News and Notes: Thursday Edition

Below, some news and notes for Thursday...

• The Daily Pennsylvanian writes, "The Ivy League finally landed a two-year television contract with NBC Sports Network earlier this month, the most important move in the Ancient Eight’s brief history of televised games. NBCSN will broadcast six to 10 football games, six to 10 men’s basketball games and up to four men’s lacrosse games annually. The deal continues through the 2014 lacrosse season. But the Ancient Eight definitely missed a trick by failing to provide a national stage for its post-Penn/Princeton era. Since its last conference deal for both football and basketball expired with YES Network in 2008, Cornell has reached the Sweet 16..."

• CHBC News of Canada writes, " A Kelowna teen has been chosen to represent Canada as part of its junior national basketball team.  Braxston Bunce, a Kelowna Secondary School student, will travel to Toronto at the beginning of June to prepare for the FIBA Americas, which take place in Brazil in mid-June.  The top four countries will then pursue the U19 FIBA World Championship next year.
  Bunce is slated to join the men’s basketball team at Cornell University in the fall."

• Cornell Athletics issued the following release:

Men's Basketball Adds Four Into Class of 2016

ITHACA, N.Y. -- The Cornell men's basketball team and head coach Bill Courtney have announced that four incoming freshmen will join the Big Red family and make up the Class of 2016. Guards Nolan Cressler and Robert Mischler, forward Holt Harmon and center Braxston Bunce will join three returning starters and 13 returning letter winners out to bring home Cornell's fourth Ivy League title in the last six seasons in the upcoming 2012-13 campaign.

“At the start of recruiting for the class of 2016, our staff came to the conclusion that we could improve by finding young men who could shoot the basketball, as well as adding size to our roster,” Courtney said. “We are very happy with the four man class that we have coming in and feel like we certainly filled our needs."

Cornell improved its win total overall and in Ivy League play, finishing 12-16 overall and 7-7 in conference action. The Big Red is scheduled to return 10 of its 12 leading scorers, including 2011-12 Ivy League Rookie of the Year Shonn Miller and All-Ivy guard Johnathan Gray, who will spend the summer competing as part of the U.S. Virgin Islands' national team. Also expected to return is starting forward Errick Peck, the team's second-leading scorer in 2010-11 who missed last season due to injury.

Braxston Bunce

Fr. * C * 6-11 * 250 *  Kelowna, B.C. (Kelowna Secondary School)

At Kelowna Secondary School

A member of the Canadian Under-19 national team, Bunce was named the high school player of the year in the province of British Columbia. Bunce averaged 16.4 points and 11.0 rebounds as a senior. He had averaged 2.1 points and 2.6 rebounds as the youngest member of the U-19 Canadian team at the Fiba U19 World championship held in Latvia. Included was an eight-point, six-rebound effort in a win over Egypt. A team captain as a senior, he was an all-league and all-area selection who helped lead his team to a league title. The scouting service HoopStars Canada ranked among the top 15 prospects in Canda. He was invited to play in the Okanagan Valley All Star Game, scoring 13 points in that game. As a junior, Bunce was named second-team All-Canada after averaging 13.4 points and 10.4 rebounds.

Nolan Cressler

Fr. * G * 6-4 * 200 *  Pittsburgh, Pa. (Plum HS)

At Plum HS

A second-team all-state selection as a senior at Plum HS, Cressler was a two-time first-team all-section pick.  He became the school's career scoring leader in his final season (1,565 points) and was named the Pittsburgh Post Gazette's East Player of the Year and the WPIAL AAAA Player of the Year. Cressler averaged 25.8 points and 8.8 rebounds per game in his final season, a year after averaging 25.5 points and 7.6 rebounds as a junior. A member of the Post Gazette's Fab Five team, he was selected to play in both the Roundball Classic and AK Valley Cager Classic All-Star games, setting the single-game scoring record at the latter (38 points). Cressler earned a spot on the Pittsburgh Tribune's Terrific 10 squad and helped lead his squad to a sectional title as a sophomore.

Holt Harmon

Fr. * F * 6-9 * 240 *  Plano, Texas (Plano West HS)

At Plano West HS

Harmon was a two-time all-district selection at Plano West HS who earned all-region accolades as a senior. Team team MVP in his final season, he graduated among the school's all-time leader in points (third), rebounds (third), games played and started (first) and free-throw percentage (sixth). Harmon averaged 12.8 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game in his final season in helping his squad to a 26-9 record and a final ranking of fifth in the state. He shot 50 percent from the floor and 76 percent from the free-throw line while also accumulating 11 blocks and 17 steals. Harmon earned a spot on the Showboat Classic All-Star team. He averaged 10.8 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game as a junior.

Robert Mischler

Fr. * G * 6-3 * 190 *  Mishawaka, Ind. (Marian HS)

At Marian HS

Mischler was an all-state selection as a senior at Marian HS after earning all-league accolades in his final two seasons. An academic all-state first team as a senior, he earned a spot in the Michiana McDonald's All-Star team after averaging 13.8 points as a senior. Mischler was named as one of Hoosier Basketball Magazine's top 100 seniors. He averaged 12.9 points per game while shooting 41 percent from beyond the 3-point arc as a junior and was one of 48 juniors selected to play in the Indiana Class Basketball All-Star Classic. He was a four-year varsity player and two-time captain who scored 987 career points and was a better than 40 percent shooter from 3-point range. He was also a three-year letter winner on the gridiron at quarterback who earned honorable mention all-state as a senior. A second-team all-conference pick and a first-team academic all-state selection, he served as team captain in his final season.

News and Notes: Wednesday Edition

Above, the 2012 Ivy League Rookie of the Year, Cornell's Shonn Miller.  Below, some news and notes for Wednesday...

