursday Edition

Below, news and notes for Thursday...
  • After the New Jersey Nets called up Armor forward Dennis Horner last night, RidiculousUpside.com writes, " Along with Horner, Jerry Smith and Jeff Foote have both been earned NBA call-ups this season [from the Armor]." ESPN's NetsAreScoring.com also writes, "The carousel of players going and leaving for the Armor continue. Jerry Smith and Jeff Foote have both returned from 10-day stints with New Jersey and New Orleans." The Nets could be planning on adding another D-Leaguer to the roster reports multiple sources. The New York Post writes, "Indications were the Nets did not want to tamper with the Springfield Armor — for a guard Jerry Smith makes sense while Jeff Foote is a big who had a call-up with the Hornets — because of the upcoming D-League playoffs. Now all bets could be off. The Nets leave today for a four-game West Coast trip."
  • Committed Cornell recruit, Nolan Cressler (Plum HS) Plum, PA, 6-4, G was selected to the Roundball Classic All Star Game to be held April 21, 2012 at Geneva College. Cressler also played on March 24, 2012 in the Cager Classic All Star Game at Highlands High School in Natrona Heights (PA) where he set the all-star game's 16-year single game scoring record with a 38 point performance. The Plum Advance Leader and The Pittsburgh Post Gazette both recap the Cager Classic. The Leader notes, "Cressler didn't disappoint. He poured in a record 38 points to lead the East team, and his effort earned him East MVP honors. He dunked and drained several 3-pointers." The Monroeville Times Express previews the Roundball Classic and notes Cressler's selection and writes, "Cressler led all of Quad-A in scoring this season at 25 points per game." Meanwhile, a Pittsburgh Post Gazette writer has selected Nolan Cressler as his Pittsburgh area Player of the Year. The Gazette EastXtra blog writes, "Boys player of the year: Nolan Cressler, Plum. Cressler's 25.8 points per game accounted for 43.3 percent of Plum's offense this season. A senior, he scored a season-high 35 points in the Mustangs' 70-46 win against North Hills Dec. 27 and finished second in the WPIAL scoring race this season, behind only Highlands' Micah Mason. Cressler also led Plum to impressive conference victories against Woodland Hills and Gateway. Saturday, he set a Cager Classic record with 38 points in the all-star showdown. He will play basketball at Cornell University next fall."


News and Notes: Wednesday Edition

Below, some news and notes for Wednesday...

News and Notes: Tuesday Edition

Above, committed Cornell recruit, Holt Harmon and Plano West (Texas) High School basketball coach, Anthony Morgan during October 2011. Below, some news and notes for Tuesday...



  • Cornell alumnus, Jeff Aubry ('99) collected 7 rebounds in a Puerto Rico BSN game last night as his Arecibo team defeated Bayamon 85-76. As of March 27, Aubry is averaging 3.2 points and 3.8 rebounds per game for Arecibo in the BSN Puerto Rico premier league. Arecibo is 7-6 and in 4th place out of 8 teams in the league. Aubry, a 6'11" center, splits his time in both the Mexican (Halcones Rojos, LNBP Mexico premier league) and Puerto Rican professional leagues. He is also a prospective member of Puerto Rico's national team and could join several NBA stars in Puerto Rico's bid to qualify for the London Summer Olympics. A well traveled pro player, Aubry spent several seasons in the NBA D League in the early part of his career with the Fayetteville Patriots and Florida Flame and earned honorable mention all NBA D League in 2002. During his more than a decade of pro experience, Aubry has also played professionally in the ABA (Miami Tropics) and abroad in Puerto Rico (Arecibo, Leones de Ponce, and Santurce, BSN Puerto Rico), Spain (Tarragona, LEB Gold Spain 2nd Division), Mexico (Halcones Rojos and Chihuahua Dorados, LNBP Mexico premier league), Poland (Slask Wroclaw, PLK Poland premier league), Argentina (Libertad Sunchales, Liga A Argentina), Uruguay (Hebraica, LUB Uruguay )and Peru (Alas Peruanas, Peru).

There's a good chance if an NBA team needs a man in the middle to come in and play, they'll probably look elsewhere. There are still some 7-footers left, though, if teams are interested in making sure their call-up is already in playing shape.

Top Player: This spot belonged to Mikki Moore last time we did this, but things have changed now that Jeff Foote returned from his call-up to the New Orleans Hornets. The 7-footer is obviously still developing, but considering he already has a go-to move in the post and is averaging 15.2 points and 8.7 rebounds for one of the best teams in the D-League, there are a lot of things to like about the 24-year-old Cornell alum.

Foote has what many describe as the best hands in the D-League, a hook shot that nobody can stop in the D-League and a wingspan long enough to alter shots from all around the post. He could be a much better rebounder if he'd work on developing his lower body -- and it wouldn't hurt to improve his footwork, either, considering he gets frustrated whenever the hook shot isn't falling.

Cornell Recruit Holt Harmon Featured in the Plano Star




When Plano West boys basketball head coach Anthony Morgan first watched now-senior Holt Harmon play, he knew he had something special.

"I saw it when Holt was an eighth grader," Morgan said. "I knew he was a kid that would be able to help our program right away and it's been amazing watching him grow and develop as a player."

Morgan may have known Harmon could help the Wolves, but he probably didn't know the 6-foot-8 forward would graduate as one of the best players in West history.

The truth is in the statistics.

Harmon holds the record for most games in a season (37), most career starts (110), most career games (129) and most career charges taken (51) at West. He also has the second most charges taken in a career (19) and is third all-time for the Wolves in terms of points scored. Harmon's tally of 983 points is behind only Sterling Melville (1,053) and Jackson Jeffcoat (1,180).

