- Errick Peck could make his graduate school choice today. His final choice has come down to Purdue and Xavier.
- The Canada Junior Men's National Team (JMNT) will be announcing tryouts soon for the U19 World Championships in the Czech Republic. Cornell's Braxston Bunce is a candidate to land on a Canadian national team this summer.
- Former Cornell assistant coach, Ricky Yahn, was named head coach of Concordia College of Ann Arbor, Michigan. Concordia is a member of the NAIA. The Wheeling (WVa) News Register writes:
Transition has always been something of a skill for Wheeling native Ricky Yahn, and it's a good thing, too.
Yahn, an assistant coach at Longwood University in Farmville, Va., had been the man in charge of keeping the program afloat at the school recently, and was asked to remain on the new staff after his former boss moved on. Lancers players had just left campus two or three days before Yahn got the call he's been dreaming about since he was 16.
Today, Yahn, who graduated from Wheeling Central and Wheeling Jesuit, is the new head coach at Concordia College, an NAIA institution located in Ann Arbor, Mich.
"It's a really neat experience for me,'' Yahn, who also had stops at St. Vincent, Cornell and George Mason, said by telephone Friday. "It's a Lutheran College and there are about 10 Concordias in the United States, and we are all sister schools.
"It's neat to be back at a small, Christian, private school. I have different resources and connections available through similar institutions.''
Yahn becomes the latest to graduate from what has become somewhat a cradle of coaches from the Ohio Valley, joining the likes of Doug (head coach, College of Charleston) and Dave Wojcik (head coach, San Jose State), Dino Gaudio (former Wake Forest head coach) and the late Skip Prosser, who starred at every stop, including stints with the Demon Deacons and Xavier. In addition, Joe Wallace, a former Bishop Donahue standout, was recently named an assistant coach on Doug Wojcik's staff, and Mark Prosser, also a Wheeling Central product and the son of Skip, is an assistant at Winthrop.
"That was something I touched on and talked about in my interview, is the three things that are important to me: faith, family and where I come from,'' Yahn said. "You can't put a specific word on it or say how it's happened, but you look at the last 25 years or so and we've had four or five Division-I players come out of the valley.
"We don't have D-I players or great athletes, but it is a place where basketball is important and there is tradition. That translates into coaching.
"If you weren't someone who had to work, you won't be a successful coach. That's something that growing up in the Ohio Valley fosters."
Yahn, 28, recalled sitting at study break at Wheeling Central and using that time to write in a notebook that he still keeps with him.
The notebook is filled with diagrams of offensive and defensive sets, and ways to maximize a team's ability. For that he credits his former coaches.
"I've been unbelievably blessed to move up the coaching ladder and at every stop be surrounded by coaches who were better than the level they were coaching at,'' Yahn said. "I knew how lucky I was to have Coach (Dave) Wojcik, and really since 2001, I have been trying to train myself for this opportunity.
"Coach Wojcik took over at Wheeling Central when I was a 16-year-old junior and within a month I knew that (coaching) was I wanted to do. He made such an impact on my life.''
So did Jay DeFruscio at Wheeling Jesuit, Jim Larranaga, then at George Mason and currently the national coach of the year at the University of Miami. During his stop at George Mason where he was the team's video coordinator, Yahn had the chance to work with Luke Hancock, who eventually transferred to Louisville and became the NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player.
"It's overwhelming and humbling,'' said Yahn, who noted if he ever needs an ear, just 10 minutes up the road at Michigan is John Beilein, a WJU grad. "I've been joking with my family and friends and it does feel like it happened quick.
"When I got to Cornell I was probably one of the youngest D-I assistants in the country. Now I will probably be one of the youngest head coaches anywhere.''
The news was music to the ears of Yahn's wife, Lindsey, who he married a year ago this August. A native of Buffalo, N.Y., Lindsey has spent the last couple of years 11-12 hours from her family. Now, if she cuts through Canada it will be roughly a four-hour trip home.