• Committed Cornell recruit, Braxston Bunce (Kelowna Secondary School) Kelowna, BC, Canada, 6-11, C, made the cut of the final 17 players who are competing for 12 roster spots to represent Canada in the 2012 FIBA Americas U18 Championship for Men, in Brazil from June 16-20.  Bunce will participate in the team's training camp between June 2-10.  Bunce played for Canada in last year's Junior World Championships.  Canada Basketball also announced it will hold a Red and White intersquad game during the training camp on June 7 at Humber College.  See the promo video here.

• Jeff Aubry (Cornell '99) scored 2 points, blocked 2 shots and collected 8 rebounds in Puerto Rico's BSN as his Arecibo Capitanes defeated San German last night, 91-79.  With the win, Arecibo wins the semifinals playoff series 4-1 and advances to the league finals.

• Nets Daily provides an offseason report of the Brooklyn Nets and discusses Jeff Foote (Cornell '10). Nets Daily writes, "We hear that the four former lottery picks shined at the [Nets' free agent] camp, along with Jeff Foote... This week, the Nets confirmed invitations to Dennis Horner and Jeff Foote for the summer league in Orlando six weeks from now. Not such a big deal considering Horner and Jerry Smith moved back and forth to Springfield this season and that they and JamesOn Curry were in training camp last December.  What does make it interesting and positive is the manner in which the Armor/Nets found them...Foote had banged around Israel, Spain and Poland before winding up in Portland's training camp. He hadn't even been draft[ed] in the D-League. He wound up with the Hornets after they beat the Nets to a call-up....Horner and Foote's stories are more encouraging for the Nets. They were relative nobodies (more Horner than Foote) who the Nets gave a chance to, based purely on their scouting."

News and Notes: Tuesday Edition

Below, some news and notes for Tuesday...

• The Bleacher Report suggests that Cornell, Syracuse, St. Bonaventure Fordham, Iona, LIU-Brooklyn, and St. John's should all consider joining up for a New York State preseason basketball tournament at Madison Square Garden or the Barclays Center.

• Barry Leonard, the voice of Big Red Basketball, gets a shout-out in the Utica Obersever Dispatch from NBA broadcaster Tim Royce.

• During Michael Bloomberg's commencement speech at Cornell's graduation this past weekend, Bloomberh said in reference to Cornell's new high tech campus under construction in New York City, "I would say this is the biggest thing that has happened to Cornell in decades, but I know two years ago, the men’s basketball team made it to the Sweet 16 … which sort of rivals it."

• Jeff Aubry (Cornell Class of 1999) finished with 6 points, 4 blocks and 11 rebounds on Sunday as his Arecibo Capitanes team in Puerto Rico's BSN defeated San German, 98-89, in overtime in the league's semifiinals.  Arecibo leads the series 3-1.

• Nets Daily writes of Jeff Foote (Cornell Class of 2010), "Jeff Foote credits the [Brooklyn] Nets for getting him to where he is today: near his goal of playing in the NBA. After he played in Israel, Spain and Poland, and tried out for the Trail Blazers, Milton Lee offered him a job with the [NBA D-League's Springfield] Armor. By season's end, Foote was an all-D-League center and an invitee to the Nets' summer league team. And he's grateful for the opportunity, saying he's passed up offers from Europe, where he could have made a lot more money. "I like their organization. Milton Lee has been tremendous for me. He’s been a great mentor and friend and really helped me." Foote and Lee attended Ivy League schools (Cornell for Foote, Penn for Lee) and Foote jokes with Alex Raskin that Ivy Leaguers "have got to stick together."

• HoopsWorld.com writes with respect to Foote:

As we discussed in Tuesday’s NBA PM, centers are hard to find and team’s like the Boston Celtics—who can conjure up a productive big man like Greg Stiemsma—have a leg up on the competition.
The Brooklyn Nets’ efforts to develop their own seven-footer have led them to former Cornell standout Jeff Foote, who spent most of the past season with the team’s D-League affiliate, the Springfield Armor.
But Foote’s pursuit of a guaranteed NBA contract isn’t quite typical. Unlike many D-Leaguers, who joined the league out of college, Foote was signed to a three-year deal by legendary Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv.
Unfortunately, things never worked out for Foote in Tel Aviv. He was a star player on the greatest men’s team in Cornell history (the Big Red made it to the Sweet 16 in 2010, where they fell to the top-seeded Kentucky Wildcats), but coach David Blatt never found a role for the two-time Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year.
“Maccabi Tel Aviv is a big-name club,” Foote told HOOPSWORLD at the Nets’ free agent mini-camp. “It’s a lot of pressure. Right out of college, it’s kind of a different transition. There’s so much more pressure and much more responsibility.
“You don’t know anybody,” he continued. “I relied heavily on my teammates while I was there: Richard Hendrix, Doron Perkins, Jeremy Pargo. They kind of helped me through it and since then I’ve grown a lot physically and mentally.”
In November of 2010 Maccabi Tel Aviv loaned Foote to the Spanish Club Melilla Baloncesto and, following that, he opted out of his Maccabi contract and signed a one-year deal with Zastal Zielona Góra before the 2011-2012 season. However, Foote backed out when he got a tryout with the Portland Trail Blazers, and while he wasn’t able to make the team, he did sign with the D-League’s Springfield Armor. Foote even went on to ink a 10-day contract with the New Orleans Hornets, appearing briefly in four games.
Rather than return to Europe, though, Foote went right back to Springfield, where he had developed a good working relationship with Nets general manager of minor league operations Milton Lee.
“Being with the Springfield Armor, the Nets affiliate, I saw guys like Jerry Smith go up and Dennis Horner go up, so I’ve had a pretty close connection to the Nets,” said Foote, who has signed on to play for the Nets’ summer league team in Orlando this July. “I like their organization. Milton Lee has been tremendous for me. He’s been a great mentor and friend and really helped me.”
And, like Foote, Lee attended an Ivy League school (Penn), which prompted Foote to joke that Ivy Leaguers “have got to stick together.”
But Lee’s interest in Foote is more than just some affinity for an athletic conference. Foote has displayed significant progress with the Armor, both physically and on the court.
“At Cornell I finished up at about 250 (pounds),” said the seven-footer. “Right now I’m about 265. My goal for the end of the summer is to end up around 275, 280. But it’s got to be a good 275, 280. If I end up 265, that’s fine because right now I feel pretty comfortable with my body weight.”
Over 42 games with the Armor, Foote averaged 14.6 points, nine rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game while shooting 54 percent from the field. He still struggles at the foul line (55.1 percent last year), but he now has the advantage of three years of college experience followed by a stint in Europe and 42 D-League games. In other words, he has the perfect pedigree for someone hoping to ascend to the NBA.
“To specifically gear yourself toward the NBA, it’s better,” Foote said of the D-League. “In Europe, it’s so much more of a power game. The absence of a defensive three-seconds (rule) congests the lane so it becomes more of a shooter’s game out there. The bigs over there are a lot more heavy. With Maccabi Tel Aviv I was with Sofoklis Schortsanitis, who is 400 pounds (his listed weight is 345). You know, you don’t have many of those guys in the NBA. Sadly, there’s a few of them over in Europe. It’s much more of a power game as opposed to the NBA where it’s speed and quickness as well as power.
“I feel like the D-League is a better prep for the NBA than Europe but there’s a lot of great leagues over there. I don’t want to discount anything like that.”
In fact, Foote said he’s received “a couple” of offers to return to Europe—deals that would assuredly be more lucrative than returning to the D-League. But money isn’t Foote’s biggest motivating factor. He’d prefer to go to an NBA team—and not just somewhere where he’d end up sitting on the bench. He’s hoping for a situation like the one former D-Leaguer Gerald Green found himself in this season when the Nets called him up and immediately started giving him regular minutes.
“I want to actually play in this league,” Foote said. “I don’t want to just be there on the bench.”
Foote is hoping that the Nets can be that team (“I’m very happy here”) and he thinks there’s a future for him in Brooklyn.
“If the cards fall into place and I get a training camp invite, Brooklyn is probably where I’ll be,” he said.

