News and Notes: Monday Edition

Below, news and notes for Monday...

• Cornell's 2014-2015 roster has been updated to include photos of the freshmen.

• College Sports Madness is counting down the Top 144 teams in the nation.  Cornell opponents ranked thus far included, #66 Charlotte, #88 Columbia, #92 South Carolina, #112 Yale, #121 Siena, #124 Akron,  #126 Princeton, #129 Drexel, and #133 Radford.  George Washinton is #63 and is among the schools which offered Cornell freshman, Jordan Abdur Ra'oof.  Cal is #68 and CSM writes, "Dwight Tarwater spent four years at Cornell and started all 28 games in 2013-2014, averaging 7.1 points and 5.5 rebounds. With his experience, the 6-6 forward could step right into a starting spot."

•  Here is an updated look at the Ivy League's 2015 recruits:

CLASS OF 2015 IVY LEAGUE COMMITMENTS

Corey Daugherty (Barrington HS) Barrington, RI, 6-1, G, Brown
Obi Okolie (Dennis O'Connor HS) Ajax, Ontario, Canada, 6-5, F, Brown
Chris Sullivan (Northfield Mt. Hermon) Wilmette, IL, 6-3, G, Brown
Peter Barba (Western Reserve HS) Cleveland, OH, 6-5, G, Columbia
John Sica (Bethlehem HS) Delmar, NY, 6-7, F, Columbia
Matt Morgan (Cox Mill HS) Concord, NC, 6-2 G, Cornell
Troy Whiteside (Webb School) Knoxville, TN, 6-4, G, Cornell
Joel Davis (Wayne Country Day School) Goldsboro, NC, 6-3, G, Cornell
Donovan Wright (Blair Academy) Blairstown, NJ, 6-6, F, Cornell
Michael Stones (Windermere Prep), Orlando, F, 6-1, G, Dartmouth
Quinten Payne (Ball State University) St. Charles, IL, 6-5, G, Dartmouth
Guilien Smith (Catholic Memorial HS), West Roxbury, MA, 6-1, G, Dartmouth
Jake Silpe (Cherry Hill East HS) Cherry Hill, NJ, 6-0, G, Penn
Collin McManus (Northfield Mt. Hermon HS) Northfield, MA, 6-10, C, Penn
Sam Donahue (Northfield Mt. Hermon HS) Northfield, MA, 6-0, G, Penn
Jule Brown (Lower Merion HS) Merion, PA, 6-6, F, Penn
Morris Esformes (Hebrew Academy) Miami, FL, 5-10, G, Penn
Noah Bramlage (Ottawa-Glandorf HS) Ottawa, OH, 6-7, F, Princeton
Myles Stephens (St. Andrews) Middletown, DE, 6-4, G, Princeton
Devin Cannady (Marian HS), Mishawaka, IN, 6-3, G, Princeton
Trey Phills (Charlotte Christian HS) Charlotte, NC, 6-2, G, Yale
Matt Greene (Hotchkiss School) New York, NY, 6-6, F, Yale
Alex Copeland (Harvard-Westlake HS) Hollywood, CA, 6-3, G, Yale
Eli Lininger (South Eugene HS) South Eugene, OR, 6-6, F, Yale

The Knoxville News Sentinel published this piece on Cornell commit, Troy Whiteside:

Two players do not a pipeline make.
Nevertheless, Cornell University — located in Ithaca, N.Y. — is getting its second men's basketball player from Webb School of Knoxville in the last five years.
Senior combo guard Troy Whiteside verbally committed to Cornell on Monday. White said he also considered American, Arkansas, California and Davidson. Arkansas had yet to offer.
Dwight Tarwater, who won a Division II-A Mr. Basketball at Webb as a senior in 2010, played for Cornell from 2010-14.
Webb coach Ricky Norris called it strictly coincidence that the 6-foot-2, 180-pound Whiteside ended up at the same place as Tarwater. Receiving an Ivy League education was paramount in the decision.
He is eyeing a start in pre-med with a goal of being an orthopedic surgeon.
"I thought it was a good situation for me basketball-wise, as well," Whiteside said. "But academics were definitely first for me in my decision."
Whiteside schools on the court, too. He averaged 14.7 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists per game as a junior, tied for the team high in made 3-pointers (45) and led the Spartans in free-throw percentage (76.3).
Work ethic on and off the court plus a level of focus rarely found in high school student-athletes helped Whiteside reach the Division I level, Norris said.
"Both his focus in the classroom as a student, No. 1, and then his focus to develop himself individually as a player are as good as I've ever seen," Norris asid. "I think from Day 1, education was always driving him in his decision making. To play in the Ivy League was something he couldn't turn down.
"He looks at this like a 50-year decision that will continue to pay dividends when he's older."

