A Date in Cornell Basketball History: 1954 Ivy League Title

March 9, 2014 marks the 60th Anniversary of Cornell's 1954 Ivy League Championship.  Above, side-by-side, the front pages of the March 10, 1954 issues of the Cornell Daily Sun and Daily Princetonian recapping Cornell's 46-44 win over Princeton in a single game playoff held at the Palestra in Philadelphia.  Below, an A.P. Image following the game which appeared in the Binghamton Press.

A Date in Cornell Basketball History, 110 Years of Cornell-Colgate Basketball

Above, a Date in Cornell Basketball History. The Cornell Daily Sun recaps Cornell's first ever meeting with Colgate on Saturday, March 8, 1902, a 31-29 Big Red win in Hamilton, NY before 1,200 spectators. Now 110 years later, the series continues. The Big Red leads the rivalry 70-53. Get all the information you need about the Cornell Big Red's game vs Colgate, Saturday, December 1, 2012, 6 pm, with The Cornell Basketball Blog's Game Preview Center.

News and Notes: Tuesday Edition

Below, some news and notes for Tuesday...

• Cornell's "secret scrimmage" against Siena is mentioned on CBS Sports.

• MLive.com refers to Western Michigan's visit to Cornell on November 10 as a "test" for the Broncos. It is the season opener for both teams.

• If you missed it last week, a definite worthwhile television watch is ESPN's documentary from the 30 for 30 series, "The Journey Home" - the story of Dr. James Naismith's original rules of basketball.  Now Dr. Naismith did invent the concept of the game of basketball in 1891.  But as we previously posted on the Origin of Basketball at Cornell University, the sport came to Cornell just one year later in 1892.  Cornell University's Director of Physical Culture, Edward Hitchcock, Jr., played a role in how the game is played today with a limitation of the number of players on the court to five on five.  See Sports Illustrated, January 31, 1955 issue and Naismith's book, Basketball It's Origin and Development (page 72).

News and Notes: Monday Edition

Below, some news and notes for Monday...

• The Cornell freshmen photos are now posted on the official Cornell team website.  Additionally, the rookies and veteran players have commenced their limited individual/small group workouts with the training and coaching staffs.

• Louis Dale (Cornell '10) has reportedly agreed to terms with KAO Dramas (KAOD) of the Greek premier league, the A1.  KAOD was 9-15 a year ago and ranked 97th in the world in the FIBA rankings.  The Greek A1 is the 4th ranked league in the world with the NBA in the top position.  See multiple reports (in Greek) of Dale's acquisition by KAOD from Basket Plus Greece, On Sports Greece, Super Basket Greece, and Contra.

• What are Jeff Foote's (Cornell '10) chances with the Brooklyn Nets?  Nets Daily writes, "The Nets, as noted, have 13 players under contract. Another,[Donte] Greene, has a good chance of making the squad. What should we expect in training camp? NBA teams can invite as many players as they want to camp, but word is don't expect any surprises. Greene may very well be the highest profile player invited to camp. Dennis Horner and Jeff Foote could show up, but it's increasingly doubtful. Horner just received clearance to start practicing after breaking his foot in June. Haven't heard anything on Foote since the end of summer league."

• Former Cornell assistant coach and current head coach at Army, Zach Spiker, suffered a tragic loss of one of his former West Point players.

• ESPN ranks the Top 50 college basketball programs of the last 50 years.  Cornell ranked 3rd in the Ivy League over this 50 year period.  However, during the last 10 years, Cornell would most certainly be on the top of the Ivy League.

• Saturday Blitz argues that the Ivy League should consider participating in the NCAA football playoffs.  Saturday Blitz suggests there is a resurgence of Ivy League athletics, citing Cornell's Sweet Sixteen run in basketball during 2010 as evidence.

• From A Date in Cornell Basketball History.  When Cornell finished the 2009-2010 season ranked #17 in the country, it was first time in 59 years that Cornell had been ranked in a national poll in men's basketball.  During the 1950-1951 season, the team climbed as high as No. 14 in the Associated Press poll on January 3, 1951. The Big Red opened the season with nine straight wins, including a victory over Stanford. It fell out the following week after an  85-45 loss at Columbia. The previous two weeks, Cornell had been ranked No. 19 (December 19, 1950) and No. 18 (December 26, 1950).  Above, the original clippings of these A.P. Polls from the 1950-1951 season.  Cornell cracked the 2009-2010 USA Today/ESPN Coaches Poll on February 1, 2010.  With Cornell's Errick Peck on the cover of the Big Red's weekly game notes, Cornell opened its national ranking defense on the weekend of February 5-6 against Yale and Brown.  Below, the Final USA Today/ESPN Top 25 Coaches Poll for 2010.  No Ivy League team since Cornell has finished the season ranked in the Top 25.

News and Notes: Monday Edition

Above, a collection of program covers from preseason tournaments and headlining doubleheaders during the course of Cornell basketball's 115-years of history.  The collection includes some of the following game programs: the Rainbow Classic, the All College Classic, the Dixie Classic, the Coaches vs. Cancer Holiday Classic, the MSG Holiday Festival, the Cornell Pepsi Classic, the Queen City Invitational, and the Rochester Kodak Classic.  Below, news and notes for Monday...

