The Ivy League's strength is rarely its low post players. A year ago during the 2008-2009 season, Cornell's 7'0" center, Jeff Foote was relatively unchallenged in the paint with few opposing post players able to match up to his size and skill. The two-time All-Ivy League selection and reigning Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year, however, will meet a host of new challenges this season as several Ivy teams have upgraded their low post play. Below is a discussion of some of the Ivy League's top post players.
Standing 7'0" and 275 lbs, Columbia's Max Craig, a junior, is now the Ivy League's biggest of the big men. A newly eligible transfer from Loyola Marymount, Craig is athletic for his size, and could emerge as one of the Ivy's elite post players. A key for the Canadian import will be remaining healthy.
Andreas Schreiber, a 6'9" 245 junior at Penn sat out the 2008-2009 season with a shoulder injury. Capable of pulling his defender away from the basket or banging inside, Schreiber is one of the Ivy's most underrated players. He will present a new defensive challenge for Ivy opponents as the Quaker recover their inside presence.
The Ivy League's version of Elton Brand, Harvard's Keith Wright, listed at 6'8" 240 lbs. uses his body extremely effectively in the paint despite giving up 1-2 inches on some of his opponents. He missed four games last season due to mono and spent much of the season fatigued. Despite his nagging illness, he averaged 8.0 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. When fully healthy, he could emerge as All-Ivy League talent.
After appearing in just 15 games as a sophomore and averaging just 1.1 points per game, Princeton's Pawel Buczak, exploded into an All-Ivy post as a junior, upping his production to 7.7 points and 4.1 rebounds per game. At 6'11" and 220 lbs., Buczak's best days are still ahead of him.
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