PHILADELPHIA – They have won back-to-back Ivy League titles and return everyone of consequence from the team that won last year. The core of the team is a group of seniors that has won the last two together, growing up from being freshmen a few years ago that played like a young bunch. This year, they don’t appear to have missed a beat, opening with a win at Alabama and winning at UMass along the way.
It sounds like Cornell should be well on their way to another Ivy League title, especially since just about every other team enters the season with question marks in terms of being contenders. So how do they win again, you ask?
“I say to them, for us to win the Ivy League, we have to be the most improved team in our league, if not the country,” said head coach Steve Donahue.
That sounds like coach-speak, to be sure, but don’t discount it as that. Sure, other Ivy League teams that might contend have their questions: Penn’s current group is more experienced but hasn’t won yet, Harvard is very young although off to a good start and Princeton looks to be a year away, to name a few. But everyone is gunning for Cornell, as the Big Red are sure to get everyone’s best shot. Players also don’t get better simply by showing up, no matter the level of play. And Donahue has as much respect for the Ivy League as anyone, having previously been an assistant at Penn.
The Big Red are 5-2 after winning all three of their games at the Legends Classic sub-regional hosted by Drexel. They knocked off the host team on Sunday in a well-played game in which they trailed for just 17 seconds and were tied twice. It was also a classic strength vs. strength matchup, with the Dragons known for their tough and physical defense and the Big Red for their offense. The Big Red were a little better defensively than the Dragons offensively, but the big difference was how Cornell played like a veteran team.
“I thought this was a great challenge for a team that is trying to start another run at a championship in terms of trying to identify who you are, how you play,” said Donahue. “All three games were a test in certain ways, but to play the third one against a team this tough, in their own building, it speaks volumes.”
While Ryan Wittman and Louis Dale get a lot of the attention, and big man Jeff Foote gets his fair share as well as a rare seven-footer in the Ivy League, the Big Red reinforced that they are more than just those three. In fact, while Wittman was the MVP of the sub-regional, Dale had just five points on 2-9 shooting on Sunday, though he had four assists and no turnovers. But the Big Red got key contributions off the bench from Mark Coury (eight points, four rebounds) and Geoff Reeves (two big three-pointers). And Jon Jacques, a little-used reserve, hit two free throws in the final minute to seal the game as they made it a two-possession game.
“I can’t say enough about Jon Jacques,” Donahue said. “I know people are surprised by that, but to me he’s what we’re all about. No one cares about how it gets done, and that kid – he’s our captain, three years of not playing, you don’t know how difficult those two foul shots are for a kid like that.”
Even though Wittman made a couple of clutch shots, he was usurped in that category by sophomore Chris Wroblewski, who had just seven points but five in final minutes. Both shots put the Big Red ahead, the second one giving them back the lead for good.
“The kid has such poise, and I think people forget again that he’s one of our better players and you forget about him,” said Donahue. “The thing I love about him is that nothing changes with his demeanor. Miss or make, it’s not going to change how he goes about his business.”
Cornell won this game without starting forward Alex Tyler, who is likely out until their first game in the MSG Holiday Festival on December 20 at Madison Square Garden, and Max Groebe, a key reserve. Even so, they won with depth, getting the aforementioned key performances. Donahue is looking for players on the bench to make them better in addition to his starters continuing their improvement. He thinks players like freshman Errick Peck as well as Coury and Groebe can all make them better.
The Big Red have certainly not played perfect basketball, and aren’t about to rest on their laurels. Donahue thinks they’re far from their ceiling even though they are clear Ivy League favorites with over a month to go before Ivy League play starts.
“We can get a whole lot better,” said Donahue. “We’re winning, in my mind, despite not playing really well. In general, I think we have a long ways to go. We can improve immensely. I think it’s great that we can still win games as we’re improving, but this is a long season.”