News and Notes: Friday Edition

Below, some news and notes for Friday...

• Above, Jeff Foote (Cornell '10) goes head-to-head with Brook Lopez of Stanford (now with the Brooklyn Nets) during the 2008 NCAA Tournament.  Foote and Lopez could be future Nets teammates.  Foote accepted an invitation to play with the Nets' summer league team in Orlando.  

• Geoff Reeves (Cornell '10) posted some high school highlights from his days at Burlington (Kansas) High School.  Above, Reeves diving for a loose ball against Kansas on January 6, 2010.  Also chasing the ball down, far left, is Kansas' No. 14, Tyrel Reed, Reeves' former high school teammate.

News and Notes: Thursday Edition

Above, Cornell rising senior, Eitan Chemerinski.  Below, some news and notes for Thursday...

• Nets Daily writes of Jeff Foote (Cornell '10):

The Nets' free agent mini-camp ended Wednesday with Avery Johnson and Billy King professing it was great and that in Johnson's words, there were "two or three players" they liked and in King's words, "we're trying to build a summer league roster" and would be inviting "some of them" to Orlando in July.  Of the 21, most attention was focused on the five former NBA players who were overseas last year and Ben Hansbrough whose ankle injury hurt his chances of being drafted late by the Nets.Listening to Johnson and King, the Nets said particularly nice things about Adam Morrison, Al Thornton,Julian Wright, Jeff Foote and Hilton Armstrong. Foote, the Armor's seven-foot All-D-League center, has already accepted a summer league spot.

• The Star Ledger of New Jersey writes, "Some of the 21 players invited to [the Nets' free agent] camp, which ended yesterday, will likely be invited to join the Nets’ summer league team. [Nets GM, Billy] King said 7-0 center Jeff Foote, who played for the Nets’ D-League team this season, already is on the summer team, along with his D-League teammate Dennis Horner and Nets rookies MarShon Brooks and Jordan Williams."

• The New York Post writes:

Deron Williams was in the Nets gym again. But he didn’t talk, so the interest factor in the joint dropped considerably.  But there were still a lot of former NBA types among the hopefuls finishing out the third day of the Nets' free agent mini-camp staged to find perhaps a roster player while coming up with candidates for their Summer League entry in Orlando and their D-League affiliate in Springfield.  “It was good,” GM Billy King said of the three-day event. “We saw some guys that we liked how they played, some guys we'll be inviting to Summer League to hopefully continue the process… A lot of the guys have been in the league. They know how to play – as we told Julian Wright, he's in better shape than when he tried to work out for us.  “We're building our Summer League roster in the hopes of building a team that can go there and play well together so we can really continue to evaluate them. And then from there, invite some guys to our veteran camp."  And already the Nets have four guys set for Summer League in early July – MarShon Brooks and Jordan Williams who completed their rookie years with the parent club and two guys whose time was spent primarily in Springfield, center Jeff Foote and forward Dennis Horner.  “And hopefully after this, we’ll have a few guys to add to it. And then we’ll do the draft and look at guys that don’t get drafted and save some spots for those guys and then we’ll be done,” King said.