• Not a member of Twitter? See what The Cornell Basketball Blog is tweeting and retweeting each day by visiting our Twitter Timeline.

• The Cornell Rebounders Club's Welcome Back Picnic for the men and women basketball teams is Tuesday.

• Cornell Basketball's Alumni Weekend is November 9-11.  Below is the itinerary for the weekend. Register to attend!

Friday, November 9th
8:00pm – 10:00pm - Social Gathering
- Site is TBD
Saturday, November 10th
12:00pm – 2:00pm – Cornell Big Red Basketball vs. Western Michigan at Newman Arena
- Honoring the 1987-1988 Ivy League Championship Team during the game
- Post-game Reception
- Site is TBD
Sunday, November 11th
10:30am - 11:30am – Alumni Basketball Game
- Newman Arena

• Speaking of alumni, Cody Toppert's (Cornell '05) Toppert Basketball Services has added a pair of new drills videos.  See them here and here.

• Gene DeFillipo, the Boston College athletic director who hired Steve Donahue away from Cornell as B.C.'s basketball coach during April 2010, announced his retirement last week.

• The Bleacher Report lists Yale's Austin Morgan among the nation's Top 20 guard under 6'0" tall and writes in reference to the 2010-2011 season, "Morgan has shown a flair for the dramatic, finishing a 10-point comeback against Cornell as a sophomore."

• Michigan Prep Zone published a piece on Cornell's Dave Lamore:

Former Dexter star LaMore catching on at Cornell

It didn’t matter the opponent or what the scoresheet said at the end of the game, Dave LaMore always stood out and was usually the subject of conversation after one of his high school basketball games.

At 6-foot-9, 230 pounds, LaMore could dominate a game. He also could be a non-factor, which was surprising considering his size, strength, athletic ability and potential – and that’s why he always stood out and why Division I college basketball coaches came calling.

The results in high school almost didn’t seem to matter because it was only a matter of time before LaMore became more of the player everyone expected to see every night. It appears his time is arriving sooner than later. And that’s great news for not only LaMore but Cornell basketball.

The Big Reds landed the big kid from Dexter and despite an early season setback, LaMore stepped on the floor more times than not during his freshman season in the Ivy League.

“I played center for the whole season, playing a little bit of power forward occasionally,” said LaMore, back home in Michigan for the summer. “Basically in the offense, my role was to get our shooters wide open shots with my screens. Along with that, I was to finish buckets when they were dropped down to me. Towards the end of the year, I was used to hit wide open mid range jumpers whenever the defense broke down.

“This coming season we will have a lot of really good big men who are all improving a lot. If I can build off next year and get more conditioned, I am confident I can earn more minutes in our system. I have a long way to go though.”

He certainly had a long way to go early on in his freshman season. The 2011 Dexter High School graduate sprained his ankle during a practice in October. While there were no thoughts of red-shirting him, LaMore felt the pressure of trying to catch up to the rest of the team.

“I only missed around two to three weeks of practice, but I did not play until December,” he said. “Once I was able to practice, I didn't play right away because I had to prove myself in practice. I was way out of shape and had to learn the system playing with our guys.

“It took me awhile to feel comfortable with my ankle and play how I was capable of playing.”

He was finally capable of playing at 100 percent in December and stepped onto the floor for first time in a game on Dec. 17 against Albany. It’s a moment in his life he will never forget.

“I can remember sitting on the bench, waiting for coach to call my name, but I felt like I would never get called to be put in,” he said. “When he called my name, it was a huge relief. I had to wait at the table to be waved in by the refs. It really felt like forever.

“Once I got in the game, I just tried to not do too much and play as hard as I could. I was too excited to play, and eventually get the win at the end of the game. I was surprised though that I didn't feel nervous. I felt like I was ready to play.”

LaMore ended up playing 17 games for the Big Reds, averaging 8 minutes, two points and 1.2 rebounds – not bad for a freshman. Cornell finished 12-16 overall and 7-7 in the Ivy League.

“Dave did a nice job as a freshman acclimating to Division I basketball, and it became evident as his playing time increased as the year went on,” said Cornell coach Bill Courtney. “As he continues to develop, Dave has a chance to be an important part of what we’re building here at Cornell.

“He has great size, but is also very skilled and can set a physical tone for our team.”

Overall, LaMore was pleased with his first season on the basketball court at the highest of collegiate levels.

“It went well,” he said. “I wish that I could've been healthy in the beginning of the season so I could've become ready to play at an earlier stage, but I feel like I really improved from the beginning to the end.

“Although our team did not perform as well as we would have liked, I feel like we learned a lot as a team and will use last year for knowledge of how to win games. There were definitely many struggles through my first year, but my teammates and coaches helped me get through them.”

Off the court, things also went well. Leaving home, moving out of state, taking Ivy League classes and playing Division I basketball is certainly a full schedule of challenges.

“The two biggest challenges with juggling school and basketball are time and energy,” said LaMore, who is studying communications. “Especially in-season, there's not much free time. So I had to make sure that I had a specific time of where I would study each day. Time management was definitely key to doing well in school.”

