Cornell's Aaron Osgood (No. 4) has showed a lot of potential for the Big Red.Most fans of Ivy League basketball are familiar with Cornell's star veterans. Players such as Ryan Wittman, Louis Dale, and Jeff Foote get the most playing time and grab all of the media attention and spotlight.
Ancient Eight spectators, however, do not get much of an opportunity to see the skill level and the depth of Cornell's reserves on the scout team. Regardless of what fans around the league know or do not know about the Big Red's younger players, Cornell's coaching staff believes they have a second unit that could play with most Ivy opponents' regular rotations.
Cornell head coach Steve Donahue told the Ithaca Journal last March, "I'd take that group [Cornell's reserves] against anyone [in the league]." Below, we spotlight three of Cornell's reserves who could play big roles for Cornell in the coming seasons.
Ancient Eight spectators, however, do not get much of an opportunity to see the skill level and the depth of Cornell's reserves on the scout team. Regardless of what fans around the league know or do not know about the Big Red's younger players, Cornell's coaching staff believes they have a second unit that could play with most Ivy opponents' regular rotations.
Cornell head coach Steve Donahue told the Ithaca Journal last March, "I'd take that group [Cornell's reserves] against anyone [in the league]." Below, we spotlight three of Cornell's reserves who could play big roles for Cornell in the coming seasons.
Aaron Osgood (Jr., 6'9" 230 lbs.)-Osgood could be Cornell's "most complete" frontcourt player. He is also one of the team's most athletic players. During the '08-'09 preseason, he was expected by the program to earn minutes in the regular rotation. However, a slew of injuries kept him off the playing floor for much of the year. When healthy, the junior has range on his jump shot extending beyond the foul line and excels on the defensive end, blocking shots and rebounding. Do not be surprised if he earns minutes this season.
Adam Wire (Jr., 6'6" 220 lbs.)-Wire is one of the most versatile players in the Ivy League. He is strong and physical enough to play power forward, but yet has the ball handling and perimeter skill set to also run the point and break full court pressure. He also possesses great defensive instincts and is one of Cornell's best on the ball defenders. Cornell usually inserts Wire into game situations where the Big Red need a boost of defensive intensity. Last year he appeared in 29 games, averaging 15.1 minutes per contest. During that time, he contributed a well rounded 2.7 points. 3.1 rebounds, 1.4 steals and .9 assists per game. One of the best finishers on the team, Wire had four dunks last season.
Alex Hill (So., 6'5" 190 lbs.)-Like Osgood and Wire, Hill is athletic and can be an explosive scorer. He can run the break and finish in transition with slam dunks or pull up and shoot from long distance in the half court offense. A year ago, Hill knocked down 9/20 from beyond the arc and on the year scored 32 points in just 46 minutes.
Adam Wire (Jr., 6'6" 220 lbs.)-Wire is one of the most versatile players in the Ivy League. He is strong and physical enough to play power forward, but yet has the ball handling and perimeter skill set to also run the point and break full court pressure. He also possesses great defensive instincts and is one of Cornell's best on the ball defenders. Cornell usually inserts Wire into game situations where the Big Red need a boost of defensive intensity. Last year he appeared in 29 games, averaging 15.1 minutes per contest. During that time, he contributed a well rounded 2.7 points. 3.1 rebounds, 1.4 steals and .9 assists per game. One of the best finishers on the team, Wire had four dunks last season.
Alex Hill (So., 6'5" 190 lbs.)-Like Osgood and Wire, Hill is athletic and can be an explosive scorer. He can run the break and finish in transition with slam dunks or pull up and shoot from long distance in the half court offense. A year ago, Hill knocked down 9/20 from beyond the arc and on the year scored 32 points in just 46 minutes.
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