News and Notes: Tuesday Edition

Above, a Date in Cornell Basketball History, a 1924-1925 schedule card.  Below, WENY News covers the Cornell Rebounders Picnic.  Also below, news and notes for Tuesday...

• Cornell assistant coach, Mike Blaine tweets about fall workouts and has challenged the team in the gym.

• The Cornell Daily Sun reports:

Jon Jacques ’10 Joins the Cornell Coaching Staff

Just four seasons ago, in a December home game against St. Joseph’s, senior forward Jon Jacques ’10 got his first start in Newman Arena, bolstering him into the starting lineup of a team that would eventually advance to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA tournament. Now, Jacques will return to the Red’s home court once again, this time on the sidelines as an assistant coach.

After graduating from Cornell, Jacques spent one season playing professionally in Israel’s top division. He then coached for one year at Stevens Institute of Technology in New Jersey before moving over to Columbia as an assistant.

“It’s been amazing so far having Coach Jacques back on board here in Ithaca,” senior forward Dwight Tarwater said. “When he was a player here at Cornell I always knew he was extremely knowledgeable about the Ivy League and the game as a whole.”

As an assistant coach with the Lions, Jacques handled the team’s film program and contributed to player development. According to Tarwater, this experience of coaching in the Ancient Eight will only add to his already extensive knowledge of how to play in the league.

“With a year of coaching already under his belt I feel that this will help him immensely,” Tarwater said. “He knows this league, he knows our guys and he knows how to succeed.”

While at Cornell, Jacques played under Coach Steven Donahue. Donahue was at the helm of the Red’s basketball program for ten seasons, taking his team to the NCAA tournament three times. Donahue’s successful teams were known for their efficient three-point shooting and focus on ball movement.

However, in head coach Bill Courtney’s three seasons thus far with the Red, he has recruited players with more of a focus on speed and athleticism. Courtney’s style of basketball — which is beginning to revolutionize Ivy League play — is contingent on an up-tempo game, pushing the ball out into the open court for fast break opportunities.

According to Tarwater, these variances in style should not pose a problem.

“Coach Jacques won a whole lot of games in his four years here,” he said. “He knows what works, and how to succeed in doing what works, so I don’t think that the style differences will be an issue.”

Jacques spent the majority of his first three years with the Red on the bench. He averaged only .8 points per game in 3.3 minutes per game his junior year. However in his senior campaign, after coming off the bench for the first eight games, Donahue decided to give Jacques a chance as a starter. After scoring 15 points in 23 minutes in the game against St. Joseph’s, Jacques was in the starting lineup to stay.

He finished the season averaging 6.7 points and 2.6 rebounds per game. He also led the Ivy League in three-point percentage at 47.2. Jacques’ experience shooting from beyond the arc will be especially important for a Red team that only shot 34 percent from three last season. With the departure of Johnny Gray — one of the Red’s three-point specialists — senior Dom Scelfo and sophomore Nolan Cressler will have to carry much of the shooting burden.

“[Jacques] has already told us that he would love to rebound with us or help us with our shooting whenever we need it,” Tarwater said. “With the success Coach Jacques has had shooting the ball, his pointers will be extremely beneficial to our guys.”

With the appointment of David Archer ’05 as the head coach of the football team last spring and now the addition of Jacques to the basketball program, it seems the athletic department feels that Cornell alumni can bring important information to the teams for which they previously played.

“[Jacques] has been in our shoes as a student-athlete here at Cornell,” Tarwater said. “I really feel that he is the perfect fit for our program right now.”

•  Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports writes of Siena, "Jimmy Patsos’ first-year in Albany isn’t going to get started easily. Before MAAC play begins, the Saints will travel to Purdue, La Salle, Cornell, and America East favorite Vermont while also taking part in the Old Spice Classic in Orlando." 

• Duke Basketball Report ponders Syracuse's chances of winning the ACC and writes, "Now let’s look at the team’s first schedule as an ACC team.  Syracuse [starts] with Cornell, Fordham, Colgate, St. Francis and Minnesota in Maui,  Indiana, Binghamton, St. John’s, High Point, Villanova and Eastern Michigan.  The non-conference part of the schedule is unusually tough by Syracuse standards..."

•  Below is an updated list of players committed to Ivy League schools in the classes of 2013 and 2014:

CLASS OF 2013
Steven Spieth (Jesuit HS) Dallas, TX, 6-6, F, Brown
Aram Martin (Miller School) Charlottesville, VA, 6-9, F, Brown
Lealand King (Brentwood School) Los Angeles, CA, 6-6, F, Brown
J.R. Hobbie (Manasquan HS) Manasquan, NJ, 6-4, G, Brown
Tavon Blackmon (Gonzaga) Washington, DC, 5-11, G, Brown
Matt Madigan (Mt. Tabor HS) Winston-Salem, NC, 6-4, G, Brown
Chris McComber (John McCrae School) Ottawa, ON, 6-7, F, Columbia
Kendall Jackson (Suffield Academy) Suffield, MA, 5-9, G, Columbia
Jeff Coby (Choate Rosemary Hall) Choate, CT, 6-6, F, Columbia
Luke Petrasek (Northport HS) Northport, NY, 6-10, C, Columbia