LaMore put up impressive numbers in the classroom, finishing his freshman year with a 3.25 grade-point average.

“I came in expecting classes to be almost impossible to do well in, so I would say classes were actually easier than I thought they were going to be,” he said. “That being said, classes are still really hard, especially ones that stray far from my major. I actually had to do hours of studying in all of my classes that I never needed to do in high school.”

LaMore also enjoyed his teammates, the school and the town of Ithaca.

“The thing I love the most about Cornell is definitely our group of guys we have on the team,” he said. “I would already consider them family, and it's nice being around people who share the same interests. They're always there for support and just fun on and off the court.

“I love the feel to Ithaca and the campus when school is in session. The city of Ithaca is beautiful and definitely a lot

different from Dexter and Ann Arbor. The scenery is great. I stayed in the dorms this year that are on our North Campus where all of the other freshmen stay, and I really enjoyed it. Staying with all of the other freshmen in the dorms allowed me to socialize with kids and meet many new people from completely different backgrounds

from mine.”

The former Dreadnaught has set some big goals for next year. And why not, he now knows what it takes to succeed at this level and he’s not afraid of hard work or big challenges.

“My goals for next year are set pretty high,” he said. “As a team, our goal is to win the Ivy League championship and make it to the NCAA Tournament. We have the pieces to do it, but need to finish out games down the stretch.

“Personally, I would like to get better conditioned so I can play longer minutes next year. There's not an area of my game that doesn't need work, but I really am focusing on finishing around the rim, rebounding outside of my area, and getting quicker with my lateral speed. I want to become a consistent finisher on my team so they can count on me to score through contact on the inside.

“I know that I have a lot of work to do until next season still to become the player I want to be. I feel confident with my game now and how far I have come, but I want to prove all of the people who have doubted me wrong and become a successful player at Cornell.”

News and Notes: Friday Edition

Below, some news and notes for Friday...

• ESPN reports that the University of North Carolina is probing academic irregularities and Cornell's Hunter Rawlings is involved in the investigation.

• The Jerusalem Post, arguably Israel's most read newspaper, published a feature story on Cornell's Eitan Chemerinski.

Jewish grad makes name for himself in Cornell 

Eitan Chemerinski found himself on the radar of college scouts from Division I schools.

Buried beneath a number of talented leagues in the Washington D.C Metro Area is the Potomac Valley Athletic Conference (PVAC). The league has about a dozen member schools, and seldom produces athletes that make national headlines following graduation.

A few years ago, the Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School (JDS) in Rockville, Maryland was fortunate enough to have 6”9 Eitan Chemerinski playing for their varsity basketball team.

Chemerinski was a force to be reckoned with in the PVAC, averaging 17.5 points per game, and being the leader for the Lions, who beat their opponents by an average of 22.5 points a game.

The Lions finished the season with a 23-1 record.

During that final season with JDS, Chemerinski found himself on the radar of college scouts from Division I schools. “The recruiting process began after I finished 11th grade.

“Aside from playing for JDS, I played for an AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) team and also went to a few basketball camps.

“The opportunity was so important at the time because it gave me a chance to compete against tougher competition and in front of college coaches.”

After visiting a few schools, Chemerinski felt that Cornell was the school that would be able to best give him the opportunities he desired academically while playing for a competitive Division I basketball program.

After seeing limited minutes in his first two years with the Big Red, Chemerinski became a starter this past season, his 3rd with the team, and averaged 5.9 points and 2.8 rebounds in 17.6 minutes a game. He also shot a stunning 62.5 percent from the field, ranking 2nd all time in Cornell history.

Chemerinski began his junior season on a tear, scoring in double digits in four consecutive games, while posting an impressive 14 points, four rebounds, two assists and two blocks against Buffalo this past year.

Chemerinski has enjoyed a few highlights during his career at Cornell thus far. In his 1st season with the Big Red, Chemerinski found himself in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament, and also caught national headlines after he solved a rubixcube in an impressive 7.08 seconds.

He also had the chance to play against Jeremy Lin (currently playing for the NBA’s Houston Rockets), something that he says is “pretty neat looking back on the experience today.”

This past year, as a junior, Chemerinski was selected to the Academic All-District Team, a reflection of his success off the court, as he posted a 3.87 grade point average in applied economics and management.

Chemerinski reflected on attending a Jewish Day School, and having the opportunity to play against other Jewish athletes in college. “I was very happy to have attended JDS. It is a great school and I played for an experience and friendly coach.

“We were one of two Jewish schools in a small athletics conference and usually finished atop the league standings.

“However I did not anticipate having the opportunity to play at the Division I level. It has also been pretty exciting being able to play against other Jewish players such as Zack Rosen [University of Pennsylvania] and Jake Cohen [Davidson University].”

Asked about his plans for the future, and whether he would consider taking his skills overseas, Chemerinski replied, “Right now I’m just focusing on improving my game, so I can continue to contribute to the team the best I can.

“I don’t know what I will do after I graduate, but if there were one place that I would want to play basketball professionally, it would be in Israel.”

