SUPER BOWL 2012

• A fan on the Yahoo Sports Network profiles Jeff Foote (Cornell '10).

• The Ivy League Office's postseason release notes, "The Ivy League boasts multiple teams in the postseason for the fourth time in five years and has at least three teams continuing beyond the regular season for just the third time (2001-02, 2009-10 and 2011-12). Two seasons ago, Cornell went on its Cinderella run to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament while Princeton went on a run of its own to reach the CBI semifinals and Harvard made its first postseason appearance of any type in 64 years in the CIT."
  

• A Columbia Spectator columnist discusses a potential second bid for the Ivy League in the NCAA Tournament and writes, "In recent years, a few members of the Ancient Eight have succeeded on the national level. Anyone who takes even a passive interest in college basketball probably heard about Cornell’s improbable Sweet 16 run [in 2010]... Linsanity may be dead, but the Harvard alum is still putting up solid numbers for the Knicks. And he’s not the only Ivy Leaguer in the NBA—former Cornell center Jeff Foote was recently called up from the D-League by the Hornets. While this kind of success (and the press that comes with it) has been more frequent of late, Cornell, Harvard, and Princeton are still exceptions. The Ivy League has never been able to produce two tournament-caliber teams... Fortunately for all eight Ivy schools, the recent and well-publicized successes of Cornell, Princeton, and particularly Harvard have made the Ancient Eight a more attractive option for potential recruits. The opportunity to become part of a Cinderella story combined with a world-class education is drawing more and more talent into the conference. The Ivy League will never be a powerhouse conference—and that’s a good thing, as its underdog quality is part of its charm. But with improved financial aid packages and a rising national profile, it’s only a matter of time—and not much time, in my opinion—before there are two Cornells or two Harvards in the league."

• Recapping the end of a high school career of Cornell recruit, Braxston Bunce (Kelowna Secondary School) Kelowna, BC, Canada, 6-11, the Kelowna Daily Courier writes, "The Kelowna Owls' game with the Pitt Meadows Marauders at the B.C. boys 3A provincial basketball championships was not just the team's last game of the season. It was also the swan song for two players who might [be] two of the best in KSS hoops history, but also two of the best to come out of Western Canada in recent memory. Braxston Bunce and Mitch Goodwin formed the most dangerous duo in the province this season, but they went out on a losing note, dropping a 62-53 decision to the Marauders on Saturday at the Langley Events Centre. Bunce, who received 17 scholarship offers from U.S. schools and will play Div. 1 at Cornell in the fall, was unable to finish the game, as he nursed a twisted right ankle picked up in a consolation-round win on Friday over the WJ Mouat Hawks of Abbotsford. 'Obviously, this was not the way we wanted things to go this week,' said a disappointed Bunce following a post-game ceremony. 'It's really tough, but you have to move on.'"

• Visit The Cornell Basketball Blog's updated profiles of Cornell's five committed recruits from the classes of 2012 and 2013: Robert Mischler (Mishawaka HS) Marian, IN, 6-2, G, Braxston Bunce (Kelowna Secondary School) Kelowna, BC, Canada, 6-11, Holt Harmon (Plano West HS), Plano, TX, 6-9, F; Nolan Cressler (Plum HS) Plum, PA, 6-4, G (class of 2012) and Tim Higgins (Paul VI HS) Fairfax, VA, 6-10, C (class of 2013).

• Not a member of Twitter? See what The Cornell Basketball Blog is tweeting and retweeting each day by visiting our Twitter Timeline.

• So how did Cornell finish the 2011-2012 season? Cornell's RPI rank as of March 19 is No. 180 out of 344 total Division I teams. The Ken Pomeroy and Jeff Sagarin rankings are No. 201 and No. 197 respectively. Below are links to our game recap sections from each of Cornell's games this season along with notations of postseason bids received by Cornell 2011-2012 opponents.
  

November 11, 2011 at St. Bonaventure L 58-79 (NCAA Tournament)


November 14, 2011 vs. Binghamton W 76-61

November 16, 2011 at Buffalo L 59-68 (CollegeInsider.com)


November 20, 2011 vs. Boston University W 71-66

November 22, 2011 at Delaware L 68-76 (CBI)


November 27, 2011 vs. American L 63-65 (CollegeInsider.com)


December 3, 2011 vs. Lehigh W 81-79 (OT) (NCAA Tournament)


December 17, 2011 vs. Albany W 85-82 (OT) (CollegeInsider.com)


December 19, 2011 at Illinois L 60-64 (TV: ESPN3)


December 21, 2011 at Penn State L 67-74 (TV: Big Ten Network)


December 28, 2011 at Stony Brook L 58-69 (OT) (TV: Cablevision 118) (NIT)


December 31, 2011 at Bucknell L 60-63 (CBI)

January 3, 2012 at Maryland L 62-70 (TV: ESPN3)


January 7, 2012 vs. Albright W 78-60

January 13, 2012 vs. Princeton W 67-59 (CBI)

January 14, 2012 vs. Penn L 52-64 (CBI)

January 21, 2012 at Columbia L 56-61

January 28, 2012 vs. Columbia W 65-60

February 3, 2012 at Harvard L 60-71 (NCAA Tournament)


February 4, 2012 at Dartmouth W 68-59

February 10, 2012 vs. Yale W 85-84 OT (CollegeInsider.com)


February 11, 2012 vs. Brown W 72-63

February 17, 2012 at Penn L 66-73 (CBI)

February 18, 2012 at Princeton L 57-75 (CBI)

February 24, 2012 at Brown W 69-63


February 25, 2012 at Yale L 40-71 (CollegeInsider.com)


March 2, 2012 vs. Dartmouth W 70-57

March 3, 2012 vs. Harvard L 63-67 (NCAA Tournament)

• Below is an updated directory listing of some Twitter feeds associated with the Cornell basketball program. You can also follow The Cornell Basketball Blog on Twitter.

