News and Notes: Friday Edition

All in:  Galal Cancer and Shonn Miller return to active duty and team up with Devin Cherry.  They are now seniors heading into the 2014-2015 season and were each part of Bill Courtney's first recruiting class.  News and Notes for Friday below...

• Bleacher Report named Ryan Wittman (Cornell '10) one of the best shooters in college basketball history.  Others to make the list of ten include: Steph Curry, Kyle Korver and J.J. Redick.  BR writes:

Ryan Wittman
Years Played: 2006-2010
Three-Pointers Made: 377
Three-Point Percentage: 43.1
Before Ryan Wittman arrived at Cornell in the fall of 2006, the Big Red had a losing record in nine consecutive seasons, posting an overall record of 88-154. They had not been to the NCAA tournament since 1988.
That all changed in a hurry thanks to one of the best three-point shooters to grace the college courts.
Wittman shot better than 41.5 percent from three-point range in each of his four seasons at Cornell. He averaged at least 15.0 PPG each year, leading the team to three NCAA tournaments and an overall record of 88-33.
His senior year was Cornell's best ever. The Big Red went 29-5 and knocked off No. 5 seed Temple and No. 4 seed Wisconsin to reach the Sweet 16. In those two games, Wittman made seven of his 11 three-point attempts and averaged 22.0 PPG.
As soon as Wittman graduated, Cornell's basketball program reverted to its losing ways. The Big Red have had four straight losing seasons since Wittman's departure, including last year's horrendous 2-26 record.

• The Southwest Times reports on Cornell's visit to Radford.  See other confirmed Cornell games here.

• Galal Cancer announced his return to Cornell Basketball via Twitter and Instagram.

• See the Ice Bucket challenge participation with David Metzendorf, Robert Hatter, Galal Cancer and Shonn Miller.

• Shonn Miller poses for a photo with fellow Ivy Leaguers, Coach Jordan Watson (Dartmouth), Javier Duren (Yale), Matt Townsend (Yale), Clay Wilson (Princeton), John Golden (Dartmouth) during their summer European basketball tour.  See some "highlights" of the trip in a video produced by teammate Zach Monaghan (Minnesota-Mankato).  

• Per CBS Sports, Nolan Cressler is the 17th ranked transfer in the country eligible for 2015-2016.

Roster Report: Cancer Rejoins Cornell

 

Galal Cancer has re-joined the Cornell men's basketball team.  Meanwhile, freshman Riley Glassmann will not play for Cornell this year.   See the 2014-2015 team roster.

News andNotes: Thursday Edition

Below, news and notes for Thursday...

• Nunes Magician discusses Syracuse's biggest rivals and writes:

In the past, Colgate and Cornell were our two biggest rivals in pretty much everything. Today, they're mainly known as "convenient local connections that Jim Boeheim can easily plug in to fill a non-conference schedule." Okay, that's a little too harsh. Although both these schools are a little too focused on hockey for us to really get invested in basketball games (well, besides when Cornell was actually a top 25 team a few years ago) with them, (P.S.: I want men's hockey a ton at Cuse) they still provide us with some nice traditional matchups. We still maintain a really big lacrosse rivalry with Cornell that's resulted in a ton of great games (probably none more than the 2009 NCAA Championship), so get to those games whether they're at the Dome or in Ithaca if you can. And for nostalgic purposes, you can relive the memories of Syracuse-Colgate football games of past days on, yes, Wikipedia.

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

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

•  See Syracuse's press release on the Cornell game.

News and Notes: Wednesday Edition

Below, news and notes for Wednesday...

• Johnathan Gray (Cornell '13) signed a contract with Albacete of Spain and will join former teammate Andrew Ferry (Cornell '12).

• Robert Hatter takes the ice bucket challenge.

• D-League Digest projects Jeff Foote (Cornell '10) to play for the Grand Rapids Drive, the Pistons' affiliate.

• Siena coach, Jimmy Patsos made a point of telling the Albany Times Union that Cornell will be "much improved."