"She's really excited,'' Yahn said. "My Mom and Dad still live in Wheeling but my brothers moved away, so we have spent most of the holidays and things with her family, and it's been hard on them.
"She has lot of things going on this summer for her with weddings and family things, so we didn't know if she was going to be kind of staying in Buffalo and me in Virginia, or if we were going to go back and forth.
"We've been blessed."
- Concordia's official release on Ricky Yahn:
(Ann Arbor, MI) - Concordia University is pleased to announce the signing of Ricky Yahn as the new head coach of the men's basketball team. The Cardinals welcome Coach Yahn from his most recent position as assistant coach at Longwood University. While there, he was involved in all aspects of the program, including on-campus and off-campus recruiting, opponent scouting and game plan preparation, coordination of team travel, player skill development, and assisting with practice preparation. Prior to joining the staff at Longwood, he previously spent time as an assistant coach at Cornell University, following a year as the video coordinator at George Mason University, as well as a stint as an assistant coach at Saint Vincent College.
Yahn was responsible for all team travel operations under Cornell head coach Bill Courtney, and prepared advanced scouting reports of opponents while also being involved with player development. He served as director of Cornell's Basketball Camps, oversaw administrative functions and daily operations, coordinated the recruiting mail-out system with Scoutware, and supervised all student managers.
At George Mason under head coach Jim Larranaga, the 2013 Division I National Coach of the Year, Yahn managed technical software such as Scoutware and Synergy, prepared teaching DVD's for players, assisted with advanced scouting reports, team travel, was involved with administrative functions and daily operations, and supervised student managers.
Coach Yahn also has professional coaching experience with the Birmingham Athletics in England, where he served as a player and coach during that time. He has played professionally in both England and Buffalo, New York.
Yahn was a four-year member of the men's basketball team at Wheeling Jesuit, and two-year team captain, earning first-team All-West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC) honors during 2006-07 when he earned a Team MVP award as well. He helped WJU to a pair of NCAA Division II post-season tournament appearances, along with a WVIAC Championship in 2005, and finished his collegiate career with 1,467 career points, ranking eighth all-time at the school. He is also WJU's career leader in made three-pointers.
A native of Wheeling, West Virginia, Yahn earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from Wheeling Jesuit University in 2007. He comes from a long line of successful basketball coaches from Wheeling, WV. His high school, Wheeling Central has produced the late Skip Prosser (Former Wake Forest & Xavier Head Coach), Dino Gaudio (Former Wake Forest Head Coach), Doug Wojcik (Head Coach, College of Charleston), Dave Wojcik (Head Coach, San Jose St).
Concordia University would once again like to welcome another fine adition to the athletic faculty, and wishes Coach Yahn and the Cardinals the best of luck during the upcoming 2013-14 season.
- The Cornell Basketball Prospect Camp will run from June 22-23, 2013. The Camp is one of the program's most significant recruiting weekends.
- If you missed it, we updated Cornell's projected 2013-2014 list of opponents. And if you missed it, check out Cornell's 2012-2013 season highlight video.
