Ithaca Journal
November 23, 2009
Sure, Cornell coach Steve Donahue has a lot of quality, experienced pieces to build what he hopes is a third straight Ivy League championship team.
The placement of some of those pieces -- specifically at the power forward position -- and the workload they'll handle is still very much being ironed out.
So it looked Friday night against Seton Hall, with senior three-year starter Alex Tyler playing 13 minutes, senior Mark Coury logging 11 and junior Adam Wire 19 in support of center Jeff Foote, who played 35.
Wire provided the biggest offensive boost with 11 points, but his five rebounds all came on the offensive end. His 6-foot-5 frame, while physically imposing like a tight end, was at times overwhelmed by Seton Hall's 6-8 Herb Pope and 6-9 John Garcia on the defensive glass. Wire also put together an excellent seven-point, seven-rebound effort against Massachusetts.
Coury, listed at 6-9, exhibited flashes of his tremendous defensive ability when he rose above the rim to block Jeremy Hazell toward the end of the first half. He had two blocks and two points, but missed three short field goals -- all high percentage shots -- that Cornell needed.
Tyler, a physical 6-7, has never been a stat-box stuffer, but game film typically verifies the senior forward's importance. UMass coach Derek Kellogg apparently raved about Tyler's contributions last week, and his track record of hustle plays and quality screens set for shooters is well-documented. He also has the best step-away shot of the aforementioned trio. His minutes, however, have declined, little by little, with each game.
All three are valuable pieces, but all three must rebound better defensively. Seton Hall grabbed 19 offensive rebounds Friday night; Cornell's trio combined for three defensive boards. After Foote (21), the Big Red's leading defensive rebounder through three games is guard Chris Wroblewski (9).
The question facing Donahue now is, considering the massive Syracuse frontcourt awaiting Cornell on Tuesday night, what power forward rotation will work best?
"I think it's still to be determined," Donahue said Monday. "All three are working hard and (freshman Errick) Peck will see some time too. That's all being worked out, it's a work in progress and we've got to figure out what's the best thing for us."
No video for you
ESPN360 is broadcasting the Cornell-Syracuse game Tuesday night, which translates into frustration for those who get their internet through Time Warner (which is pretty much all of us, right?).
ESPN360 is an online video streaming service, but Time Warner doesn't provide it (Comcast and Verizon do). The service is free, however, on all military bases and college campuses, so anyone using Cornell's connection (or Ithaca's, for that matter) will be able to watch.
Inside the Ivy
* Harvard was 3-0 entering Monday night's game at Army. The Crimson, arguably the youngest Ivy team, have enjoyed great balance so far. Five players reached double figures against Holy Cross; four against William and Mary, and 12 players scored in a rout of Bryant.
* Columbia (1-1) has received back-to-back double-doubles from 6-foot-7 junior forward Brian Grimes, who transferred from La Salle two years ago. Grimes sat out the 2007-08 season due to NCAA transfer guidelines, then suffered a season-ending knee injury during the first five minutes of the first official practice of 2008-09.
* Through four games, Yale senior guard Alex Zampier is averaging 24.5 points and four steals. He's a quality player, but he needs help if the Bulldogs are going to crack the upper tier this year in the Ivy League.
* Penn coach Glen Miller can't catch a break, it seems. Last season was a disaster from an injury standpoint, and now 2007-08 Ivy rookie of the year Tyler Bernardini, and important 6-9 forward Andreas Schreiber, are out with injuries. No word yet on how long they'll be out.
Spiker vs. the Ivy
Ex-Cornell assistant and Ithaca College graduate Zach Spiker notched his second victory in his first year as Army's head coach with a 56-52 decision at Princeton on Saturday.
The Black Knights (2-1) hosted Harvard on Monday night, and welcome Yale on Saturday and Brown on Jan. 6.
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