• Cornell Athletics announced that the Big Red will meet Syracuse on 12/31/14 at the Carrier Dome. Other Cornell games with confirmed public dates include:
  
  
  
  • George Mason (away) 11/14/14
  • South Carolina (Charleston Classic) 11/20/14
  • Binghamton (away) 11/29/14
  • Siena (away) 12/23/14 
  • Buffalo (away) 1/3/15  
  
  On the Syracuse game, Cornell Athletics writes:
  
  
  ITHACA, N.Y. – The Cornell men's basketball team will say goodbye to 2014 when it visits nationally ranked Syracuse on Wednesday, Dec. 31 at the Carrier Dome. The longtime Central New York foes will be meeting for the 120th time on the hardwood at a time to be determined.
  
  The Orange earned its sixth consecutive NCAA tournament berth and finished with a 28-5 overall record last season. The Orange won 25 straight games to start the season and was ranked first in both national polls for three weeks.
  
  Syracuse leads the all-time series 88-31 and carries a 34-game win streak against the Big Red into the season.  The two teams had their first meeting in 1900-01, an 18-15 victory by the Orange. Cornell is 1-21 all-time at the Carrier Dome and 0-20 vs. the Orange. A year ago, the Big Red gave #8/7 Syracuse all it could handle for a half, but couldn't weather a second half run in dropping an 82-60 decision to the Orange on Nov. 8 in a game that served as the season opener for both teams.
  
  Cornell head coach Bill Courtney returns for his fifth season looking to rebound after injuries decimated the team a year ago. There are plenty of reasons for optimism, as 2012-13 first-team All-Ivy League selection Shonn Miller and three of the team's top five scorers from a year ago return, including a pair of sophomore guards. Senior guard Devin Cherry is the team's top returning scorer (12.3 ppg.) and one of the conference's returning leaders in assists (3.5 apg.).

• The Post Standard writes:

Syracuse, N.Y. — The basketball drops for Syracuse and Cornell at the Carrier Dome on New Year's Eve.
The Orange and the Big Red play Dec. 31 in one of the longest-tenured matchups in Syracuse hoops history. SU owns an 88-31 advantage in the series, which dates to 1900-01. Cornell won the first eight games; the Orange has taken 34 straight.
The Big Red is coming off a difficult basketball campaign. Cornell finished 2-26 last season, its only wins over Oberlin and Dartmouth. SU defeated the Big Red 82-60 last Nov. 8.
Cornell returns Shonn Miller, a first-team All-Ivy selection from 2012-13 who missed all of last season because of injury. Miller is currently playing in Belgium, the Netherlands and England as part of a collection of touring college players. But the Big Red loses Nolan Cressler, the junior guard who was an All-Ivy Honorable Mention last year. Cressler has transferred to Vanderbilt.
Senior Devin Cherry averaged 12.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists for Cornell in 2013-14.
SU coach Jim Boeheim has said he prefers to keep Division I neighbors Cornell and Colgate on the Orange basketball schedule.

•  Nunes Magician writes:

You, likely:

"Man, what am I doing for New Year's Eve?"  Going to/watching Syracuse basketball take on Cornell, that's what!

As mentioned a week ago, the Orange's final non-conference basketball opponent is (of course) the Cornell Big Red. The long-time CNY foes will face off at the Carrier Dome on December 31 of this year, says Syracuse.com.

Last year, Syracuse won the almost-annual matchup, 82-60, taking its 34th straight victory in the series. The Orange have not lost to Cornell since 1969, an 89-80 OT defeat. All-time, the programs have met 119 times to-date, with Syracuse owning a lopsided 88-31 advantage.

After a nice stretch of success under coach Steve Donahue, the Big Red have crashed back to earth in the Ivy League. The 2013-14 campaign was an abject disaster for the team, as they went 2-26 overall (1-13 in the conference). It's worth noting last year's squad was without Shonn Miller, however, who returns this year and should once again be Cornell's best player.

