- The New York Times discusses coaches that stay where they are versus those that jump ship and writes, "There is the model of Steve Donahue, who leveraged his success at Cornell into a lucrative job upgrade at Boston College. But Donahue was fired last week after four seasons with the Eagles."
- In Forum discusses the tough road of 12 seeds and writes, "Cornell of the Ivy League was able to do it in 2010, after knocking off Temple (78-63) and Wisconsin (87-69) before losing to top-seeded Kentucky (62-45). If you remember, Ryan Wittman of Eden Prairie, Minn., was a player for that team. He’s the son of Washington Wizards coach Randy Wittman, who used to coach the Minnesota Timberwolves."
- Bloomberg writes, "Harvard finishes the season 27-5 and falls short of becoming just the second Ivy League school to win two NCAA tournament games in the same year since the field expanded in 1985. Cornell did it in 2010. "
- The Boston Globe discusses whether Tommy Amaker will move on to Harvard and writes, "Obviously there’s a lot of work to be done at Boston College and [Steve] Donahue was unable to bring the Ivy Magic that got him to the Sweet 16 at Cornell " WTNH News 8 writes on the same topic, "Prior to Harvard upsetting Cincinnati in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, the veteran and generally credible sports writer for the Boston Globe, Dan Shauhnessey, practically guaranteed Amaker will switch to the Eagles. where he would succeed Steve Donahue, a former coach at Cornell." The Lowell Sun adds, "Amaker must be a pretty smart guy to make it big at Harvard. So he should be wise enough to learn from history. Steve Donahue, who was just let go as head coach by the Eagles, came to BC from Cornell, fresh off guiding the Big Red to the Ivy League crown and a Sweet 16 berth in the NCAA tourney. Donahue, who was a very hot commodity when he arrived at the Heights, finished 22 games below .500 (54-76) in his four seasons at BC."
- The Heights writes:
For Donahue, coaching success has consistently been tied to his squads’ 3-point shooting abilities. Before accepting the BC position, Donahue led Cornell to the Sweet Sixteen of the 2010 NCAA Tournament, as well as to the 2009 and 2010 Ivy League titles—heavily employing 3-point shooting through both the regular seasons and postseasons. The Cornell players were among the best perimeter shooters in their university’s history. With Donahue’s guidance, they set several outside shooting records. At the individual level, swingman Ryan Wittman seized his school’s record for most 3-pointers made in a single season in three different years, with an unprecedented 93 made shots his freshman year, 97 in his junior year, and 109 in the 2009-10 season. In that same season, the team itself gained notoriety for record setting as well: The squad completed the most 3-point field goals of any Cornell team to ever play—with a whopping 326 made shots, exceeding the second highest mark by 75 scores—on 43.3 percent shooting from beyond the perimeter, the best percentage in the nation. Following his tenure at Cornell, and his appointment as head coach of the BC men’s basketball team, Donahue’s success continued to be predicated on 3-point shooting
- The Detroit News writes, "Cornell did all of us preening Ivy Leaguers proud just four years ago, reaching the Sweet (Yuk) Sixteen. The Big Red — as Cornell is called — beat Temple, then Wisconsin before playing Kentucky, and thus, failed to reach the Elite Eight."
- Check out Jeff Foote's (Cornell '10) recent performances in the NBA D-League with the Springfield Armor (Brooklyn Nets affiliate).
- Cornell's incoming recruiting class next season includes four members: Riley Glassmann (Fremd HS) Palatine, IL, 6-5, G, William "Will" Bathurst (Olean HS) Olean, NY, 6-3, G, Jordan Abdur-Ra'oof (Gonzaga HS) Washington, D.C., 6-7, F, and Pat Smith (Archbishop Wood HS) Warminster, PA, 6-5, F. Wil Bathurst is a nominee to be included on the Buffalo News' All Western New York Team. He made the team in 2012 and 2013. Bathurst was named the "Big 30" Player of the Year by the Olean Times and Herald. The Herald writes:
Olean's Bathurst Player of the YearFrom the very first time he put on a No. 11 Olean High School uniform, Wil Bathurst showed the kind of talent few basketball players possess.
As a sophomore in 2011-12, he joined a varsity team that had three other sophomores who had started the year before. The Huskies were already good, but Bathurst’s athleticism gave them something else.
He finished second on the team in scoring that year as Olean, youth and all, made an improbable run to Glens Falls and the state final four.
That was only the beginning.
Bathurst evolved into a star on a state-ranked team, putting together one of the most decorated careers this area has ever seen.
There isn’t an individual more deserving of the title of Big 30 Player of the Year than the 6-foot-4 senior.
