Columbia has added a 19th member to its roster with the addition of Tom Priscina, a 6'2" freshman guard from Choate Rosemary Hall School in Connecticut.
Dartmouth becomes the last Ivy team to publish its 2009-2010 schedule. The Big Green will play 28 games, including one meeting with non D-I, Lyndon State. Dartmouth will face just one team from a BCS conference, Boston College in the season opener on November 13.
Below are links to the Ivy League schedules:
Finally, Army Athletics has archived video of Spiker's hiring press conference as well as some quotes.
Below are some related links to Army's hiring of Cornell assistant, Zach spiker:
Dartmouth becomes the last Ivy team to publish its 2009-2010 schedule. The Big Green will play 28 games, including one meeting with non D-I, Lyndon State. Dartmouth will face just one team from a BCS conference, Boston College in the season opener on November 13.
Below are links to the Ivy League schedules:
- Cornell will play 31 games, including two Division III games (PSU Behrend and Clarkson).
- Brown will play 31 games, including two non-Division I opponents (Keene State and Philadelphia Sciences).
- Columbia will play 28 games.
- Dartmouth will play 28 games, including one Division III game (Lyndon State).
- Harvard will play 28 games, including one Division III game (MIT).
- Penn will play 28 games.
- Princeton will play 28 games, including one non-Division I opponent (Goucher College).
- Yale will play 31 games, including one Division III game (Albert Magnus).
Finally, Army Athletics has archived video of Spiker's hiring press conference as well as some quotes.
Below are some related links to Army's hiring of Cornell assistant, Zach spiker:
- Spiker Hiring Announcement
- Spiker Press Conference
- Spiker Press Conference Quotes
- What They're Saying About Spiker
- Spiker Photo Album
Spiker said the following during his media conference:One of the architects behind the recent resurgence of the men’s basketball program at Cornell University, Spiker has served as an assistant under head coach Steve Donahue the past five years. Spiker helped the Big Red to upper-division finishes in the Ivy League during each of his five seasons in Ithaca, N.Y. He was instrumental in helping Cornell’s recruiting efforts the last five years, culminating in the Big Red winning consecutive Ivy League titles the past two seasons. It marked the first back-to-back league titles for Cornell in school history and the first time a team other than Pennsylvania or Princeton copped consecutive Ivy League championships.
With Spiker on the sidelines alongside Donahue, Cornell is coming off the most successful consecutive seasons in school history. One year after establishing school records for victories (22) and consecutive wins (16), points (2136), three-point field goals made (228) and highest free-throw percentage (.761), the Big Red set school records for points (2281), three-point field goals made (241) and blocked shots (121) last winter.
After registering a 22-6 overall record in 2007-08 (and a perfect 14-0 Ivy mark), the Big Red posted a 21-10 slate last season, closing out consecutive 20-win seasons for the first time in school history. Cornell won the Ivy League championship by three games and tied a school record with a perfect 13-0 home record, extending its home winning streak to a school-record 21 games (the third-longest active streak in the country). Juniors Louis Dale and Ryan Wittman repeated as first-team All-Ivy League selections, while Jeff Foote was named the Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year and was a second-team all-league selection. Freshman Chris Wroblewski earned Ivy League Rookie of the Year honors, marking the third time in the last four years a Cornell player was presented with the award. Spiker played a large role in recruiting all those players to Cornell.
(Ref.: preparing for his interview)Some quotes from Cornellians:
“It was a whirlwind. That is the key phrase that is being used. Mr. Anderson used it just now, and it seems like any phone call or text I get starts or ends with the word whirlwind. In some ways, I preferred it. In some ways it was easier. I didn’t have to come up with a bunch of props or gimmicks. I just showed up there from the recruiting trail. We went in the room and had a conversation. The conversation flowed. I had no idea where it was going to go from there, but in some ways I prefer that.”
(Ref.: the first person he called when he took the job)
“There was a lot of emotion. The first person I called was my wife, Jen. It was a very special moment. It was something that we have talked about. One day we hoped it would come, but I don’t think we expected it to come 10 days before the start of the season after being at Cornell where we won two titles and were poised to win another. It was a nice moment.”
(Ref.: his secret to recruiting)
“I don’t think it’s myself. It’s a group of people. We have a very similar group of people here at West Point that we did at Cornell in terms of a coaching staff that is willing to beat the bushes and grind it out to find different and unique ways to find players. Much of our success at Cornell had to do with coaches and the relationships they were able to build with the players, the high school coaches, the AAU coaches and the people around them. You asked for a secret, but it’s not a secret. It’s about finding the guy who wants West Point, and we’re going to find him. I’m confident in that. If they want to be here, than there’s a less likely chance of them not being retained as they go through the process of being a cadet.”