• The Roanoke Times reports on Cornell's visit to Radford.

• The Journal News writes about local product, Yanni Hufnagel (Cornell '05).  See the main article here.

• The Elkhart Truth and WNDU note that Robert Mischler's former high school teammate is headed to Princeton.

News and Notes: Monday Edition

Above, A Date in Cornell Basketball History.  The cover of Cornell's 1981-1982 media guide.  Below, news and notes for Monday...

• Shonn Miller is on a basketball European goodwill tour with several fellow Ivy Leaguers via the Global Sports Academy.  On Sunday, Miller had a huge game for his GSA team, finishing with 20 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 block, and 1 assist in under 20 minutes while shooting 8/14 from the floor (1 dunk) and 1/3 from 3-pt range.  See click here to see the itinerary for the tour and roster.  Cornell Athletics writes:

ITHACA, N.Y. – Cornell senior men's basketball player Shonn Miller is joining a team made up of collegiate players from Division I, II and III on a goodwill tour through Belgium, The Netherlands and England through the Global Sports Academy.

Miller missed the 2013-14 season due to injury, but was a first-team All-Ivy League selection the previous year after averaging 11.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.9 steals, 1.9 blocks and 0.9 assists in 27 starts. He shot 48 percent from the floor and 79 percent from the free-throw line. The 2011-12 Ivy League Rookie of the Year, he already ranks high on the school's career list in blocks (fifth, 99) and could also hit the top 10 in steals (88) by the end of the season.

The team from the Global Sports Academy will play five games in seven days against a number of club teams while enjoying numerous sight-seeing opportunities in the three countries. The group returns to the United States on Thursday, Aug. 21.

Dartmouth assistant coach Jordan Watson leads the team that features five Ivy League players, including Miller. Yale's Javier Duren and Matt Townsend, Dartmouth's John Golden and Princeton's Clay Wilson will also be part of the tour. Rounding out the roster is Bryce Pressley and Alex Wintering from Portland, Joseph Lococo from West Liberty, Christopher Lee of Northwood, Zach Monaghan of Minnesota-Mankato and Bryant Ackerman of Elmhurst.

Since 1991, Global Sports Academy has been arranging tours for college and youth teams from the United States and countries around the world to promote international competition and goodwill. It was initially established to provide athletes overseas playing opportunities in ice hockey and has grown to support a total of 12 different sports that compete in 25 different countries. As a not-for-profit organization, its mission is to create and arrange athletic competition between equally matched teams at all international levels, promote international goodwill and a better understanding between nations through sports.

• Nunes Magician ponders if Cornell will play Syracuse this season.  Take it from us, The Cornell Basketball Blog, the game is happening.

• Former Cornell basketball player, Alex Hill, a member of Cornell's 2009 Ivy League Championship team, signed a pro contract with La Pallacanestro Piacentina of Italy's A2 League.  He is the 8th member of Cornell's 2009 Championship team to sign a pro contract.

• Jon Jaques (Cornell '10) and many other former Cornell players and coaches a week ago attended the wedding of Adam Gore (Cornell '09).

• Kevin App (Cornell '07) is in full swing as the head coach of Williams College. 

• NBC Sports expects some tough times ahead for Vanderbilt and Nolan Cressler.

News and Notes: Tuesday Edition

Above, A Date in Cornell Basketball History, Cornell's 30th anniversary of the 1984-1985 team which included 1985 Ivy League Player of the Year, Ken Bantum.  (Front Row (L-R): Jeff Trebac, Drew Martin, John Bajusz, Derek Williams, Rusty Cooper, Eric King. Second Row (L-R): Student manager Olric Francis, James Paul, Dean Kartsonas, Mike Millane, Cam Georges, Len Palmer, Sam Givens, student manager Mark Barnao. Third Row (L-R): Assistant coach Brad Nadborne, assistant coach Mike Dement, Wolfgang Florin, Ken Bantum, Greg Skoric, Scott Chernoff, Tom Murphy, Greg Gilda, head coach Tom Miller.)  Below, news and notes for Tuesday...