-Josh Wexler ('88)
-Bo Buttenback ('98)
-Steve Cobb ('05)
-Ryan Rourke ('06)
-Andrew Naeve ('07)
-Jason Canady ('08)
-Khaliq Gant ('09)
-Conor Mullen ('09)
-Brian Kreefer ('09)
-Ryan Wittman ('10)
-Pete Reynolds ('10)
-Jon Jaques ('10)
-Louis Dale ('10)
-Alex Tyler ('10)
-Geoff Reeves ('10)
-Jeff Foote ('10)
-Andre Wilkins ('10) (inactive)
-Aaron Osgood ('11)
-Adam Wire ('11)
-Max Groebe ('12)
-Chris Wroblewski ('12)
-Andrew Ferry ('12)
-The Cornell Rebounders Club
-Jonathan Grey ()
-Miles Asafo Adjei ()
-Peter McMillan ()
-Errick Peck ()
-Josh Figini ()
-Galal Cancer ()
-Ned Tomic ()
-Dominick Scelfo ()
-Jake Mathews ()
-Dwight Tarwater ()
-Manny Sahota ()
-Dave LaMore ()
-Shonn Miller ()
-Devin Cherry ()
-Nolan Cressler (committed recruit)
-Braxston Bunce (committed recruit)
-Holt Harmon (committed recruit)
-Tim Higgins (committed recruit)
-Robert Mischler (committed recruit)
-Assistant Coach Mike Blaine ()
-Assistant Coach Marlon Sears ()
-Assistant Coach Arlen Galloway ()
-Brian Delaney, WPIE/ESPN Radio Ithaca ()
-Ed Boulat, Ithaca Journal
-Cornell Daily Sun Sports ()
-Slope Sports ()
-WVBR Sports ()
-Former assistant coach, Jay Larranaga ()
-Former head coach, Steve Donahue ()
-Former assistant coach, Nat Graham ()
-Former assistant coach, Woody Kampmann ()
-Former Assistant Coach Ricky Yahn ()
-Former Intern Assistant Ryan Woerner ()

• Throughout the year we provide periodic updates on Cornell's alumni playing professionally. Below, some updates:
  

-Jeff Aubry ('99) (Halcones Rojos, LNBP Mexico premier league/Arecibo Capitanes, BSN Puerto Rico premier league)-As of March 19, Aubry is averaging 3.0 points and 5.4 rebounds per game for Arecibo in the BSN Puerto Rico premier league. Arecibo is 3-5 and in 6th place out of 8 teams in the league. Aubry, a 6'11" center, splits his time in both the Mexican and Puerto Rican professional leagues. He is also a member of Puerto Rico's national team joining several NBA stars. A well traveled pro player, Aubry spent several seasons in the NBA D League in the early part of his career with the Fayetteville Patriots and Florida Flame and earned honorable mention all NBA D League in 2002. During his more than a decade of pro experience, Aubry has also played professionally in the ABA (Miami Tropics) and abroad in Puerto Rico (Arecibo, Leones de Ponce, and Santurce, BSN Puerto Rico), Spain (Tarragona, LEB Gold Spain 2nd Division), Mexico (Halcones Rojos and Chihuahua Dorados, LNBP Mexico premier league), Poland (Slask Wroclaw, PLK Poland premier league), Argentina (Libertad Sunchales, Liga A Argentina), Uruguay (Hebraica, LUB Uruguay )and Peru (Alas Peruanas, Peru).

-Cody Toppert ('05) (Logitravel Mallorca, LEB Gold Spain 2nd Division)-As of March 19, Toppert is averaging 3.0 points and 2.0 rebounds per game. Mallorca is 12-16 and in 14th place out of 18 teams in the LEB Gold (2nd Division). Prior to joining Mallorca midseason, he averaged 6.0 points and 1.8 rebounds per game during 2011-2012 for Ourense in the Spanish LEB Silver (3rd Division). During his pro career, Toppert, a 6'4" wing forward, has played in Spain (Ourense, LEB Silver Spain 3rd Division), England (Plymouth Raiders, British Basketball League), Italy (Forli, LegaDue Italy 2nd division), the CBA (Great Falls Explorers), as well as in Portugal (Barriernese, LCB Portugal premier league), Bulgaria (BC CSKA Sofia, NBL Bulgaria premier league), Germany (Goettingen/Scholz Weissenhorn, BBK Bundesliga Germany premier league) and New Zealand (Taranaki Mountain Airs, NBL New Zealand premier league).

-Jason Hartford ('08) (Unsigned free agent)-As of March 19, Hartford is unsigned for the 2011-2012 season. He was cut during the week of October 17 by Cader Rocha, LUB Uruguay premier league and is now a free agent. He was averaging 12.8 points and 6.4 rebounds per game, second on the team in both categories. The 6'9" Hartford previously played professionally in Portugal (Ginasio, LCB Portugal premier league), Finland (Huima, Korisliiga Finland premier league) and Mozambique (Maxaquene, D1 Mozambique premier league).

-Louis Dale ('10) (Goettingen, BBK Bundesliga Germany premier league)-As of March 19, Dale is out for the season with a torn ACL. He was averaging 11.9 points, 2.2 assists, and 2.0 rebounds per game before the injury. Dale is in his second professional season, both seasons in Germany with Goettingen.

-Ryan Wittman ('10) (Unsigned free agent)-As of March 19, Wittman is unsigned for the 2011-2012 season after he terminated his contract on September 26 with Zastal of the PLK Poland premier league. He played the 2010-2011 season in Italy (Forli, LegaDue Italy 2nd division) and in the United States (Fort Wayne Mad Ants, NBA D-League).http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7340341118673898826

-Jeff Foote ('10) (New Orleans Hornets, NBA/Springfield Armor, NBA D-League)-As of March 19, Foote is averaging 1.0 points and 1.5 rebounds per game for the Hornets which signed him during March. New Orleans is 11-34 and in 15th place out of 15 teams in the Western Conference. Prior to joining the Hornets, Foote was averaging 14.8 points, 8.6 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game while shooting 55% from the floor in the D-League. He participated in the Portland Trailblazers' 2011-2012 training camp and was an NBA D-League 2011-2012 All Star. Springfield is 22-16 (1st place out of 8 teams in the Eastern Conference). He played the 2011-2012 preseason with with Zastal of the PLK Poland premier league and the full 2010-2011 season in Spain (Melilla, LEB Gold Spain 2nd division) while on loan from Euro League powerhouse Maccabi Tel Aviv of Israel.