Connor Voss (St. Cloud Cathederal HS) St. Cloud, MN, 6-11, C, Columbia
JoJo Fallas (Shalhevet HS) Los Angeles, CA, 5-11, G, Cornell
Darryl Smith (Blue Ridge School) Chesapeake, VA, 6-2, G, Cornell
Desmond Fleming (College Park Woodlands HS) Woodlands, TX, 6-0, G, Cornell
Robert Hatter (Westside HS) Houston, TX, 6-1, G, Cornell

David Onuorah (Marist HS) Atlanta, GA, 6-8, 230, F, Cornell
Braxston Bunce (Kelowna SS) Kelowna, B.C., Canada, 6-11, C (red shirt)

Ikemefuna Ngwudo (Milton Academy) Milton, MA, 6-5, F, Dartmouth 

Eli Harrison (Sisters HS) Sisters, OR, 6-6, F, Dartmouth
Cole Harrison  (Montrose Christian) Memphis, TN, 6-11, C, Dartmouth

Mike Flemming (N'field Mt Hermon, MA) Lincolnshire, IL, 6-1, G, Dartmouth
Wes Dickinson (Peddie School) Hightstown, NJ, 6-6, F, Dartmouth

Matt Fraschila (Highland Park HS) Highland Park, TX, 5-10 G, Harvard 

Hunter Meyers (Douglas HS) Minden, NV, 6-6, F, Harvard 

Zena Edosomwan (Northfield Mt Hermon, MA) Hollywood, CA, 6-9, F, Harvard 

Matt Howard (A.J. Flora HS), Columbia, S.C., 6-4, G, Penn 

Dylan Jones (Village HS) Houston, TX, 6-8, F, Penn 

Dave Winfield (Harvard Westlake HS) Hollywood, CA, 6-8, F, Penn 

Tony Bagtas (Westlake HS) Atlanta, GA, 5-11, G, Penn
Preston Troutt (Trinity Christian) Dallas, TX 6-0, G, Penn
Khyan Rayner (Jesuit HS) Portland, OR, 5-9, G, Princeton

Henry Caruso (Serra HS) San Mateo, CA, 6-4, G, Princeton 

Hashim Moore (Hun School, NJ) Ft. Lauderdale, FL, 6-5, F, Princeton 

Spencer Weisz (Seton Hall Prep) Florham Park, NJ, 6-4, G, Princeton 

Steven Cook (New Trier HS) Winnetka, IL, 6-5, G, Princeton
Pete Miller (Northfield Mount Hermon, MA) Northfield, MA, 6-10, C, Princeton 

Sam Downy (Lake Forest HS) Lake Forest, IL, 6-9, C, Yale
A.J. Edwards (South Kent School) Kent, CT, 6-5, F, Yale

Anthony Dallier (Northfield Mount Hermon, MA) Wexford, PA, 6-6, F, Yale 

JT Flowers (Lincoln HS) Portland, OR, 6-5, F, Yale

CLASS OF 2014

Jason Massey (American Heritage HS) Plantation, FL, 6-4, G, Brown
Tyler Williams (Lakota West HS) W.Chester, OH, 6-1, G, Brown
Pat Smith (Archbishop Wood HS) Warminster, PA, 6-5, F, Cornell
Zach Yoshor (Beren Academy) Houston, TX, 6-7, F, Harvard
Mike Auger (New Hampton Prep) New Hampton, NH 6-6, F, Penn
Mike LeBlanc (New Hampton Prep) New Hampton, NH, 6-7, F, Princeton 
Aaron Young (Episcopal HS), Lynchburg, VA 6-1, G, Princeton 
Amir Bell (East Brunswick HS) E.Brunswick, NJ, 6-4, G, Princeton 
Landon Russell (Nolan Catholic HS) Ft Worth, TX, 6-2, G, Yale 
Maki Mason (Hotchkiss School), Lakeville, CT, 5-11, G, Yale 

Khalil Bedart-Ghani (Loyola HS) Los Angeles, CA, 6-3, G, Yale 

Pat Smith Commits to the Big Red

Cornell received a verbal commitment for the class of 2014 from Pat Smith (Archbishop Wood HS) Warminster, PA, 6-5, F.

The commitment was reported on Philly.com.

Smith was named First Team All Catholic League for his senior year.  He also was named Second Team All State AAA by the Associated Press in Pennsylvania as well as Third Team All City by City of Basketball Love.  As a senior, Smith was also selected First Team all area by The Intelligencer and was also named the newspaper's Player of the Year.  Smith was the 2013 Player of the Year by the Courier Times as a junior, but was beat out this season.  He was however named First Team all area by the Courier Times for his senior year which noted, "First-team All-Philadelphia Catholic League  selection who was the Golden Team Player of the Year in 2012-13 .. Made the PCL’s honors list three times in a remarkable career ... Named second-team all-state after averaging 17 points per game ... Broke 1,000-point plateau in late January ... Will play at Cornell."  Meanwhile, The Intelligencer on its First Team designation noted of Smith, "Second-team All-Philadelphia Catholic League ... Three-time All-Catholic, second-team PIAA Class AAA all-state ... Four-year starter averaged 17 points a game as a senior ... Will play at Cornell University" and writes on the Player of the Year honors:

It was a different sort of season at Archbishop Wood and for the Vikings’ top player, three-year All-Philadelphia Catholic League guard/forward Pat Smith.
“It was a big adjustment from Coach (Jack) Walsh to Coach (John) Mosco,” Smith said. “We played a lot of good teams, and I think it helped get the seniors ready for college. We played at a high level against some great teams.”
For first-year coach Mosco, previously an assistant at PCL and state power Neumann-Goretti, he knew how good Smith was before he took the job, but there were things he didn’t know about player.
“He’s a lot tougher,” Mosco said. “He does some of the dirty work. He’s wasn’t just a prima donna scorer.”
Smith, who averaged 17 points per game and was a second-team All-PCL pick, was named the All-Intelligencer Player of the Year for the recently concluded season.
“He’s a quiet leader,” said Mosco, whose team went 11-12 and lost in the first round of the Philadelphia Catholic League playoffs.
“He really led by example. He took the coaching change in stride. He’s a real winner, worries about winning, not a selfish player at all.
“He’s not the kind of player who’s worried about getting points. I asked him to do a lot of different things, and I think that showed in his game.”
In the Smith era, the Vikings’ program took strides to being more competitive in the Catholic League, but was unable to get over the hump into the elite stratosphere of the likes of Neumann-Goretti, Roman Catholic, Archbishop Carroll, La Salle or St. Joseph’s Prep.
“There’s nothing like the Catholic League,” Smith said. “It’s the top league in the state. I’ll never forget playing after school down at the Prep on a Friday afternoon, or at Neumann on a Sunday.
“We’ll always have that experience. No, we never got over the hump, but I think we all became better basketball players.”
Smith is headed to Cornell University and the Ivy League after he graduates from Wood in June. Mosco, for one, thinks it’s a good fit.
“He’s got the work ethic,” Mosco said. “I saw the way he took to coaching. He always listened and he’ll do whatever it takes to get on the court.
“When he’s with other Division I players, he knows he has to lift, get stronger and get quicker.”
As far as the Wood program, Smith thinks it’s in good hands as Mosco prepares for his second season.
“I think Coach Mosco, with a year under his belt, has the lay of the ground,” he said. “I knows there’s new kids coming to workouts. There’s a lot of talent coming in. Hopefully, they’re going to keep (the program at a high level).”

As a junior, Smith was named the Bucks County Courier Times 2012-2013 Boys Basketball Player of the Year.  The Courier Times also placed him on the All Golden Team.  He was also tabbed to the All Intell Team by The Intelligencer.

Smith was also placed Honorable Mention All City by the Philadelphia Daily News' Ted Silary and was an All-Philadelphia Catholic League selection.  He averaged 16.3 points and 4 rebounds per game while shooting 42 percent from 3-point range and 50 percent from the field.  Smith put together the strong junior season despite the sudden loss of his father.  Just weeks before the loss of his father, he set a school record with a 42 point performance.  (Click here for highlights of Smith)  See also Smith's profile on VerbalCommits.com.

The Cornell Basketball Blog spoke with Smith's coach at Archbishop Wood, John Mosco.  He noted, "Pat is a real student of the game... Yeah his strength is shooting... he's so long [at 6'5"] he can rise up and shoot over people.  He is great at finding spacing.  We are going to work with him to expand on his dribble use and pump fakes.... we are [also] asking him this year to rebound and create more for his teammates and become more of a complete player."

With respect to his recruitment, Mosco noted that Smith had offers from Marist, Binghamton, University of Maryland-Baltimore County and Lafayette.  "Binghamton was pushing real hard."  He also noted that NJIT and Bryant recently entered the recruiting picture and were pushing for campus visits.  Meanwhile, since Smith did not attend many camps over the summer (he did attend the Penn Elite Camp) or play on the major AAU circuit, several Ivies and Patriots wanted to see more of him, including Pernn, Brown, Holy Cross and Colgate.  Delaware, and Davidson were also involved in his recruitment at earlier points in the process.  Cornell assistant, Mike Blaine was the lead recruiter at Cornell for Smith.

Hoop Scoop ranks Smith as 8th Team All Philadelphia Area while another site ranks Smith as the No. 9 prospect in the Philadelphia area for the Class of 2014.

City of Basketball Love evaluated Smith as follows:

Scouting Report
He is one of the best shooters in the area and has unlimited range. He plays with a confidence about him and always thinks his shot is going in. He uses screens extremely well and gets his shot off really quick. Smith also plays as hard as anyone in Philadelphia. He is a tremendous competitor that will do whatever it takes to win. If you pay attention to him this summer, keep the following stats on him: how many times he dives on the floor, and how often he wins the 50/50 ball for his teammates. Ultimate team player that needs to improve his handle and continue to work on his one-dribble pull-up as teams adjust to his deadly jumper on the perimeter. Because of his shooting ability, Smith will get looks from some mid-major schools but should be a great Ivy or Patriot league player if that is what he chooses.

