Newman Nation Tribute

Cornell Basketball's Newman Arena experience...

Cornell has had success and their gym is always rocking and just packed.

-Jeremy Lin, Harvard

They’ve [Cornell] certainly done a good job getting a pretty good atmosphere—it was rocking all night. They [Cornell's fans] were out here a good 45 minutes while we were warming up already, making chants, getting on people, and certainly as you saw at the end with them rushing the court. I thought it was a lot of fun, I mean it’s good for them, it’s good for the league—we certainly love playing in it.... I think the most exciting places to play are either Yale or Cornell because we get heckled. Although the venues aren’t very big, their students get into it and get after us pretty good.

-Andrew Pusar, Harvard '09 (see also here)

The birth of our student section known as Newman Nation early last season made our home court the Ivy League’s answer to Cameron Indoor Stadium. While the fan base continues to grow, so too do their expectations for our team...

I’d also like to take this opportunity to thank “Newman Nation”, our student section at home games, for turning Newman Arena into the greatest basketball environment and home-court advantage in the Ivy League.

-Jon Jaques, Cornell '10 (see also here)

Louis Dale '10, who elicits cheers of "Louuuuu" whenever the ball is in his possession, expressed his appreciation for the fans..."It's been great ... having people coming out and supporting us...It's overwhelming."

-Louis Dale, Cornell '10 with The Cornell Chronicle

This is my first time here in this facility period, and obviously with a lot riding on the game for their team, their fans were tremendous, their students were terrific. They had the place packed and rockin’ and their team fed off that and away it went.

-Tommy Amaker, Head Coach, Harvard

As [Jeff Foote's] 7-foot frame rose for the dunk, so did the entire crowd of 4,254 at the Newman Arena, which many fans said had never been as loud as it had been at that moment.

-Stu Woo, Brown University Daily Herald

The loyal Newman Nation... pack[s] Cornell’s Newman Arena... The Cameron Crazies they aren’t, but they certainly rock the arena. The student section gets shot-altering loud, and they’re on their feet for all 40 minutes.

-Ben Strauss, Ithaca College, writer for The Ithacan

Last night, I ventured to Newman Arena in Ithaca, N.Y. to take in Cornell's Ivy League finale against Princeton. When I originally purchased the tickets, I thought I'd be watching the Big Red attempt to clinch the Ivy title and the NCAA berth that goes with it. But, alas, it was not meant to be. Cornell took care of business on Friday by dismantling Penn... When the majority of your college basketball viewing is done at the [Syracuse] Carrier Dome, it's nice to catch a game in an intimate atmosphere every once in a while... [Cornell's] Newman Arena is, all things considered, a very nice venue... Cornell's student section enjoys counting down when the opposition's shot clock is about to expire... [and] enjoys beginning its countdown at the wrong number... Cornell's student section is better than that of Syracuse.

-Holding On Ruben Brown Blog

For the Quakers (10-18, 6-8), the loss to the Big Red - the fourth straight time they have failed to beat former Penn assistant Steve Donahue's squad - was just another reminder of how things have changed on 33rd Street [in Philadelphia] Instead of cutting down the nets themselves, the Red and Blue [of Penn] had to watch as Cornell fans stormed Newman Arena's floor while Queen's We Are the Champions blared over the loudspeaker.

-Zach Klitzman, The Daily Pennsylvanian

[T]he atmosphere here [at Cornell's Newman Arena] is pretty electric... I bet Penn can’t wait to leave this state.

-The Daily Pennsylvanian

Cornell fans did something that no other floor stormin’ fan base has done: they CHANGED THE SCORE OF A GAME. Think about that for a moment. Forget about being feared in the Ivy, they should be the most feared student section in the nation. Trailing Syracuse by three points with under one minute left? That’s fine, they’ll just take the court and give the scoreboard a little boot…

-Marco Anskis, StormingtheFloor.com with TheMidMajority.com

Cornell is traditionally a hockey school before anything else. Every year, Cornell students camp out for season tickets to Big Red men's hockey and, before the school changed the system three years ago, risk broken limbs in a mad weeknight stampede to claim line numbers. Cornell's Lynah Rink is known as one of the toughest places for visiting teams to play due to the volume and spirit of the student fans. The men's basketball team's recent rise to (relative) prominence has resulted in record attendance for Big Red basketball.

-Deadspin.com

The Case for Cornell Basketball

Below, an outline of some highlights of the Cornell Basketball program.

• Cornell Dominates Ivy League Basketball-The Big Red have made two consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament and won two consecutive Ivy League titles with a 25-3 mark over the last two seasons in the conference. No Ivy team has finished within three games of Cornell in the last two years. Last season, Cornell beat Ivy opponents by an average of 12.9 points per game.