• Below, footage from Cornell's 1988 defeat in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to Arizona.  The Big Red's 1988 Ivy League Championship team will be honored at halftime of Cornell's home opener vs. Western Michigan on November 10, celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the Big Red's Ivy League title.

News and Notes: Friday Edition

Above left, 6'7" Ken Bantum (Cornell '85), the 1985 Ivy League Player of the Year.  Above right, 6'7" Shonn Miller (Cornell 2015), the reigning Ivy League Rookie of the Year.  Below, news and notes for Friday...

• Jeff Foote (Cornell '10) and Louis Dale (Cornell '10) played in the Nike Pro City championship game last night.  Their Dyckman team fell 93-90 to the Franchise.

News and Notes: Thursday Edition

Above, the game program for Cornell's visit to Duke on December 29, 1988.  Cornell returns to Duke on December 19.  Below, some news and notes for Thursday...

• During the 2012-2013 season, on December 17 Cornell visits Vanderbilt.  The Commodores' Memorial Gymnasium is a mere 2.88 miles from Miles Asafo Adjei's high school gym at the Ensworth School in Nashville.  When Cornell visits Arizona State on November 20 at Wells Fargo Arena in Tempe, Deion Giddens will be playing just 37.2 miles from his former high school gym at Willow Canyon High School in Carefree, Arizona.  Finally, Cornell's visit to American University in Washington, D.C. on January 6 is another return home for Eitan Chemerinski who grew up in nearby Potomac, Maryland.  Chemerinski had a return trip home last season when Cornell visited Maryland.

• Jeff Foote (Cornell '10) and Louis Dale (Cornell '10) go for the Nike Pro City League championship tonight with their team, the Dyckman New York Athletic Club at Baruch College in New York.  Tip off is 7 pm.

• Below, Cody Toppert (Cornell '05) works with some of his clients in his basketball training program, Toppert Basketball Services.  Toppert is 10th on Cornell's all-time scoring list and 2nd in both 3-pointers attempted and made.

News and Notes: Wednesday Edition

Above, a 1929 Cornell-Syracuse game program.  Below, some news and notes for Wednesday...

• Jeff Foote (Cornell '10) had 23 points and 13 rebounds last night in the semifinals of the Nike Pro City League in New York.  He and teammate, Louis Dale (Cornell '10), members of Cornell's #17 nationally ranked Sweet Sixteen team of 2010, will appear this Thursday in the league's championship game with the Dyckman team.  See the New York Post for the story.

• Wisconsin, a 2012-2013 Cornell opponent, beat out Cornell this week for a recruit.  See the Wisconsin State Journal and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel for the story.

• Anchor of Gold notes that Vanderbilt's nonconference schedule which includes a game against Cornell during 2012-2013 will help the Vandy program in its rebuilding efforts.

• Both of the semifinals and the championship game of the Las Vegas Invitational will be broadcast on either ESPN2 (televison) or ESPN3.

• Below, A Date in Cornell Basketball History.  The Cornell Daily Sun previews a December 9, 1967 game between Cornell and Army and the Cadets' star guard, Mike Krzyzewski.  During Coach K's career, he faced Cornell three times as a varsity player for West Point.  He also coached his Duke teams three times (1987, 1988, 2008) against Cornell with his fourth appearance against Cornell coming up during the 2012-2013 season.

Below, a glimpe of committed Cornell recruit,David Onuorah (Marist HS) Atlanta, GA, 6-9, 230, F, in action earlier this summer with his AAU club in the Nike Peach Jam.  Onuorah is #55 in the video.

News and Notes: Friday Edition

Above, a ticket stub and game program from Cornell's November 18, 2001 visit to Notre Dame.  In his second collegiate game, Cody Toppert (Cornell '05) hit 4 of 5 from beyond the arc finishing with 16 points.  Below, some news and notes for Friday...

• Below, a promo video for Cody Toppert's (Cornell '05) basketball training program, Toppert Basketball Services.  Featured in the video is incoming Cornell freshman, Holt Harmon.  Toppert was Steve Donahue's first committed high school recruit back during the 2000-2001 season. 

News and Notes: Thursday Edition

Below, some news and notes for Thursday...

• Jeff Foote's (Cornell '10) and Louis Dale's (Cornell '10) Dyckman NYAC team is in action tonight in their final game of the Nike Summer Pro League in New York.  They take on the X-Men at 8:30 at Baruch College.

• Cornell's Shonn Miller was selected by 3rd Coast Hoops as having performed the best play of the summer in the Cleveland and Akron summer pro leagues.

• Below, a look back at interviews by SlopeTV with Miles Asafo-Adjei, Eitan Chemerinski, Josh Figini, Peter McMillan, and Errick Peck during the 2009-2010 preseason when they were just freshmen.

News and Notes: Wednesday Edition

Above, a program and scorecard from a 1918 game between Cornell and the University of Rochester at Rochester, NY.  Below, some news and notes for Wednesday...

• Above, last night Cornell's Shonn Miller was presented the Defensive Player of the Year award of the Cleveland AmPro Summer League.  The league is loaded with dozens of collegiate players.  