"Holt put up some astronomical numbers," Morgan said.

But even more impressive than the individual accomplishments is the fact Harmon has been a part of more West playoff victories (eight) than any player in program history.

Harmon started racking up the numbers early as he made varsity as a freshman and played behind Jeffcoat.

"Holt was strong and could shoot well," Morgan said. "And what really set him apart was that he had such great composure, especially for a younger player.

"He kept growing with the program and got better each year."

That allowed Harmon to eventually get a scholarship to Cornell, putting him alongside Melville (Colgate), Geoffrey Groselle (Creighton), Mike Groselle (The Citadel), Jimmie Jones (Houston), Tyler Melville (Dartmouth) and Bakari Turner (Baylor) as West players to sign or commit to Division I schools.

Harmon is the latest on that list, but his play this season may help the list grow by another as senior TJ Cline was offered by Air Force on Wednesday. Cline had a huge senior season, thanks in part to his ability to work in tandem with Harmon.

"Holt is a guy that can make other people better," Morgan said.

But as of now, West doesn't have many players better than Harmon.

"Our program has done well and Holt has been a big part of that for four years," Morgan said. "Holt is a good player, a good kid, a great student and a great citizen. To have a player like that come through the program and get a scholarship to play at the next level is a coach's dream."

Groselle dubbed all-conference

While West has several current collegiate players, these former Wolves aren't just taking up roster spots, they are making an impact.

Mike Groselle is a prime example of this as The Citadel junior has been named all-Southern Conference.

Groselle placed top three in the conference in five categories: rebounding (first, 9.8 per game); offensive rebounds (first, 3.6); defensive rebounds (second, 6.2); scoring (third, 16.6) and field goal percentage (third, 59.1 percent). This season, Groselle put up 14 double-doubles to break the school's single-season record.

News and Notes: Monday Edition

Above, Cornell's 2012 recruiting class. Below, some news and notes for Monday...

  • The MSA Sports Network named committed Cornell recruit, Nolan Cressler as a First Team All Western Pennsylvania selection ("All Netters Team") amongst a group of Division I commitments. MSA writes, "NOLAN CRESSLER, PLUM-6-4 – Guard – Senior-Cressler did a little bit of everything for Plum this season and turned into one of the top guards in the WPIAL. He was the second-leading scorer in the WPIAL behind Mason with 25.8 points a game. He is an excellent shooter, but also sometimes played point guard.He finished as the school’s all-time leading scorer. Cressler will play next season at Cornell of the Ivy league."

  • The Highland Park Patch writes about Chris Wroblewski (Cornell '12) and his former high school teammate at Highland Park High School (Illinois), Josh Bartlestein, a guard for Michigan. The Patch writes:

Cornell University basketball player Chris Wroblewski still wonders what kind of basketball career Josh Bartelstein would have had if injuries didn't slow down the former Highland Park star.

"I felt he was unlucky with dealing with those injuries," Wroblewski said.

Now it's true Bartelstein did have a hamstring problem during his junior year at Highland Park High School (2006-07). And his sophomore season was lost to a broken ankle.

"I had two screws in my ankle," Bartelstein said. "At the time it was awful. I wish I could have redshirted."

You might think this player would have hung his head a little. Not Bartelstein. In many ways he was the perfect teammate.

"He never got down," Wroblewski said. "I never saw him pout. He had the best outlook. He cheered for all of us."

It's been four years since these two teammates helped lead the Giants to 45 wins in two seasons. And they still text each other regularly.

However, Wroblewski might not be texting as much recently as his University of Michigan Wolverines played in the NCAA basketball tournament. The team lost to Ohio on March 16.

Highland Park basketball coach Paul Harris certainly enjoyed watching Bartelstein play for some of his best teams.

"Josh loves the game of basketball," Harris said. "He was a gym rat who was always trying to improve as a player. Most impressively Josh was a tremendous teammate. He set the bar for how to support teammates during his three years as a varsity player."

Bartelstein knew better than complain about his bad fortune with injuries. After all, how many young basketball players grow up learning the game with help from an NBA team?

When his father, Mark, a sports agent, met with his NBA clients, Josh went along.

"I would shoot with Steve Kerr and Randy Brown," Bartelstein said of the former Chicago Bulls players. "We would go to Bulls games and watch his clients and how hard they worked."

Bartelstein gave baseball a look but realized quickly that the weather didn't agree with him.

"I hate cold weather,'' he said. "It would be snowing and I would standing in the outfield."

So it was basketball that Bartelstein took to Northwood Junior High.

"I played all three years there and we were very good,'' he said. "We won or tied for the conference titles."

Bartelstein must have made a positive impression because he was asked to play for the varsity in the summer of his freshman year. He decided freshman basketball was the way to that first year.

By the time his ankle healed, he was beginning to grow. He was approaching 6-foot-3.

"It still took me awhile to get started," he said. "But I started playing more and more."

And then the Giants began to win. Aided by the likes of Zach Mueser and Steve Mandell, Highland Park won the conference.

"We won the regional and lost to Stevenson in the sectional," he said.

And next up was the senior season for this potent club.

"I was most excited about that year," he said. "We were in the top 20 the whole year. Every home game was sold out. Chris (Wroblewski) and I still joke about that year."

Wroblewski was just glad to have a healthy Bartelstein along for the ride.

"He was really blossoming as a player," Wroblewski said. "I was so fortunate to play with him. We played tremendously that year."

This big winner from Highland Park didn't make it to state. The Giants fell to Schaumburg in the sectional.

"That was one of the worst nights ever," Bartelstein said. "Highland Park has the greatest program."