• Mid Major Power-Cornell is a mainstay in the Mid Major Top 25 Poll as voted upon on CollegeInsider.com. During the last two seasons, Cornell was the only Ivy League team to receive recognition in the final voting results. In both seasons, Cornell finished ranked among the top thirty mid major programs in the country. During 2007-2008, Cornell finished the season ranked No. 18. Last season, Cornell finished 2008-2009 ranked in the 29th position with 27 votes received.

• More than Just a Conference and Mid Major Power, Cornell Highly Ranked in Major National Rankings-Cornell finished 2007-2008 with a final RPI rank of No. 65 and a No. 33 national ranking (in terms of votes received) in the Final Associated Press (A.P.) Top 25 Poll. The Big Red are expected to be highly ranked during the preseason heading into 2009-2010.

• Big Time "High Major" Schedule-Playing big time college basketball means playing the best teams in America, anytime, anywhere. Cornell plays a big time Division I schedule. For example, this season Cornell will face Kansas, Alabama, Syracuse, Seton Hall, UMass, St. Joseph's, La Salle, Davidson and potentially St. John's. The Seton Hall and St. Joseph's games will be played in Cornell's Newman Arena. Cornell's schedule also includes participation in the Legends Classic and back-to-back games in Madison Square Garden in the Holiday Festival. No other Ivy League program can offer this level of challenge or national exposure in a schedule. In the last three years, Cornell also faced teams such as Duke, Indiana, and Minnesota.
  

• Big Time Players Join Cornell-Players from big time Division I programs regularly transfer to join the Cornell Basketball program. In the last three years, the Big Red welcomed several transfers from the SEC, Big 12, Pac 10, and A-10. The current Cornell roster includes Division I transfers from the University of Kentucky, the University of Colorado, UMass, St. Bonaventure and Centenary College. Cornell has also welcomed transfers in the last few years from USC, the University of Utah, Air Force, Bradley and Wofford.

• Stable Cornell Big Red Coaching Staff-Cornell's coaching staff is the hallmark of stability within the Ivy League. The entire coaching staff has deep rooted connections to Cornell, the Ivy League and the Ithaca area. Steve Donahue, The Robert E. Gallagher '44 Head Coach of Cornell Men's Basketball has coached basketball in the Ivy League for two decades, longer than any other coach in the conference. During 2007-2008, Coach Donahue was the NABC and USBWA District Coach of the Year, a Hugh Durham National Mid-Major Coach of the Year finalist and a U.S.A. Basketball Court Coach (Under-18 National Team). Cornell has coaching connections throughout the NCAA.
  

• Stellar Retention of Players in the Program-Cornell's retention rate leads the Ivy League. This means the players are satisfied with their experience in the program. Virtually every member of Cornell's last three recruiting classes of 2010, 2011, and 2012 (the current seniors, juniors, and sophomores) stayed with the Cornell basketball program and either graduated or are on track to graduate on time.

• Successful Alumni from the Basketball Program-Following graduation, alumni of the Cornell Basketball program have established very successful career paths. Some are playing basketball professionally, while others have moved onto professions away from the basketball court. Two recent Cornell alums played in the NBA's Development League. Cornell also has several alums currently serving as executives in NBA front offices . And over the years, there were Cornell players who actually made it onto NBA rosters.
  

• Media Attention and Publicity- In Central New York, Cornell Basketball is The Basketball Show and its players are The Stars. Cornell is the only Division I (or professional) basketball program within a 50 mile radius of its campus. The Big Red therefore receive substantial tv media attention in the region from the major network channels- WBNG-Binghamton (CBS News), WETM-Elmira (NBC News), WSYR (ABC News), and Time Warner News. The Big Red are also covered extensively in the print media such as the Ithaca Journal and New York Times. No other Ivy League school receives comparable media attention.

• Cornell's Newman Arena: "Home of Newman Nation"- Leads Ivy League in Attendance-With the highest average attendance in the Ivy League, Cornell's Newman Arena has become the best environment to play and watch college basketball in the conference. At the close of 2008-2009, the Big Red had won 21 consecutive home games at Newman, the third longest active streak in the country. Additionally, Cornell is currently riding a 15 straight home court winning streak against Ivy League teams. Teams from the Big East and A-10 will visit Newman Arena this season.

• Cornell Dominates All-Ivy League and Ivy League Rookie of the Year Award-Cornell newcomers have won four of the last seven Ivy League Rookie of the Year awards, including three of the last four. Cornell also placed two players on the All-Ivy League First Team and at least a third player on the Second Team in each of the last two years. In fact, four Cornellians were named All-Ivy League during 2007-2008, while the Big Red's Louis Dale captured the Ivy League Player of the Year Award and Honorable Mention All-American honors. Teammate Ryan Wittman has been named to virtually every Mid Major All-American team.