Updates
(May 23, 2013): CoBL saw Smith play at the NEBL, a high school summer league in Northeast Philadelphia:

Archbishop Wood wing Pat Smith poured in 19 points in a 64-34 win over Friere, doing the majority of his damage early and hitting often from the perimeter. He said he’s been hearing a lot lately from Holy Cross + Brown, both of which he’s visited over the last few weeks. He’s planning visits to Cornell and Maryland-Baltimore County (one of his offers), and is also hearing quite often from Penn.

(April 26, 2013): CoBL saw Smith play at the Philly Hoop Group Jam Fest, where he claimed offers from Binghamton, Lafayette and UMBC:

Smith, a junior from Archbishop Wood, had quite a few college coaches in the building there to see him play, and he didn’t disappoint. The 6-foot-5, 180-pound wing dropped a game-high 23 points, dove on the floor for a number of loose balls and played hard on both ends of the floor. His biggest asset is his shooting, usually pulling up after a dribble or two to knock down the long jumper.

“That’s my go-to move,” he said of the pull-up jumper, “but I know I’ve got to build around it because during the game you saw guys pick up on that, they played me differently.

Once Smith committed to Cornell, City of Basketball Love wrote:

It was the school Pat Smith had been waiting on an offer from his entire recruitment. Once Cornell offered, there was no more waiting on his college decision.

The sharpshooting Archbishop Wood wing committed to play for the Big Red in 2014-15, ending his recruitment the day he was accepted to the northern New York state Ivy League institution.

“They called me, they said everything’s working out with admissions, I had a spot on the team, and I committed,” he told CoBL.

After checking with his family, of course.

“I actually told them I would get back to them,” he said. “Then I told my family and they were all like ‘Pat, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, you need to jump on this,’ and I completely agreed, so I decided to commit.”

Smith said that Cornell assistant Mike Blaine had been recruiting him hard all spring, and a visit up to the campus in late June sealed what his choice would be. As is the case with every Ivy League school, due to their not extending athletic scholarships, Smith first had to get into the University before he could be officially offered a spot on the team.

Once that happened, there really wasn’t much to debate.

“They were number one on my list…if I ever got an offer from there I just wanted to end my recruitment and commit right away,” he said. “I just fell in love with the campus, had great talks with the coaching staff; I felt like it was the right situation for me.”

While his junior season at Wood was by all means a successful one on the court–he averaged a team-high 14.9 ppg, leading his team to a 14-10 overall record–it was an extraordinarily trying one off of it. In January, his father Brian passed away of a heart attack at the age of 59.

“It’s kind of a funny story, but during my dad’s funeral, I told [his friends] that Cornell was looking at me a bit,” Smith said. “They said ‘Cornell, that’s the spot, your dad would have loved you to go there.

“So I feel like he would have been really proud of me.”

Wood coach John Mosco has only gotten a few opportunities to get to know Smith since taking the head coaching job at Wood last week, but he knows plenty about what type of player he is from coaching against him while an assistant at Neumann-Goretti.

“They’re getting a very good shooter, a great student-athlete and a great kid,” Mosco said. “They’re getting somebody that’s going to go out there and go to war for them, and help them win a lot of games.”

At 6-foot-5 and 180 pounds, Smith has a wiry frame that he’ll certainly need to bulk up in order to deal with the physicality he’ll face at the next level. And while his shooting is already good enough to do some serious damage in the Ivy Leagues, his new coach knows it’s about expanding his offensive arsenal to the point where he’ll get the opportunities to show off his 3-point abilities.

“I think he has to expand his game, shooting off the dribble and moving without the ball,” Mosco said. “I think for the next level he needs to rebound more and get a little more physical.”