- Below is an updated list of players committed to Ivy League schools in the class of 2013 (unless otherwise noted):
Steven Spieth.(Jesuit HS) Dallas, TX, 6-6, F, Brown
Aram Martin (Miller School) Charlottesville, VA, 6-9, F, Brown
Lealand King (Brentwood School) Los Angeles, CA, 6-6, F, Brown
J.R. Hobbie (Manasquan HS) Manasquan, NJ, 6-4, G, Brown
Tavon Blackmon (Gonzaga) Washington, DC, 5-11, G, Brown
Matt Madigan (Mt. Tabor HS) Winston-Salem, NC, 6-4, G, Brown
Chris McComber (John McCrae School) Ottawa, ON, 6-7, F, Columbia
Kendall Jackson (Suffield Academy) Suffield, MA, 5-9, G, Columbia
Jeff Coby (Choate Rosemary Hall) Choate, CT, 6-6, F, Columbia
Luke Petrasek (Northport HS) Northport, NY, 6-10, C, Columbia
Aram Martin (Miller School) Charlottesville, VA, 6-9, F, Brown
Lealand King (Brentwood School) Los Angeles, CA, 6-6, F, Brown
J.R. Hobbie (Manasquan HS) Manasquan, NJ, 6-4, G, Brown
Tavon Blackmon (Gonzaga) Washington, DC, 5-11, G, Brown
Matt Madigan (Mt. Tabor HS) Winston-Salem, NC, 6-4, G, Brown
Chris McComber (John McCrae School) Ottawa, ON, 6-7, F, Columbia
Kendall Jackson (Suffield Academy) Suffield, MA, 5-9, G, Columbia
Jeff Coby (Choate Rosemary Hall) Choate, CT, 6-6, F, Columbia
Luke Petrasek (Northport HS) Northport, NY, 6-10, C, Columbia
Connor Voss (St. Cloud Cathederal HS) St. Cloud, MN, 6-11, C, Columbia
Darryl Smith (Blue Ridge School) Chesapeake, VA, 6-2, G, Cornell
Desmond Fleming (College Park Woodlands HS) Woodlands, TX, 6-0, G, Cornell
Robert Hatter (Westside HS) Houston, TX, 6-1, G, Cornell
Darryl Smith (Blue Ridge School) Chesapeake, VA, 6-2, G, Cornell
Desmond Fleming (College Park Woodlands HS) Woodlands, TX, 6-0, G, Cornell
Robert Hatter (Westside HS) Houston, TX, 6-1, G, Cornell
David Onuorah (Marist HS) Atlanta, GA, 6-8, 230, F, Cornell
Braxston Bunce (Kelowna SS) Kelowna, B.C., Canada, 6-11, C (red shirt)
Holt Harmon (Plano West HS) Plano, TX, 6-9, F (red shirt)
Braxston Bunce (Kelowna SS) Kelowna, B.C., Canada, 6-11, C (red shirt)
Holt Harmon (Plano West HS) Plano, TX, 6-9, F (red shirt)
Ikemefuna Ngwudo (Milton Academy) Milton, MA, 6-5, F, Dartmouth
Eli Harrison (Sisters HS) Sisters, OR, 6-6, F, Dartmouth
Cole Harrison (Montrose Christian) Memphis, TN, 6-11, C, Dartmouth
Cole Harrison (Montrose Christian) Memphis, TN, 6-11, C, Dartmouth
Mike Flemming (N'field Mt Hermon, MA) Lincolnshire, IL, 6-1, G, Dartmouth
Wes Dickinson (Peddie School) Hightstown, NJ, 6-6, F, Dartmouth
Wes Dickinson (Peddie School) Hightstown, NJ, 6-6, F, Dartmouth
Matt Fraschila (Highland Park HS) Highland Park, TX, 5-10 G, Harvard
Hunter Meyers (Douglas HS) Minden, NV, 6-6, F, Harvard
Zena Edosomwan (Northfield Mt Hermon, MA) Hollywood, CA, 6-9, F, Harvard
Matt Howard (A.J. Flora HS), Columbia, S.C., 6-4, G, Penn
Dylan Jones (Village HS) Houston, TX, 6-8, F, Penn
Dave Winfield (Harvard Westlake HS) Hollywood, CA, 6-8, F, Penn
Tony Bagtas (Westlake HS) Atlanta, GA, 5-11, G, Penn
Preston Troutt (Trinity Christian) Dallas, TX 6-0, G, Penn
Khyan Rayner (Jesuit HS) Portland, OR, 5-9, G, Princeton
Preston Troutt (Trinity Christian) Dallas, TX 6-0, G, Penn
Khyan Rayner (Jesuit HS) Portland, OR, 5-9, G, Princeton
Henry Caruso (Serra HS) San Mateo, CA, 6-4, G, Princeton
Hashim Moore (Hun School, NJ) Ft. Lauderdale, FL, 6-5, F, Princeton
Spencer Weisz (Seton Hall Prep) Florham Park, NJ, 6-4, G, Princeton
Steven Cook (New Trier HS) Winnetka, IL, 6-5, G, Princeton
Pete Miller (Northfield Mount Hermon, MA) Northfield, MA, 6-10, C, Princeton
Pete Miller (Northfield Mount Hermon, MA) Northfield, MA, 6-10, C, Princeton