• Cornell Best Balance of Academics and Athletics in Ivy League-In its most recent ranking, Stack Magazine's Elite 50 ranks Cornell 45th in the country (and No. 1 in the Ivy League) in overall athletics-academics balance. Cornell was 39th the prior year and was the only ranked Ivy League school. Taking academics out of the equation and examining solely the Cornell Athletic Department's overall level of success, Cornell University finished No. 59 in the final Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup standings out of 271 Division I programs. Three Cornell men's athletic teams finished in the Top 10 nationally. Cornell men's lacrosse was the national championship runner-up and finished with a No. 7 national rank, men's hockey made it to the NCAA Tournament Elite 8 and finished with a No. 9 national rank, and the wrestling team finished 5th nationally.
  

• The Hottest Ivy League School-Virtually every major news and education publication ranks Cornell in the top handful of Universities in the country and the world. For example, US News & World Report asked guidance counselors from America's Best High Schools to tell the magazine which national universities they think offered the best education to their students. They rated the universities on a scale of 1 to 5 (with 5 being the top score) or marked "don't know" if they were unfamiliar with that particular college. Cornell was ranked 5th in the United States. Newsweek Magazine ranked Cornell as the "Hottest Ivy League School." In addition, The Princeton Review reported that Cornell ranked ninth as a "dream college" for high school students and their parents. Washington Monthly ranks Cornell No. 7 in the nation (and top in the Ivy League) it is latest rankings, while Cornell was ranked No. 15 in U.S. News & World Report's Top Universities for 2010. In terms of just its "Peer Assessment-Academic Reputation Rank Score"-- Cornell has consistently been ranked among the nation's top 10 in the U.S. News rankings and is current ranked. 9th. Globally, Cornell is No. 15 in the world according to Britain's HE-QS World University Rankings and No. 12 in the world according to "Academic Ranking of World Universities" of the Institute of Higher Education, Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Cornell also boasts the nation's No. 1 academic departments in multiple fields including Engineering Physics, Architecture & Planning, Hotel Administration, Industrial & Labor Relations (sports management), and Agricultural & Veterinarian /Animal Sciences. According to the latest ranking of the National Research Council, Cornell ranks sixth nationally in the number of academic programs ranked in the top 10 of their fields. Not surprisingly, Cornell produces more graduates that go on to become doctors than any other university in the USA.
  
  Business Week magazine's rankings of the Top Undergraduate Schools of Business places Cornell No. 8 nationally, while U.S. News ranks the program No. 10. Among Ivies, only Cornell and Penn offer business programs for their undergraduates. Cornell's engineering program was also ranked No. 9 nationally by U.S. News, the only Ivy program ranked.
  
  Cornell's academic offering and options are simply not rivaled by any school in the Ivy League or in the world. The University offers more more majors and more courses than any other school with virtually every academic program among the top ranked in its field. In short, students at other Ivies have far fewer choices than Cornell in the diversity of college majors and courses.
  

• Big Time Campus & College Town-Widely considered one of the most beautiful if not the most beautiful college campuses in America, Cornell is situated in Ithaca, New York, which was ranked by Outside Magazine as one of the top 15 best college towns in the country. Ithaca was also ranked as America's best collegetown by the American Institute for American Research. Cornell and Ithaca look like what an All-American college campus and college town should look like.
  
  Other Ivies have campus atmospheres comparable to a Division III school. They are mostly small urban or suburban campuses with minimal college town atmosphere. Cornell and Ithaca give give off the feeling of a big time Big 10, Big 12, ACC or Pac 10 school. The Cornell student body is the largest in the Ivy League and consists of over 20,000 students. It is also by far the Ivy League's largest campus, consisting of more than 4,000 acres. By way of comparison, Cornell's campus is more than four times the size of the second largest Ivy League school. In fact, Cornell is larger than most schools in the Big 10, Big 12, ACC or Pac 10 .

Despite its massive size, Cornell's seven undergraduate colleges and living centers break down the University into smaller and more intimate communities.

Besides membership in the Ivy League, Cornell is also a member of the State University of New York (SUNY) system. Thus, in addition to the Ithaca main campus, Cornell has extension campuses in every county of New York State, including Manhattan (New York County), and maintains campus sites in Puerto Rico, Rome, Maine, Washington, D.C., Peru, and Qatar. In short, Cornell's physical reach is unparalleled by its rivals in the Ivy League. And with more than 250,000 living alumni, Cornell also has the largest alumni base in the Ivy League.


• Cornell Basketball's Official 2008-2009 Ivy League Championship Season Highlights and Recruiting Video Clip, click here.

• Cornell Basketball's Unofficial 2007-2008 Ivy League Championship Season Highlights, click here.

(Revised 12.11.09, originally published 8.18.09)

The Case for Cornell Basketball

Similar to the published content in Cornell's media guides for all of its athletic teams, in our regular series, "The Case for Cornell Basketball," we post information which we believe demonstrates that Cornell is one of the most attractive college basketball program in the country for its players.

Notable this week, Ithaca, N.Y., home of Cornell's main campus was ranked by the American Institute for Economic research as the top collegetown in America for cities with populations under 250,000 people (click here and see the story in USA Today).