-Adam Wire ('11) (Unsigned free agent)-As of March 19, Wire is an unsigned free agent. He was waived by Vaerlose, Denmark BBK premier league during December. He was averaging 11.3 points, 6.9 rebounds, 2.9 steals and 1.9 assists per game. On November 4, 2011 he was named the Eurobasket Player of the Week for Denmark. The 2011-2012 season is his rookie year.

-Aaron Osgood ('11) (Unsigned free agent)-As of March 19, Osgood is an unsigned free agent. He was waived by Vaerlose, Denmark BBK premier league during December. He was averaging 11.6 points and 8.4 rebounds per game. The 2011-2012 season is his rookie year.

• Jeff Foote (Cornell '10) did not see any action on Saturday night as his New Orleans Hornets defeated the New Jersey Nets. Foote's 10-day contract expires this week. (Photo from Hornets P.R.)
  

• Committed Cornell recruit, Holt Harmon (Plano West HS), Plano, TX, 6-9, F, was named 1st Team All District 8-5A in Texas, arguably among top 10 public school leagues in the country. Oklahoma State recruit, Marcus Smart was named Player of the Year.

• Committed Cornell recruit, Robert Mischler (Mishawaka HS) Marian, IN, 6-2, had his high school career come to an end on Saturday night as Marian fell to Norwell in the Indiana 3A Semi-State playoff. Mischler finished with 11 points. See highlights from WNDU NBC News South Bend.

• Committed Cornell recruit, Braxston Bunce (Kelowna Secondary School) Kelowna, BC, Canada, 6-11 played just 8 minutes in his final high school game, a consolation game defeat in the British Columbia AAA Tournament. He scored 2 points in his limited action. See the Kelowna Capital News for the recap. “In Braxston, you have one of the best big men ever to come out of B.C.," Kelowna head coach, Harry Parmar told the media.
  

• Jeff Foote (Cornell '10) and his New Orleans Hornets face the New Jersey Nets tonight at 8pm. This is the last game of Foote's 10-day contract with the Hornets.
  

• Committed Cornell recruit, Braxston Bunce (Kelowna Secondary School) Kelowna, BC, Canada, 6-11 nursed a sore ankle for most of Kelowna's consolation bracket victory at the AAA British Columbia Provincial Tournament. Bunce finished the game with 10 points in the win over Mouat. While covering the tournament, The Vancouver Sun writes, "The Owls’ 6-foot-11 centre, Braxston Bunce... said he didn’t need to go outside the area to find a high-end high school basketball program, although he did transfer from Okanagan Mission to Kelowna secondary as the obvious sign of a larger ambition. After weighing offers from 'probably 20 NCAA schools' the grade 12 student decided on Cornell, an Ivy League school in Ithaca, N.Y., where he’ll enrol in the fall."
  

• The South Bend Tribune profiles Marian (Indiana) High School and committed Cornell recruit, Robert Mischler (Mishawaka HS) Marian, IN, 6-2, G, as they make their run through the state tournament.
  

• A Yahoo Network contributor lists Cornell's Top 5 Tournament Memories and writes:

Cornell was relatively new to the big dance in 2008, when they made their first tournament appearance since 1988. However, they became well accustomed to March Madness by making three straight tournament fields from 2008 to 2010. While the Big Red aren't competing this March, there are many great moments in the school's basketball history.

5. 2009 vs. Missouri in Boise (First Round)

This was the team's second consecutive appearance in the NCAA tournament after finishing their Ivy League schedule with an 11-3 record. The basketball gods weren't with the Big Red as they were delivered a brutal 14^th seed and a matchup with Missouri. The extremely athletic Missouri pulled away in the second half increasing a four point halftime lead to a 78-59 victory over Cornell in the first round.

4. 2008 vs. Stanford in Anaheim (First Round)

The battle of the brains, as the game was billed, was Cornell's first tournament appearance of the millennium. The Big Red received a cross country ticket complete with a matchup with the Lopez brothers of Stanford. While the Red fought valiantly they couldn't overcome the pair of seven footers and lost 77-53 to the third seeded Stanford.

3. 2010 vs. Temple in Jacksonville (First Round)

After completing a 27-4 season with a 13-1 conference record, the Big Red earned themselves a 12 seed and a marquee matchup with Temple University. After losing in the first round for the past two years, the Red would not be denied, knocking down nine threes in the game in route to a comfortable 78-65 victory over Temple.

2. 2010 vs. Wisconsin in Jacksonville (Second Round)

Riding high from their first round victory, the Red faced off against fourth seed Wisconsin with a berth in the Sweet Sixteen on the line. Cornell pushed forward once again, and easily upset Wisconsin 87-69 on the merits of shooting over 61% as a team. The victory notified the rest of the field that the Ivy League school from upstate New York was a danger to the remaining teams in the tournament.

1. 2010 vs. Kentucky in Syracuse (Sweet Sixteen)

Nobody could have predicted that Cornell would win their first two games of the tournament to set up an epic matchup with Kentucky in Syracuse, a mere 50 miles from Cornell's Ithaca campus. Earlier in the year the Red took Kansas down to the wire in Lawrence, before falling 71-66. The Red stormed out of the gate to a 10-2 lead over but couldn't match up with the athleticism of a Kentucky team that included John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, and Eric Bledsoe. Kentucky was victorious 62-45 but Cornell served notice to the nation that the Ivy League was there to play.