• When Louis Dale (Cornell '10) suffered a season ending ACL injury last November in Germany's BBL, his club Goettingen struggled the entire season finishing with a 4-30 record and last place league finish.  Goettingen's final record results in the club's relegation to a lower division, Germany's Pro A.  Dale could be on the move as well to a new club.

Above, A Date in Cornell Basketball History, former Cornell head basketball coach, "Speed" Wilson is presented the 1944-1945 Allie Seelbach Memorial Trophy which for a decade during the mid 1940s and mid 1950s annually recognized the most outstanding college basketball team of Upstate New York. Five teams were eligible for the award--- Cornell, Syracuse, Colgate, Niagara and Canisius. The silver trophy was presented each year by Madison Square Garden and the college athletic directors in memory of Allie Seelbach who was a coach at Canisius College for eleven years until his death in 1944. Cornell would win the award again for the 1949-1950 season. Cornell would later win the Ivy League's (EIBL) 1954 title and trip to the NCAA Tournament.  The above photo and photo caption is form the Spring 1945 Cornell Alumni News.

News and Notes: Tuesday Edition

Cornell Big Red Basketball is 115 years of tradition...Below, news and notes for Tuesday...

Above, "Cornell now has a Basket Ball Team."  This was a headline in the December 1, 1897 issue of the Cornell Daily Sun announcing the creation of the University's first team which commenced training during the 1897-1898 school year.

Above, a photograph and autograph of Edwin R. Sweetland (Cornell Class of 1899).  Sweetland was a member of Cornell's first basketball team and played for the team during its inaugural official varsity season during the 1898-1899 school year.  While at Cornell, Sweetland also played football for the Big Red under the legendary coach, Pop Warner and was named a Walter Camp All American.  Sweetand's incredible career beyond Cornell included serving as the head football coach of Syracuse and then in 1909 as the first paid head basketball coach at the University of Kentucky.  See some of our prior posts on the Origins of Cornell Basketball.

• ESPN's Summer Shootaround Series provides updates on several Division I conferences including some of Cornell's 2012-2013 opponents.  These teams include Duke, Wisconsin, Vanderbilt, Arizona State and St. Bonaventure.  Speaking of the 2012-2013 schedule, did you know that Cornell's first opponent in the Las Vegas Invitational, Presbyterian, defeated Cincinnati last year?  They also defeated Princeton during its Ivy League Championship 2010-2011 season.

• Ned Tomic is in action today in the championship game of the Cleveland AmPro.

• Dwight Tarwater is in London with his parents to watch his brother Davis swim in the Olympics.

News and Notes for Monday

Above and below, Dates in Cornell Basketball History... from 75 years ago, the cover of the January 23, 1938 issue of the Cornell Daily Sun recapping Cornell's win at Yale on January 22, 1938.  Also above, the game program from New Haven.  Below, an image from the Cornell Daily Sun from January 10, 1938 which profiles the Big Red's star players before the conference home opener of the '37-'38 season against Dartmouth.  

 Below, some news and notes for Monday...

• On the Brooklyn Nets' final open roster spot, Nets Daily writes, "The Nets could just wait till training camp to decide on the 14th and 15th men. Al Thornton played well in Orlando. Jeff Foote showed some promise there, but he's still a work in progress. You'd assume both players will get camp invites. In the past, the Nets have brought in as many as 20 players. Still, if the Nets were really interested, you'd think they would have offered Thornton and Foote partial guarantees on vets minimum deals. They did that two years ago. Doesn't seem like they want to do that with them."

• The Clevenland AmPro posted some raw video of Ned Tomic's team in action in the summer league.  Cornell's Tomic scored 14 points and grabbed 12 rebounds as his Youngbloodz team advanced to the league championship game over the weekend.  The AmPro also posted recent raw footage of Shonn Miller's Iggy's Boys team.  Cornellians participating in summer pro leagues this season include:

Ned Tomic-Cleveland AmPro
Shonn Miller-Cleveland AmPro
Galal Cancer-Capital District Basketball Association Summer League
Josh Figini-Howard Pulley Summer Pro League (St. Paul, MN)
Jake Mattthews-Pittsburgh Basketball Club Summer Pro League

• The Cornell Basketball program is holding another session of its camp for youngsters.

• Above, the game program cover from the 2005 Coach vs. Cancer College Hoops Classic.  Below, the brackets from the tournament.  Cornell defeated St. Francis (PA) on November 8, 2005 in the opening round followed by a 67-62 defeat to Syracuse.  Cornell and St. Francis (PA) meet again during the 2012-2013 season.

News and Notes: Thursday Edition

Above, a 1975 game program from Cornell's visit to Baton Rouge, Louisiana and LSU.  Below, some news and notes for Thursday...

• The New York Post writes that the Nets will "add at least one more [player to the roster]– could be Shelden Williams, [Damion] James, free agent Al Thornton, D-League hopeful Jeff Foote...They’ve already committed to more than $335 million (that’s $75 million more than Mikhail Prokhorov paid for the team two years ago). That $335 million contains about $82 million for the upcoming season, plopping them about $12 million over the luxury tax threshold. It’s good to have a billionaire owner. Or an oligarch. Or both."