The American Institute explains, "Choosing the right college isn’t just about professors and classes. Conversations in coffee houses, performances in concert halls, and opportunities for corporate internships also contribute to education. That’s why AIER’s latest publication, the College Destinations Index: 2009-10 Edition assesses a location’s broader learning environment."

It is this point that separates Cornell from its Ivy League peers. While at other Ivy colleges, one can tour an entire campus in just under a few hours, it takes most Cornellians a lifetime to see all of Cornell's campus and its learning environment.

Although Cornell's main campus in Ithaca consists of 745 acres on the main campus site and an additional attached 4,000 acres on the Cornell Plantations, the Cornell campus extends far beyond the reaches of Ithaca, New York. No cliche, Cornell is literally a global campus.

Click here for a world map of some of Cornell's extended locations or visit some of their sites below:

• New York City-Cornell University's New York City presence stretches from the southern tip of Manhattan to Lenox Hill on the Upper East Side. Check out Cornell's multiple programs and schools in New York City, including Cornell Medical College
• White Plains, New York (Westchester County)-Cornell Medical College Department of Psychiatry
  
• Doha, Qater-Cornell Medical College Campus in Qatar
• Washington, D.C.-Cornell-in-Washington Center
• Rome, Italy-Cornell's Campus at Palazzo Lazzaroni
• Appeldore Island, Maine-Cornell's Shoals Marine Laboratory
• Arecibo, Puerto Rico-Cornell's Radio Telescorpe and Space Exporation Station
• Iquitos, Peru-Yarapa Amazon River Lodge
• Van Etten, New York-Cornell's Arnot Forrest
  
• Geneva, New York-Cornell's Vinification & Brewing Laboratory
• Geneva, New York-Cornell's Agricultural Experimentation Station and Campus in Geneva, New York
• Portland, New York-The Cornell Lake Erie Research and Extension Laboratorty for Grapes
• East Port, New York (Long Island)-Cornell Duck Laboratory
  
• Riverhead, New York (Long Island)-Cornell's Horticultural Research Laboratory (LIHRL)
• Bridgeport, New York-Cornell Biological Field Station
• Highland, New York-Cornell's Agriculture and Life Sciences Hudson Valley Lab
• Cornell Cooperative Extension Centers in every county of New York State
• Cornell's School of Industrial & Labor Relations in Albany, Buffalo and Rochester
  

Cornell Sun Reports on U.S. News College Rankings

The Cornell Daily Sun reports today on the recent publication of U.S. News' Rankings of the Best Colleges in America. As we previously reported, Cornell scored exceptionally well in the magazine's categories measuring Cornell's overall academic reputation.

For example, in the "peer assessment" ranking, a survey of academic reputation among college administrators, presidents, provosts and deans of admissions at other universities, Cornell was ranked 9th overall in the country with a score of 4.5 out of 5.

Cornell was also ranked 5th in the country in the magazine's survey of high school guidance counselors from around the United States.

Cornell's undergraduate business and engineering programs were also both ranked among the nati0n's top 10, the only Ivy League school to claim such an honor.

The publication also confirmed that Cornell continues to receive more college applications than any other Ivy League school.

Last year, U.S. News & World Report selected Cornell's Ryan Wittman as one of the best students in the 2009 NCAA Tournament.

In another twist on the NCAA Tournament, USA Today reported that Cornell grads had the second highest incomes of the 65 teams in the 2009 NCAA Tournament.

The Cornell Coaching Family Tree

Below is an update on some NCAA basketball coaches with ties to Cornell Basketball. Pictured above, Steve Donahue The former Robert E. Gallagher '44 Head Coach of Cornell Men's Basketball as cuts down the 2007-2008 Ivy League Championship net, the first of three consecutive Ivy League titles.

COLLEGIATE BASKETBALL COACHES WITH TIES TO CORNELL

Zach Spiker-Hired on October 3, 2009, Spiker is the Head Coach of Army. Spiker erved as an assistant under former Cornell head coach Steve Donahue between the 2004-2005 season and the 2008-2009 season.

Ka'Ron Barnes ('04)-Assistant an Army under Spiker after playing four seasons for Cornell.

Yanni Hufnagel ('06)-Hufnagel, a graduate of Cornell's School of Industrial and Labor Relations is a former Cornell team manager. He is currently an assistant coach at Harvard.

Izzi Metz-A former Cornell assistant coach for five seasons between 2001-2006 and is currently head coach at Hobart College.

Mark Vershaw- former Cornell assistant during the 2006-2007 season, is head coach at Monmouth College in Illinois.

Paul Fortier-Served as an assistant coach during 2003-2004 and 2004-2005 under Steve Donahue. Currently an assistant coach for the Washington Huskies under Lorenzo Romar.