• Watch live action of committed Cornell recruit, Braxston Bunce (Kelowna Secondary School) Kelowna, BC, Canada, 6-11, today at 3 pm EST at Langley, British Columbia, Canada in the AAA British Columbia (Canada) Provincial Tournament consolation bracket.
  

• Above, an article on committed Cornell recruit, Tim Higgins (Paul VI HS) Fairfax, VA, 6-10, C (class of 2013), from Connection Newspapers of Virginia. Higgins plays for USA Today's #11 ranked team in the country. He is a member of Cornell's class of 2013 and the youngest player to ever commit to an Ivy League program.

Above, the banner that remains the standard for the Ivy League. Below, some news and notes for Friday...

• Jeff Foote (Cornell '10) did not any floor time last night as his New Orleans Hornets fell to the Washington Wizards in NBA action. The last game of Foote's 10-day contract is Saturday at the New Jersey Nets.
  

• Committed Cornell recruit, Braxston Bunce (Kelowna Secondary School) Kelowna, BC, Canada, 6-11, effectively had his high school career come to an end on Thursday night as his #1 ranked Kelowna Owls were eliminated in the Quaterfinals of the AAA British Columbia (Canada) Provincial Tournament in a 78-76 loss to Vancouver College. Bunce finished the game 3/7 from the floor with 12 points and 18 rebounds. See recaps in The Province, The Vancouver Sun, The Windsor Star, and The Kelowna Capital News. See the Langley Times which notes that Bunce had 24 points and 23 rebounds in a first round win over Point Gray. The full opening round game is archived and available online to view as is the quarterfinal game against Vancouver College. Kelowna returns to the court today for a consolation game against WJ Mouat at 3 pm EST.

• The Pittsburgh Post Gazette notes of committed Cornell recruit, Nolan Cressler (Plum HS) Plum, PA, 6-4, G, "The Roundball Classic at Geneva College's Metheny Fieldhouse in Beaver Falls will take place April 21 and there will be four games, two for the boys and two for the girls. Highlands High School's Micah Mason and Plum's Nolan Cressler, the top two leading scorers in he WPIAL this year during the regular season, are expected to play in this all-star affair -- Mason (29.1 points per game) for the Class AAA all-stars and Cressler (25.7 ppg.) for the Class AAAA team -- but they won't being going head-to-head. In a format change, the boys games will have Class AA vs. Class AAA at 6 p.m. with Class A going against Class AAAA at 8 p.m. Although the rosters have not yet been finalized, it looks as if Lincoln Park's 6-foot-10 Devontae Watson and North Catholic's 6-11 Jon LeGrande will be playing for the Class A team and going against Gateway's 6-10 Barnett Harris and North Hills' 6-8 Steve Hearty."

• The South Bend Tribune profiles committed Cornell recruit, Robert Mischler (Mishawaka HS) Marian, IN, 6-2, G. The Tribune writes:

Mental edge drives Mischler, Marian

There's something to be said for the value of a two-sport athlete.

Development in one sport can be an asset in another.

As quarterback for Marian High School's option-oriented football offense, Robert Mischler was constantly challenged to make split-second decisions. Read. React. Live with the consequences.

"Over the past couple years, Robert has developed as a leader," said Knights football coach Reggie Glon. "He became a coach on the field."

The Marian basketball team is reaping the rewards of that development.

Mischler, a 6-foot-2, 180-pound senior, is more than just a long-distance shooter in the scope of the Knights' seven-man rotation. His 13.9-point average is critical, but it's what he does when he's not shooting that makes him even more valuable.

He will be a key component for the seventh-ranked Knights (22-3) when they take on No. 4 Norwell (23-2) Saturday in the Class 3-A Huntington North semistate.

"Demetrius (Jackson) is our leader, but Robert's taken on a more vocal role this year," said Marian basketball coach Robb Berger. "Nobody had to tell him to do it. He just took it on himself."

"Last year, I was just a shooter," said Mischler, the fella fans and teammates call "Bobby Buckets." "This year, my rebounding's better; my defense is better; and, I'm still that shooter."

That shooter was frustrated last year after a four-point sectional loss to Culver Military. The Eagles took the momentum from that win all the way to the Class 3-A state championship game.

"It happened to us twice (St. Joseph's won sectional matchups over Marian the last two years on its way to the state finals) in football, too," Mischler said. "I hate the way that feels.

"We weren't ready to win last year. We needed that extra year to help us mature. We've all grown a lot together over the past two years."

"Last year laid the groundwork for what we're going through this year," said Berger. "I don't know if we were ready a year ago. That experience gave us a lesson that helped the growth."

The added maturity helps the Knights play fearlessly. Season on the line. Game in the balance. No problem, hoist the long one.

"Nobody's afraid to shoot the ball," Mischler said. "That goes back to the coaching staff. 'If you're open, take it.' "

A four-year contributor to the Marian program, Mischler has the credentials to take the shot whenever he sees fit. He's one good game -- 24 points -- away from reaching the 1,000-point milestone.

Mischler is shooting 51 percent (125 of 246) from the field and 42 percent (60 of 143) from 3-point -- along with 4.4 rebounds a game.

He's also smart enough to realize the situation.

With a 4.37 GPA (out of 4.0, ranking sixth in his class), Mischler will continue his basketball career next year at Cornell. With a dream to be a doctor, Mischler is looking for an Ivy League combination of athletics and academics.

"(Cornell's) top three shooters graduated this year," Mischler said. "I might get a look."

But, first things first. All Mischler will be looking for Saturday is enough space between him and the defender to get off his next 3-pointer.

"Being part of Marian history means a lot," Mischler said of the school's first semistate appearance. "We'll have time to think about this later. All year we've taken one step at a time. This isn't any different. We won't look beyond what we have to do Saturday."

Focused leaders make a coach's life much easier.

In any sport.

