News and Notes: Tuesday Edition

Below, news and notes...

• Per the Post and Courier, the Charleston Classic held its tip off event.

• The Spectator reports that Columbia opens its conference slate against Cornell and could be without Alex Rosenberg.

• An updated look at the Ivy recruiting commitments for 2015:

Corey Daugherty (Barrington HS) Barrington, RI, 6-1, G, Brown
Obi Okolie (Dennis O'Connor HS) Ajax, Ontario, Canada, 6-5, F, Brown
Travis Fuller (La Costa Canyon HS) San Diego, CA, 6-8, 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
Stone Gettings (Loyola HS) Los Angeles, CA, 6-8, F, Cornell
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
Joseph Ritter (Woodrow Wilson HS) Dallas, TX, 6-8, 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
Evan Boudreaux (Lake Forest HS) Lake Forest, IL, 6-7, F, Dartmouth
Weisner Perez (Morton HS) Berwyn, IL, 6-6, F, Harvard
Tommy McCarthy (La Costa Canyon HS), Carlsbad, CA, 6-0, G, Harvard
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
Jose Morales (Cardinal Gibbons HS) Ft. Lauderdale, FL, 5-9, G, Princeton
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
Blake Reynolds (Jackson HS) Jackson, MO, 6-7, F, Yale
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

• CoxHub predicts Cornell to finish 8th in the Ivy and writes:

"Cornell – It was a disastrous 2012-2013 campaign for Cornell as they went 2-26 and 1-13 in the Ivy League. The played the entire season without Shonn Miller, the six-foot-seven forward who earned 1^st team All-Conference honors as a sophomore. Following the season they were dealt another blow when their leading returning scorer, Nolan Cressler, transferred to Vanderbilt. Now, with Miller back for his senior season, the Big Red will be battling for their respect. Miller will be joined by fellow senior Sevein Cherry, a six-foot-three guard, who averaged 12 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists per game last season. Sophomore guard Robert Hatter had some impressive moments last year as a freshman, averaging 9 points in less than 20 minutes, and will be asked to make more consistent contributions this season. The return of senior guard Galal Cancer provides another potential weapon in the backcourt."

• Ivy Hoops Online writes, "We all know this conference is loaded this season. Columbia, Yale, Brown and Dartmouth return nearly everyone. Even Cornell will be more dangerous with Shonn Miller back, so the Big Red will be poised for an upset or two. So what does that mean for prohibitive conference favorite Harvard?"

• Ivy Hoops Online previews Cornell:

Is the glass half empty or half full?
Well, let’s start with half full. Braxton Bunce, Galal Cancer and 2012-13 first-team All-Ivy Shonn Miller return after missing all of last season, and Deion Giddens returns after missing most of last year as well. There’s presumably nowhere to go but up from 2-26, and sophomores like Darryl Smith and Robert Hatter will be well-seasoned after getting pressed into action early and often as rookies a year ago.