Joe Burke-He was an assistant coach under Steve Donahue between 2001-2004. He is now the head coach at Skidmore College

Desmond Oliver-He was an assistant coach between 1998-2000 under Scott Thompson and currently is a member of the Canisius coaching staff after serving a stint with the University of Georgia.

Jeff Jackson ('84)-Head Coach of Furman University (Division I) and Class of 1984 graduate of Cornell.

Mike Dement-Currently the Head Coach of UNC-Greensboro (Division I), he served as head coach of Cornell between '86-'91. In 1988 he led Cornell to the Ivy League title and the 1988 NCAA Tournament.

Steve Robinson-Assistant Coach at North Carolina under Roy Williams. and former assistant for Williams at Kansas. Before joining Williams' staff at Kansas in 1988, Robinson was an assistant coach for Mike Dement at Cornell, including on the 1988 Ivy League Championship team.

(updated 4.5.10)

Big Red in NBA Front Offices

Cornell has a history of alumni playing in NBA and NBDL. But the Big Red also have alums scattered throughout NBA front offices. Below are some notable Cornell alums currently employed in the NBA .

Bryan Colangelo ‘87 was named the NBA’s Executive of the Year in 2005 as the team president and general manager of the Phoenix Suns and currently serves in the same role for the Toronto Raptors organization. He is a graduate of Cornell's Applied Economics and Management program, Cornell's "undergraduate business school."

Larry Tannenbaum '68 is has a B.S. in Economics from Cornell and serves as a Governor of the NBA for the Toronto Raptors. He was a primary force in bringing the Raptors to Toronto as an expansion team.

Steve Belkin is an owner of the Atlanta Hawks. He graduated from Cornell's School of Industrial and Labor Relations.

Let it Rain! Big Red Three-Point Shooting Report.

When you name the top five shooting teams in America, Cornell has to be on that list. The Big Red finished 3rd in the nation in team three-point field goal percentage during 2007-2008 and 2008-2009. During 2007-2008, Cornell shot a sizzling 41.5 percent from downtown, while in 2008-2009, the Big Red hit for 41.4 percent. The Big Red's roster currently counts five players with career three-point shooting percentages above .400.

Pictured above, the 2009 Ivy League Rookie of the Year, Cornell's 6'1" Chris Wroblewski, connected on 41/93 from beyond the arc (.441) last season. How appropriate that he wears jersey No. 3.

Other dangerous Cornell shooters include the following:

Ryan Wittman 6'6" Sr. Forward 97/233 (.416) (career-268/619 (.433))
Geoff Reeves 6'4" Sr. Guard 51/121 (.421) (career-79/183 (.432))
Louis Dale 5'11" Sr. Guard 30/81 (.370) (career-114/281 (.406))
Alex Hill 6'5" So. Guard 9/20 (.450) (career-9/20 (.450))
Max Groebe 6'4" Guard (transfer from UMass 10/28 (.357) during 2007-2008)

Slam Dunk Report

Although Cornell finished among the top 5 in the nation in team three-point field goal percentage for two consecutive seasons, the Big Red can also throw down the jams. The following is the final breakdown of the number of dunk shots by Cornell during the 2008-2009 season (career dunks in parentheses). Cornell had 41 dunks last season in 31 total games. With several athletic additions to Cornell's '09-'10 roster, expect to see more dunks this season. Stats courtesy of Cornell Athletics Department. Above, Cornell's Jeff Foote throws down one of his 31 dunks on Penn on March 6, 2009. Cornell's dominating 83-59 win over the Quakers clinched the Big Red's second consecutive Ivy League title and NCAA Tournament bid.

Jeff Foote 31 (41 career)
Adam Wire 4 (4 career)
Alex Tyler 2 (6 career)
Geoff Reeves 2 (3 career)
Andre Wilkins 1 (2 career)
Conor Mullen 1 (1 career)
Louis Dale 0 (2 career)
Aaron Osgood 0 (1 career)

The Madness is Almost Upon Us...

Sensory overload. Get ready for the madness of Cornell Big Red Basketball's 2009-2010 season. But first, one last look below at some of our favorite photos from '08-'09.

Also check out Cornell Basketball's Official 2008-2009 Ivy League Championship Season Highlights Video Clip, just down below.

Cornell Ranks High in U.S. News & World Report

Above, The Cornell basketball team celebrates during the 2009 NCAA Tournament Selection Show on CBS as the Big Red earned their second consecutive bid to "The Big Dance." Not only is Cornell winning basketball championships and playing on the largest stage of Division I college basketball, but Cornell is also receiving recognition as one of the best collegiate educations in America.

This month, U.S. News & World Report released its annual issue of America's Best Colleges. The issue reveals that Cornell once again led the Ivy League in application popularity having received more than 34,000 applications from prospective students for the class of 2013. No other Ivy League school received more than 28,000 applications.