Above, flashback to 2010, Louis Dale ('10) takes to the air in a first round NCAA Tournament game against Temple. Below, some news and notes for Thursday...

• Committed Cornell recruit, Braxston Bunce (Kelowna Secondary School) Kelowna, BC, Canada, 6-11,was 7/10 from the floor, finishing with 24 points and 23 rebounds last night in the opening round of the AAA British Columbia (Canada) Provincial Tournament. Bunce was named the Player of the Game.
  

• Jeff Foote (Cornell '10) was interviewed by NBA TV prior to last night's game vs. the Los Angeles Lakers. Prior to the game, the Hornets' Big Easy Blog wrote, "Rookie center Jeff Foote, who is on a 10-day contract, will receive perhaps the biggest challenge of his brief NBA career against the monstrous Lakers frontcourt, featuring 7-footers Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol. 'It’s a great opportunity for me and I’m looking forward to it,' Foote said. 'I’ve always enjoyed playing against the better big guys. When I was in (college) I played against the Lopez brothers (Brook and Robin of Stanford).'" Foote and the Hornets fell to the Lakers in overtime with Foote playing 7 minutes and 18 seconds, finishing 0/1 from the floor and recording a block shot. The Hornets play the Washington Wizards tonight. Previewing the game, the Hornets' website notes, "Flip Saunders began this season as the Wizards’ head coach, but Randy Wittman took over the role after Washington started 2-13. Wittman is in his third different stint as an NBA head coach, previously leading Cleveland and Minnesota. As a player, Wittman was a shooting guard who had a solid nine-year NBA career, appearing in a total of 543 games with Atlanta, Sacramento and Indiana. His son, Ryan Wittman, was a college hoops star at Cornell University, where Ryan was a teammate of recent Hornets 10-day signee Jeff Foote."
  

• Cornell may not be in the 2012 NCAA Tournament, but the nation's media is still mentioning Cornell quite a bit.
  

• USA Today writes of Harvard in the NCAA Tournament, "The 12th-seeded Crimson (26-4), making their first NCAA appearance since 1946, are hoping to have the same type ofsuccess Cornell had after winning the Ivy League two years ago. The Big Red made the Sweet 16 before being eliminated by Kentucky." USA Today also writes, "before selling the Ivy winners short, it might be wise to remember that Cornell made the Sweet 16 out of the league just two years ago."

• ESPN writes, "After 11 straight years without an NCAA tourney victory by an Ivy League team, Cornell came up with two double-digit W's before falling to No. 1-seeded Kentucky in the Sweet 16 in 2010. "
  

• Sports Illustrated profiled Harvard and the strength of athletics in the Ivy League and writes, "no one should be stunned during March Madness when Cornell reaches the Sweet 16, as it did in 2010"

• The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel refers to Cornell's 2nd round win over Wisconsin in 2010 and writes, "we also know what happens whenever the Badgers run into the smart, spirited underdog that doesn't care what kind of system [Bo] Ryan steadfastly runs [at Wisconsin]. Davidson, Cornell, Butler, on and on, there is no point in rehashing bad history."

• The Associated Press writes of Temple, "The last time the Owls earned a fifth seed, they were bounced by Cornell in the opening round."
  

• YahooSports writes of Wisconin in the NCAAs, "Montana joins UNLV, Davidson, Xavier, Cornell and Butler on the list of recent Badger killers."

• WEEI quotes Steve Donahue on Harvard's tournament chances and notes, "Donahue — who led Cornell to the Sweet 16 in 2010 — said the Crimson have used the same successful method [as Cornell]."

• Ballin' is a Habit writes, "For the first time since 1946, the Crimson are back in the NCAA Tournament. Tommy Amaker has himself a tough defensive club that is capable of controlling pace and getting spots, two valuable qualities for an NCAA Tournament team. Can the Crimson pull a Cornell and make the Sweet 16?"
  

• NESN writes, "Harvard's seed was similar to what recent Ivy champs have received. Princeton was a No. 13 seed last season after 12th-seeded Cornell advanced to the Sweet 16 in 2010. No Ivy League team had advanced that far since Penn made it to the 1979 Final Four, so the committee's reluctance to grant an Ivy League team a higher seed was understandable."

• ESPN's Grantland writes, "Cornell made the Sweet 16 two years ago, but I think the majority of America failed to realize that Cornell was an Ivy League school until it was too late."

• Watch live streaming action of committed Cornell recruit, Braxston Bunce (Kelowna Secondary School) Kelowna, BC, Canada, 6-11, tonight at 8:15 pm (local time) at Langley, British Columbia, Canada in the AAA B.C. Provincial Tournament.

• The South Bend Tribune notes that committed Cornell recruit, Robert Mischler (Mishawaka HS) Marian, IN, 6-2, was selected to play in this month’s inaugural Michiana McDonald’s High School Basketball All-Star game. The Tribune also notes that "Scouting reports [against Marian] focus on Demetrius Jackson. Stop the stud. They drift to Robert Mischler, whose long-range shooting is a weapon."

• The Pittsburgh Tribune notes of comitted Cornell recruit, Nolan Cressler (Plum HS) Plum, PA, 6-4, G (class of 2012), "[2012] Most memorable event: It hasn't happened yet, but it could be the 3-point shootout in the Cager Classic skills competition March 23. Mason, Weremeychik, Plum's Nolan Cressler, Ford City's Jon Shanty. Could be an amazing night."

• The Daily Princetonian recaps Princeton's win in the first round of the CBI and notes, "The Tigers scored 95 against a Division-I team for the first time since February 1995, when they destroyed Cornell 95-69."

• A very optimistic Columbia Spectator writes, "Next year—Columbia’s third season under coach Kyle Smith—looks very promising, especially if they can turn some of this year’s devastating losses into wins and play more consistently from game to game. The core, featuring Barbour, Agho, and Mark Cisco, will return, while other teams throughout the league will lose irreplaceable contributors, such as Penn’s Zach Rosen, Cornell’s Chris Wroblewski, Yale’s Greg Mangano, Harvard’s Keith Wright, and Princeton’s Dougie Davis."