• Foote's D-League coach, Bob MacKinnon received a contract extension. The Springfield Armor noted in their release, "The 2011-12 Armor had three players earn a total of four GATORADE NBA Call-Ups, including Dennis Horner (New Jersey Nets, twice), Jeff Foote (New Orleans Hornets) and Jerry Smith (New Jersey Nets)."

• Cornell Athletics announced via Twitter, "MBKB: Cornell will play Presbyterian in 1st game on final round of LLVI on Nov. 23. Will play either Longwood or Florida A&M on Nov. 24."

• Wisconsin released its full nonconference schedule and notes of the Cornell game, " Nov. 18 vs. Cornell (Kohl Center) First and second-round games of the 2012 Las Vegas Invitational are being held at the host institutions ... in the only previous meeting, the Big Red knocked UW from the 2010 NCAA tournament with a second-round win in Jacksonville, Fla."

• White and Blue Review writes of Creighton, " The Bluejays will have two games at home as a part of the Las Vegas Invitational before making the trip to Las Vegas. The rest of the field consists of Presbyterian, Cornell, Florida A&M and Longwood. Cornell has already released their non-conference schedule and will be playing Wisconsin and Arizona State leaving the other three teams as potential opponents for the Bluejays."

• The Ithaca Journal writes:

Bill Courtney's third year as Cornell men's basketball coach promises to be a challenging 2012-13 season with 10 of his 12 leading scorers from a year ago back. The Big Red finished 12-16 overall and 7-7 in the Ivy League last season.

A visit to famed Cameron Indoor Stadium and a six-day stint in “Sin City” highlight the Cornell University men’s basketball team’s 2012-13 schedule.

The school released the Big Red’s 31-game schedule — the most scheduled games in program history — on Wednesday.

Third-year coach Bill Courtney’s squad, which finished 12-16 and 7-7 in the Ivy League last season, will play 15 games against teams that participated in the postseason a year ago, including six against NCAA tournament teams.

Cornell will play 14 home games, including three in six days starting Nov. 10 against Western Michigan, reigning Atlantic 10 tournament champion St. Bonaventure and Saint Peter’s (N.J.) at Newman Arena. Two days after facing the Peacocks, the team will head west for the Las Vegas Invitational, where it will take on Sweet 16 participant Wisconsin and Arizona State.

Before heading home, the Big Red will play two more contests at Orleans Arena, off the Las Vegas strip, with potential opponents including Florida A&M, Longwood and Presbyerian.

After Las Vegas, Cornell goes another road trip, highlighted by a date with Duke on Dec. 19. The Blue Devils finished second in the Atlantic Coast Conference last season before being shocked by No. 15 seed Lehigh of the Patriot League in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

Two days before facing Duke, Cornell will visit defending Southeastern Conference tournament champion Vanderbilt.

Other marquee nonconference games include home contests against defending America East regular-season champion Stony Brook on Nov. 28 and Patriot League regular-season champion Bucknell on Jan. 2.

The Big Red’s Ivy League opener will be Jan. 19 at home against Columbia. Two-time defending league champion Harvard visits on Feb. 8, with Cornell visiting Cambridge, Mass., on March 9 in the regular-season finale.

Among the top expected returnees for Cornell are 2011-12 Ivy League Rookie of the Year Shonn Miller; all-Ivy guard Johnathan Gray, a senior who spent part of the summer with the U.S. Virgin Islands’ national team; and forward Errick Peck, the Big Red’s second-leading scorer in 2010-11, who missed last season due to a knee injury.

News and Notes: Wednesday Edition

Above, a look at Cornell's groovy uniform from the 1972-1973 season.  John O'Neil ('75) chases down a loose ball on January 20, 1973 at Manley Fieldhouse in Syracuse, NY.  Below, some news and notes for Wednesday...

• Navy announced its recruiting class and mentions that one of its commits, Tilman Dunbar, played on a Paul VI High School team (Fairfax, Virginia) that boasted five Division I committed players, including Cornell recruit, Tim Higgins (Paul VI HS) Fairfax, VA, 6-10, C (class of 2013).

• Cornell formallyannounced its 2012-2013 schedule:

2012-13 Cornell Men's Basketball Schedule 

Las Vegas Invite, Trips To Duke, Vanderbilt Highlight 2012-13 Cornell Men's Basketball Schedule 

Cornell Athletics   

ITHACA, N.Y. -- Head coach Bill Courtney and his staff continue to take on all comers, as the 2012-13 Cornell men's basketball schedule proves. The Big Red will play 15 games against teams that participated in the postseason a year ago, including six contests against squads that competed in the NCAA tournament.

Cornell will play 31 games total, the second most in school history, including participating in the Las Vegas Invitational, where it will play games at 2012 NCAA Sweet 16 participant Wisconsin and Arizona State, as well as two additional contests at Orleans Arena just off the Las Vegas strip. The Big Red will also play two teams out of the pool of Florida A&M, Longwood and Presbyterian. Joining the Badgers and Sun Devils in the other round will be Arkansas and Creighton.