In the issue, Cornell was also ranked overall 15th in in the country among national universities. The magazine's overall rankings are determined by several categories of criteria.[FN 1]

The peer assessment category of the ranking is given the most weight as it is worth 25% of the total score. The peer assessment score is an academic reputation ranking based on surveys filled out by college administrators, presidents, provosts and deans of admissions at other universities. In this category, Cornell was ranked 9th overall in the country with a score of 4.5 out of 5.

Cornell was also ranked 5th in the country in the magazine's survey of guidance counselors from around the United States.

In other rankings released in the magazine, Cornell was also rated as the nation's 10th-best undergraduate business program and the 9th best undergraduate engineering program. Cornell and Penn are the only Ivies which offer undergraduate business programs. Cornell was also the only Ivy which made the ranking in engineering.

Cornell was also ranked 15th among great value schools and ranked 6th among economic diversity of its students.

Cornell was also placed on lists of roughly twenty colleges and universities noted for their emphasis on writing programs and in undergraduate research and independent study.

[FN 1] We note that U.S. News' overall ranking is determined by several categories of criteria, each subjectively defined and calculated by the magazine's editors. For example, 5 percent of the final overall ranking is determined by the category, "Alumni giving rate." This five percent of the overall ranking score reflects the average percentage of alumni who gave donations to their school during 2006-07 and 2007-08. U.S. News contends that such a percentage is "an indirect measure of student satisfaction." U.S. News does not however take into account the actual total dollars given from alumni. This omission can negatively impact large public/land-grant universities such as Cornell in the magazine's overall rankings. Nevertheless, U.S. News' college rankings are widely cited in popular culture.

The Cornell Basketball Blog's Favorite Photos From '08-'09

The '08-'09 season opener was on Nov. 14 against South Dakota and Cornell's student section, "Newman Nation" was out in full force.

Tyler defends against St. John's on Nov. 17 in the NIT Season Tip Off on the campus of Boston College.

Alex Tyler has a tendency to knock bodies around. He does so here on Nov. 22 at Siena.

And sometimes Tyler likes to throw his own body down. As he does here on Nov. 22 at Indiana in Assembly Hall.

Ryan Wittman defends against the Hoosiers. His father, Randy was an Indiana legend. Ryan put on quite a show in dad's old gym with 28 p0ints and 5 rebounds.

Wittman topped his Indiana game performance with 33 points (including 9 three-pointers) at Syracuse on Dec. 3.

Many felt the Sryacuse game was a coming out party for Chris Wroblewski. Matched up against NBA lottery pick, Johnny Flynn, Wroblewski finished with 9 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds and 2 steals (against just 1 turnover).

Wittman had 21 points and 5 rebounds on his return home to Minneapolis against the Minnesota Gophers on Dec. 6.

Jeff Foote had four thunderous dunks against Boston University on Dec. 29 and finished with 19 points and 12 rebounds.

Louis Dale missed most of the nonconference schedule due to a hamstring injury. He showed up at the Ivy home opener on Jan. 24 against Columbia sporting a Mohawk. The new haircut did not take away from his ability to cut corners on a dime. Lou finished with 14 points and 5 rebounds.

Geoff Reeves also had 14 and 5 against the Lions, including this tomahawk dunk.

By Ivy play, Adam Wire established himself firmly in the rotation. Wire plays all four corners of the court with intensity and grit.

Coaches Steve Donahue, Zach Spiker, Nat Graham and Woody Kampmann lead the Big Red.

Louis Dale, the Ivy League's version of Chris Paul.

Dale makes it look so effortless against Yale.

Foote led the Ivy League in dunks and he lays one down here on Harvard.

This photo needs no description for true Ivy League fans.

The Associated Press captured Foote's celebration after the Big Red knocked off Penn on Mar. 6 and captured Cornell's second consecutive Ivy League title and NCAA Tournament bid.

Wittman sports the championship t-shirt as he prepares to cut down the nets at Cornell's Newman Arena.

Coach Donahue takes the final snips of the net.

The Big Red enjoy the seeding and selection show for the NCAA Tournament at Cornell's golf club.

Wittman and the Big Red are getting used to national media attention after two consecutive Ivy titles.

Wroblewski won Ivy League Rookie of the Year. Here he handles the ball against Missouri's pressure defense on March 20, 2009 in the NCAA Tournament.

Geoff Reeves shoots over the Mizzou defense. He scored 5 points in the loss.

The Big Red huddle around Coach Donhaue at the NCAA Tournament.

Big Red and the "D League"

In the last ten years, Cornell has sent two alums to the NBA Development League. No other Ivy League school has sent as many players to the "D League." In fact, including Cornell, only two Ivy League schools can claim D League alumni.

Jeff Aubry ('99) was drafted in 2001 by the D League's Fayetteville Patriots (5th round, 33rd overall pick). During 2001-2002 with the Patriots, Aubry averaged 7.1 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks. Aubry returned to Fayetteville for the 2002-2003 season and became a regular starter. He averaged 6.7 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks per game.