“YOU SEE a lot of the best players from this area win this award, so it’s truly a huge honor,” said Bathurst, the sixth Olean player to win the Charles M. Ward Award in its 13-year history.
“I can’t thank my teammates enough. Without them, I wouldn’t be able to be where I’m at right now.”
Bathurst averaged 20 points and seven rebounds per game this season and helped the Huskies get back to Glens Falls, where they lost to Westhill, 93-55, in the Class B state championship game.
His career résumé is beyond impressive, filled with both individual and team success.
He finished with 1,196 points, fifth most in program history. He was one of six finalists for New York’s prestigious Mr. Basketball Award this year. He was a first-team All-State and All-Western New York selection as a junior and will likely garner those honors again this season.
Bathurst’s talents are wide-ranging. He can attack the basket, beat opposing teams off the dribble, slam home designed alley-oop dunks and distribute to his teammates. His jump shot, especially from three-point range, has also improved, making him even tougher to defend.
Over Bathurst’s three years with the Huskies, Olean went 64-8 and won three Section 6 Class B titles.
Then there’s the fact that he’s bound for the Division I ranks. Bathurst signed with Cornell and plans to study pre-law at the Ivy League school.
“IT’S BEEN just so great seeing him mature,” Olean coach Jeff Anastasia said. “He came in as a sophomore. He had high expectations and we had high expectations for him. ... He just became not only a great player but also a classy player, a respected person.
“When he was an eighth-grader, he’d come to the open gyms. We just knew he was going to be a special player back then. He just fit our team perfectly. We had Nick (Schmidt), Luke (Hennessy) and Sam (Eckstrom), but he gave us a different dimension.”
Now Bathurst is looking forward to playing at Cornell.
“I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with my basketball career,” he admitted. “I wasn’t sure if I was going to play at the Division I level, the Division II level or even the Division III level, I considered at one point. To go to Cornell and for them to believe in me and give me a chance is really special. ... It looks like I’ll have a good fit there.”
Said Anastasia, “With Wil going on to Cornell, that just epitomizes the type of kid he is. He’s great in the classroom and he’s great on the basketball court. ... There’s just a lot to talk about for the rest of his life, not only basketball-wise.”
JOINING Bathurst as Big 30 first-team all-stars are Eckstrom, Jared Fish (Salamanca), Carl Holmes (Cuba-Rushford) and Big 30 scoring champion Nate Sestina (Cameron County).
- Cornell RPI Watch: The RPI (Rating Percentage Index) is a measure of strength of schedule and how a team does against that schedule. It does not consider the margin of victory, but only whether or not a team won and where the game was played (home/away/neutral court). The formula is 25% team winning percentage (WP), 50% opponents' average winning percentage (OWP), and 25% opponents' opponents' average winning percentage (OOWP). (See: CollegeRPI.com for a further explanation of the formula.) The RPI may be the most influential factor in NCAA Tournament seeding. Cornell's RPI rank as of March 24, 2014 is No. 334 out of 351 total Division I teams. While neither the Ken Pomeroy or the Sagarin Rankings (USA Today) are used by the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee, the KenPom.com site ranks Cornell No. 342 in the nation, while the Sagarin Rankings (USA Today) have Cornell at No. 333. Both sites are predominantly used by fans and the media.
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' social media Must Follow College Hoops Directory.
- Cornell's 2014-2015 Schedule will include Cornell's participation in ESPN's Charleston Classic. Visit the Cornell team page at the Charleston Classic.
- Check out The Cornell Basketball Blog's Season Preview Index for 2013-2014 and look back at what the "experts" predicted for Cornell.
- The Cornell Basketball Blog updated its Ivy League 2013-2014 Roster Report and Recruiting Commitments List. The Recruiting Commitment List includes bios of Cornell's incoming recruits.
- Cornell's games against Syracuse (ACC Sports Network, ESPN3 and RSN), Louisville (WHAS/ESPN3), Notre Dame (ESPN3), Brown (NBC Sports Network) and St. Bonaventure (NBC Sports Network) were all televised games this season.
- 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)-Assistant coach at at Cornell. Played for Cornell under Steve Donahue.Ryan Wittman (Cornell Class of '10)-Graduate student assistant coach at Boston College. 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 Vanderbilt. Served as student-manager at Cornell under Steve Donahue.
Steve Donahue-Former 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.Ricky Yahn-Head coach, Concordia College of Michigan. He was an assistant coach at Cornell during 2010-2011 under Bill Courtney.Arlen Galloway-Head coach, Wentworth Institute of Technology. He was an assistant coach at Cornell between 2011-2013 under Bill Courtney.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 served as an assistant coach at Boston College under Donahue.