Smith is Cornell’s first commitment for the Class of 2014.

~~~

Coach Ian Simon Says:
Smith is one of the best shooters in the area and has unlimited range. He plays with a confidence about him and always thinks his shot is going in; he uses screens extremely well and gets his shot off really quickly. Smith also plays as hard as anyone in Philadelphia, he is a tremendous competitor that will do whatever it takes to win. If you pay close attention to him during a game, keep the following stats on him: how many times he dives on the floor and how often he wins the 50/50 ball for his teammates. Ultimate team player that needs to improve his handle and continue to work on his one-dribble pull-up as teams adjust to his deadly jumper on the perimeter. Because of his shooting ability, Smith should be a great Ivy League player.

Ivy League 2013-2014 Roster Report and Recruiting Commitments

Above, Cornell's senior class of 2010, photographed as freshmen during 2006.  This class would go on to win three consecutive Ivy League Championships, including a perfect season during 2008.  During the three-year title run between 2008 to 2010, Cornell finished a dominating 38-4 in Ivy League games and appeared in three consecutive NCAA Tournaments.  No other Ivy League team finished within a game behind of Cornell in the standings during the commanding three-year run.  During their senior season, the Class of 2010 led Cornell to a Final No. 17 national ranking in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches' Poll and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament's Sweet Sixteen.  Jon Jaques (far left), returned to the Cornell coaching staff as an assistant coach during August 2013. 

• Below is The Cornell Basketball Blog's annual Ivy League Roster Report:

Projected Roster Sizes for the 2013-2014 Season

-Harvard (20 projected players, includes 5 seniors)
-Princeton (17 projected players including 4 seniors)
-Penn (18 projected players, includes 5 seniors)
-Yale (17 projected players including 3 seniors)
-Cornell (17 projected players, includes 4 seniors)

-Columbia (15 projected players including 1 senior)

-Dartmouth (15 projected players including 1 senior)
-Brown (15 projected players including 2 seniors)

Below is a list of players who were on Ivy League rosters, but left their respective programs since the 2008-2009 season due to reasons other than graduation and/or exhaustion of NCAA eligibility. Teams with long lists of player departures could be considered as a warning indicator of Ivy League players' dissatisfaction with their respective programs or alternatively evidence of coaching staffs that force out and cut players from the program.

Ivy League Roster Departures

HARVARD (21 departures)
Mike Hall (left during '14-'15)

Camden McRae (left during '12-'13)

Jeff Georgatos (left during '12-'13)

Ugo Okum (left during '12-13)
Max Hooper (left during '11-'12)
Jamie Moore (left during '11-'12)
Ernest Rouse (left during '11-'12)
Max Kenyi (left during '11-'12)
Pete Edelson (left during '10-'11)
Spencer de Mars (left during '10-'11)
Hugh Martin (left during '09-'10)

Peter Boehm (left during '09-'10)

Peter Swiatek (left during '09-'10)

Eric Groszyk (left during '08-'09)

T.J. Carey (left during '08-'09)

Kyle Fitzgerald (left during '08-'09)

Adam Demuyakor (left during '08-'09)

Ndu Okereke (left during '08-'09)

Darryl Finkton (left during '08-'09)

Cem Dinc (left during '08-'09)

Alex Blankenau (left during '08-'09)

DARTMOUTH  (19 departures)
Kirill Savolainen  (left during '13-'14)
Will McConnell (left during '12-13)
Jvonte Brooks (left during '12-'13)
Mack McKerney (left during '12-'13)

Nick Jackson (left during '11-'12)

Jenieri Cyrus (left during '11-'12)

Gediminas Bertasius (left during '11-'12)

James Herring ((left during '11-'12)

Kevin Mulquin (left during '11-'12)

Mbiyimoh Ghogomu (left during '11-'12)

David Eads (left during '10-'11)

Josh Riddle (left during '10-'11)

Herve Kouna (left during '10-'11)

Josef Brown (left during '10-'11)

Garrett Brown (left during '09-'10)

Marlon Sanders (left during '09-'10)

Brandon Ware (left during '09-'10)

Elgin Fitzgerald (left during '09-'10)

Jarrett Mathis (left during '09-'10)

PENN (17 departures)
Henry Brooks (left during '14-'15)
Julian Harrell (left during '14-'15)
Tony Bagtas(left during '14-'15)
Keelan Cairs (left during '13-'14)
Simeon Esprit (left during '13-'14) 

Marin Kukoc (left during '12-'13)

Larry Loughery (left during '12-'13)
Casey James (left during '11-'12)
Tommy Eggleston (left during '10-'11)
Sean Mullan (left during '10-'11)

Malcom Washington (left during '10-'11)

Carson Sullivan (left during '09-'10)

Brian Fitzpatrick (left during '09-'10)

Tommy McMahon (left during '08-'09)

Harrison Gaines (left during '08-'09)

Remy Cofield (left during '08-'09)

Garvin Hunt (left during '08-'09)