After playing a few pro seasons outside of the U.S., Aubry returned to the D League during February 2005 and played with the now discontinued Florida Flame franchise where he averaged 6 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.4 blocks per game.

Cody Toppert ('05) also played in the NBA's D-League. Toppert averaged 3.7 points and 1.3 assists per game during the 2005-2006 season for the Albuequrque Thunderbirds.

Several current Cornell players are considered legitimate NBA/D-League prospects.

Remembering Championship 2008

We never get tired of watching video clip highlight's from Cornell's March 1, 2008, Ivy League Championship clinching, 86-53 win over Harvard. Below, news highlights from the game as well as another video with highlights of the 2007-2008 championship season. Check out the atmosphere in Cornell's Newman Arena. This is what college basketball is really all about! Cornell would repeat as Ivy League Basketball Champions during 2009.

Click this link to listen to Barry Leonard's (WPIE/ESPN Radio) call of the final seconds of Cornell's Ivy League title-clinching victory over Harvard.

Cornell Basketball a Mid Major Power

Each week of the season The Cornell Basketball Blog posts the Big Red's ranking in the Mid Major Top 25 Poll as voted upon on CollegeInsider.com. During the last two seasons, Cornell was the only Ivy League team to receive recognition in the final voting results. But Cornell was not only the Ivy League's best team. In each of the last two seasons, Cornell finished ranked among the top thirty mid major programs in the country.

During 2007-2008, Cornell finished the season ranked No. 18. Last season, Cornell finished 2008-2009 ranked in the 29th position with 27 votes received. The 2009-2010 preseason poll will be released during October.

Roughly 200 Division I teams comprise The CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Poll. Eligible teams are from the following conferences: America East, Atlantic Sun, Big Sky, Big South, Big West, Colonial, Horizon, Independents, Ivy, Metro Atlantic, Mid-American, Mid-Continent, Mid-Eastern, Missouri Valley, Northeast, Ohio Valley, Patriot, Southern, Southland, Southwestern, Sun Belt, West Coast.

Big Red Expected to Land in National Preseason Rankings

Several college basketball websites regularly publish preseason rankings in the form of a daily or weekly countdown to No. 1.

For example, last season CollegeHoopsNet.com ranked Cornell No. 89 in the nation in its preseason daily Top 144 countdown. Meanwhile, TheHoopsReport.com ranked Cornell No. 41 in its preseason ranking of the nation's Top 65.

In both rankings, Cornell was the only Ivy League team ranked.

Both sites are once again counting down the nation's top teams for 2009-2010 and Cornell is expected to make the lists. Additionally, a new website, MidMajorMadness.com is ranking all 344 Division I programs.

Big Time. Big Red.

Playing big time college basketball means playing NCAA Division I. It means winning championships, getting to the NCAA Tournament and getting national attention along the way.

Playing big time college basketball means playing the best teams in America, anytime, anywhere.

Cornell Big Red Basketball is the Ivy League's Big Time program.

Cornell's 2009-2010 nonconference schedule will be as tough as any "high major" or BCS conference schedule in the land.

The Big Red's first four games of the season are at Alabama, at UMass, vs. Seton Hall and at Syracuse. Cornell will later host St. Joseph's, face Davidson in legendary Madison Square Garden, then visit both La Salle and the Kansas Jayhawks. And if that is not enough for you, Cornell could also potentially face St. John's in Madison Square Garden in the Holiday Festival.

Big Time. Cornell Big Red.

Cornell's NBA Draft Prospects

Cornell's Jeff Foote has thrown them down with authority in the Carrier Dome against Syracuse (left), in Cameron Indoor Stadium (twice) against Duke (middle), and in the NCAA Tournament against Missouri (right).

Cornell has some history of NBA connections, but the Big Red have not produced an NBA player in quite some time. Will the Big Red produce a draft pick in 2010? Some believe that the Big Red have a pair of NBA Draft prospects on the 2009-2010 roster.

During the 2008-2009 Midseason Ivy League Media Day, Cornell Head Coach, Steve Donahue noted that NBA scouts are taking hard looks at Cornell's Jeff Foote, a 7'0" center. Foote was later referred to as an NBA prospect during February 2009 in the New Haven Register. He is a two-time 2nd Team All Ivy League selection and the reigning Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year.

During the 2008-2009 preseason, Lindy's College Basketball Preview referred to the Big Red's Ryan Wittman as the League's top NBA prospect. The BleacherReport.com also recently referred to Wittman as a potential NBAer. Wittman is a two-time First Team All Ivy League selection.

During the upcoming season, we will continually monitor mock NBA draft projections of Cornell players such as Foote and Wittman on NBA Draft Net and on similar sites.

• For highlights of Jeff Foote and Ryan Wittman and other Big Red players, check out Cornell Basketball's Official 2008-2009 Highlights Video Clip.