• The Cornell Club of Boston had to cancel an event featuring Jeff Foote (Cornell '10) for the best of reasons. With Foote's call up to the NBA, he is no longer playing locally in the NBA D-League with the Springfield Armor.

• D-League Digest notes, "The [Springfield] Armor share the top spot [in the NBA D-League] with Iowa after going into the All-Star break guns a blazing, but since have cooled down just a bit. Their big man Jeff Foote received a GATORADE Call-Up [to the NBA] and will force the Armor to find ways to fill the void the 7-footer left behind averaging 14.8 points, 8.6 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per contest. "

• Foote, a Cornell 2010 graduate, and his New Orleans Hornets are back in action on tonight in the NBA when they host the Los Angeles Lakers. Below, WETM (NBC News Elmira, NY) speaks with Foote about his experience in the NBA thus far. WETM writes, "Jeff Foote has spent five days in the NBA, and Tuesday was his first official practice. Talk about a whirlwind introduction. The Spencer-Van Etten grad is halfway through his first 10-day contract, with three games already under his belt. The New Orleans Hornets play three more times this week before they have to make a decision on whether to sign Foote to another 10-day deal. Foote admits the experience has been wild. He was preparing for a D-League game with the Springfield Armor when the Hornets came calling. After a one-hour shoot-around and a quick film session with the coaches, Foote played more than 20 minutes in his NBA debut. He says he also had interest from the New Jersey Nets and Milwaukee Bucks, and heard rumors that Boston and Cleveland may have been interested as well. Foote says he needs to work on his strength and conditioning, along with his jumpshot, if he wants to stick in the NBA. As for now, he's working hard at living out his dream. His first 10-day contract will run out this Sunday. The Hornets can sign him to another after it expires. If they want to keep him around after the second 10-day deal, though, they would have to sign him for the rest of the season. The Hornets host the Lakers Wednesday night, then play at home against Washington Thursday before traveling to New Jersey Saturday."

• Below, a look at the Cornell Coaching Plantations, the coaches in the NCAA with ties to Cornell University.

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

Jon Jaques (Cornell Class of '10)-Assistant coach at Stevens Tech (Division III). Played for Cornell under Steve Donahue.

Kevin App (Cornell Class of '07)-Assistant coach at Army. Played for Cornell under Steve Donahue.

Yanni Hufnagel (Cornell Class of '06)-Assistant coach at Harvard. Served as student-manager at Cornell under Steve Donahue.

Steve Donahue-Head coach of Boston College. Served as head coach at Cornell between 2000-2010.

Mike Dement-Head coach of UNC-Greensboro (Division I) during 2011-2012 (employment terminated mid season). He served as head coach of Cornell between 1986-1991. In 1988 he led Cornell to the Ivy League title and the 1988 NCAA Tournament. Dement is expected to take another coaching position somewhere in the NCAA during the summer.

Zach Spiker-Head coach of Army. He served as an assistant coach at Cornell under Steve Donahue from 2004-2009.

Joe Burke-Head coach of Skidmore College (Division III). He was an assistant coach at Cornell under Steve Donahue between 2001-2004.

Izzi Metz-Former Head coach Hobart College (Division III). He served as a Cornell assistant coach for five seasons between 2001-2006 under Steve Donahue and is currently an assistant coach and head of basketball operations at Boston College under Donahue.

Nat Graham-Associate Head Coach (assistant) at Boston College under Steve Donahue. Served as an assistant coach under Donahue at Cornell from 2005-2010.

Woody Kampmann-Assistant coach at Boston College under Steve Donahue. Served as an assistant coach under Donahue at Cornell from 2007-2010.

Ryan Woerner-Former student intern coach under Steve Donahue during the 2009-2010 season and assistant coach for Cornell's women's team during 2010-2011. Currently an assistant at SUNY New Paltz (Division III).

Steve Robinson-Assistant coach at North Carolina under Roy Williams. He was an assistant coach for Mike Dement at Cornell for two seasons, including on the 1988 Ivy League Championship team.

Paul Fortier-Assistant coach at Washington under Lorenzo Romar. He served as an assistant coach at Cornell during 2003-2005 under Steve Donahue.

Desmond Oliver-Assistant coach at Charlotte. He was an assistant coach at Cornell between 1998-2000 under Scott Thompson.

Ricky Yahn-Assistant coach at Longwood. He was an assistant coach at Cornell during 2010-2011 under Bill Courtney.

• The Ivy League Office issued a postseason release which notes, "The Ivy League boasts multiple teams in the postseason for the fourth time in five years and has at least three teams continuing beyond the regular season for just the third time (2001-02, 2009-10 and 2011-12). Two seasons ago, Cornell went on its Cinderella run to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament while Princeton went on a run of its own to reach the CBI semifinals and Harvard made its first postseason appearance of any type in 64 years in the CIT."

• In NBA action last night, Jeff Foote (Cornell '10) and the New Orleans Hornets fell to the Charlotte Bobcats, 73-71. Foote played 2 minutes, 54 seconds, grabbed 1 rebound and finished 0/1 from the floor. The Hornets are back in action on Wednesday when they host the Lakers. Have a question about Foote and the Hornets? Email the Times Picayune.
  

• Speaking of big men, committed Cornell recruit, Braxston Bunce (Kelowna Secondary School) Kelowna, BC, Canada, 6-11 starts his run in the British Columbia Provincial Playoffs on Wednesday night. Listen to Kelowna coach Harry Parmar discuss his team and Bunce heading into the playoffs. Previewing the Provincials, The Province profiles some of the history of the tournament while the Kelowna Capital News profiles the friendship between Bunce and his point guard, Mitch Goodwin. The Kelowna Capital News notes, "Out of 17 offers from U.S. schools, Bunce chose Cornell University in New York and will play Div. 1 basketball there this coming fall." Bunce, the most highly recruited seven-footer in recent Ivy League history boasted offers and late recruiting pressure from the likes of Washington State, Virginia Tech, Marquette, Nevada, Utah State, Hawaii and New Mexico State as well as from the Ivy League schools. While virtually all seven footers entering the Ivy League have traditionally lacked coordination or strength, the 250 pound Bunce has both.
  