There was still more basketball for this determined player. He was off to Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire.

"It was a year of prep school," he said. "They played in a really good conference. It was a different group of guys. And it was good to play against some of the best kids in the country."

That's where his scoring average picked up and his 52 three-pointers attracted attention. He was a preferred walk-on at the University of Michigan.

"He is doing the same thing at Michigan," Harris said. "Everything you read about Michigan this year talks about their great team chemistry. That's not surprising with a guy like Josh on their roster."

And this Michigan team with Bartelstein on it, just won a Big 10 championship.

"There are no words to describe it," he said. "It was because of all the hard work we had done."

Bartelstein may want to follow in his father's footsteps as he is a sports management major.

News and Notes: Sunday Edition

Below, some news and notes for Sunday...

The much-anticipated matchup of two of the Alle-Kiski's all-time greats lived up to its billing Saturday night in the 16th annual Cager Classic boys all-star game. Plum's Nolan Cressler was an offensive force for the East team, turning in a record-setting, highlight-filled 38-point performance to earn MVP for his team. But Highlands' Micah Mason won MVP for the West, scoring 21 and dishing seven assists to lead the West to a fast-paced, 118-97 victory at a packed Highlands gym. ...The West used 3-pointers to stave off any East runs, embarking on a 15-3 run to take a 55-41 lead into halftime. The East could only cut it to eight the rest of the way and trailed by as many as 30 in the second half. Cressler, who broke Kittanning graduate Nathan Stolitza's single-game record of 34 points set last season, wanted to win. It seemed, at times, his teammates were watching him rather than their opponents. The Cornell recruit scored 23 of the East's 56 points in the second half. He had two thunderous dunks and drilled five 3s. "It feels crappy to lose," said Cressler, who hit 16 of 24 shots from the field. "It was fun, nevertheless. I just tried to get us back in the game." ..."Nolan just kept getting better and better over the years," [Plum's Tarique] Ellis said. "It was fun for me just to tag along and watch." Mason and Cressler have been picked to play in a second all-star game, the Roundball Classic next month at Geneva...

  • There are two articles we omitted to post immediately following the season. First, CollegeHoopsMadness.com selected an All Ivy League team. Cornell's Chris Wroblewski (2nd Team), Drew Ferry (3rd Team) and Shonn Miller (4th Team, Rookie of the Year) were honored by the website. Second, the Ithaca Times pays tribute to Chris Wroblewski's career. The Times' Steve Lawrence writes:

I remember when Chris Wroblewski was introduced to the crowd at Newman Arena as a freshman.

He looked about 14, and as he took his place on the court amongst the rest of the Big Red starters, he seemed a little out of place. His teammates were coming off a season during which they ran the table in the Ivy League, putting up an in-your-face 14-0 record to win their first conference title in 20 years.

It immediately became clear that Steve Donahue knew what he had, as the kid who looked 14 saw the floor as if he were 24, and he made everyone around him better. With Loius Dale at the other guard position, Cornell would win the title that year, and again the next, putting together their now legendary 29-win, Sweet Sixteen season.

While Wroblewski was the new kid on the block when he arrived, a raw rookie surrounded by confident veterans, he spent his final two seasons as the Big Red’s elder statesman. The team looked to him whenever things got tough, and the battle-tested guard continued to deliver. Wroblewski knew that when Cornell graduated eight seniors, then saw Donahue take a job at Boston College, that he would be the one to assume the title of Floor General. There were other veterans on the team, some with another year of experience under their belts, but it was Wroblewski who had been a starter and key player since he first put on the Number 3.

Wroblewski probably knew there was a good chance he would not see the Big Dance again after the Great Eight graduated, but he continued to play hard and put up numbers. On Friday night, his 471st career assist put him one ahead of Louis Dale, and the significance of surpassing a player like Dale was not lost on Wroblewski, who said, “It’s an honor to be mentioned with some of the best players ever to wear the Cornell uniform.”

Friday night’s win against Dartmouth would be Wroblewski’s last at Cornell (http://cornellbigred.com/index.aspx?path=mbball). On As I look forward to next season, I am encouraged by some of what I see. Junior big man Eitan Chemerinski caught fire in a couple of stretches, bringing a complete package of offense, defense and fire in the belly. Freshman Shonn Miller is a gifted athlete, and with some weight training and confidence building, will be a force. I still don’t know who will be the sharpshooter(s) next year, but the frontcourt looks solid.

Cornell also said adios and gracias to Max Groebe, Drew Ferry and Anthony Gatlin on Saturday. I am particularly impressed with the attitude and perseverance of Gatlin, who saw his first playing time of the season on Friday. Given that these guys are carrying an Ivy League course load, finding the time to commit to a varsity sport is no small task, and I tip my hat to anyone who hangs in there despite not getting significant playing time. That takes a lot of character.