And now for half empty: Shonn Miller is this team, plain and simple. Last season proved that. If he’s not completely healthy for the entire season and firing on all cylinders from the get-go, forget it. This conference is too deep this year for Cornell to win games on the strength of just one player. Miller aside, what else ya got, Big Red? Galal Cancer running the point? He may be a solid slasher, but he’s no asset from the field, shooting just 35.4 percent from the field for his career after taking last season off to focus on regular student life. Three of Cornell’s top six scorers are gone, with 2013-14 leading scorer Nolan Cressler peacing out to transfer to Vanderbilt. This team was absolutely pathetic for pretty much all of last season, looking no more accomplished than a high school squad at times.
Bill Courtney seemed especially optimistic at the Ivy preseason media teleconference last week, because of course he did. It’s his job to generate excitement for a program that has been slipping away ever since he took over in 2010. Courtney’s most important observation at the teleconference was that the Big Red will have to hit the ground running to start their schedule, which includes eight games in 16 days. We’ll know what this team is made of soon. Without further ado, the rundown:
#0 – David Onuorah – Forward – 6-9, 230 So.
This big man easily led Cornell in shots blocked a year ago and is likely to have developed his inside game substantially in the offseason. But he’ll have to step up his rebounding game a little more to give this team some extra oomph in the paint while also cutting down on fouls – he averaged more than three fouls in just 18.4 minutes per contest a season ago.
#1 – Darryl Smith –  Guard – 6-2, 180 So.
Still sitting pretty on that $16.1 million contract. Oh wait, not that Daryl Smith. Cornell’s Smith was a spark plug as conference play commenced last season, earning Ivy Rookie of the Week honors for his energetic defense and impressive 32-minute effort at Columbia. Needs to improve his assist-to-turnover ratio in the backcourt. Will likely be trusted early on in a three-guard rotation with Pat Smith and Devin Cherry.
#3 – Galal Cancer – Guard – 6-2, 180 Sr.
Not much to add on Cancer other than that he needs to improve his offensive decision-making at times. Too athletic not to keep defenses fixated on Miller honest.
#4 – Dave LaMore – Forward/Center – 6-9, 225 Sr.
Look at LaMore’s glasses in his official headcut. Just look at them. My elementary school library teacher had specs just like those.
#5 – Robert Hatter – Guard – 6-2, 180 So.
I like Robert Hatter’s glasses better. I like his game better too. Cornell’s third-leading scorer as a freshman last year, Hatter is a threat from anywhere but the foul line, where he shot just 46.3 percent a season ago. Watch Hatter play off the ball and you’ll see why he’s one of Cornell’s few legitimate offensive weapons besides Miller on this roster.
#11 – Desmond Fleming – Guard – 5-11, 180 So.
Don’t expect to see much of Mr. Fleming this season. There are an awful lot of 180-pound gentlemen on this team.
#12 – Jordan Abdur-Ra’oof – Forward – 6-7, 205 Fr.
I don’t have a great feel for what we can expect from Abdur-Ra’oof yet, and it’s likely Courtney doesn’t either. His athleticism easily puts him in the offensive mix, though.
#13 – Devin Cherry – Guard – 6-3, 185 – Sr.
Without Devin Cherry, Cornell’s 2013-14 season really could have been a disaster. Joking aside, Cherry stepped up in a big way, ranking fifth in the conference in assists and somehow finishing second on the team in rebounding. He looked more comfortable as the season progressed too, which bodes well for any possible resurrection of Bill Courtney’s coaching career.
#15 – Braxston Bunce – Center – 6-11, 250 – Jr.
Injuries have sadly defined Bunce’s career up to this point, as he sat out his entire freshman season before missing 19 of 28 games last year. Let’s just hope he can stay healthy.
#20 – Wil Bathurst – Guard/Forward – 6-3, 180 – Fr.
The pride of Western New York, Bathurst may or may not complement Cancer at the two spot this year, depending on whether he can develop a cleaner shot.
#21 – Kyle Brown – Guard – 6-2, 180 – Fr.
Seriously, how many 6-2/6-3, 180 guys are there on this roster? Courtney definitely has a “type.”
#22 – Robert Mischler – Guard – 6-3, 183 – Jr.
Mischler showed little promise in his limited action as a sophomore and isn’t likely to make too many waves as a junior either.
#24 – Pat Smith – Guard/Forward – 6-5, 195 – Fr.
Smith was quite the sharpshooter at Archbishop Wood Catholic, shooting 42 percent from beyond the arc and showing solid offensive efficiency everywhere on the floor. The most indelible freshman impact on this team in 2014-15 is likely to be Smith’s.
#25 – JoJo Fallas – Guard – 5-11, 175 – So.
I’ll go to bat for anybody named JoJo. Undersized and somewhat limited offensively, JoJo will keep doing JoJo, and that should be good enough for anybody.
#32 – Shonn Miller – Forward – 6-7, 210 – Sr.
The man himself. Offseason shoulder energy wiped out his 2013-14 campaign, but before that, Miller was a long, strong force to be reckoned with, finishing first in the league in defensive rebounding, second in steals and third in blocks as a sophomore. There’s very little Miller can’t do extremely well. He scores, he rebounds, he blocks, he steals. He just changes games. And he could change the complexion of this program with a career year very shortly. Then again, he’s the one with the massive target on his back too, the focal point of every opponent. He’s healthy, but he’s not God. He needs help at both ends of the floor for Cornell to turn heads this season.
#35 – Nenad Tomic – Forward – 6-7, 220 – Sr.
Affectionately known as “Ned,” Tomic averaged 8.3 minutes per game a season ago and isn’t likely to eclipse that consistently this season.
#50 – Deion Giddens – Forward/Center – 6-9, 202 – Sr.
A knee injury cut his junior campaign short a year ago, which was a shame because Giddens had momentum. He was making the most of his 14.5 minutes per contest, proving himself as an offensive weapon down low. He’ll be just that again this season.