•  Cornell freshman, Wil Bathurst was featured in a video Time Warner Cable Sports Buffalo:

OLEAN, N.Y. — "You don't get a Wil Bathurst every year, you don't get him every five years, you don't get him every ten years. That is what makes him so special, what he was able to bring to the table for us," said Olean head coach Jeff Anastasia.

Bathurst helped bring Olean basketball a pair of appearances in the state finals, three straight Section Six crowns, and he's a two-time first-team All-State selection, but if you ask the Mr. Basketball finalist what means the most to him, the answer is obvious.

"I just like to make everybody around me better, to be the guy that everybody looks at and says 'he might not have scored the most points or grabbed the most rebounds, but he brought his best effort every time.' At the end of the day I just want to be a teammate that everyone wants on their team," said Cornell freshman Wil Bathurst

Division-One Cornell wants him on their team, but as much as Bathurst brings to the Big Red, he plans to get more out of the Ivy League school.

"I know what it takes to be successful in the world and without a college education you're just not going to be able to go to the places that I want to go," said Bathurst.

Those places could lead to us referring to Wil as "Attorney Bathurst at Law," as he'd like to eventfully attend Law School, but first there are four years of college hoops to play. Games where Wil hopes to continue a family tradition.

"My mom has never missed a game and that really means a lot to me that she takes the time to come to my games and support me in everything that I do and my grandparents are the same way too. It is just really nice to have a support system behind you too," said Bathurst.

A proud family and coach watching a boy turn into a man around the game he loves.

"It's just incredible, when I first started playing basketball I never dreamt of what it could actually do for me. As I've gotten better throughout the years it made me think 'wow, basketball has opened so many doors for me and really just guided me through life. It is an incredible feeling to know a game can take you this far," said Bathurst.

Bathurst takes the next step in his basketball journey when he takes the court with his Big Red teammates for the first time November 14th at George Mason.

 

Above, Steve Donahue will speak at the VCU Coaching Clinic.

News and Notes: Monday Edition

Below, news and notes for Monday...

• The Virgin Islands Daily News writes, "After a strong summer for the V.I. men's national team, some of the territory's top basketball players are transitioning to their professional seasons...Johnathan Gray has signed his first professional contract with Albacete Basket. Gray. a 6-foot-3 shooting guard, played and graduated from Ivy League powerhouse Cornell University. The 22-year old with a pure shooting touch hopes to help Albacete in the Spanish EBA League.Gray's younger brother, Justin, will be playing in his first collegiate games this November with Texas Tech."

•  Here is a look at the Ivy League's 2015 recruiting landscape:

CLASS OF 2015 IVY LEAGUE COMMITMENTS

Corey Daugherty (Barrington HS) Barrington, RI, 6-1, G, Brown
Obi Okolie (Dennis O'Connor HS) Ajax, Ontario, Canada, 6-5, F, Brown
Chris Sullivan (Northfield Mt. Hermon) Wilmette, IL, 6-3, G, Brown
Peter Barba (Western Reserve HS) Cleveland, OH, 6-5, G, Columbia
John Sica (Bethlehem HS) Delmar, NY, 6-7, F, Columbia
Matt Morgan (Cox Mill HS) Concord, NC, 6-2 G, Cornell
Troy Whiteside (Webb School) Knoxville, TN, 6-4, G, Cornell
Joel Davis (Wayne Country Day School) Goldsboro, NC, 6-3, G, Cornell
Donovan Wright (Blair Academy) Blairstown, NJ, 6-6, F, Cornell
Quinten Payne (Ball State University Transfer) St. Charles, IL, 6-5, G, Dartmouth
Guilien Smith (Catholic Memorial HS), West Roxbury, MA, 6-1, G, Dartmouth
Jake Silpe (Cherry Hill East HS) Cherry Hill, NJ, 6-0, G, Penn
Collin McManus (Northfield Mt. Hermon HS) Northfield, MA, 6-10, C, Penn
Sam Donahue (Northfield Mt. Hermon HS) Northfield, MA, 6-0, G, Penn
Jule Brown (Lower Merion HS) Merion, PA, 6-6, F, Penn
Morris Esformes (Hebrew Academy) Miami, FL, 5-10, G, Penn
Myles Stephens (St. Andrews) Middletown, DE, 6-4, G, Princeton
Devin Cannady (Marian HS), Mishawaka, IN, 6-3, G, Princeton
Trey Phills (Charlotte Christian HS) Charlotte, NC, 6-2, G, Yale
Matt Greene (Hotchkiss School) New York, NY, 6-6, F, Yale
Alex Copeland (Harvard-Westlake HS) Hollywood, CA, 6-3, G, Yale
Eli Lininger (South Eugene HS) South Eugene, OR, 6-6, F, Yale

Below, raw footage from The Basketball Tournament earlier this summer featuring members of Cornell's Sweet Sixteen Team.

Matt Morgan Commits to Cornell

Cornell received a commitment from Matt Morgan (Cox Mill HS) Concord, NC, 6-2 G.  The point guard also plays AAU basketbal for the Queen City Thunder.
  

Cornell had been on Morgan for quite a while, making an offer on March 20, 2014.  Matt is the son, of Lamon Morgan, a former 4-year player at Georgetown (class of 1994) and a Gonzaga HS, D.C. graduate.

As a high school senior, per the Salisbury Post, he was named his conference (SPC) Player of the Year.  He was also selected to the North Carolina All Star team in the North Carolina vs. South Carolina, Carolinas All Star Classic.

On the AAU Circuit over the summer of 2014, Morgan was the Future 150 Charlotte Main Event Tournament MVP.   Future 150 wrote, "Morgan had an excellent weekend, showing our staff exactly why he is such a coveted low major prospect, showing off his blazing speed and crafty finishing ability."

Before committing to Cornell, Morgan had interest from Harvard, Dartmouth, VMI, Davidson, Georgia Southern, College of Charleston, Drexel, Davidson, Belmont, Winthrop, High Point, Western Carolina, UNC-Asheville, High Point, American, Gardner-Webb and Elon.

As a junior, Morgan averaged 25.1 points per game, 4.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists, shot 49% from the floor and 89% at the FT line.  For his efforts, he was First Team All-South Piedmont Conference and 2nd Team All District.  He was also First Team All State 3A by NCPreps and All Region Honorable Mention by the Charlotte Observer and First Team All County.

Obviously a big time scorer, Morgan has already surpassed 1,000 career high school points.

A true PG, Future 150 describes him, as, "Matt is an excellent slashing prospect who is very hard to stay in front of. He always seems to get a piece of the paint and can finish around the rim using both hands. He possesses excellent court vision and a high basketball IQ, making him an appealing low major prospect."

See Morgan's profile on Future 150 and Verbal Commits.  Below is Morgan's profile from the Phenom Hoop Report below:

Player: 6’2 Matt Morgan
Class: 2015
Twitter: @TheRealMM30
HS: Cox Mill High School (Concord, NC)
GPA: 3.6 Weighted (3.2 GPA Unweighted)
Honors: A/B Honor Roll
Statistics:
PPG: 24.5
RPG: 4.0
APG: 4.0
SPG: 4.7
Basketball Honors: All Conference South Piedmont Conference 2nd Team All Cabarrus County, Team MVP, Team Co-Captain, Conference Tournament Champions, and LeRoy Holden All-Tournament Team

Last season, 6’2 sophomore Matt Morgan helped Cox Mill to the 2013 South Piedmont 3A Conference tournament championship. He averaged 14.5 PPG and 5.5 APG and has started to draw interest from Southern Conference and Big South Schools in the area. This season, Cox Mill is off to a fast start and so is Matt Morgan. In the first four games of the season, Matt is averaging 24.5 PPG and dishing out 4 APG, but the biggest impact has been on the defensive end of the court where he is averaging 4.7 steals per game.