*

Foote obviously was on the Nets radar all season. There were times they wanted to bring him up from Springfield but were hampered by a roster spot. Finally, they decided to do so but had to wait one more day because Foote was playing. Then they were beaten to the punch by the Hornets, who signed the Cornell product to a 10-day contract.  “I was told the day before Brooklyn planned to call me up – I had a game that night and they planned to call me up the next day — but I got called up by the Hornets,” said Foote who impressed over the past three days. “So there was that. And later in the season they called up Dennis Horner who they had familiarity with. So there was nothing wrong with that. The D-League was a great experience for me. Coach MacKinnon did a tremendous job of taking my game to the next level a little bit.”  Foote, 7-0, came to the mini-camp just trying to show progress and to leave an impression. He did both apparently.  “The one good thing, I think, about Foote: he’s seven feet,” King said, reminding you can’t teach height. “And he plays seven feet, that’s the thing I love about him. He’ll be with us in Summer League so it’ll be good to see how he continues to progress throughout the summer.”  Foote had an advantage of sorts because Springfield basically employs Nets terminology and playbook. So he was real comfortable for three days.  “Especially with the defenses, it helped me adjust quicker. You know what’s expected, what needs to be taken care of. I definitely think come summer league it will make an easier transition,” Foote said.  “Here, I was trying to show them I’m still growing, I still have a lot of potential and I’m still young relatively. I’m 24. I think I showed them I’m coming along and developing,” Foote said. “I think I showed I can pass really well out of the post, have a decent array of post moves. In my personal opinion, I think I probably need to get a little stronger but that’s what summer is for. So right now that’s what I’m focusing on. That and improving the jump shot.”

• Harvard basketball beat writer for the Crimson, Dennis Zheng takes a few partings shots at Cornell (and Tommy Amaker) in his last column.

• Jeff Aubry (Cornell '99) finished with 13 points, 8 rebounds and 4 blocks as his Arecibo Capitanes captured Game 1 of the BSN semifinals series in Puerto Rico.  Arecibo defeated San German 82-67.

News and Notes: Wednesday Edition

Above, Cornell's rising sophomore point guard, Galal Cancer.  Below, some news and notes for Wednesday...

• Scott Schroeder, editor of the NBA D-League blog, Ridiculous Upside, writes with respect to Jeff Foote (Cornell Class of 2010) at the Brooklyn Nets' Free Agent Mini Camp this week, "I'm personally a fan of Jeff Foote." Apparently, so are the Nets. Avery Johnson, head coach of the Nets told the media he was impress with Foote's play.  The New York Post speculates that Foote could be a roster replacement for Damion James.  The New York Post writes:

  Johnson wouldn’t go into specifics on which players he liked, only saying that the Nets like “two or three of them.” But he did go in depth a bit when asked about Jeff Foote, a 7-footer who played for the Springfield Armor, the Nets’ D-League affiliate, and who has already accepted a spot on the Nets’ summer league team.“Jeff’s been a stud. Obviously with him being on our D-League team, he’s been really consistent, and moving a little better. I’m really impressed with his passing.  “He’s a really good passing big guy, and that’s kind of a lost art right now in the NBA, so there’s a value to it.”

  See the interview with Anthony Johnson right here.

• Jeff Aubry (Cornell Class of 1999) (above) grabbed 7 rebounds, blocked 2 shots and collected 2 steals while scoring 3 points to help his Arecibo Capitanes club of Puerto Rico's BSN league advance to the semifinals with a 85-77 win over Quebradillas on May 21.

The 2012-2013 Season: 100th Anniversary of Cornell's First Basketball Championship

Above, editors of the Cornell Daily Sun congratulate Cornell's men's basketball program for its 1912-1913 league championship.

News and Notes: Tuesday Edition

Below, some news and notes for Tuesday...

• Jeff Foote (Cornell '10) was interviewed yesterday at the Brooklyn Nets' Free Agent Mini Camp.  The interview is available to watch on NBA.com.  The blog, Nets Daily, tweeted today, "Hear Jeff Foote of [the NBA D-League's Springfield] Armor played well at yesterday's free agent mini camp. #Nets like him as a backup."

• Several veteran players returning to the Cornell roster during 2012-2013 missed significant time this season due to injury.  These players include:

Errick Peck-Missed entire 2011-2012 season (28 games).  Appeared in 27 games as a freshman in 2009-2010 during Cornell's Sweet 16 season.  Has 24 total career starts for Cornell.

Manny Sahota-Missed entire 2011-2012 season (28 games).  Appeared in 14 games during 2010-2011, started 1 game.

Jake Matthews-Missed entire 2011-2012 season (28 games).  Appeared in 21 games during 2010-2011, started 11 games.

Miles Asafo Adjei-Missed 15 games during 2011-2012.  Appeared in 20 games as a freshman in 2009-2010 during Cornell's Sweet 16 season.  Has 20 career starts for Cornell. 

Three other returning players missed substantial time to injury: Dave Lamore (3 games), Devin Cherry (4 games), Domnick Scelfo (3 games)

• Several returning Cornell players are expected to be in summer leagues during the offseason with most leagues commencing play in June.  Below is a list of players who potentially could be among those involved in summer leagues.

Errick Peck-Indy Pro Am
Jake Matthews-Pittsburgh Basketball Club/Pro Am
Nolan Cressler-Pittsburgh Basketball Club/Pro Am
Josh Figini-Howard Pulley Summer Pro League (St. Paul, MN)
Dwight Tarwater-Rocky Top League (Knoxville, TN)
Shonn Miller-Cleveland Pro Am
Ned Tomic-Cleveland Pro Am
Galal Cancer-CDBA Summer League (Rensselear, NY)

News and Notes: Monday Edition

Below, some news and notes for Monday...

• Cornell fans now can purchase tickets to see Cornell's participation in the Las Vegas Invitational between November 23-24 at the Orleans Arena.

• As Drew Ferry (Cornell '11) continues his search for a professional club overseas, we added some additional videos of his highlights, including action against Illinois, Minnesota, Penn State, Syracuse and Lehigh.

• Cornell's Jonathan Gray, an All Ivy League selection during 2012-2013, reports to St. Croix, Virgin Islands on June 1 for Virgin Islands national team training for the FIBA Centrobasket Tournament which will be held between June 18-24.