• California Golden Blog writes, "Cornell transfer Dwight Tarwater is an under-sized tweener, though he might be strong enough to defend certain match-ups."

• The Ivy League summarizes some of the preseason media predictions:

PRINCETON, N.J. -- The national preseason honors and recognitions for Ivy League men's basketball have poured in entering the 2014-15 season:

ATHLON SPORTS
Predicted Order of Finish
1. 
Harvard
2. Yale
3. Columbia
4. Princeton
5. Brown
6. Dartmouth
7. Penn
8. Cornell

Preseason All-Ivy Team
Siyani Chambers, Harvard (Jr., G)
Maodo Lo, Columbia (Jr., G)
Alex Rosenberg, Columbia (Sr., F)
Wesley Saunders, Harvard (Sr., G/F)
Justin Sears, Yale (Jr., F)

Player of the Year
Wesley Saunders, Harvard (Sr., G/F)

BLUE RIBBON COLLEGE BASKETBALL YEARBOOK
Predicted Order of Finish
1. Harvard
2. Yale
3. Columbia
4. Princeton
5. Brown
6. Dartmouth
7. Cornell
8. Penn

Preseason All-Ivy Team
Justin Sears, Yale (Jr., F)
Shonn Miller, Cornell (Sr., F)
Alex Rosenberg, Columbia (Sr., F)
Wesley Saunders, Harvard (Sr., G/F)
Maodo Lo, Columbia (Jr., G)

Player of the Year
Justin Sears, Yale (Jr., F)

Newcomer of the Year
Amir Bell, Princeton (Fr., G)

Top Backcourts
1.    Harvard
2.    Columbia
3.    Yale

Top Frontcourts
1.    Brown
2.    Harvard
3.    Yale

COLLEGE SPORTS MADNESS
Preseason All-Mid Major Awards
First Team All-Mid Major
Wesley Saunders, Harvard (Sr., G/F)

Third Team All-Mid Major
Justin Sears, Yale (Jr., F)

Coach of the Year
Tommy Amaker, Harvard

Preseason Ivy League Awards
First Team All-Ivy
Maodo Lo, Columbia (Jr., G)
Alex Rosenberg, Columbia (Sr., F)
Siyani Chambers, Harvard (Jr., G)
Wesley Saunders, Harvard (Sr., G/F)
Justin Sears, Yale (Jr., F)

Second Team All-Ivy
Cedric Kuakumensah, Brown (Jr., F)
Grant Mullins, Columbia (Jr., G)
Steve Moundou-Missi, Harvard (Sr., F)
Tony Hicks, Penn (Jr., G)
Hans Brace, Princeton (Jr., F)

Third Team All-Ivy
Rafael Maia, Brown (Sr., F)
Shonn Miller, Cornell (Sr., F)
Connor Boehm, Dartmouth (Jr., F)
Alex Mitola, Dartmouth (Jr., G)
Javier Duren, Yale (Sr., G)