News and Notes: Saturday Edition

Below, news and notes for Saturday...
  • The Ridiculous Upside blog writes, "There aren't a lot of big men in the D-League, but [Keith] Benson (along with Jeff Foote) were my personal favorites when it came to [NBA] call-up candidates."
  • Jeff Aubry ('99) scored 12 points on Wednesday as his Arecibo Capitanes dominated Caciques de Humacao 97-82 in Puerto Rico's BSN action. Aubry, a 6'11" center, is a veteran of the NBA D-League and is a potential member of Puerto Rico's national team which will play this July in the 2012 FIBA World Olympics Qualifying Tournament. Aubry remains Cornell's career block shot leader (191). Cornell freshman, Shonn Miller, who broke Aubry's freshman season record, is on track to set the new career record. Miller has 48 blocked shots after one season. Aubry had 22 blocks as a freshman at Cornell.
  • On Friday evening, Cody Toppert ('05) scored 2 points as his Mallorca team defeated Clinicas Rincon 79-73 in Spain's LEB Gold (2nd Division) league action. Toppert is a veteran of the NBA D-League. Toppert was a fear fearless shooter while at Cornell. While Ryan Wittman is Cornell all-time leader in three-pointer attempts (875), Toppert is 2nd at 674, followed by Chris Wroblewski (5th place, 456) and in just two seasons at Cornell, Drew Ferry (9th place, 420). Wittman remains the Ivy League's most prolific all time outside shooter, holding records as the all time leader in career 3-pointers made (377) and attempted (875) and 15th in career percentage (43.1%)

News and Notes: Friday Edition

Below, some news and notes for Friday...
  • The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review notes that committed Cornell recruit, Nolan Cressler (Plum HS) Plum, PA, 6-4, G, will participate in tonight's 3-point shootout skills competition at the Cager Classic All Star Weekend at Highlands High School in Natrona Heights, Pennsylvania. Cressler will also play in Saturday's All Star game. The Tribune writes, "With the WPIAL's top two scorers playing — Highlands' Micah Mason (West) [Division I Drake commit] and Plum's Nolan Cressler (East) — fans should expect a high-scoring boys game."

Recruiting News

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


News and Notes: Thursday Edition

Below, some news and notes for Thursday...
  • The NBA D-League website notes that Foote could be a fit for the Boston Celtics and writes, "The C’s, who’d reportedly been interested in carving away some pieces of the Big 4 (Rajon Rondo included at this point) before the Deadline, ended up keeping the team intact. The only problem with that is that they’re still searching for a big man. And while the NBA D-League hasn’t had an abundance of elite post talent this year, it now features a handful of players who could slide into a lineup immediately. JEFF FOOTE Center, Springfield Armor (Cornell) Now that Foote’s back from his call-up the Hornets, he slides back into the No. 1 spot for NBA D-League big men. He’s improving every day, and his soft hands and defensive intensity will keep Foote a top prospect until he’s a full-time NBA player." The D-League also ranks Foote as the league's 5th overall best prospect for the NBA.

If there's one guarantee heading into the 16th annual Cager Classic this weekend, it's that fans of high-scoring basketball will not be going home disappointed.

Two of the WPIAL's highest scorers this season -- Highlands senior Micah Mason and Plum senior Nolan Cressler -- will be going head-to-head for the second time this season.

The first meeting between the two certainly didn't disappoint. Mason scored 31 points and Cressler had 29 in Plum's 84-54 win in Plum's early season tournament on Dec. 10. In their careers, the two have combined for 3,837 points. Mason will play next year at Drake, while Cressler will play at Cornell.

"There's lot of talent of there," said Apollo-Ridge coach Matt Gourley, who will lead Cressler's East team in the Classic this weekend.

Gourley said he watched Cressler perform in the playoffs earlier this season, and came away impressed with what he saw.

"He's a great player," he said. "He's got a real nice little turnaround jump shot. He can do it all."

Cressler finished the season averaging 25.8 points per game for the Mustangs, who made it to the WPIAL Class AAAA quarterfinals but were eliminated by Shaler.

The teams will only get one practice together before Saturday's game, so Gourley said it would be tough to install many specific plays or sets. He did say, though, that he would try and match up Cressler and Mason on the floor together as often as possible.

"I think that they're going to make everybody else around them better," Gourley said.

Other area players in the Classic include Cressler's Plum teammate Tarique Ellis, Kiski Area's Tre Carter and Alex Lamendola, Burrell's Kyle Legters, Valley's Thomas Weremeychik and Riverview's Jake Milberger and Corey Bickert. Bickert is hurt and will not play in the game, but will attend the festivities.

"There's not a lot we can put in, but I think these two [Mason and Cressler] and the rest of the kids, they've been playing long enough where they can improvise and make things happen," Gourley said.

Gourley will also get another chance to coach his former player, Apollo-Ridge senior Anthony Bozzarelli.

"I've been around Anthony since he was in seventh grade," Gourley said. "He's not real tall, only six feet or so, but he plays like he's 6-5."

The boys game will tip off at 8 p.m. Saturday, following the girls game at 6 p.m. There will also be a skills competition at 7 p.m. Friday. All events will take place at Highlands High School.