• The South Bend Tribune praises the winning attitude of Marian (Indiana) High School and Cornell committed recruit, Robert Mischler (Mishawaka HS) Marian, IN, 6-2 in their state playoff run.

During 2012-2013, Cornell will have a rematch with Wisconsin. The Big Red knocked off the Badgers in the 2nd round of the 2010 NCAA Tournament catapulting Cornell into the Sweet 16. Below, some news and notes for Monday...

• The Times Picayune of New Orleans notes that the New Orleans Hornets are limited on their play calling when Jeff Foote (Cornell '10) takes the floor due to his unfamiliarity with the team's system.

• Foote and the Hornets have a busy week. They host the Charlotte Bobcats tonight and then host the Los Angles Lakers on Wednesday followed by Randy Wittman's Washington Wizards on Thursday.
  

• Spoctrac purports that Foote is earning $43,056 for his ten days of work in New Orleans.
  

• SB Nation notes that Cornell ended a 6 game winning streak early in the season for Lehigh before the Mountain Hawks ultimately clinched the Patriot League Championship and NCAA Tournament bid.

• Not a member of Twitter? See what The Cornell Basketball Blog is tweeting and retweeting each day by visiting our Twitter Timeline.

• Visit The Cornell Basketball Blog's updated profiles of Cornell's five committed recruits from the classes of 2012 and 2013: Robert Mischler (Mishawaka HS) Marian, IN, 6-2, G, Braxston Bunce (Kelowna Secondary School) Kelowna, BC, Canada, 6-11, Holt Harmon (Plano West HS), Plano, TX, 6-9, F; Nolan Cressler (Plum HS) Plum, PA, 6-4, G (class of 2012) and Tim Higgins (Paul VI HS) Fairfax, VA, 6-10, C (class of 2013).

• So how did Cornell finish the 2011-2012 season? Cornell's RPI rank as of March 12 is No. 180 out of 344 total Division I teams. The Ken Pomeroy and Jeff Sagarin rankings are No. 206 and No. 204 respectively. Below are links to our game recap sections from each of Cornell's games this season along with notations of postseason bids received by Cornell 2011-2012 opponents.
  

November 11, 2011 at St. Bonaventure L 58-79 (NCAA Tournament)


November 14, 2011 vs. Binghamton W 76-61

November 16, 2011 at Buffalo L 59-68 (CollegeInsider.com)


November 20, 2011 vs. Boston University W 71-66

November 22, 2011 at Delaware L 68-76 (CBI)


November 27, 2011 vs. American L 63-65 (CollegeInsider.com)


December 3, 2011 vs. Lehigh W 81-79 (OT) (NCAA Tournament)


December 17, 2011 vs. Albany W 85-82 (OT) (CollegeInsider.com)


December 19, 2011 at Illinois L 60-64 (TV: ESPN3)


December 21, 2011 at Penn State L 67-74 (TV: Big Ten Network)


December 28, 2011 at Stony Brook L 58-69 (OT) (TV: Cablevision 118) (NIT)


December 31, 2011 at Bucknell L 60-63 (CBI)

January 3, 2012 at Maryland L 62-70 (TV: ESPN3)


January 7, 2012 vs. Albright W 78-60

January 13, 2012 vs. Princeton W 67-59 (CBI)

January 14, 2012 vs. Penn L 52-64 (CBI)

January 21, 2012 at Columbia L 56-61

January 28, 2012 vs. Columbia W 65-60

February 3, 2012 at Harvard L 60-71 (NCAA Tournament)


February 4, 2012 at Dartmouth W 68-59

February 10, 2012 vs. Yale W 85-84 OT (CollegeInsider.com)


February 11, 2012 vs. Brown W 72-63

February 17, 2012 at Penn L 66-73 (CBI)

February 18, 2012 at Princeton L 57-75 (CBI)

February 24, 2012 at Brown W 69-63


February 25, 2012 at Yale L 40-71 (CollegeInsider.com)


March 2, 2012 vs. Dartmouth W 70-57

March 3, 2012 vs. Harvard L 63-67 (NCAA Tournament)

• Steve Vesey of WETM (NBC News Elmira, NY) produced the following segments on Jeff Foote's (Cornell) ascension to the NBA and writes:

-Josh Wexler ('88)
-Bo Buttenback ('98)
-Steve Cobb ('05)
-Ryan Rourke ('06)
-Andrew Naeve ('07)
-Jason Canady ('08)
-Khaliq Gant ('09)
-Conor Mullen ('09)
-Brian Kreefer ('09)
-Ryan Wittman ('10)
-Pete Reynolds ('10)
-Jon Jaques ('10)
-Louis Dale ('10)
-Alex Tyler ('10)
-Geoff Reeves ('10)
-Jeff Foote ('10)
-Andre Wilkins ('10) (inactive)
-Aaron Osgood ('11)
-Adam Wire ('11)
-Max Groebe ('12)
-Chris Wroblewski ('12)
-Andrew Ferry ('12)
-The Cornell Rebounders Club
-Jonathan Grey ()
-Miles Asafo Adjei ()
-Peter McMillan ()
-Errick Peck ()
-Josh Figini ()
-Galal Cancer ()
-Ned Tomic ()
-Dominick Scelfo ()
-Jake Mathews ()
-Dwight Tarwater ()
-Manny Sahota ()
-Dave LaMore ()
-Shonn Miller ()
-Devin Cherry ()
-Nolan Cressler (committed recruit)
-Braxston Bunce (committed recruit)
-Holt Harmon (committed recruit)
-Tim Higgins (committed recruit)
-Robert Mischler (committed recruit)
-Assistant Coach Mike Blaine ()
-Assistant Coach Marlon Sears ()
-Assistant Coach Arlen Galloway ()
-Brian Delaney, WPIE/ESPN Radio Ithaca ()
-Ed Boulat, Ithaca Journal
-Cornell Daily Sun Sports ()
-Slope Sports ()
-WVBR Sports ()
-Former assistant coach, Jay Larranaga ()
-Former head coach, Steve Donahue ()
-Former assistant coach, Nat Graham ()
-Former assistant coach, Woody Kampmann ()
-Former Assistant Coach Ricky Yahn ()
-Former Intern Assistant Ryan Woerner ()

