- The Ivy League named Shonn Miller to its weekly Honor Roll and notes:
Shonn Miller, Cornell (Sr., F - Euclid, Ohio)
25 points, 8 rebounds at Princeton
23 points, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks, 2 steals at Penn
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Week 1, 11/17/14-Shonn Miller, Cornell
Week 2, 11/24/14-Justin Sears, Yale
Week 3, 12/1/14-Wes Saunders, Harvard
Week 4, 12/8/14-Javier Duren, Yale
Week 5, 12/15/14-Cedric Kuakumensah, Brown*
Week 6, 12/22/14-Maodo Lo, Columbia
Week 7,12/29/14-Shonn Miller, Cornell
Week 8, 1/5/15-Javier Duren, Yale
Week 9, 1/12/15-Henry Caruso, Princeton
Week 10, 1/19/15-Javier Duren, Yale
Week 11, 1/26/15-Justin Sears, Yale/Alex Mitola, Dartmouth
Week 12, 2/2/15-Justin Sears, Yale
Week 13, 2/9/15-Wes Saunders, Harvard
Week 14, 2/16/15-Justin Sears, Yale
Week 15, 2/23/15-Maodo Lo, Columbia/Wes Saunders, Harvard
Week 16, 3/2/15-Justin Sears, Yale/Malik Gill, Dartmouth
Week 17, 3/9/15-Maodo Lo, Columbia
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Week 1, 11/17/14-Antonio Woods, Penn
Week 2, 11/24/14-Mike Auger, Penn
Week 3, 12/1/14-Amir Bell, Princeton
Week 4, 12/8/14-Darnell Foreman, Penn
Week 5, 12/15/14-Sam Jones, Penn*
Week 6, 12/22/14-Kyle Castlin, Columbia
Week 7, 12/30/14-Aaron Young, Princeton
Week 8, 1/5/15-Kyle Castlin, Columbia
Week 9, 1/12/15-Makai Mason, Yale
Week 10, 1/19/15-Antonio Woods, Penn
Week 11, 1/26/15-Aaron Young, Princeton
Week 12, 2/2/15-Kyle Castlin, Columbia
Week 13, 2/9/15-Miles Wright, Dartmouth
Week 14, 2/16/15-Miles Wright, Dartmouth
Week 15, 2/23/15-Antonio Woods, Penn
Week 16, 3/2/15-Antonio Woods, Penn
Week 17, 3/9/15-Antonio Woods, Penn
* = Cornell idle
- Cornell is now the only Ivy League team to not have participated in the postseason since the 2010-2011 season. See the Valley News on Dartmouth's invite to the CIT. Other low points for Cornell in the last five seasons include the following:
- Last year, Cornell (2-26 in 2013-2014) suffered its worst season in program history, dating back to 1898;
- Cornell has suffered five consecutive seasons under .500 overall;
- Cornell has suffered five consecutive seasons in the "lower division" of the Ivy League;
- Cornell has suffered five consecutive overall losing seasons;
- Cornell has suffered four of its last five seasons under .500 in Ivy League play.
- On the NCAA Tournament, The Wichita Eagle writes, "The difference between a No. 4 and No. 5 is significant. In the past five seasons (ignoring First Four games), No. 13 seeds are 6-20 in the tournament with two schools (LaSalle, Ohio) in the Sweet 16. No. 12 seeds are 13-20 with three Sweet 16s (Oregon, Richmond, Cornell)."
- The Daily Pennsylvanian analyzes Penn's coaching candidates and two of them have Cornell connections:
Steve Donahue
Current Position: ESPN college basketball announcer
Coaching Record: 146-138, 78-62 Ivy in 10 seasons at Cornell; 54-76 in four seasons at Boston College.
Resume: Of any candidate for Penn’s head coaching position, Donahue has the most Ivy League success on his resume. Donahue served as a long-time assistant at Penn from 1990-2000 under former head coach Fran Dunphy. The Quakers won five Ivy titles during that span, including three straight titles from 1993-95 with Allen as the star player. Donahue moved from an assistant at Penn to the head coaching position at Cornell, where he served for 10 years. His tenure started out slowly but his Big Red squads finished above .500 in Ivy play during each of his last six years.
From 2008-10, Donahue’s Cornell teams won three straight Ivy titles while making the Sweet 16 in 2010. It was the first time in Ivy history that a school other than Penn or Princeton won three consecutive titles, a mark that has since been achieved by Tommy Amaker and Harvard. Following the 2010 season, Donahue moved on to Boston College to become the head coach. The Eagles did not make the NCAA Tournament during Donahue’s four years at BC and he was fired after the 2013-14 season.
Why he should be hired: There are plenty of positives for Donahue, who ESPN’s Jeff Goodman reported will be a serious candidate for the position. He has a clear familiarity with Penn and the Ivy League from the first 20 years of his time as a Division I coach. He brings an analytical approach to the game (just watch one of his ESPN broadcasts) that could be an interesting change of pace for Penn. Furthermore, Donahue’s top assistant is already on staff for Penn as Nat Graham moved to Penn after Donahue’s ouster at BC. While any potential coach could choose to keep one of the current assistants on staff, that kind of familiarity between Donahue and Graham could prove invaluable.
Question Marks: While Donahue’s success at Cornell is undeniable, the question becomes how Penn will view his exit at Boston College. If Calhoun and company are willing to overlook his losing record in Chestnut Hill, Mass., Donahue’s chances of getting the job become significantly higher.
***
Yanni Hufnagel
Current Position: Assistant coach at California
Coaching Record: No Division I head coaching experience
Resume: The 32-year-old assistant may be one of the hottest coaching commodities out there with a sterling reputation as a top-notch recruiter. Hufnagel graduated from Cornell in 2006 and moved to a graduate assistant role at Oklahoma while current Los Angeles Clippers star Blake Griffin was there. After working in Norman from 2007-09, he found his way to Amaker’s staff at Harvard, where he flourished. The Crimson went 90-30 with Hufnagel on the sidelines while the young assistant had a large hand in getting some strong recruits to Cambridge. He also played a significant role in developing Harvard’s backcourt, including players like Jeremy Lin, Wesley Saunders and Siyani Chambers.
After four seasons at Harvard, Hufnagel moved to Vanderbilt last season to serve as an assistant for Kevin Stallings. He was Vanderbilt’s recruiting coordinator and helped land a strong freshman class for Commodores. Hufnagel joined Cal's new head coach, Cuonzo Martin, prior to this season, working as an assistant for the Golden Bears.
Why he should be hired: Hufnagel is a coach on the rise and will be highly sought after when he looks for his first head coaching position. His ability to recruit should have athletic directors around the nation drooling since he can turn around a program with quality players. His upbeat and positive personality is a plus as well. Hufnagel has also worked within the Ivy League recently and played a significant role into turning Harvard into the mini-dynasty the Crimson have become. Penn would likely be one of the jobs in the Ancient Eight that would entice Hufnagel despite his status as an assistant at a Power Five conference school.
Question Marks: The only question here is whether Penn is willing to overlook his lack of Division I head coaching experience. Hufnagel has proven himself within the Ivy League and is likely to be well on his way to become a head coach somewhere, but the fact remains that he does not possess the type of head coaching experience that Donahue and Toole (to name a few) do. Will that be held against him? Only time will tell.
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