News and Notes: Wednesday Edition

Below, some news and notes for Wednesday...
  • Check out The Cornell Basketball Blog's Roster Report for an updated look at the projected roster sizes for the Ivy League teams headed into the 2012-2013 season. In recent roster transaction news, Harvard freshman Max Hooper announced he was transferring out of the program. Hooper is the 17th player to leave Harvard since the 2008-2009 season for reasons other than exhaustion of eligibility/graduation or health/medical conditions.
  • The Cleveland Fan ranks Cornell's 2010 teams the 27th best Cinderella Team in NCAA Tournament history and writes, "27. Cornell (2010)-Seed: #12 / Finish: Sweet Sixteen. There’s always something extra Cinderella-y about an Ivy League school making a run. In 2010, Cornell entered the Dance with a 27-4 record, but sans the respect one would expect to go with it. That all changed after impressive, cakewalk wins over #5 Temple and #4 Wisconsin. It took John Wall and Kentucky to finally end the Big Red’s run."
  • GrizzBasketball.com (a University of Montana basketball website) writes, "Since 1997 only two schools outside the top 150 in basketball spending have reached the Sweet 16: Cornell (2010), which doesn’t give athletic scholarships, and Davidson (2008), which had a late-blooming NBA talent in Stephen Curry."
  • Onward State, a Penn State blog, complained about PSU's 2011-2012 home schedule and writes, "Consider the fact that Penn State went on Thanksgiving break from November 20 – 26 and winter break from December 17 – January 9. During those periods, Penn State played Youngstown State, Mount Saint Mary’s, Cornell, Indiana, and Purdue — a total of 5 games that most season ticket holders couldn’t attend."
  • Alex Compton (Cornell '97) spoke with InterAKTV in the Philippines and discussed how he ended up playing more than a decade professionally in that country and remaining there until this day. "I WAS BORN IN MANILA, at Makati Med. My parents were Southeast Asian scholars; they met in the Peace Corps in Thailand in the 1960s. My dad’s first job, after completing his Ph.D. at the University of Michigan, was at the International Institute of Rural Reconstruction in Silang, Cavite. My dad’s job was for two years. We left the Philippines when I was six months old, and I grew up in the States. My parents are some of the whitest Asian people you will ever meet; both my parents are fluent in Thai and Lao, and they had a lot of Filipino friends. My dad was a professor, and my mom worked in the Southeast Asian studies department at Cornell, and one of our friends was a Filipino who taught Tagalog there. But I’d never been to the Philippines when I came back in 1998. Coming to play basketball here was a complete accident. I was the captain of the Cornell basketball, and I always spent time at the coaches’ office, talking to them, breaking down film. I was talking to one of our assistant coaches, Tyrone Pitts, who played as an import in the Philippine Basketball League. At the time, I didn’t know he played in the Philippines, I just knew he played around the world as an import. I just asked him where he played, how that was like, because I loved traveling, and obviously my background is international... COMING TO THE PHILIPPINES to play basketball was a complete dream come true. I always wanted to play pro ball overseas. I never dreamed about playing in the NBA. In fact, when I was 11 years old, my dad took a sabbatical from Cornell, and we lived in northeast Thailand. And I’ll always remember, I was playing with my brother, we had a Maxwell House coffee can that we nailed to a cardboard, and we’d shoot at it with a tennis ball. My brother’s five years older, and he was my idol, and I just thought he was the greatest player in the world. And I told him what my dream is: I wanna be good enough to play at an Ivy League school, and good enough to play pro basketball overseas. I think, when I said it, what was in my mind at the time was Yale and Spain, but I’ll take Cornell and the Philippines. It ended up working out pretty well..."

Prolific scorers Mason, Cressler gear up for Cager clash

Fans could get a treat Saturday night if Highlands' Micah Mason and Plum's Nolan Cressler lock eyes on the wing, one destined to break down the other or pull up from deep on the area's premier, all-star stage.

Two of the A-K Valley's all-time greats will be on opposing sides and possibly matched against one another during the 16th annual Cager Classic at Highlands.

The girls game is at 6 p.m. The boys take the court at 8 p.m.

Mason, who ranks 12th on the WPIAL career scoring list, will play for the West.

"We love to get after each other," said Mason, who will play at Drake next season. "I have been working out with him, but we haven't been trash-talking too much. There may be more of that closer to the game."

Cornell recruit Cressler, Plum's all-time leading scorer (1,565), will play for the East.

"I don't think it's a matter of me versus him," Cressler said. "We just want to go out and have fun and make something happen. If it ends up being the Micah and Nolan show, oh well."

Mason (28.7) and Cressler (25.8) were the top two scorers in the WPIAL this season. Mason is a two-time WPIAL scoring champion.

The pair, which played AAU basketball together briefly, have only played head-to-head once. Earlier this season, when Plum won, 84-54, Mason scored 31 and had Cressler 29 -- in three quarters.

"The main thing is to have fun, but I am going to play hard," Mason said. "You want to try and win the game, too.

"I heard that (Plum's) Tarique Ellis wants to guard me. Maybe it will be Nolan. We'll see what happens."

Cressler said he and Mason don't like to bask in the spotlight.

"I think we're extremely competitive kids, but we're more competitive from a team standpoint," he said. "We'd rather see our teams have success than the individual accolades. Maybe if we played in the same section, it'd be different and we'd go after each other more."

Other players are looking forward to seeing Mason and Cressler in the same all-star game.

"It's going to be fun to play against Nolan and with Micah," St. Joseph guard Mike Connelly said. "I love the whole feeling of playing in an event like all the greats of the past. I watched (former St. Joseph standout) Brian (Heinle) play last year."

Connelly is no slouch. He is one of four 1,000-point scorers picked to play in the boys game.

Cressler said he's like to see the Classic bring back the slam dunk contest. Mason, who has made more 3-pointers than any player in WPIAL history, is glad there's a 3-point contest.

"It seems like a good year to bring (the dunk contest) back," Cressler said. "We'll leave the 3-point for Micah. That's his bread and butter."