• Throughout the year we provide periodic updates on Cornell's alumni playing professionally. Below, some updates:
  

-Jeff Aubry ('99) (Halcones Rojos, LNBP Mexico premier league/Arecibo Capitanes, BSN Puerto Rico premier league)-As of March 12, Aubry is averaging 4.0 points and 5.0 rebounds per game for Arecibo in the BSN Puerto Rico premier league. Arecibo is 1-3 and in 7th place out of 8 teams in the league. Aubry, a 6'11" center, splits his time in both the Mexican and Puerto Rican professional leagues. He is also a member of Puerto Rico's national team joining several NBA stars. A well traveled pro player, Aubry spent several seasons in the NBA D League in the early part of his career with the Fayetteville Patriots and Florida Flame and earned honorable mention all NBA D League in 2002. During his more than a decade of pro experience, Aubry has also played professionally in the ABA (Miami Tropics) and abroad in Puerto Rico (Arecibo, Leones de Ponce, and Santurce, BSN Puerto Rico), Spain (Tarragona, LEB Gold Spain 2nd Division), Mexico (Halcones Rojos and Chihuahua Dorados, LNBP Mexico premier league), Poland (Slask Wroclaw, PLK Poland premier league), Argentina (Libertad Sunchales, Liga A Argentina), Uruguay (Hebraica, LUB Uruguay )and Peru (Alas Peruanas, Peru).

-Cody Toppert ('05) (Logitravel Mallorca, LEB Gold Spain 2nd Division)-As of March 12, Toppert is averaging 3.3 points and 2.3 rebounds per game. Mallorca is 12-15 and in 14th place out of 18 teams in the LEB Gold (2nd Division). Prior to joining Mallorca midseason, he averaged 6.0 points and 1.8 rebounds per game during 2011-2012 for Ourense in the Spanish LEB Silver (3rd Division). During his pro career, Toppert, a 6'4" wing forward, has played in Spain (Ourense, LEB Silver Spain 3rd Division), England (Plymouth Raiders, British Basketball League), Italy (Forli, LegaDue Italy 2nd division), the CBA (Great Falls Explorers), as well as in Portugal (Barriernese, LCB Portugal premier league), Bulgaria (BC CSKA Sofia, NBL Bulgaria premier league), Germany (Goettingen/Scholz Weissenhorn, BBK Bundesliga Germany premier league) and New Zealand (Taranaki Mountain Airs, NBL New Zealand premier league).

-Jason Hartford ('08) (Unsigned free agent)-As of March 12, Hartford is unsigned for the 2011-2012 season. He was cut during the week of October 17 by Cader Rocha, LUB Uruguay premier league and is now a free agent. He was averaging 12.8 points and 6.4 rebounds per game, second on the team in both categories. The 6'9" Hartford previously played professionally in Portugal (Ginasio, LCB Portugal premier league), Finland (Huima, Korisliiga Finland premier league) and Mozambique (Maxaquene, D1 Mozambique premier league).

-Louis Dale ('10) (Goettingen, BBK Bundesliga Germany premier league)-As of March 12, Dale is out for the season with a torn ACL. He was averaging 11.9 points, 2.2 assists, and 2.0 rebounds per game before the injury. Dale is in his second professional season, both seasons in Germany with Goettingen.

-Ryan Wittman ('10) (Unsigned free agent)-As of March 12, Wittman is unsigned for the 2011-2012 season after he terminated his contract on September 26 with Zastal of the PLK Poland premier league. He played the 2010-2011 season in Italy (Forli, LegaDue Italy 2nd division) and in the United States (Fort Wayne Mad Ants, NBA D-League).

-Jeff Foote ('10) (New Orleans Hornets, NBA/Springfield Armor, NBA D-League)-As of March 12, Foote is averaging 2 points and 2.5 rebounds per game for the Hornets which signed him during March. New Orleans is 10-31 and in 15th place out of 15 teams in the Western Conference. Prior to joining the Hornets, Foote was averaging 14.8 points, 8.6 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game while shooting 55% from the floor in the D-League. He participated in the Portland Trailblazers' 2011-2012 training camp and was an NBA D-League 2011-2012 All Star. Springfield is 22-16 (1st place out of 8 teams in the Eastern Conference). He played the 2011-2012 preseason with with Zastal of the PLK Poland premier league and the full 2010-2011 season in Spain (Melilla, LEB Gold Spain 2nd division) while on loan from Euro League powerhouse Maccabi Tel Aviv of Israel.

-Adam Wire ('11) (Unsigned free agent)-As of March 12, Wire is an unsigned free agent. He was waived by Vaerlose, Denmark BBK premier league during December. He was averaging 11.3 points, 6.9 rebounds, 2.9 steals and 1.9 assists per game. On November 4, 2011 he was named the Eurobasket Player of the Week for Denmark. The 2011-2012 season is his rookie year.

-Aaron Osgood ('11) (Unsigned free agent)-As of March 12, Osgood is an unsigned free agent. He was waived by Vaerlose, Denmark BBK premier league during December. He was averaging 11.6 points and 8.4 rebounds per game. The 2011-2012 season is his rookie year.