BROWN (12 departures)
Andrew McCarthy (left during '13-'14)
Tucker Halpern (left during '13-'14)
Christian Gore (left during '12-'13)
Patrick Donnelly (left during '12-'13)
Tellef Lundevall (left during '12-'13)
Hakeem Harris (left during '10-'11)
Colin Aldridge (left during '09-'10)
Sean Kane (left during '09-'10)
Stefan Kaluz (left during '09-'10)
Jean Herbert Harris (left during '09-'10)
Noel Hollingsworth (left during '08-'09)
Morgan Kelly (left during '08-'09)

COLUMBIA (11 departures)
Van Green (left during '13-'14)
Brad Gilson (left during '13-'14)

Sameir Ozier (left during '12-'13)
Skyler Scrivano (left during '12-'13)
Noruwa Agho (left during '12-'13)

Chris Fitzgerald (left during '12-'13)

Darrius Stevens (left during '11-'12)

Dyami Starks (left during '11-'12)

Dan Feldmann (left during '11-'12)

Sandeep Dhaliwal (left during '10-'11)

Tom Piscina (left during '10-'11)

Issa Masse (left during '10-'11)

PRINCETON (6 departures)
Edo Lawrence (left during '13-'14)
Brian Fabrizius (left during '13-'14)

Tom Noonan (left during '12-'13)

Zane Ma (left during '09-'10)

Max Huc (left during '09-'10)

Gus Gabel (left during '09-'10)

CORNELL (6 departures)
Nolan Cressler (left during '14-'15)
Jamal Cherry (walk-on) (left during '12-'13)
Holt Harmon (left during '12-'13)

Manny Sahota (left during '11-'12)

Alex Hill (left during '09-'10)

Marc Van Burck (left during '09-'10)

YALE (4 departures)

Will Bartlett (left during '12-'13)
Isaiah Salafia (left during '12-'13)

Michael Sands (left during '10-'11)

Garrett Fiddler (left during '09-'10)

• Below is an updated list of players committed to Ivy League schools in the classes of 2013 and 2014:

CLASS OF 2013 IVY LEAGUE COMMITMENTS

Steven Spieth (Jesuit HS) Dallas, TX, 6-6, F, Brown
Aram Martin (Miller School) Charlottesville, VA, 6-9, F, Brown
Lealand King (Brentwood School) Los Angeles, CA, 6-6, F, Brown
J.R. Hobbie (Manasquan HS) Manasquan, NJ, 6-4, G, Brown
Tavon Blackmon (Gonzaga) Washington, DC, 5-11, G, Brown
Matt Madigan (Mt. Tabor HS) Winston-Salem, NC, 6-4, G, Brown
Chris McComber (John McCrae School) Ottawa, ON, 6-7, F, Columbia
Kendall Jackson (Suffield Academy) Suffield, MA, 5-9, G, Columbia
Jeff Coby (Choate Rosemary Hall) Choate, CT, 6-6, F, Columbia
Luke Petrasek (Northport HS) Northport, NY, 6-10, C, Columbia

Connor Voss (St. Cloud Cathederal HS) St. Cloud, MN, 6-11, C, Columbia
JoJo Fallas (Shalhevet HS) Los Angeles, CA, 5-11, G, Cornell
Darryl Smith (Blue Ridge School) Chesapeake, VA, 6-2, G, Cornell
Desmond Fleming (College Park Woodlands HS) Woodlands, TX, 6-0, G, Cornell
Robert Hatter (Westside HS) Houston, TX, 6-1, G, Cornell

David Onuorah (Marist HS) Atlanta, GA, 6-8, 230, F, Cornell
Braxston Bunce (Kelowna SS) Kelowna, B.C., Canada, 6-11, C (red shirt)

Ikemefuna Ngwudo (Milton Academy) Milton, MA, 6-5, F, Dartmouth 

Eli Harrison (Sisters HS) Sisters, OR, 6-6, F, Dartmouth
Cole Harrison  (Montrose Christian) Memphis, TN, 6-11, C, Dartmouth

Mike Flemming (N'field Mt Hermon, MA) Lincolnshire, IL, 6-1, G, Dartmouth
Wes Dickinson (Peddie School) Hightstown, NJ, 6-6, F, Dartmouth

Matt Fraschila (Highland Park HS) Highland Park, TX, 5-10 G, Harvard 

Hunter Meyers (Douglas HS) Minden, NV, 6-6, F, Harvard 

Zena Edosomwan (Northfield Mt Hermon, MA) Hollywood, CA, 6-9, F, Harvard 

Matt Howard (A.J. Flora HS), Columbia, S.C., 6-4, G, Penn 

Dylan Jones (Village HS) Houston, TX, 6-8, F, Penn 

Dave Winfield (Harvard Westlake HS) Hollywood, CA, 6-8, F, Penn 

Tony Bagtas (Westlake HS) Atlanta, GA, 5-11, G, Penn
Preston Troutt (Trinity Christian) Dallas, TX 6-0, G, Penn
Khyan Rayner (Jesuit HS) Portland, OR, 5-9, G, Princeton

Henry Caruso (Serra HS) San Mateo, CA, 6-4, G, Princeton 

Hashim Moore (Hun School, NJ) Ft. Lauderdale, FL, 6-5, F, Princeton 

Spencer Weisz (Seton Hall Prep) Florham Park, NJ, 6-4, G, Princeton 

Steven Cook (New Trier HS) Winnetka, IL, 6-5, G, Princeton
Pete Miller (Northfield Mount Hermon, MA) Northfield, MA, 6-10, C, Princeton 

Sam Downy (Lake Forest HS) Lake Forest, IL, 6-9, C, Yale
A.J. Edwards (South Kent School) Kent, CT, 6-5, F, Yale

Anthony Dallier (Northfield Mount Hermon, MA) Wexford, PA, 6-6, F, Yale 

JT Flowers (Lincoln HS) Portland, OR, 6-5, F, Yale

CLASS OF 2014 IVY LEAGUE COMMITMENTS

Kyle Haber (Dubuque HS) Dubuque, IA, 6-7, F, Brown
Jason Massey (American Heritage HS) Plantation, FL, 6-4, G, Brown 

Tyler Williams (Lakota West HS) W.Chester, OH, 6-1, G, Brown
Pat Triplett (Bayless HS) St. Louis, MO, 6-3, G, Brown
Miki Ljuboja (Exeter Academy), Exeter, NH, 6-8, F, Brown
Nat Hickman (Peddie School) Wilmington, DE, 6-4, G, Columbia
CJ Davis (Molloy HS) New York, NY, 6-3, G, Columbia
Kyle Castlin (Hillsgrove HS) Powder Springs, GA, 6-4, G, Columbia
Noah Daoust (Hothckiss School) Montreal, Canada, 6-8, F, Columbia
Riley Glassmann (Fremd HS) Palatine, IL, 6-5, G, Cornell