***
(Ref.: his plan for the team)
“The reason we had success at Cornell and Steve Donahue is such a good coach is that he wasn’t married to one plan. He was willing to take the players we had and do what best suited them for us to have success. We certainly had times where we didn’t have success, but we learned from those tough days, those tough games, those tough weeks. Once we were able to get things going in the right direction, we could always lean back on those times and say, ‘Let’s not go in that direction again.’ That’s something that makes Steve Donahue a terrific coach.”
***
(Ref.: starting so late in the recruiting season)
“Some of the more successful players we had at Cornell, we found in December, January, February and March. We’re not going to just stay with the guys we have on our list. We’re going to continue to develop that list. If there is someone we think can help this program get to where we hope it can be, we’re going to continue to recruit 2010s.”
***
(Ref.: what he’s taken from each of the coaches he’s worked for)
“I think they all bring different things, which is why I feel very lucky and maybe in fact, have this opportunity today, because I’ve learned different things from each coach. Coach Marshall was a man of tremendous defensive philosophy and really talked about defense a lot. He held guys accountable to get the best of them on defense. Coach Beilein was a terrific offensive mind in finding different ways to score, finding guys different shots and moving guys around the court in that two-guard system. People talk about what a great offensive coach he is, but they forget the guy lives and breathes with a 1-3-1 defense that people have a lot of trouble with. Coach Beilein is also very good as a motivator. I had the chance to see that up close and personal in my time at West Virginia. Coach Donahue is a guy that keeps things very simple, and really works with the guys. The players love to get on the court and work on different aspects with Steve. And he’ll do it anytime. For our programs to grow, you don’t need to be in the office on the phone. Although recruiting is important, and we’ve got an entire staff to help recruit, one of the most important things is to have relationships and work on Clevleland’s game. What does he need to do to get better? What does Josh Miller need to do to help this team? The end all is to be playing our best basketball in March, and that’s what we’re going to do.”
(Ref.: the biggest challenges starting 10 days before the beginning of practice)
“One of the things that is actually a comforting thought is the same thing I’m excited about. These seven seniors don’t make it as much of a challenge as if we were going to come in here and install some things. Some things that I welcome to this program is our senior leadership, their dedication and determination to work well with the staff that is here. The other thing is I have Jim, Jeff, Kendrick, Sean and John. That is something that makes it very easy to slide in. Let’s keep things going that are working. What makes it unique is that the physical part. There are a lot of clothes, and my wife and my son are still in our house in Ithaca. We have to find a way to get that done during the season. I’m really excited about the opportunity. Because of the mentoring that Steve Donahue did for me and what he did to get me involved in this situation, it was very easy to leave Cornell because of how he encouraged me to look after this opportunity.”
“Coming out of high school, I had an entirely different view of the type of relationship I would have with my college coach. Although I liked him during the recruiting process, I wasn’t sure what to expect when I got to campus. Coach Spiker far exceeded my expectations. He was always available for individual workouts, individual film sessions or even just to have a private conversation. His relationships with players were caring and respectful. Furthermore, his understanding of human dynamics allowed him to relate appropriately to a variety of personalities on and off the court. His ability to listen and treat us as people, not just athletes, made him very approachable at all times and highly respected by our team.
“As a coach, Coach Spiker approached his responsibilities with enthusiasm, dedication and sincerity. His sensitivity to the different roles a player can have over the course of a season was a major reason our championship teams had such great chemistry. Coach Spiker’s enthusiasm and determination is inspiring.”
- Jason Battle, Cornell University ’09, member of 2008 and 2009 Ivy League champions
"Obviously you want all your assistants to get a head coaching job, a Division I head coaching job, and to get one at such a prestigious institution like the United States Military Academy, it's just incredible. I'm so happy for him. He deserves it. Zach has an incredible work ethic. He's willing to put in the time. I think a lot of guys in this business think recruiting is making a big splash and being dynamic in a setting. In reality, it's the guy that's going to develop relationships over time through hard work, and really fulfilling all the things he talks about with the coaches and the families that gets ahead. Zach does a great job of staying on top of kids and making them realize he's there for them. He did that for us time and again. I think it's a great fit for Zach and for the U.S. Military Academy and I couldn't be more excited for him."
- Steve Donahue, head coach, Cornell University
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