Matthew has always been known for his athleticism and ability to play hard. He is the type of player that will give maximum effort 100% of the time. Matthew recently attended the NC Phenom 150 camp in October and we were impressed with his hustle, attitude and overall play. We stated the following, “Matthew is very athletic and finishes well in transition. He is a really good defender, especially his anticipation of passing lanes. He thrived in the open court and is an excellent teammate. We were impressed with his soft shooting touch and more importantly his 1-2 dribble pull up jumper. He is a very talented player with a bright future and should be playing at the next appropriate level.”

Cox Mill head coach Jody Barbee has been singing his praises and stated, “Matt has been flying under the radar. He plays PG for us, but think he will be an excellent combo guard because of his ability to score the ball. The kid plays with such emotion and heart. More importantly, you are not going to out work him because he is so competitive.”  What separates Matt from many of his peers, he simply “gets it.” He is a true “student athlete” and sports an impressive 3.6 GPA. He is a model citizen on and off the court and he is as good a person as he is a basketball player. Matt showcased his ability at the Phenom 150 Camp in October and has carried this over to the high school season. In our camp evaluation, we were impressed with his ability to read the passing lanes and it is not surprising that he is averaging 4.7 steals per game. His competitive nature translates at every level and in any game situation, whether it is AAU, high school or exposure camp settings. Matt’s strongest attributes is his ability to get to the rim and finish with contact, overall court vision and his uncanny ability to knock down 3-pointers with consistency. Coach Jody Barbee stated “Matt holds the record for the most three’s in a season at Cox Mill with 50. Matt has continued to grow on and off the court and is an extension of a coach on the floor. He is a pleasure to coach and has been fun watching him orchestrate the team the past three years. Matt’s basketball IQ is off the charts which should be natural with his dad having played college ball at Georgetown.”

While Matt Morgan has been flying under the radar, D1 coaches in the area should put this young man in their SIM CARD. He has the combination of skills, athleticism and academics, but more importantly is a high character young man. Coach Barbee stated it best when he commented, “Matt is a deserving young man and I can only hope that my 8 year old turns out to be the young man he is.” That statement alone speaks volume.

Men's Hoops Announces Loaded 2014-15 Schedule

 

Men's Hoops Announces Loaded 2014-15 Schedule

Cornell Athletics

ITHACA, N.Y. – A trip to the Gildan Charleston Classic and three games against 2014 NCAA tournament teams highlight the Cornell men's basketball team's 30-game schedule for the upcoming season. Cornell will play 10 games against teams coming off 20-win seasons and 11 against teams who competed in postseason last year (three vs. NCAA teams, five vs. CIT teams, four vs. CBI teams).

The program's 117th season of basketball begins on the road when the Big Red visits George Mason on Friday, Nov. 14 at 7 p.m. as part of a two-game weekend road set. It will be the first-ever meeting between the teams and will feature a return home for head coach Bill Courtney, who served as an assistant coach for the Patriots for eight seasons (1997-2005). Cornell also will visit Loyola (MD) on Sunday, Nov. 16 in Baltimore, Md. The two teams played an exciting overtime contest a year ago in Ithaca with the Greyhounds topping the Big Red 93-89 despite a career-high 32 points by Robert Hatter. The two teams have split the two contests between them all-time.

Two days later, Cornell will play its home opener against Central New York rival Colgate to begin a 14-game slate in front of Newman Nation. The Big Red leads the all-time series 71-54 despite the Raiders' 81-58 victory a year ago. The 125 matchups between the teams is the most for the Big Red against any non-Ivy League opponent.