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  • So how did Cornell finish the 2011-2012 season? Cornell's RPI rank as of March 21 is No. 180 out of 344 total Division I teams. The Ken Pomeroy and Jeff Sagarin rankings are No. 207 and No. 200 respectively. Below are links to our game recap sections from each of Cornell's games this season along with notations of postseason bids received by Cornell 2011-2012 opponents.
  1. November 11, 2011 at St. Bonaventure L 58-79 (NCAA Tournament)
  2. November 14, 2011 vs. Binghamton W 76-61
  3. November 16, 2011 at Buffalo L 59-68 (CollegeInsider.com)
  4. November 20, 2011 vs. Boston University W 71-66
  5. November 22, 2011 at Delaware L 68-76 (CBI)
  6. November 27, 2011 vs. American L 63-65 (CollegeInsider.com)
  7. December 3, 2011 vs. Lehigh W 81-79 (OT) (NCAA Tournament)
  8. December 17, 2011 vs. Albany W 85-82 (OT) (CollegeInsider.com)
  9. December 19, 2011 at Illinois L 60-64 (TV: ESPN3)
  10. December 21, 2011 at Penn State L 67-74 (TV: Big Ten Network)
  11. December 28, 2011 at Stony Brook L 58-69 (OT) (TV: Cablevision 118) (NIT)
  12. December 31, 2011 at Bucknell L 60-63 (CBI)
  13. January 3, 2012 at Maryland L 62-70 (TV: ESPN3)
  14. January 7, 2012 vs. Albright W 78-60
  15. January 13, 2012 vs. Princeton W 67-59 (CBI)
  16. January 14, 2012 vs. Penn L 52-64 (CBI)
  17. January 21, 2012 at Columbia L 56-61
  18. January 28, 2012 vs. Columbia W 65-60
  19. February 3, 2012 at Harvard L 60-71 (NCAA Tournament)
  20. February 4, 2012 at Dartmouth W 68-59
  21. February 10, 2012 vs. Yale W 85-84 OT (CollegeInsider.com)
  22. February 11, 2012 vs. Brown W 72-63
  23. February 17, 2012 at Penn L 66-73 (CBI)
  24. February 18, 2012 at Princeton L 57-75 (CBI)
  25. February 24, 2012 at Brown W 69-63
  26. February 25, 2012 at Yale L 40-71 (CollegeInsider.com)
  27. March 2, 2012 vs. Dartmouth W 70-57
  28. March 3, 2012 vs. Harvard L 63-67 (NCAA Tournament)
IVY LEAGUE COMPOSITE SCHEDULE

Friday, November 11
Johnson & Wales 66 Brown 86 (Box Score - Recap)
Columbia 57 Connecticut 70[ESPNU] (Box Score - Recap)
Cornell 58 St. Bonaventure 79 (Box Score - Recap)
MIT 49 Harvard 76 (Box Score - Recap)
Dartmouth 56 Rutgers 62 (Box Score - Recap)
Penn 59 Maryland-Baltimore County 45 (Box Score - Recap)
Yale 73 Central Connecticut State 69 (Box Score - Recap)

Saturday, November 12
Wagner 73 Princeton 57 (Box Score - Recap)

Monday, November 14
Albany 77 Brown 68 (NIT Tip-Off-1st Round@Syracuse, N.Y.)[ESPN3] (Box Score - Recap)
Temple 73 Penn 67 OT (Box Score - Recap)
Furman 58 Columbia 62 (Box Score - Recap)
Binghamton 61 Cornell 76 (Box Score - Recap)

Tuesday, November 15
Harvard 73 Holy Cross 64 (Box Score - Recap)
Yale 62 Quinnipiac 68 [SNY] (Box Score - Recap)
Brown 52 Manhattan 54 NIT Tip Consolation@Syracuse, N.Y. [ESPN3] (Box Score - Recap)

Wednesday, November 16
Cornell 59 Buffalo 68 (Box Score - Recap)
Vermont 65 Dartmouth 53 (Box Score - Recap)
Princeton 58 North Carolina State 60 [ESPNU] (Box Score - Recap)

Thursday, November 17
Penn 78 Rider 72 OT (Box Score - Recap)
Lyndon State 37 Yale 101 (Box Score - Recap)

Saturday, November 19
Buffalo 53 Princeton 61 (Box Score - Recap)
Hartford 52 Brown 59 (Box Score - Recap)
American 66 Columbia 58 (Box Score - Recap)
Bryant 62 Dartmouth 66 (Box Score - Recap)
Robert Morris 60 Penn 66 (Box Score - Recap)
Harvard 77 Loyola Marymount 67 (Box Score - Recap)

Sunday, November 20
Boston University 66 Cornell 71 (Box Score - Recap)

Sunday, November 20
Boston University 66 Cornell 71 (Box Score - Recap)

Monday, November 21
Brown 48 George Mason 74 (NIT Consolation Fairfax, VA) (Box Score - Recap)

Tuesday, November 22
Brown 79 Monmouth 71 (NIT Consolation Fairfax, VA) (Box Score - Recap)
Columbia 53 Stony Brook 67 (Box Score - Recap)
Cornell 64 Delaware 72 (Box Score - Recap)
Wagner 71 Penn 65 (Box Score - Recap)
Elon 56 Princeton 55 (Box Score - Recap)
Yale 62 Seton Hall 73 (Box Score - Recap)

Thursday, November 24
Dartmouth 69 San Francisco 71 (Great Alaska Shootout) (Box Score - Recap)
Harvard 75 Utah 47 [HDNet] (Battle 4 Atlantis Bahamas) (Box Score - Recap)

Friday, November 25
Dartmouth 64 vs. Alaska-Anchorage 52(Great Alaska Shootout) (Box Score - Recap)
Harvard 46 Florida State 41 [VERSUS] (Battle 4 Atlantis Bahamas) (Box Score - Recap)
Princeton 56 Bucknell 62 (Legends Classic, Lewisberg, PA) (Box Score - Recap)
Pittsburgh 78 Penn 58 [TCN] (Box Score - Recap)

Saturday, November 26
Yale 84 Army 75 (Box Score - Recap)
Columbia 59 Manhattan 41 (Box Score - Recap)
Princeton 56 Morehead State 68 (Legends Classic, Lewisberg, PA) (Box Score - Recap)
James Madison 60 Penn 58 [TCN] (Philly Hoop Group Classic) (Box Score - Recap)
Dartmouth 48 Western Michigan 65 (Great Alaska Shootout) (Box Score - Recap)
Harvard 59 Central Florida 49 [VERSUS] (Battle 4 Atlantis Bahamas) (Box Score - Recap)