• Over the weekend, committed Cornell recruit, Braxston Bunce (Kelowna Secondary School) Kelowna, BC, Canada, 6-11, C, attended Canada Basketball's invitational tryouts for a spot on the Canadian junior men’s national team. This summer the team will compete in the 2012 FIBA Americas U18 Championship for Men in Brazil from June 16 - 20.  Bunce is looking for his second appearance with the national team after playing in the world championships a year ago.  Here is a glimpse of Bunce blocking a shot during the tryouts over the weekend.  

• ESPN affiliate site, Nets Are Scorching notes Jeff Foote's (Cornell '10) attendance at this week's Brooklyn Nets' free agent mini camp.  Above, a photo of Foote in action today (this morning) at the camp.  The site refers to Foote by the nickname of "the Footenote."  Meanwhile, Nets Daily writes, "The Nets announced the 21-man roster for their free agent mini-camp Monday morning, most if not all of whom were housed in New York hotels this weekend waiting for their chance to return to the NBA or for a first chance at the big show. The camp will take place Monday through Wednesday at the PNY Center, with five-on-five scrimmages each day. Adam Morrison, Al Thornton, Julian Wright, Hilton Armstrong andDavid Harrison, all first round picks, are on the list as are three other former NBA players, Jermaine Taylor, Darington Hobson and Taylor Griffin, Blake's brother. Ben Hansbrough, the 2011 Big East Player of the Year and Tyler's brother, is also on hand.In addition, there'll be several D-Leaguers: Defensive Player of the Year Stefhon Hannah, Rookie of the Year Edwin Ubiles, All-D-League center Jeff Foote of the Springfield Armor and two players who had short stints with NBA teams, Malcolm Thomas and Ryan Reid. Sylvan Landesberg, a Virginia product who played in Israel, has also been invited."

• Nets Are Scorching writes on the Springfield Armor's NBA D-League record turnaround season and notes, "With [coach Bob] MacKinnon’s hard-nosed playing style and the additions of big men [Jeff] Horner and Jeff Foote, Springfield ranked first in the league in rebounding this season...Horner was one of three Armor players to get a call-up [to the NBA]. Foote was called-up by the Hornets..."

• The Cornell Basketball Prospect Camp for elite high school players considering playing at Cornell is scheduled for June 23-24. Cornell coaches direct the camp while several veteran Big Red players serve as counselors. Cornell's incoming committed recruits may also attend.

• If you missed it, be sure to check out Cornell's 2011-2012 season highlights video.

• If you missed it, take a look at The Cornell Basketball Blog's sneak peak at opponents appearing on the 2012-2013 schedule.

• Visit The Cornell Basketball Blog's updated profiles of Cornell's five committed recruits from the classes of 2012 and 2013: Robert Mischler (Mishawaka HS) Marian, IN, 6-2, G, Braxston Bunce (Kelowna Secondary School) Kelowna, BC, Canada, 6-11, C; Holt Harmon (Plano West HS), Plano, TX, 6-9, F; Nolan Cressler (Plum HS) Plum, PA, 6-4, G, and Tim Higgins (Paul VI HS) Fairfax, VA, 6-10, C (class of 2013).

• Want to see some video of archived Cornell games from 2011-2012? ESPN3.com has archived games for Cornell at Maryland and Illinois and a home game against Harvard.

• Not a member of Twitter? See what The Cornell Basketball Blog is tweeting and retweeting each day by visiting our Twitter Timeline.

• So how did Cornell finish the 2011-2012 season? Cornell's RPI rank as of April 2 was No. 180 out of 344 total Division I teams. The Ken Pomeroy and Jeff Sagarin rankings are No. 209 and No. 202 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:

November 11, 2011 at St. Bonaventure L 58-79 (NCAA Tournament)


November 14, 2011 vs. Binghamton W 76-61

November 16, 2011 at Buffalo L 59-68 (CollegeInsider.com)


November 20, 2011 vs. Boston University W 71-66

November 22, 2011 at Delaware L 68-76 (CBI)


November 27, 2011 vs. American L 63-65 (CollegeInsider.com)


December 3, 2011 vs. Lehigh W 81-79 (OT) (NCAA Tournament)


December 17, 2011 vs. Albany W 85-82 (OT) (CollegeInsider.com)


December 19, 2011 at Illinois L 60-64 (TV: ESPN3)

December 21, 2011 at Penn State L 67-74 (TV: Big Ten Network)

December 28, 2011 at Stony Brook L 58-69 (OT) (TV: Cablevision 118) (NIT)


December 31, 2011 at Bucknell L 60-63 (CBI)

January 3, 2012 at Maryland L 62-70 (TV: ESPN3)

January 7, 2012 vs. Albright W 78-60

January 13, 2012 vs. Princeton W 67-59 (CBI)

January 14, 2012 vs. Penn L 52-64 (CBI)

January 21, 2012 at Columbia L 56-61

January 28, 2012 vs. Columbia W 65-60

February 3, 2012 at Harvard L 60-71 (NCAA Tournament)


February 4, 2012 at Dartmouth W 68-59

February 10, 2012 vs. Yale W 85-84 OT (CollegeInsider.com)


February 11, 2012 vs. Brown W 72-63

February 17, 2012 at Penn L 66-73 (CBI)

February 18, 2012 at Princeton L 57-75 (CBI)

February 24, 2012 at Brown W 69-63

February 25, 2012 at Yale L 40-71 (CollegeInsider.com)


March 2, 2012 vs. Dartmouth W 70-57

March 3, 2012 vs. Harvard L 63-67 (NCAA Tournament)

• Below is an updated directory listing of some Twitter feeds associated with the Cornell basketball program. You can also follow The Cornell Basketball Blog on Twitter.