The Big Red will play three games in the ESPN-sponsored Gildan Charleston Classic. The three-game, four-day event begins with a matchup against South Carolina of the SEC on Thursday, Nov. 20 at 7:30 p.m. The Gamecocks went 14-20 a season ago and finished strong with a 4-2 record in its final six games, including wins over Kentucky and Arkansas. Third-year head coach Frank Martin (28-38) returns four starters, including double figure scorer Sindarius Thornwell (13.4 ppg., 4.1 rpg., 3.0 apg.) in the backcourt.

Cornell will meet either Penn State or Charlotte (depending on result) in the second round on Friday, Nov. 21 - the winners will play at 7 p.m., with the consolation game at 9 p.m. The tournament also includes Akron, Drexel, Miami (FL) and Southern California. The final four contests will be played on Sunday, Nov. 23. (see complete story)

With eight games in the season's first 20 days, there is little rest after the Charleston Classic. Cornell returns to the hardwood for a three-game home set featuring games against Canisius (Nov. 26), Binghamton (Nov. 30) and UMass Lowell (Dec. 6). Cornell and the Golden Griffs, a 21-game winner from a season ago, will be meeting from the first time since 2001, while the Big Red will tangle with the River Hawks for the first time in program history. The contest will be one of three scheduled with first-time opponents (Alfred State and Howard are the others). Additionally, Cornell could also have initial matchups with Akron or Charlotte at the Charleston Classic.  On the flip side, the Big Red will meet Binghamton for the fifth straight season and the seventh time in the last nine years.

After a 15-day break for final exams, Cornell will hit the road to meet Radford on Sunday, Dec. 21 and Siena on Tuesday, Dec. 23. A late putback handed the Saints a 71-70 triumph at Newman Arena to extend Siena's advantage in the all-time series to 3-1. Both teams played in the College Basketball Invitational a year ago, with Radford advancing to the semifinals and Siena going on to win the title.

The Big Red will resume its series with Central New York rival Syracuse on New Year's Eve at the Carrier Dome. (see complete story)

Cornell closes its non-conference season with three of its final five games at home with contests against St. Peter's (Dec. 28), Howard (Jan. 8) and Alfred State (Jan. 10) and a road game against Buffalo (Jan. 3) and another against an opponent to be announced at a future date. The Bulls and head coach Bobby Hurley went 19-10 a year ago and won the Mid-American Conference's East division (13-5).

As difficult as the non-conference challenges may be, the Ivy League schedule is even rougher.

The Big Red will open with its home-and-home series against Columbia, who went 21-13 a year ago and went to the quarterfinals of the CIT. Cornell opens the Ivy League home schedule against the Lions to begin conference play on Saturday, Jan. 17. Two weeks later, the Big Red will host the team that beat the Lions in the CIT, tournament runner-up and 19-game winning Yale. Brown won 15 contests and finished .500 in league play and is expected to be a challenger atop the league in 2014-15.

With five of the team's first six conference games at home, the Big Red will have an opportunity to get off to a great start. Penn and 21-game winner Princeton, who advanced to the quarterfinals of the CBI, will visit Newman Arena on Feb. 6-7. Cornell closes out its home schedule with contests against three-time defending Ivy champion Harvard on Feb. 27, then will celebrate seniors Devin Cherry, Deion Giddens, Dave LaMore, Shonn Miller and Ned Tomic the following night when it meets Dartmouth. 

News and Notes: Wednesday Edition

Below, news and notes for Wednesday...

• Cornell's recruiting class of 2015 now includes:

-Troy Whiteside (Webb School) Knoxville, TN, 6-4, G

-Joel Davis (Wayne Country Day School) Goldsboro, NC, 6-3, G

-Donovan Wright (Blair Academy) Blairstown, NJ, 6-6, F

• Former Cornell assistant coach, Woody Kampmann, was recently named the head coach of the Holderness School in New Hampshire.

• Special assistant to Bill Courtney, David Metzendorf, was named assistant coach at Williams College under Kevin App (Cornell '07). 

• Here is a look at Cornell's 2014-2015 nonconference games which have gone public.  We gave a sneak peak at the schedule back on May 17. 