• West Valley Preps (Arizona) profiles former area athletes who are in Division I and writes:

Willow Canyon-Deion Giddens (basketball) — The 6-foot-9 big man stepped into the starting lineup as a junior at Cornell University before suffering a knee injury. He averaged 3.8 points, 3.1 rebounds and 0.7 blocks in 13 games for the Ivy League team.

• In the FIBA Centrobasket Tournament, Jonathan Gray (Cornell '13) scored 26 points in a win over El Salvador for his Virgin Islands National Team.  See the story in the Virgin Islands Daily.  USVI finished a respectable 2-2 in the Tournament.

• CSN Washington mentions Cornell's visit to George Mason.

• The Olean Times Herald blames St. Bonaventure's RPI struggles, at least in part, on Cornell and writes, "Sure, its non-conference RPI was down — that’s going to happen when you play two teams new to Division I, South Dakota and Cornell — but that number is only going to raise progressively with how good the Atlantic 10 has been."

• Grading the preseason tournaments, CBS Sports writes:

Gildan Charleston Classic
Held at TD Arena in Charleston, South Carolina. The eight-team tourney will go from Nov. 20, 21 and 23. The Nov. 21 quadruple header starts with Akron-USC, then Drexel-Miami (FL), then Penn State-Charlotte, and finishes with Cornell-South Carolina.
Grade: C. Charleston's had better fields in the past five years, that's for sure. This is the "show me" bracket, of all the November tourneys we see. USC will try to become established in its second year under Andy Enfield. Will the Hurricanes be better? Penn State, Charlotte and South Carolina are all facing years where fans are expecting an uptick but nothing gargantuan.

• YahooSports is also not impressed and writes:

Least appealing tournament: Charleston Classic

You can be forgiven for finding better things to do with your time this November than watching this year's Charleston Classic. An event that has boasted its share of marquee teams in years past lacks much name recognition this season. On one side of the draw is Akron-USC and Drexel-Miami — and believe it or not that's clearly the more compelling half of the bracket. The other side features Penn State-Charlotte and South Carolina-Cornell. Miami ought to be the class of this tournament thanks to the arrival of transfers Angel Rodriguez and Sheldon McClellan. USC's freshman class should help it take a step forward and Charlotte actually came out of nowhere to win the Puerto Rico Tip-Off last November. Still, this is a field that suggests there may be a few too many preseason tournaments these days because the quality is getting a bit watered down.

• summarizes the Charleston Classic particpants:

2014 Gildan Charleston Classic Field
Charlotte: The 49ers posted a 17-14 mark, including a 7-9 record in Conference USA play during the 2013-14 campaign. They fell to NIT Quarterfinalist participant Louisiana Tech in the quarterfinals of the CUSA tournament.
Cornell: Cornell finished the 2013-14 season with a 2-26 mark overall and a 1-13 record in Ivy League play.
Drexel: The Dragons advanced to the Colonial Athletic Conference quarterfinals after posting a 16-14 record and closing the regular season at .500 (8-8) in league play.
Miami (Fla.): The Hurricanes ended last season with a 17-16 mark while posting a 7-11 record in ACC play.
Penn State: The Nittany Lions earned a spot in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) and fell to eventual-champion Siena in the quarterfinals. PSU finished the campaign with a 16-18 overall record, going 6-12 in Big Ten play.
South Carolina: The Gamecocks ended their season in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals, posting a 14-20 record (5-13 SEC).
Southern California: The Trojans enter the 2014-15 season after posting a 11-21 mark last year. USC closed Pac-12 play with a 2-16 record.

• A Cornell Basketball Prospect Camp participant posted some rare insider footage from this year's Camp.

Cornell to Face the Gamecocks in Charleston, South Carolina

The Charleston Classic and ESPN have announced the bracket for this November's Charleston Classic.  Cornell is guaranteed three games to be broadcast live on the ESPN platform and will open the event against the University of South Carolina on November 20.