Sunday, November 27
Brown 64 Sacred Heart 77 (Box Score - Recap)
Princeton 66 West Alabama 66 (Legends Classic, Lewisberg, PA) (Box Score - Recap)
American 65 Cornell 63 (Box Score - Recap)

Monday, November 28
Swarthmore 42 Columbia 104 (Box Score - Recap)

Tuesday, November 29
Manhattan 72 Penn 75 (Box Score - Recap)
Yale 74 Hartford 69 (Box Score - Recap)

Wednesday, November 30
Dartmouth 50 New Hampshire 53 (Box Score - Recap)
Lafayette 69 Princeton 54 (Box Score - Recap)
Rhode Island 56 Brown 65 [myRITV] (Box Score - Recap)

Thursday, December 1
Harvard 55 Vermont 48 (Box Score - Recap)

Friday, December 2
Columbia 69 Loyola Marymount 61 (LA Westside Centennial Classic) (Box Score - Recap)

Saturday, December 3
Vermont 52 Yale 68 (Box Score - Recap)
Brown 54 Iowa 75 (Box Score - Recap)
Lehigh 79 Cornell 81 (OT) (Box Score - Recap)
Penn 65 Villanova 73 [ESPN3] (Box Score - Recap)
Columbia 72 North Texas 57 (Box Score - Recap) (LA Westside Centennial Classic)

Sunday, December 4
Columbia 78 La Sierra 56 (Box Score - Recap) (LA Westside Centennial Classic)
Seattle 70 Harvard 80 (Box Score - Recap)

Monday, December 5
Brown 49 Providence 80 [ESPN3/SNY] (Box Score - Recap)
Yale 73 Sacred Heart 71 (Box Score - Recap)

Tuesday, December 6
Holy Cross 45 Columbia 46 (Box Score - Recap)

Wednesday, December 7
Delaware 60 Penn 69 (Box Score - Recap)
New Hampshire 69 Brown 56 (Box Score - Recap)
Princeton 59 Rutgers 57 (Box Score - Recap)
Bryant 59 Yale 76 (Box Score - Recap)

Thursday, December 8
Harvard 53 Connecticut 67 [ESPN2] (Box Score - Recap)

Saturday, December 10
Central Connecticut State 80 Brown 90 (Box Score - Recap)
Long Island 53 Columbia 63 (Box Score - Recap)
Harvard 76 Boston University 52 (Box Score - Recap)
Princeton 60 Drexel 64 (Box Score - Recap)
Penn 73 UCLA 77 [DirecTV] (Box Score - Recap)
Dartmouth 47 Notre Dame 65 [ESPN3] (Box Score - Recap)

Tuesday, December 13
Dartmouth 51 IPFW 56 (Box Score - Recap)

Wednesday, December 14
Princeton 72 Rider 71 OT (Box Score - Recap)

Saturday, December 17
Elon 54 Dartmouth 62 (Box Score - Recap)
Albany 82 Cornell 85 OT (Box Score - Recap)

Sunday, December 18
Princeton 71 Northeastern 62 (Box Score - Recap)
Yale 68 Rhode Island 65 [COX RI] (Box Score - Recap)

Monday, December 19
Cornell 60 Illinois 64 [ESPN3] (Box Score - Recap)
Dartmouth 55 Colgate 61 OT (Box Score - Recap)

Wednesday, December 21
Dartmouth 64 Army 67 (Box Score - Recap)
Cornell 67 Penn State 74 [Big Ten Network] (Box Score - Recap)

Thursday, December 22
Florida Atlantic 51 Harvard 63 (Box Score - Recap)
Princeton 59 Siena 63 (Box Score - Recap)

Friday, December 23
Maine 71 Brown 58 (Box Score - Recap)
Dartmouth 74 Albany 82 (Box Score - Recap)
Marist 71 Penn 84 (Box Score - Recap)

Wednesday, December 28
Columbia 59 Marist 79 (Box Score - Recap)
Cornell 59 Stony Brook 68 OT [Cablevision] (Box Score - Recap)

Thursday, December 29
Brown 49 St. Francis (N.Y.) 66 (Box Score - Recap)
Harvard 67 Boston College 46 [ESPN3] (Box Score - Recap)
Penn 70 Davidson 75 (Box Score - Recap)
Yale 71 Wake Forest 72 (Box Score - Recap)

Friday, December 30
Princeton 75 Florida State 73 (3OT) [ESPN3] (Box Score - Recap)
Lafayette 67 Columbia 77 (Box Score - Recap)

Saturday, December 31
Cornell 60 Bucknell 63 (Box Score - Recap)
Holy Cross 65 Dartmouth 61 (Box Score - Recap)
Yale 70 Florida 90 [ESPNU] (Box Score - Recap)
Saint Joseph’s 69 Harvard 74 (Box Score - Recap)

Sunday, January 1
Princeton 76 Florida A&M 61 (Box Score - Recap)
Penn 55 Duke 85 [ESPNU] (Box Score - Recap)

Monday, January 2
American 70 Brown 61 (Box Score - Recap)
Fairleigh Dickinson 52 Columbia 67 (Box Score - Recap)

Tuesday, January 3
Bucknell 67 Dartmouth 59 (Box Score - Recap)
Harvard 54 Fordham 60 (Box Score - Recap)
Holy Cross 67 Yale 82 (Box Score - Recap)
Cornell 62 Maryland 70 [ESPN3] (Box Score - Recap)

Wednesday, January 4
Columbia 66 Colgate 59 (Box Score - Recap)
Penn 78 Lafayette 73 (Box Score - Recap)