Also highlighting the schedule will be the second trip in seven seasons to famed Cameron Indoor Arena for a non-conference tilt with Duke when the two teams meet on Wednesday, Dec. 19. The Blue Devils, one of 15 teams on Cornell's schedule that won 19 or more games a year ago, finished second in the Atlantic Coast Conference a year ago. Two days prior to the Duke game, the Big Red will visit defending Southeastern Conference tournament champion Vanderbilt.

Other highlighted non-conference games include the season and home opener against Western Michigan on Saturday, Nov. 10, and home games against reigning Atlantic 10 tournament champ St. Bonaventure on Wednesday, Nov. 14, defending America East regular season champion Stony Brook on Wednesday, Nov. 28, and 2012 Patriot League regular season champ Bucknell on Wednesday, Jan. 2. Rounding out the non-conference games against postseason tournament teams will be a matchup at 20-win American, a CIT participant a year ago, on Sunday, Jan. 6.

Four out of Cornell's seven Ivy League foes (Harvard - NCAA, Princeton and Penn - CBI, and Yale - CIT) won at least 19 games a year ago and made the postseason. They will all pose major challenges, as will improved squads from Columbia, Brown and Dartmouth, when the Big Red attempts to claim its fourth Ivy title in the last six years. The conference portion of the schedule opens at home against Columbia on Saturday, Jan. 19 at Newman Arena.

Cornell improved its win total overall and in Ivy League play in 2011-12, finishing 12-16 overall and 7-7 in conference action. The Big Red is scheduled to return 10 of its 12 leading scorers, including 2011-12 Ivy League Rookie of the Year Shonn Miller and All-Ivy guard Johnathan Gray, who spent part of the summer competing on the U.S. Virgin Islands' national team. Also expected to return is starting forward Errick Peck, the team's second-leading scorer in 2010-11 who missed last season due to injury.

Date Opponent Location Time/Result
11/10/2012 Western Michigan University Ithaca, N.Y. - Newman Arena 12:00 p.m.
11/14/2012 St. Bonaventure University Ithaca, N.Y. - Newman Arena 7:00 p.m.
11/16/2012 Saint Peter's College Ithaca, N.Y. - Newman Arena 7:00 p.m.
Las Vegas Invitational
11/18/2012 University of Wisconsin Madison, Wis. TBA
11/20/2012 Arizona State University Tempe, Ariz. TBA
11/23/2012 TBA Las Vegas, Nev. TBA
11/24/2012 TBA Las Vegas, Nev. TBA
11/28/2012 Stony Brook University Ithaca, N.Y. - Newman Arena 7:00 p.m.
12/1/2012 Colgate University Ithaca, N.Y. - Newman Arena TBA
12/17/2012 Vanderbilt University Nashville, Tenn. TBA
12/19/2012 Duke University Durham, N.C. TBA
12/22/2012 Boston University Boston, Mass. TBA
12/28/2012 St. Francis University (Pa.) Loretto, Pa. TBA
12/30/2012 Binghamton University Vestal, N.Y. 2:00 p.m.
1/2/2013 Bucknell University Ithaca, N.Y. - Newman Arena 7:00 p.m.
1/6/2013 American University Washington, D.C. TBA
1/12/2013 The College at Old Westbury Ithaca, N.Y. - Newman Arena TBA
1/19/2013 * Columbia University Ithaca, N.Y. - Newman Arena TBA
1/26/2013 * Columbia University New York, N.Y. TBA
2/1/2013 * Princeton University Princeton, N.J. TBA
2/2/2013 * University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, Pa. TBA
2/8/2013 * Harvard University Ithaca, N.Y. - Newman Arena 7:00 p.m.
2/9/2013 * Dartmouth College Ithaca, N.Y. - Newman Arena 7:00 p.m.
2/15/2013 * Yale University New Haven, Conn. TBA
2/16/2013 * Brown University Providence, R.I. TBA
2/22/2013 * University of Pennsylvania Ithaca, N.Y. - Newman Arena 7:00 p.m.
2/23/2013 * Princeton University Ithaca, N.Y. - Newman Arena 7:00 p.m.
3/1/2013 * Brown University Ithaca, N.Y. - Newman Arena 7:00 p.m.
3/2/2013 * Yale University Ithaca, N.Y. - Newman Arena 7:00 p.m.
3/8/2013 * Dartmouth College Hanover, N.H. TBA
3/9/2013 * Harvard University Cambridge, Mass. TBA

News and Notes: Tuesday Edition

Below, some news and notes for Tuesday...

• Fans of college basketball history and of Cornell Basketball history, should consider purchasing the new book, The Classic, the story of the legendary Dixie Classic Tournament held between 1949 through 1960 on Tobacco Road. Prior to the creation of March Madness, the Dixie Classic was one of college’s premier hoops events. The Dixie Classic's demise occurred in 1961 due to a point-shaving scandal organized by New York area mobsters. Annually tipping off just after Christmas in Reynolds Coliseum on the NC State Campus, the tournament was played over three days for more than a decade. The holiday event opened with each of the Big Four—NC State, UNC, Duke and Wake Forest—playing non-conference opponents selected from some of the most competitive programs in the country including, Cornell. The Cornell Big Red were the runner-ups of the 1951 Dixie Classic, falling by 2 points to N.C. State in the championship game and returned to the event as invitees in 1954 as the defending Ivy League champions. Below, Cornell's results from the Dixie Classic in 1951 and 1954.  Above, pages from the 1954 Dixie Classic program and below an excerpt from the March 23, 1954 issue of the Cornell Daily Sun announcing Cornell's invitation to the 1954 Dixie Classic.  Cornell returns to Dixie and "Tobacco Road" this season with a visit to Duke.