William "Will" Bathurst (Olean HS) Olean, NY, 6-3, G, Cornell
Jordan Abdur-Ra'oof (Gonzaga HS) Washington, D.C., 6-7, F, Cornell
Pat Smith (Archbishop Wood HS) Warminster, PA, 6-5, F, Cornell
Kyle Brown, (Newport HS) Bellevue, Washington, 6-3, G, Cornell
Miles Wright (Tabor Academy) Tabor, MA, 6-3, G, Dartmouth
Taylor Johnson (Northwest HS) Johnson, TX, 6-4, G, Dartmouth
Alex Wolf (Greenwich HS) Greenwich, CT, 6-9, C, Dartmouth
Zach Yoshor (Beren Academy) Houston, TX, 6-7, F, Harvard
Chris Egi (Montverde Academy), Markham, Ontario, 6-8, F, Harvard
Andre Chatfield (Norcross HS) Norcross, GA, 6-5, G, Harvard
Dan Dwyer (Fenwick HS) Oak Park, IL, 6-8, F, Penn
Darnell Foreman (Pitman HS) Pitman, NJ, 6-0, G, Penn
Sam Jones (Gilbert Christian) Gilbert, AZ, 6-6, F, Penn
Antonio Woods (Summit Ctry. Day) Cincinnati, OH, 6-0, G, Penn
Mike Auger (New Hampton Prep) New Hampton, NH 6-6, F, Penn
Alec Brennan (Milton Academy) Milton, MA, 6-10, F, Princeton
Mike LeBlanc (New Hampton Prep) New Hampton, NH, 6-7, F, Princeton
Jackson Forbes (Pope John HS) Plano, TX, 6-6, F, Princeton
Aaron Young (Episcopal HS), Lynchburg, VA 6-1, G, Princeton
Amir Bell (East Brunswick HS) E.Brunswick, NJ, 6-4, G, Princeton
Sem Kroon (Northfield Mt. Hermon) Northfield, MA, 6-10, C, Yale
Eric Anderson (Haverford School) Haverford, PA, 6-6, F, Yale
Landon Russell (Nolan Catholic HS) Ft Worth, TX, 6-2, G, Yale
Maki Mason (Hotchkiss School), Lakeville, CT, 5-11, G, Yale
Khalil Bedart-Ghani (Loyola HS) Los Angeles, CA, 6-3, G, Yale

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
Travis Fuller (La Costa Canyon HS) San Diego, CA, 6-8, F, Brown
Chris Sullivan (Northfield Mt. Hermon) Wilmette, IL, 6-3, G, Brown
Rodney Hunter (Mariner HS) Cape Coral, FL, 6-5, G Columbia
Shane Eberle (Good Counsel HS) Woodbine, MD, 6-10, C, Columbia
Quinton Adlesh (Mission Prep) San Louis Obispo, CA, 6-0, G, Columbia
Peter Barba (Western Reserve HS) Cleveland, OH, 6-5, G, Columbia
John Sica (Bethlehem HS) Delmar, NY, 6-7, F, Columbia
CJ Davis (Molloy HS) New York, NY, 6-3, G, Columbia
Xavier Eaglin (Dayton HS) Raymond, TX, 6-7, F, Cornell
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
Jack Gordon (St. Mark's School) Dallas, TX, 6-4, G, 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
Balsa Dragovic (Cantwell-Sacred Heart HS) Montebello, CA, 6-7, F, Harvard

Cantwell-Sacred Heart of Mary High School

Weisner Perez (Morton HS) Berwyn, IL, 6-6, F, Harvard
Corey Johnson (Vermont Academy) Ottawa, CAN, 6-6, G, Harvard
Tommy McCarthy (La Costa Canyon HS) Carlsbad, CA, 6-0, G, Harvard
Max Rothschild (New Hampton Prep) New Hampton, NH, 6-7, F, Penn
Tyler Hamilton (Cheshire Academy) Norcross, GA, 6-3, G, Penn
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
Wyatt Walker (Providence HS) Jacksonville, FL, 6-9, F, 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

(UPDATED 2.14.15)

The Cornell Rebounders Welcome Back Picnic

Jon Jaques is Back Home, Joins the Cornell Coaching Staff

Jon Jaques, Cornell Class of 2010, returns to Cornell as an assistant coach.  After graduating from Cornell, Jaques spent the 2010-2011 season playing professional basketball in Israel's top division with Ironi Ashkelon.  He has two years of coaching experience, spending the 2011-2012 season at Stevens Institute of Technology in New Jersey and the 2012-2013 season at the Division I level with Columbia.  Jaques is also an experienced basketball writer having blogged for the New York Times, Sports Illustrated and Slam Magazine.

While serving as an assistant coach/manager at Columbia, Jaques' main responsibilities included handling the team's film exchange program, helping with player development, and assisting the coaching staff in hosting on-campus visits.

As a senior at Cornell in 2010, Jaques led the Ivy League in 3-point shooting overall (.472).  He was also was an All-Tournament Selection in the Legends Classic in Philadelphia and started 22 contests and averaged 8.0 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 1.0 assists while shooting 50 percent from the floor and 78 percent from the free-throw line in Ivy play.  He served as a team tri-captain for the 2009-2010 campaign during which Cornell finished #17 in the Final USA Today/ESPN Coaches' Top 25 Poll and appeared in the 2010 NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen.  Jaques was also a member of Cornell's 2008 and 2009 Ivy League Championship and NCAA Tournament teams.

News and Notes: Wednesday Edition

Above, A Date in Cornell Basketball History.  A.P. recaps from Notre Dame's narrow win over Cornell in 1986.  Below, news and notes for Wednesday...

• Drew Ferry (Cornell '12) signed a contract in Spain with Alcazar de San Juan, which will compete in the Spanish EBA.

• Will Cleveland, the beat writer for Cornell Basketball for the last year with the Ithaca Journal, has left the newspaper due to a reduction-in-force. 