Amir Bell (East Brunswick HS) E.Brunswick, NJ, 6-4, G, Princeton (2014)
Sam Downy (Lake Forest HS) Lake Forest, IL, 6-9, C, Yale
AJ Edwards (South Kent School) Kent, CT, 6-5, F, Yale
AJ Edwards (South Kent School) Kent, CT, 6-5, F, Yale
Anthony Dallier (Northfield Mount Hermon, MA) Wexford, PA, 6-6, F, Yale
JT Flowers (Lincoln HS) Portland, OR, 6-5, F, Yale
Maki Mason (Hotchkiss School), Lakeville, CT, 5-11, G, Yale (2014)
Maki Mason (Hotchkiss School), Lakeville, CT, 5-11, G, Yale (2014)
- Below, a look at the "Cornell Coaching Plantations" -- the men's college basketball coaches with ties to Cornell University.Jon Jaques (Cornell Class of '10)-Graduate student ssistant coach at Columbia University. Played for Cornell under Steve Donahue.
Kevin App (Cornell Class of '07)-Assistant coach at Army. Played for Cornell under Steve Donahue.
Yanni Hufnagel (Cornell Class of '06)-Assistant coach at Harvard. Served as student-manager at Cornell under Steve Donahue.
Steve Donahue-Head coach of Boston College. Served as head coach at Cornell between 2000-2010.
Zach Spiker-Head coach of Army. He served as an assistant coach at Cornell under Steve Donahue from 2004-2009.
Joe Burke-Head coach of Skidmore College (Division III). He was an assistant coach at Cornell under Steve Donahue between 2001-2004.
Izzi Metz-Former Head coach Hobart College (Division III). He served as a Cornell assistant coach for five seasons between 2001-2006 under Steve Donahue and is currently an assistant coach and head of basketball operations at Boston College under Donahue.
Nat Graham-Associate Head Coach (assistant) at Boston College under Steve Donahue. Served as an assistant coach under Donahue at Cornell from 2005-2010.
Woody Kampmann-Assistant coach at Boston College under Steve Donahue. Served as an assistant coach under Donahue at Cornell from 2007-2010.
Ryan Woerner-Former student intern coach under Steve Donahue during the 2009-2010 season and assistant coach for Cornell's women's team during 2010-2011. Currently director of basketball operations at St. Peter's.
Steve Robinson-Assistant coach at North Carolina under Roy Williams. He was an assistant coach for Mike Dement at Cornell for two seasons, including on the 1988 Ivy League Championship team.
Paul Fortier-Assistant coach at Washington under Lorenzo Romar. He served as an assistant coach at Cornell during 2003-2005 under Steve Donahue.Desmond Oliver-Assistant coach at Charlotte. He was an assistant coach at Cornell between 1998-2000 under Scott Thompson.Ricky Yahn-Head coach, Concordia College of Michigan. He was an assistant coach at Cornell during 2010-2011 under Bill Courtney.
- 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/Indios de Mayaguez, BSN Puerto Rico premier league)-As of May 13, Aubry is averaging 3.3 points and 5.8 rebounds per game for Mayaguez in the Puerto Rico BSN, the island's premier league. Mayaquez is 11-8 and in 3rd place out of 10 teams in the league. A 6'11" center, Aubry splits his time in both the Mexican and Puerto Rican professional leagues. 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. Aubry joins Jeff Foote (Cornell '10) (Springfield Armor), Ryan Wittman (Cornell '10) (Ft. Wayne Mad Ants) and Cody Toppert (Cornell '05) (Albuquerque Thunderbirds) as veterans of the NBA D-League. During his more than a decade of pro experience, Aubry also played professionally in the ABA (Miami Tropics) and abroad in Puerto Rico (Arecibo Capitanes, 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).