12/27/1951 vs Wake Forest W 58-51 - Raleigh, N.C.
12/28/1951 vs Columbia W 66-64 - Raleigh, N.C.
12/29/1951 at North Carolina State L 49-51 - Raleigh, N.C. (Championship Game) 

12/27/1954 at North Carolina State L 61-95 - Raleigh, N.C.12/28/1954 vs Southern Carlifornia L 58-77 - Raleigh, N.C.12/29/1954 vs West Virginia L 71-79 - Raleigh, N.C.

Below, legenday sportswriter, Dick Schaap, recapped Cornell's runner-up finish in the 1951 Dixie Classic for the Cornell Daily Sun.

• Incoming Cornell recruit, David Onuorah (Marist HS) Atlanta, GA, 6-8, 230, F, participated in the prestigious AAU event, the Nike Peach Jam between July 16-22 in Georgia.  Playing with his team, the Memphis-based Bluff City Legends, Onuorah started all five games, averaging 21.8 minutes, 4.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.6 blocks while shooting 8/20 (40%) from the floor and 5/11 at the FT line.  Bluff City struggled to an 0-5 record in the tournament.  Onuorah's height has been listed between 6'8" and 6'9" on most recruiting websites and was listed at 6'9" at the Peach Jam.

News and Notes: Monday Edition

Below some news and notes for Monday...

Donald Schaffer (Cornell '62)

• Former Cornell basketball captain, Donald Schaffer (Cornell '62) (pictured above on the cover of  a 1961 issue of the Cornell Daily Sun) passed away on July 7.  Shaffer's 1961-1962 Cornell team finished 18-7 bolstered by Shaffer's 8.7 points and 8.5 rebounds per game.  Also a graduate of the Wharton Business School graduate program and a U.S. Army veteran, Schaffer spent more than 30 years in the textile industry.

• The Plano Star of Texas looks back on the District 8-5A season and recalls a 20 point performance by incoming Cornell freshman, Holt Harmon.

• Scout.com recruiting analyst, Brian Snow, tweeted over the weekend about Bill Courtney hard at work on the recruiting trail.

• Former Virginia Tech basketball coach, Seth Greenberg, was at Newman Arena over the weekend and tweeted about watching his daughter participate in a Cornell basketball camp.

News and Notes: Monday Edition

Above, a photo of three members of Cornell's 1954 conference championship team, left to right, Milt Kogan, Chuck Rolles and Ray Zelek.  Below, some news and notes for Monday...

• Cornell incoming freshman, Braxston Bunce (Kelowna Secondary School) Kelowna, BC, Canada, 6-11, C, tweeted the news on Sunday evening that he received his second consecutive selection to the Canadian Junior Men's National Team.  Bunce departed for Brazil last night with Team Canada where he will participate in the FIBA Americas Tournament.

• Over the weekend,  Cornell incoming freshman, Holt Harmon (Plano West HS), Plano, TX, 6-9, F, participated in the Faith 7 Bowl, an all-star game featuring high school seniors from Texas against Oklahoma.

• The Associated Press writes of Chris Bosh's three 3-pointers in game 7 vs. Boston on Saturday night, " He was at his best in Game 7, shooting 8 for 10, making three 3-pointers for the first time as a pro — the last time he did it, Cornell was the opponent." The A.P. is referring to Cornell's January 8, 2003 visit to Georgia Tech.

• Jeff Aubry (Cornell '99)  finished with 9 rebounds, 4 blocks and 2 points on Friday night in the Puerto Rico BSN, but his Arecibo Capitanes team fell to Mayaguez 72-61 and dropped the championship series 4-1.

• Below, Max Groebe's (Cornell '12) career highlight video:

News and Notes: Friday Edition

Below, some news and notes for Friday...

• In the Puerto Rico BSN last night, Jeff Aubry (Cornell '99) finished with 3 points, 2 blocks and 7 rebounds, but his Arecibo Capitanes fell to Mayaguez 91-89 in overtime and now trail the league's championship series 3-1.

• Cornell Basketball has a presence in NBA Finals history.  Cornellian Ed Peterson, a graduate of the class of 1948, played the 1949-1950 season with the Syracuse Nationals, the franchise which subsequently became the Philadelphia 76ers.  Peterson, a 6'9" center, appeared in the 1950 NBA Finals with Syracuse which lost the series 4-2 to George Mikan and the Minneapolis Lakers.  In 115 career NBA games, Peterson averaged 7.0 points oer game.    (Below, Cornell's 1947-1948 team photo with Peterson in the #13 jersey, a poster for the Syracuse Nationals for the 1950-1951 season (Peterson was traded mid-season to Tri-City) and photos of Peterson appearing in the Associated Press from his time in the NBA.)