-Josh Wexler ('88)
-Bo Buttenback ('98)
-Steve Cobb ('05)
-Ryan Rourke ('06)
-Andrew Naeve ('07)
-Jason Canady ('08)
-Khaliq Gant ('09)
-Conor Mullen ('09)
-Brian Kreefer ('09)
-Ryan Wittman ('10)
-Pete Reynolds ('10)
-Jon Jaques ('10)
-Louis Dale ('10)
-Alex Tyler ('10)
-Geoff Reeves ('10)
-Jeff Foote ('10)
-Andre Wilkins ('10) (inactive)
-Aaron Osgood ('11)
-Adam Wire ('11)
-Max Groebe ('12)
-Chris Wroblewski ('12)
-Andrew Ferry ('12)
-The Cornell Rebounders Club
-Jonathan Grey ()
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-Former Assistant Coach Ricky Yahn ()
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• Throughout the year we provide periodic updates on Cornell's alumni playing professionally. Below, some updates:

-Jeff Aubry ('99) (Halcones Rojos, LNBP Mexico premier league/Arecibo Capitanes, BSN Puerto Rico premier league)-As of May 21, Aubry is averaging 3.5 points and 5.7 rebounds per game for Arecibo in the BSN Puerto Rico premier league. Arecibo is 5-4 and in 4th place out of 8 teams in the league. Aubry, a 6'11" center, splits his time in both the Mexican and Puerto Rican professional leagues. Aubry holds citizenship in Puerto Rico and with Puerto Rico participating in the FIBA 2012 Olympics Qualifying Tournament this coming July, he has been mentioned as a potential member of the national team roster and could find himself in the 2012 Summer Olympic games. 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).

-Cody Toppert ('05) (Logitravel Mallorca, LEB Gold Spain 2nd Division)-As of May 21, Toppert finished his 2011-2012 season averaging 3.5 points and 2.7 rebounds per game. Mallorca finished 15-19 and in 13th place out of 18 teams in the LEB Gold (2nd Division). Prior to joining Mallorca midseason, Toppert averaged 6.0 points and 1.8 rebounds per game during 2011-2012 for Ourense in the Spanish LEB Silver (3rd Division). During his pro career, Toppert, a 6'4" wing forward, has played in the NBA D-League with the former club, the Albuquerque Thunderbirds (now the Canton Charge). He also played in Spain (Ourense, LEB Silver Spain 3rd Division), England (Plymouth Raiders, British Basketball League), Italy (Forli, LegaDue Italy 2nd division), the CBA (Great Falls Explorers), as well as in Portugal (Barriernese, LCB Portugal premier league), Bulgaria (BC CSKA Sofia, NBL Bulgaria premier league), Germany (Goettingen/Scholz Weissenhorn, BBK Bundesliga Germany premier league) and New Zealand (Taranaki Mountain Airs, NBL New Zealand premier league).

-Jason Hartford ('08) (Yamhill Flyers, International Basketball League)-As of May 21, Hartford is expected to be on the roster of the IBL's Yamhill (Oregon) Flyers where he was an All Star for the team in 2010.  Hartford was unsigned for much of 2011-2012 and was cut during the week of October 17, 2011 by Cader Rocha, LUB Uruguay premier league. He was      averaging 12.8 points and 6.4 rebounds per game, second on the team in both categories. The     6'9" Hartford previously played professionally in Portugal (Ginasio, LCB Portugal premier league), Finland (Huima, Korisliiga Finland premier league) and Mozambique (Maxaquene, D1    Mozambique premier league).

-Louis Dale ('10) (Goettingen, BBK Bundesliga Germany premier league)-As of May 21, Dale missed the vast majority of the 2011-2012 season with a torn ACL. He was averaging 11.9 points, 2.2 assists, and 2.0 rebounds per game before the injury. Dale is in his second professional season, both seasons in Germany with Goettingen.

-Ryan Wittman ('10) (Unsigned free agent)-As of May 21, Wittman is unsigned for the 2011-2012 season after he terminated his contract on September 26 with Zastal of the PLK Poland premier league. He played the 2010-2011 season in Italy (Forli, LegaDue Italy 2nd division) and in the United States (Fort Wayne Mad Ants, NBA D-League).

-Jeff Foote ('10) (New Orleans Hornets, NBA/Springfield Armor, NBA D-League)-As of May 21, Foote was invited to the Brooklyn Nets' 2012 summer league team.  He averaged 15.1 points and 8.9 rebounds per game in the D-League for 2011-2012 after being named a starter at the D-League's All-Star Game during February. Foote finished the D-League season ranked 4th in double-doubles and also 4th in rebounds. Springfield finished the regular season 29-21 (1st place out of 8 teams in the Eastern Conference) and was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by Canton. Foote averaged 1.0 points and 1.5 rebounds per game in 4 games for the NBA's New Orleans Hornets during a 10-day contract between March 9 and March 19. Foote is ranked by the D-League as its #6 overall NBA prospect.  During April he was profiled in a video on NBA.com.  He participated in the Portland Trailblazers' 2011-2012 preseason training camp and played the 2011-2012 preseason with with Zastal of the PLK Poland premier league and the full 2010-2011 season in   Spain (Melilla, LEB Gold Spain 2nd division) while on loan from Euro League powerhouse Maccabi Tel Aviv of Israel.

-Adam Wire ('11) (Unsigned free agent)-As of May 21, Wire is an unsigned free agent. He was waived by Vaerlose, Denmark BBK premier league during December. He was averaging 11.3 points, 6.9 rebounds, 2.9 steals and 1.9 assists per game. On November 4, 2011 he was    named the Eurobasket Player of the Week for Denmark. The 2011-2012 season is his rookie year.

-Aaron Osgood ('11) (Unsigned free agent)-As of May 21, Osgood is an unsigned free agent.  He was waived by Vaerlose, Denmark BBK premier league during December. He was averaging 11.6 points and 8.4 rebounds per game. The 2011-2012 season is his rookie year.

Visit The Cornell Basketball Blog's Community Forum and Message Board to interact with other fans of Cornell and Ivy League basketball. Membership is free! You may also follow us on Twitter.

Blueprint for Success, the yearbook commemorating Cornell's memorable 2009-2010 season is on sale. Visit the Cornell Athletics website to order your copy today! Or pick up a copy sold in the Cornell Store on campus.