Nat Graham-Former associate head coach (assistant) at Boston College under Steve Donahue. Served as an assistant coach under Donahue at Cornell from 2005-2010.
Woody Kampmann-Former assistant coach/director of basketball operations 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 Cal Poly. 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.
- Cornell alumni that have played professional basketball since 1995 include the following (with NBA or NBA D-League experience noted): Zeke Marshall ('95), Alex Compton ('97), John McCord ('97), Brent Fisher ('98), Jeff Aubry ('99) (NBA D-League), Ray Mercedes ('01), Jaques Vigneault ('03), Karon Barnes ('04), Stevan Marcetic ('04), Cody Toppert ('05) (NBA D-League), Eric Taylor ('05), Andrew Naeve ('07), Ryan Rourke ('07), Jason Hartford ('08), Louis Dale ('10), Jeff Foote ('10) (NBA and NBA D-League), Ryan Wittman ('10) (NBA D-League), Jon Jaques ('10), Alex Tyler ('10), Aaron Osgood ('11), Adam Wire ('11), Andrew Ferry ('12). Throughout the year we provide periodic updates on Cornell's alumni currently playing professionally. Below, some updates:
-Jeff Aubry ('99) (Halcones Rojos, LNBP Mexico premier league/Indios de Mayaguez, BSN Puerto Rico premier 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 Cornell veterans of the NBA D-League. (Cornell's four NBA D-League veterans is the most in Ivy League.) During his more than a decade of pro experience, Aubry also played professionally in the ABA (Miami Tropics) and abroad in Puerto Rico (Mayaguez, 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 finished his rookie season during 2012-2013 with the Victors.
-Louis Dale ('10) (KAOD Dramas, Greece A1 premier league)-Dale spent his first two professional seasons both in Germany's BBK Bundesliga, the country's premier league with Goettingen. His third pro season during 2012-2013 was in Greece in the A1, country's premier league, with KAOD Dramas.
-Jeff Foote ('10) (Springfield Armor, NBA D-League)-Foote is playing the 2013-2014 season with the Springfield Armor of the NBA D-League. Foote spent the 2012-2013 season with Zalgiris of Lithuania, one of Europe's top 10 teams and was named an All Star in the domestic LKL league, the country's premier league. He also participated with the team in the EuroLeague. 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 and was named Second Team All NBA D-League. 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.
Drew Ferry ('12) (Albacete, Spain EBA)-The 2013-2014 season is Ferry's rookie year in the Spanish league.
- Visit our growing directory of Cornell Basketball Linkedin profiles.
- 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)
-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)
-Jonathan Gray ('13)
-Miles Asafo Adjei ('13)
-Peter McMillan ('13)
-Errick Peck ('13)
-Errick Peck ('13)
-Josh Figini ('13)
-Manny Sahota (former player)
-Galal Cancer (former player)
-Holt Harmon (former player)
-The Cornell Rebounders Club
-Ned Tomic ()
-Dominick Scelfo ()
-Jake Mathews ()
-Dwight Tarwater ()
-Dave LaMore ()
-Shonn Miller ()
-Devin Cherry ()
-Nolan Cressler ()
-Braxston Bunce ()
-Robert Mischler ()
-David Onuorah ()
-Robert Hatter ()
-Desmond Fleming ()
-Darryl Smith ()
-Riley Glassmann (recruit)
-Jordan Abdur Ra-oof (recruit)
-Pat Smith (recruit)
-William Bathurst (recruit)
-Jeremy Hartigan, Cornell SID ()
-Assistant Coach Jon Jaques ('10)
-Assistant Coach Mike Blaine ()
-Assistant Coach Marlon Sears ()
-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 ()
-Former assistant coach Arlen Galloway ()
-Dominick Scelfo ()
-Jake Mathews ()
-Dwight Tarwater ()
-Dave LaMore ()
-Shonn Miller ()
-Devin Cherry ()
-Nolan Cressler ()
-Braxston Bunce ()
-Robert Mischler ()
-David Onuorah ()
-Robert Hatter ()
-Desmond Fleming ()
-Darryl Smith ()
-Riley Glassmann (recruit)
-Jordan Abdur Ra-oof (recruit)
-Pat Smith (recruit)
-William Bathurst (recruit)
-Jeremy Hartigan, Cornell SID ()
-Assistant Coach Jon Jaques ('10)
-Assistant Coach Mike Blaine ()
-Assistant Coach Marlon Sears ()
-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 ()
-Former assistant coach Arlen Galloway ()
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.
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