Fourth Team All-Ivy
Leland King, Brown (So., F)
Devin Cherry, Cornell (Sr., G)
Gabas Maldunas, Dartmouth (Sr., F/C)
Spencer Weisz, Princeton (So., F)
Armani Cotton, Yale (Sr., G)

Coach of the Year
Tommy Amaker, Harvard

Player of the Year
Wesley Saunders, Harvard (Sr., G/F)

Freshman of the Year
Chris Egi, Harvard (Fr., F)

ESPN
Preseason Top 25 Coaches
22. Tommy Amaker, Harvard
Predicted Order of Finish
1. Harvard
2. Yale
3. Columbia
4. Brown
5. Princeton
6. Penn
7. Dartmouth
8. Cornell

Preseason All-Ivy Team
Justin Sears, Yale (Jr., F)
Alex Rosenberg, Columbia (Sr., F)
Wesley Saunders, Harvard (Sr., G/F)
Siyani Chambers, Harvard (Jr., G)
Maodo Lo, Columbia (Jr., G)

LINDY'S SPORTS ANNUALS
Preseason National Rankings
18. Harvard

Preseason Conference Rankings
14. Ivy League

Predicted Order of Finish
1. Harvard
2. Columbia
3. Yale
4. Princeton
5. Brown
6. Dartmouth
7. Penn
8. Cornell

Preseason All-Ivy Teams
First Team
Siyani Chambers, Harvard (Jr., G)
Wesley Saunders, Harvard (Sr., G/F)
Steve Moundou-Missi, Harvard (Sr., F)
Alex Rosenberg, Columbia (Sr., F)
Justin Sears, Yale (Jr., F)

Second Team
Maodo Lo, Columbia (Jr., G)
Tony Hicks, Penn (Jr., G)
Javier Duren, Yale (Sr., G)
Hans Brace, Princeton (Jr., F)
Cedric Kuakumensah, Brown (Jr., F)

Player of the Year
Wesley Saunders, Harvard (Sr., G/F)

Newcomer of the Year
Chris Egi, Harvard (Fr., F)

Best Shooter
Maodo Lo, Columbia (Jr., G)

Best Rebounder
Rafael Maia, Brown (Sr., F)

Best Playmaker
Siyani Chambers, Harvard (Jr., G)

Best Defender
Cedric Kuakumensah, Brown (Jr., F)

Most Versatile
Wesley Saunders, Harvard (Sr., G/F)

Best NBA Prospect
Wesley Saunders, Harvard (Sr., G/F)

NBCSPORTS.COM
Preseason Mid-Major Power Rankings
1. Harvard
13. Yale

Preseason Mid-Major All-America Teams
Second Team
Wesley Saunders, Harvard (Sr., G/F)
Justin Sears, Yale (Jr., F)

Third Team
Siyani Chambers, Harvard (Jr., G)

SPORTING NEWS
Preseason Top 25
24. Harvard

Predicted Order of Finish
1. Harvard
2. Yale
3. Princeton
4. Columbia
5. Brown
6. Penn
7. Dartmouth
8. Cornell

Preseason All-Ivy Team
Wesley Saunders, Harvard (Sr., G/F)
Siyani Chambers, Harvard (Jr., G)
Justin Sears, Yale (Jr., F)
Shonn Miller, Cornell (Sr., F)
Alex Rosenberg, Columbia (Sr., F)

Top Player
Wesley Saunders, Harvard (Sr., G/F)

Top Newcomer
Darnell Foreman, Penn (Fr., G)

Top Coach
Tommy Amaker, Harvard

SPORTS ILLUSTRATED
Top Five Sophomores to Watch for a Breakout Season
Leland King, Brown (So., F)

USA TODAY
Preseason USA Today/Coaches' Poll
RV. Harvard (26)