• Cornell Athletics officially announced regarding tonight: "The annual Rebounder's Welcome Back Picnic for the men's and women's basketball teams will be held on Wednesday, August 28 at 6 p.m. at the Country Club of Ithaca. For the first time, the event is open to the public. Admission is $20 and can be paid at the door, or by contacting Ted Caldwell at dtedcaldwell@gmail.com." 

• Cornell's Homecoming Weekend, a critical Cornell Basketball recruiting weekend, will feature Ke$ha among other attractions.

Cornell Men's Basketball Announces Class of 2017 and Roster for 2013-2014

Below in this post, Cornell Athletics' announcement of the Big Red's freshman class and the 2013-2014 roster.  Also see The Cornell Basketball Blog's bios of these "newcomers" which include: 

• JoJo Fallas (Shalhevet HS) Los Angeles, CA, 5-11, G, Cornell
• Darryl Smith (Blue Ridge School) Chesapeake, VA, 6-2, G, Cornell
• Desmond Fleming (College Park Woodlands HS) Woodlands, TX, 6-0, G, Cornell
• Robert Hatter (Westside HS) Houston, TX, 6-1, G, Cornell
• David Onuorah (Marist HS) Atlanta, GA, 6-8, 230, F, Cornell
• Braxston Bunce (Kelowna SS) Kelowna, B.C., Canada, 6-11, C (red shirt)

Cornell Men's Basketball Announces Class of 2017

Cornell Athletics

ITHACA, N.Y. – Cornell head coach Bill Courtney has announced five incoming recruits will join the Big Red basketball program in the fall of 2013. Freshmen JoJo Fallas, Desmond Fleming, Robert Hatter, David Onuorah and Darryl Smith will bolster a lineup that returns seven letter winners and two starters from a squad that opened Ivy season with a 5-3 record before injuries sabotaged the final three weeks of the season.

G JoJo Fallas – 5-11/175 — Los Angeles, Calif. (Shalhevet HS)
Fallas was a four-time first-team all-league pick at Shalhevet HS. A three-time all-division selection and two-time captain, Fallas was a four-year starter in both basketball and baseball. He helped his team to a 24-2 record as a senior and helped the squad advanced to the Southern Section 5A basketball championship game, the furthest any team at the school had ever advanced in the playoffs. Fallas was named MVP of the Sarachek Tournament his senior year.

G Desmond Fleming – 5-11/180 — The Woodlands, Texas (The Woodlands College Park HS)
Fleming earned first-team all-district and all-county honors after averaging 12.0 points, 3.4 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game as a senior at The Woodlands College Park HS. A preseason top 100 player on the Guy V. Lewis Award Watch List as the top player in the city of Houston, he also earned academic all-district accolades. As a junior on a 30-8 squad, Fleming averaged 7.8 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.8 assists per contest and was named honorable mention all-district. He was a three-year letter winner on the varsity. Fleming also competed in track and field during his high school career.

G Robert Hatter – 6-2/165 — Houston, Texas (Westside HS)
Hatter was a second-team all-state selection as a senior at  Westside HS and was a three-time first-team all-district and two-time all-region pick. He earned all-Greater Houston accolades by VPE Magazine and was ranked as the No. 3 point guard in the area. Hatter was named the district most valuable player as a junior after averaging 21.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game. He was first-team all-league, all-district and all-region as a senior captain and earned team MVP accolades in each of his final three seasons. Hatter shot 50 percent from the floor, 88 percent from the free-throw line and 39 percent from beyond the 3-point arc in his final season.

F David Onuorah – 6-9/230 — Atlanta, Ga. (Marist HS)
An all-state selection by the Georgia Athletic Coaches Association as a senior at Marist HS, Onuorah earned honorable mention all-county honors. He received preseason All-Metro honors by the Atlanta Tipoff Club. Onuorah averaged 12.0 points and 9.0 rebounds per game as a junior and 6.5 points and 5.1 rebounds as a sophomore. He was named the team's defensive player of the year in his final year.

G Darryl Smith – 6-2/180 — Chesapeake, Va. (Blue Ridge School)
Smith averaged 14.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.8 steals per game as a senior captain at the Blue Ridge School. A two-time first-team all-league pick and a two-time team MVP, Smith earned second-team all-league accolades during his junior year That season, Smith averaged 6.2 points, 5.2 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game for one of the top 20 teams in the state and was part of a team that advanced to the state championship game as a sophomore. Smith was a member of the 2012 state championship football team as a defensive back and was a sprinter on the track and field team.