1. at George Mason 11/14/14
2. South Carolina (Charleston Classic) 11/20/14
3. Charleston Classic Game #2 11/21/14 (Penn State or Charlotte)
4. Charleston Classic Game #3 11/23/14
5. vs. Canisius 11/26/14
6. at Binghamton 11/29/14
7. at Radford 12/21/14
8. at Siena  12/23/14 
9. at Syracuse 12/31/14
10.  at Buffalo 1/3/15                                                                                                       
11. vs. Howard 1/8/15 
12. vs. Alfred State 1/10/15

Cornell Receives Commitment from Troy Whiteside

Cornell received a verbal commitment from Troy Whiteside (Webb School) Knoxville, TN, 6-4, G.

The Webb School of Knoxville also produced Dwight Tarwater (Cornell '14).  Whiteside, a TWSA All State selection as a junior, had reported offers during the early summer from Samford, Liberty, American, Penn, Columbia and Georgia State.  Others to offer included Cal and Davidson while had had interest from Arkansas, Harvard, University of Houston, Western Carolina, Furman, and Northeastern.  See his profile on Verbal Commits.

Whiteside is ranked #13 in the state of Tennessee by HoopSeen.com.

D1Spects' analysis of the combo guard is as follows: "He can really stroke the ball. Troy is equally dangerous pushing the ball in transition, where he like wise constantly has his head up and eyes scanning the court, while he shows extremely good control of the ball with both hands, even when operating at full speed. Troy relies mostly on subtle changes of speed and direction to get by his opponent."

 On Whiteside, The Knoxville News Sentinel writes:

Webb guard Troy Whiteside Jr. chooses Cornell

Troy Whiteside Jr. has been driven for years to reach his potential as a basketball player, yet it's not the No. 1 goal for the Webb School of Knoxville senior.

Whiteside wants to be a doctor.

That would explain why Whiteside turned down several Division I scholarship offers for basketball, with other offers potentially coming this season, and signed Monday to attend Cornell of the Ivy League, which plays Division I basketball but doesn't offer athletic scholarships.

"From the start, I was really looking for a good balance academically and athletically with the academics coming first," Whiteside said. "That really fueled my decision to go to the Ivy League and Cornell."

Whiteside, a 6-foot-3 point guard/shooting guard, turned down Division I offers from Liberty, American and Samford. Arkansas and California also were recruiting Whiteside.

"Who knows if he played the season out, the different offers he would have received?" Webb coach Ricky Norris said. "He's had a lot of interest from a variety of different schools. His improvement has been fun to watch."

Whiteside, averaging more than 20 points going into Friday's home game against rival Catholic, saw his recruiting stock soar during the summer while playing for Game Elite, an AAU team based in Atlanta.

It was a team loaded with future Division I players, including 6-7 small forward Jaylen Brown of Marietta, Ga., the nation's No. 2 overall prospect.

Game Elite played tournaments coast to coast in front of the nation's highest profile coaches.

"It's a ton of great exposure," Whiteside said. "You play top-notch talent every single weekend, all across the country. You play against great players and you practice with great players. It's continual competitive basketball all the time, so it really helps you get better and helps you learn how to play with really good players."

Norris said playing for Game Elite was a change for Whiteside.

"I think one way he benefitted was he learned how to be a really good role player on a phenomenal team," Norris said. "He's brought leadership back to our team and he's playing at an incredibly high level."

The same could be same for Whiteside's academics.

"I can tell you, when it comes to the classroom and the court, I've never been around a kid as focused as Troy," Norris said. "It's rare to find a kid as focused on both academics and athletics at the level Troy is. I think his teachers would echo that comment."

As for his career goal, Whiteside wants to be an orthopedic surgeon.

Last summer, Whiteside shadowed Dr. David Hovis, an orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine specialist in Knoxville.

"I was really even more interested in being a doctor after I did that this summer," said Whiteside, whose brother, Donovan, played at Webb and Centre (Ky.) College.

Before he goes to medical school, Whiteside will get a chance to showcase his basketball skills at Cornell.

Norris won't be surprised to see Whiteside in the headlines.

"I think he has the potential to be an elite Ivy League guard," Norris said. "I think he has all-conference potential. I don't know how early it will happen, but it's definitely there."

Below, some highlight videos: