News and Notes

Below, some more news and notes. Above, Cornell warms up before a game at Duke during January 2008.

• Is Cornell underrated? An issue we have had with several Ivy League previews this season is that they assume that the Cornell veterans have not improved. They conveniently forget that Louis Dale missed Cornell's first eight games a year ago and played injured (hamstring) the rest of the way. He is now fully healthy... even showed a dunk in Cornell's Red-White scrimmage. Also, some neglect that Jeff Foote added 20-25 pounds of muscle. And some glance past the fact that Cornell replaced an injured Adam Gore and an undersized (and not so athletic) Brian Kreefer with Max Groebe and Mark Coury. While the issue will not be resolved tomorrow, just a thought to think about...
  

• Former Cornell assistant, Zach Spiker talks to GoBlackKnights.com about his rebuilding project at Army. Spiker is the new head coach at West Point.

• CSNPhilly discussed Philly Basketball A-Z--- and for the letter Q writes, "Q-Quakers – This is a pivotal year for Penn head coach Glen Miller. This is Miller's fourth season at the helm of the program. He guided the Quakers to an Ivy League title and NCAA Tournament berth in 2007. But that team was assembled by Fran Dunphy. Miller has yet to put his stamp on the Penn program. Cornell has taken over the Quakers' former perch as top dog in the Ivy League, and the Big Red will be gunning for a third-straight Ancient Eight crown, something Penn accomplished from 2005-2007. Meanwhile, the Quakers staggered to a 10-win season last year. A repeat performance won't be tolerated from the proud Penn fan base."

• RedStormReport.com makes brief reference to Cornell on the St. John's schedule.
  

• The Columbia Spectator previews the Lions and writes, "The yardstick for Columbia, as with every Ivy team, will be Cornell."

• The Daily Pennsylvanian succinctly summarizes Penn's struggles the last two seasons as, "[Penn coach Glenn Miller's first season was] followed by a predictably middling second season, when a lineup rife with underclassmen scrapped to a 13-18 record and a third-place conference finish. And then there was last year. The raw numbers were grim: 10-18 overall, sub-.500 Ivy mark for the first time since 1991, and a winless Big 5 slate. The anecdotal evidence was at least as damning: nagging injuries, restless home crowds (including one youngster gracing the Palestra with a paper bag mask), and four players — including second-leading scorer Harrison Gaines — choosing to leave the program for reasons other than graduation."

Former Cornell assistant Zach Spiker at West Point, where he is Army's new head coach.