Fans of the basketball program in the Ithaca area should not miss the opportunity to join the Cornell Rebounders Club.

Cornell in Vegas

Ticketing information for Cornell's participation in the 2012 Las Vegas Invitational is now online with the Orleans Arena.  Cornell will play two games in the event between November 23-24.  Potential opponents are Longwood, Presbyterian and Florida A&M.  Click here for more information on Cornell's 2012-2013 schedule and the format of the Las Vegas Invitational.

News and Notes: Thursday Edition

Below, some news and notes for Thursday...

• House of Sparky, an Arizona State blog, writes, "The field for the 2012 Las Vegas Invitational has been officially announced, according to Andy Katz of ESPN: Creighton, Arkansas, Wisconsin and Arizona State will take the court at Orleans Arena just off the strip in Vegas. According to The Cornell Basketball Blog, Longwood, Presbyterian, Florida A&M and Cornell will also be involved. It looks like ASU will play Cornell and another team at home before heading to Vegas."  Bucky's 5th Qtr, a Wisconsin blog adds,  This tournament also sets up two games for the Badgers to host at the Kohl Center. According to the Cornell Basketball Blog, the Big Red will be one of the two teams slated to play in Madison. I don't think I need to remind you what happened the last time the Badgers played Cornell in basketball."  Also on the Las Vegas Invitational, The Wisconsin State Journal also writes, "Arizona State, Arkansas and Creighton will be on the same half of the bracket as the University of Wisconsin men's basketball team in the 2012 Las Vegas Invitational.  The two-round tournament will be held Nov. 23-24 at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. Prior to heading to Las Vegas, the Badgers will host two games at the Kohl Center under the banner of the Las Vegas Invitational against teams from the other side of the bracket. That group reportedly includes Cornell, Florida A&M, Longwood and Presbyterian."  The State Journal also writes, "The tournament officially begins with the Badgers facing a pair of unspecified teams at the Kohl Center in the week leading up to the main event — possibilities reportedly include Cornell, Florida A&M, Longwood and Presbyterian"

• With Jonathan Gray suiting up for the Virgin Islands National Team in the FIBA Centrobasket Championships in June, he can expect to see a lot of NBA faces in the competition.  Jamaica, also in Group B with the Virgin Islands, just announced a formidable roster of NBA level talent which will include Samardo Samuels (Cleveland Cavaliers), Patrick Ewing Jr. (former New York Knick), Ryan Reid (Oklahoma Thunder) and Jerome Jordan (New York Knicks).  Meanwhile, Puerto Rico of Group A will boast players such as Juan Jose Barea (Minnesota Timberwolves), Carlos Arroyo (Boston Celtics) and Renaldo Balkman (New York Knicks).  The Virgin Islands backcourt could include Raja Bell (Utah Jazz).  

• With Louis Dale (Cornell Class of 2010) missing virtually the entire season with a torn ACL, his Goettingen club of Germany's BBK, the German premier league, finished its season in last place out of 18 teams with a 4-30 final record.  Dale is expected to return to Goettingen in 2012-2013.   A pair of other Cornell alums, Jeff Aubry (Cornell Class of 1999) (Halcones Rojos, LNBP Mexico premier league/Arecibo Capitanes, BSN Puerto Rico premier league) and Cody Toppert (Cornell Class of 2005) (Logitravel Mallorca, LEB Gold Spain 2nd Division), are still in the midst of their respective pro seasons.  Meanwhile, Jason Hartford (Cornell Class of 2008)  (Yamhill Flyers, International Basketball League), is just about to start his season on June 8.

• Incoming Cornell recruit,  Braxston Bunce (Kelowna Secondary School) Kelowna, BC, Canada, 6-11, C, was recently ranked by Hoop Stars Canada as the No. 2 center in Canada in its updated Class of 2012 rankings.  Several other Canadian recruiting services rank Bunce as the top center,

• Bunce recently participated in a wheel chair basketball charity event:

News and Notes: Wednesday Edition

Below, some news and notes for Wednesday...

• The Cornell Basketball Prospect Camp for elite high school players considering playing at Cornell is scheduled for June 23-24. Cornell coaches direct the camp while several veteran Big Red players serve as counselors. Cornell's incoming committed recruits may also attend. 

• Landry Kosmalski, a Davidson College assistant coach, was named the new head coach of Swarthmore College last week.  Cornell assistant coach, Arlen Galloway, was reportedly among a small handful of finalists for the position.  Kosmalski is the former high school head coach of Cornell sophomore, Dwight Tarwater.  Kosmalksi also recruited several of Cornell's current players while he was an assistant at Davidson.

• Canada Basketball announced the 22 athletes who will participate in the invitational tryouts for a spot on the Canadian junior men’s national team. The 2012 junior men’s national team is for Canadian athletes born January 1,1994 or later. This summer the team will compete in the 2012 FIBA Americas U18 Championship for Men, in Brazil from June 16 - 20.  Incoming Cornell recruit, Braxston Bunce (Kelowna Secondary School) Kelowna, BC, Canada, 6-11, C, is among the invitees and is looking for his second appearance with the national team after playing in the world championships a year ago.  

• Nets Daily writes of Jeff Foote (Cornell Classs of 2010), "Jeff Foote is already in New York, getting ready for the free agent mini-camp next week where he will go up against two former NBA centers, Hilton Armstrong and David Harrison. He's also confirmed he's gotten one of theNets first invitations to join the team's summer league roster, as has Dennis Horner, his Armor teammate."  

• The Ithaca Journal writes on Foote:

ITHACA -- After a 10-day stint in the National Basketball Association in March and a successful campaign with the Springfield Armor of the NBA Development League, it appears that former Cornell University big man Jeff Foote will get another shot at impressing pro scouts this summer.