Cornell and The Ivy League Rookie of the Year Award

Cornell newcomers have won four of the last seven Ivy League Rookie of the Year awards, including three of the last four. These winners include:

2003-Lenny Collins-CORNELL
2006-Adam Gore-CORNELL
2007-Ryan Wittman-CORNELL
2009-Chris Wroblewski-CORNELL

The Cornell run on the award could continue this season. Cornell's incoming freshman recruiting class has several newcomers with Rookie of the Year potential. Three in particular are getting hard looks for immediate playing time.

Errick Peck, a 6'6" 210 lb. combo forward from Indianapolis could be the Ivy League's most athletic newcomer. His high school coach Scott Hicks previously told The Cornell Basketball Blog, "I think Errick is good enough to play at the Big 10 level." After earning MVP of the Indiana-Kentucky All-Star series, his all-star team coach coach David Wood commented, "I think [Peck is] going to make the biggest impact on [his] college team." While Peck's style of play is more akin to a power forward, his size makes him more suitable for a small forward. Time will tell where Peck fits into Cornell's rotation. He turned down more than a dozen Division I scholarship offers to play for the Big Red.

While Peck can make the case for the Ivy League's most athletic rookie, 6'2" point guard Miles Asafo-Adjei of Nashville, TN may have something to say about it. Known as lightining quick point guard with enough explosiveness and leaping ability to finish above the rim, Asafo-Adjei brings to Ithaca the reputation as Tennessee's top defender. A tenacious ball-hawker who creates turnovers, Asafo-Adjei could be called upon immediately in Cornell's full court pressing schemes.

Josh Figini, a 6'9" 200 lb. combo forward from the greater Minneapolis area could also find his way into the rotation at an early stage. Some insiders in the program believe he could make the most immediate impact because of his combination of size, athleticism and skill. Figini's AAU coach, Charlie Paxson told The Cornell Basketball Blog that the Minnesota Gophers offered Figini a guarateed spot on their roster as a recruited walk-on. Knowing that Figini could likely earn an academic scholarship to the school, the Gophers did not feel the need to utilize a basketball scholarship on him. Ultimately, Figini wanted an Ivy League education and opted to instead enroll in Cornell's prestigious College of Engineering. Nevertheless, Paxson believed Figini is a Big 10 caliber player.

Fellow rookies, 6'7" Pete McMillan (Los Angeles) and 6'8" Eitan Chemerinski (Washington, D.C.) will also get looks during fall practices.

Big Red Cruised to '08 and '09 Ivy Titles

After finishing the 2007-2008 season as 14-0 undefeated Ivy League Champions, the Cornell Big Red repeated as Ivy League Champions during the 2008-2009 season with an 11-3 Ivy League record.

While Cornell dropped 3 games in the conference, the Big Red cruised to the title. For the second consecutive season, Cornell was dominant as no team in the league finished within 3 games of the Big Red's first place record. Cornell was also dominant statistically in virtually every aspect of the game-- scoring, shooting, rebounding, passing and defense.

Below are some of the notable league-only stats for the 2008-2009 season:

• Cornell led the league in scoring with 74.6 points per game. No other team in the league reached 65.5.
• Cornell outscored its opponents by a +12.9 points differential. No other team in the league was above +1.5 points.
• Even with its high-octane up tempo offense, Cornell finished 4th in the league in scoring defense and led the league in field goal percentage defense, allowing Ivy opponents only to shoot a miserable .395 from the field.
  
• Cornell led the league in field goal percentage (.488).
• Cornell led the league in three point attempts and three-point shooting percentage (41% as a team). Cornell also finished 3rd in the nation in three-point field goal percentage.
• Cornell led the league in offensive rebounds and rebounding margin.
• Cornell led the league in assists and in the assist-to-turnover ratio.

Cornell returns all five starters, including seven of the top eight players in scoring and minutes for the 2009-2010 season.

Stable Leadership on the Big Red Bench

Cornell's coaching staff is the hallmark of stability within the Ivy League. The entire coaching staff has deep rooted connections to Cornell, the Ivy League and the Ithaca area.

Steve Donahue, The Robert E. Gallagher '44 Head Coach of Cornell Men's Basketball has coached basketball in the Ivy League for two decades, longer than any other coach in the conference. He assumed the role as Cornell's head coach during September 2000. Prior to his current position, he served as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Penn for 10 years.

Nat Graham is in his fifth year as an assistant coach at Cornell under head coach Steve Donahue. Graham played basketball three seasons at Penn when Donahue was an assistant coach with the Quakers.

Cornell assistant coach, Woody Kampmann, is a 2005 graduate of nearby Hobart College. He enters his third season as an assistant coach for the Big Red. Kampmann joined the Cornell coaching staff after spending the 2006-07 season as an assistant coach at Hobart under Izzi Metz, a former assistant himself under Donahue at Cornell.

Finally, Cornell's third assistant, Kevin App is a graduate of Cornell and a former player under Steve Donahue.

(updated 11.23.09)