-Alex Tyler ('10) (Rockville Victors, Atlantic Coast Professional Basketball League)-Tyler is in his rookie season with the Victors.
-Jeff Foote ('10) (Zalgiris, Lithuania LKL premier league/EuroLeague/VTB Russian League)-As of May 13, Foote suffered a season ending back injury. He was averaging 7.1 points and 4.8 rebounds per game for Zalgiris in the Lithuanian premier league, the LKL. During the LKL regular season, Zalgiris finished 10-2 and in 4th place out of 12 teams but won the league championship in a 4-0 finals sweep of Lietuvos Rytas. Foote was named to the LKL's All Star team for the 2012-2013 season. Zalgiris also finished 8-2 in the 6-team Group C in the opening round of the EuroLeague and was elimited after finishing 6-8 in Group E in the EuroLeague's Top 16 round. In EuroLeague action, Foote averaged 5.2 points and 2.6 rebounds per game. In a third league of competition, the Eastern European VTB League, Zalgiris finished 16-2 and in 1st place out of 10 teams in Group B. Zalgiris awaits its first playoff opponent in the VTB. Zalgiris is currently ranked #3 in Europe. Prior to the start of the 2012-2013 season, Foote played with the Brooklyn Nets in the NBA Summer League and participated in the team's free agent mini-camp. During 2011-2012, Foote averaged 15.1 points and 8.9 rebounds per game in the NBA D-League for the Springfield Armor (the Brooklyn Nets' affiliate) 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. 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 was ranked by the D-League as its #6 overall NBA prospect. During April 2012 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's premier league.
- Below is a directory listing of some Twitter feeds associated with the Cornell basketball program.
-Rich Medina ('92)
-Bo Buttenback ('98)
-Dan Wendt ('98)
-Brian Williamson ('03)
-Jacques Vigneault ('03)
-Cody Toppert ('05)
-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 Gray ()
-Miles Asafo Adjei ()
-Peter McMillan ()
-Errick Peck ()
-Josh Figini ()
-Galal Cancer ()
-Ned Tomic ()
-Dominick Scelfo ()
-Jake Mathews ()
-Dwight Tarwater ()
-Manny Sahota ()
-Dave LaMore ()
-Shonn Miller ()
-Devin Cherry ()
-Nolan Cressler ()
-Braxston Bunce ()
-Holt Harmon ()
-Robert Mischler ()
-David Onuorah (committed recruit) ()
-Robert Hatter (committed recruit) ()
-Desmond Fleming (committed recruit) ()
-Darryl Smith (committed recruit) ()
-Jeremy Hartigan, Cornell SID ()
-Assistant Coach Mike Blaine ()
-Assistant Coach Marlon Sears ()
-Assistant Coach Arlen Galloway ()
-Brian Delaney, ESPN Radio Ithaca ()
-Barry Leonard, Cornell Redcast/Play-By-Play Annnouncer
-Ed Boulat, Ithaca Journal
-Cornell Daily Sun Sports ()
-Slope Sports ()
-WVBR Sports
-Former assistant coach, Jay Larranaga
-Former assistant coach, Ricky Yahn ()
-Former head coach, Steve Donahue ()
-Former intern assistant Ryan Woerner ()
-Former assistant coach, Zach Spiker ()
-Former assistant coach, Nat Graham ()
-Former assistant coach, Woody Kampmann ()
-Former assistant coach, Izzi Metz ()
-Former assistant coach, Paul Fortier ()
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. Not a member of Twitter? See what The Cornell Basketball Blog is tweeting and retweeting each day by just visiting our Twitter Timeline. The Cornell Basketball Blog received mention on NBC Sports' very impressive social media Must Follow College Hoops Directory.
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.
0 comments:
Post a Comment