According to online reports, the three-time All-Ivy League center for the Big Red -- a graduate of Spencer-Van Etten High -- has accepted an invitation to play with the Brooklyn Nets in the NBA Summer League in Orlando.

Foote's father, Don, confirmed the report Wednesday. The Armor is the NBA D-League affiliate of the Nets, which this summer will move to Brooklyn from New Jersey.

Foote, who according to his father is in New York City to join the team, is also expected to be present at the Nets' free agent camp May 21-23. The Orlando Summer League is scheduled to run July 9-13.

In March, Foote was called up from the Springfield Armor on a 10-day contract with the New Orleans Hornets, becoming the first Cornellian to earn a spot on an NBA roster in more than 60 years. In four games in the NBA, he played 39 minutes, making 2-of-6 field goal attempts for four points. Foote also grabbed six rebounds, blocked a shot and committed five fouls.

In 39 regular-season games, including 38 starts for the Armor during the 2011-12 campaign, the 7-footer averaged 15.1 points and 8.9 rebounds in 32.6 minutes. He averaged 1.1 blocks and shot 55 percent from the field.

Foote was voted to the D-League All-Star Game in February and at the end of the season was named second-team all-star. The Armor set a franchise record for wins this past season and made its first D-League playoff appearance.

Between graduating from Cornell in the spring of 2010 and first signing with the Armor in December of 2011, Foote played professional in Israel, Morocco and Poland. He was also invited to try out with the Portland Trail Blazers following last year's NBA lockout, but did not make the team.

At Cornell, Foote was an integral part of three Ivy League championship teams (2008, '09, '10) and a leading figure in the Big Red's run to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament in 2010. He was named Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year in 2009 and '10, and as senior was selected to the All-Ivy first team after averaging 12.4 points and leading the league in field goal percentage (.633) and rebounding (8.1 per game).

As a senior at S-VE, Foote averaged 15 points, 13 rebounds and six blocked shots and a first-team all-Interscholastic Athletic Conference selection.

• Below, a report from WENY on Foote:

News and Notes: Tuesday Edition

Below, some news and notes for Tuesday...

• Bill Bowman, a Bucknell beat writer for the Daily Item covers the news of Bucknell renewing its series with Penn State and writes, " Since I’ve been covering BU, the marquee team to come to Sojka Pavilion is either Richmond or the Cornell team that went to the Sweet 16 a couple of winters ago."

• In addition to playing with the Brooklyn Nets' summer league team in Orlando between July 9-16, Jeff Foote (Cornell Class of 2010) will participate in the Nets' free agent mini-camp in East Rutherford, N.J. between May 21-23.  Nets Daily writes:

[T]he Nets are giving priority to the [Nets' affiliate, the NBA D-League Springfield Armor] players who they think could make the jump, with minimal development help. Jeff Foote, the Armor's all-D-League center, and Dennis Horner, who was twice called up by the Nets, have accepted invitations to play in the summer league and L.D. Williams, the Armor's two-time D-League dunk champ, may as well. (The Armor's two coaches, Bob MacKinnon and Chris Carrawell, will be a part of the mini-camp as the mass draft workout.)  "We've made a commitment to Foote," says [Nets' Assistant General Manager, Bobby Marks], noting that the Nets didn't get a chance to take a look at him, unlike Horner and Jerry Smith. Armor Coach Bob MacKinnon has said that Foote could, with help, develop into a player with a 10 or 12 year NBA career.  "I've had a great coaching staff and a great experience," said Foote in mid-season. "I've had offers to go back over internationally, but I'm just learning too much here and enjoying the system."

News and Notes: Monday Edition

Below, some news and notes for Monday...

• Jeff Foote (Cornell '10) will play with the Brooklyn Nets in the NBA Summer League in Orlando.  NetsDaily.com writes, "At least two Springfield Armor players will be in Orlando in July to play for the Nets' summer league entry. Jeff Foote and Dennis Horner have accepted invitations."

• The Brooklyn Nets' official website recaps the Springfield Armor's and Jeff Foote's season.  Below, Jeff Foote with the New Orleans Hornets, February 2012.

News and Notes: Friday Edition

Above, Cornell's Barton Hall in 2012 (top) and 1925 (bottom).  Barton Hall was once the home arena of Cornell's varsity basketball program and is today the home of Cornell's varsity indoor track as part of the Department of Athletics and a facility utilized by the separate Department of Physical Education for classes and intramural sports.  Below, some news and notes for Friday...

• FIBA announced the draw and schedule for the Centrobasket Tournament which starts June 18 in Puerto Rico.  Cornell's Jonathan Gray will be playing for the U.S. Virgin Islands team which opens against Mexico on the opening day of the event.  A second member of the Cornell roster, incoming Cornell recruit, Braxston Bunce (Kelowna Secondary School) Kelowna, BC, Canada, 6-11, C, is a possible addition to the Canadian Junior National team which is competing this summer in the U18 FIBA Americas Tournament.  Bunce was a member of Canada's U18 FIBA World Championships Tournaments team last summer.

• The Ivy League once again closed the door on the idea of hosting a postseason conference tournament.  The Ivy League's official press release states:

RED BANK, N.J. -- The Ivy League announced today that its directors of athletics have decided not to move forward with proposals for postseason tournaments in men's and women's basketball.

"After careful consideration of these proposals, the athletics directors decided that our current method of determining the Ivy League Champion and our automatic bid recipient to the NCAA Championship is the best model moving forward," said Robin Harris, Ivy League Executive Director.

In men's and women's basketball, the Ivy League plays a 14-game, double round-robin schedule where each team plays each other home and away. The team with the best conference record in each sport is awarded the Ivy title and the League's NCAA Tournament automatic bid.

The Ivy League athletics directors discussed the proposals at their annual meetings, which concluded Thursday afternoon in Red Bank, N.J.

• As Cornell's graduating seniors ponder potential professional careers overseas, Drew Ferry has some personal highlight videos posted.