Saturday, January 7
*Dartmouth 47 Harvard 63 (Box Score - Recap)
Albright 60 Cornell 78 (Box Score - Recap)

Sunday, January 8
Columbia 65 Elon 60 (Box Score - Recap)
The College of New Jersey 68 Princeton 79 (Box Score - Recap)
St. Joseph’s (N.Y.) 86 Yale 101 (Box Score)

Tuesday, January 10
Harvard 70 Monmouth 61 (Box Score - Recap)
La Salle 68 Penn 57 (Box Score - Recap)

Wednesday, January 11
Longwood 79 Brown 77 (Box Score - Recap)

Friday, January 13
*Penn 66 Columbia 64 (Box Score - Recap)
*Princeton 59 Cornell 67 (Box Score - Recap)

Saturday, January 14
*Brown 64 Yale 68 (Box Score - Recap)
Longwood 67 Dartmouth 83 (Box Score - Recap)
George Washington 48 Harvard 69 (Box Score - Recap)
*Princeton 62 Columbia 58 (Box Score - Recap)
*Penn 52 Cornell 64 (Box Score - Recap)

Saturday, January 21
*Yale 73 Brown 60 (Box Score - Recap)
*Cornell 56 Columbia 61 (Box Score - Recap)
*Harvard 54 Dartmouth 38 (Box Score - Recap)
Saint Joseph’s 80 Penn 84 (Box Score - Recap)

Monday, January 23
Brown 67 Bryant 60 (
Box Score - Recap)

Friday, January 27

*Dartmouth 59 Brown 66 (
Box Score - Recap)
*Harvard 65 Yale 35 (
Box Score - Recap)

Saturday, January 28

*Harvard 68 Brown 59 (
Box Score - Recap)
*Columbia 60
Cornell 65 (Box Score - Recap)
*Dartmouth 52 Yale 62 (
Box Score - Recap)

Monday, January 30
*Princeton 67 Penn 82 (Box Score - Recap)

Friday, February 3
*Princeton 77 Brown 63 (Box Score - Recap)
*Columbia 64 Dartmouth 62 (Box Score - Recap)
*Cornell 60 Harvard 71 (Box Score - Recap)
*Penn 53 Yale 60 (Box Score - Recap)

Saturday, February 4
*Penn 65 Brown 48 (Box Score - Recap)
*Columbia 52 Harvard 57 (Box Score - Recap)
*Cornell 68 Dartmouth 59 (Box Score - Recap)
*Princeton 54 Yale 58 (Box Score - Recap)

Friday, February 10
*Brown 60 Columbia 86 (Box Score - Recap)
*Yale 84 Cornell 85 (OT) Box Score - Recap
*Harvard 56 Penn 50 (Box Score - Recap)
*Dartmouth 47 Princeton 59 (Box Score - Recap)

Saturday, February 11
*Brown 63 Cornell 72 (Box Score - Recap)
*Yale 59 Columbia 58 (Box Score - Recap)
*Dartmouth 55 Penn 58 (Box Score - Recap)
*Harvard 62 Princeton 70 [ESPNU] (Box Score - Recap)

Friday, February 17
*Brown 42 Harvard 69 (Box Score - Recap)
*Columbia 66 Princeton 77 [ESPNU] (Box Score - Recap)
*Cornell 66 Penn 73 (Box Score - Recap)
*Yale 70 Dartmouth 61 (Box Score - Recap)

Saturday, February 18
*Brown 53 Dartmouth 58 (Box Score - Recap)
*Columbia 59 Penn 61 OT (Box Score - Recap)
*Cornell 57 Princeton 75 (Box Score - Recap)
*Yale 51 Harvard 66 (Box Score - Recap)

Friday, February 24
*Cornell 69 Brown 63 (Box Score - Recap)
*Columbia 67 Yale 75 [YES] (Box Score - Recap)
*Penn 57 Dartmouth 54 (Box Score - Recap)
*Princeton 64 Harvard 67 (Box Score - Recap)

Saturday, February 25
*Columbia 78 Brown 94 (Box Score - Recap)
*Cornell 40 Yale 71 (Box Score - Recap)
*Princeton 85 Dartmouth 61 (Box Score - Recap)
*Penn 55 Harvard 54 [ESPN3] (Box Score - Recap)

Friday, March 2
*Brown 43 Penn 54 (Box Score - Recap)
*Harvard 77 Columbia 70 OT (Box Score - Recap)
*Dartmouth 57 Cornell 70 (Box Score - Recap)
*Yale 57 Princeton 64 (Box Score - Recap)

Saturday, March 3
*Dartmouth 55 Columbia 61 (Box Score - Recap)
*Harvard 67 Cornell 63 [ESPN3] (Box Score - Recap)
*Yale 47 Penn 68 (Box Score - Recap)
*Brown 47 Princeton 81 (Box Score - Recap)

Tuesday, March 6
*Penn 52 Princeton 62 (Box Score - Recap)

Tuesday, March 13
CBI First Round
Princeton 95 Evansville 86 [HDNet] (Box Score)

Wednesday, March 14
CIT First Round
Yale 56 Fairfield 68 (Box Score)

CBI First Round
Quinnipiac 63 Penn 74 [TCN] (Box Score)

Thursday, March 15
NCAA Second Round
The Pit, Albuquerque, N.M.
(12) Harvard 70 (5) Vanderbilt 79 [TNT] (Box Score - Recap)

Monday, March 19
CBI Quarterfinals
Princeton 61 Pittsburgh 82 (Box Score)
Butler 63 Penn 53[HDNet] (Box Score)