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LOCATION: Ithaca, NY
CONFERENCE: Ivy League
LAST SEASON: 11-15 (.423)
CONFERENCE RECORD: 6-8 (5th)
STARTERS LOST/RETURNING: 1/4
NICKNAME: Big Red
COLORS: Carnelian Red & White
HOMECOURT: Newman Arena (4,473)
COACH: Scott Thompson (Iowa '76)
record at school 35-43 (4 years)
career record 140-192 (13 years)
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ASSISTANTS: Ray Jones (La Salle '69)
Desmond Oliver (Domincan '92)
TEAM WINS: (last 5 years) 9-10-15-9-11
RPI (last 5 years) 279-240-168-257-248
1998-99 FINISH: No conference tournament.
ESPN.com Clubhouse
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Expectations are high in 1999-2000 in Ithaca. The Big Red, which has not been to a postseason tournament since 1988, returns nine players from last year, including four starters and the top two scorers. To say that Scott Thompson's team must win now is an understatement. Cornell has two of the best players in the Ivy League in 5-9 sophomore guard Wallace Prather (12.8 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 90 assists, 49 steals) and 6-5 junior forward Ray Mercedes (14.2 ppg, 5.5 rpg, .701 FT, 52 assists). Both should help Cornell to one of its best seasons in years. Prather had a solid debut last season, overshadowed only by the play of Princeton's Chris Young. He had many memorable flashes as a freshman, including scoring a career-high 22 points against Pennsylvania and playing all 40 minutes with just one turnover in a victory over Harvard, Cornell's first over the Crimson since 1995. Prather was second on the team in scoring and led the team in assists, steals and minutes (32.6 per game). Mercedes has been a force for the Big Red since his first year. A scorer who reached double figures 17 times in 1998-99, Mercedes is the offensive catalyst for Cornell. Where the Big Red will hurt the most is at center after losing Jeffrion Aubry, who was a defensive presence inside, to graduation. He averaged 2.4 blocked shots last season and kept the inside clear. His role will be picked up by 6-6 senior Keiran Brown (8.2 ppg, 6.4 rpg, .497 FG), who started the final eight games of the season at power forward. Brown can play center or either of the forward spots.
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Blue Ribbon Analysis |
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BACKCOURT B BENCH/DEPTH C
FRONTCOURT B INTANGIBLES C+
Cornell has some talent, solid players who will put the Big Red in the hunt for the third spot in the Ivy League. Wallace Prather and Ray Mercedes are are probably the fifth- and sixth-best players in the Ivy. Those two, plus Kevin Cuttica and Keiran Brown, two other returning starters, make Cornell a team to be reckoned with in the conference. Unfortunately, depth could be a problem. The Big Red is still possibly a year away, as many of its young players are trying to find roles. Luckily, only Brown is a senior among the four big guns. That makes the future promising. Look for the Big Red to contend this season and then make serious noise next. That should give the fans in Ithaca something to cheer about. |
Three other players could see time in the middle. Six-foot-eight junior Cody Bradshaw (0.6 ppg, 0.8 rpg) was off the bench in 17 games last year but put up small numbers. Two freshmen, 6-9 Randy Gabler (Altus HS/Altus, Okla.) and 6-9 Brian Williamson (Marcus Whitman HS/Rushville, N.Y.), will also vie for time inside. The fight to join Mercedes up front will be between 6-8 senior Derek Kruse (4.4 ppg, 3.0 rpg, .454 FG) and junior-college transfer Greg Barratt (Utah Valley State College/Salt Lake City, Utah). Kruse started more than half of the games last season and played well. Barratt put up good numbers in the ever-popular Scenic West Athletic Conference (13.4 ppg, 7.9 rpg), where he was selected second team all-conference. Also returning at the forward spot is 6-5 sophomore Luke Vernon (1.9 ppg, 1.5 rpg), who saw action in every game as a freshman. Newcomers will fill the rest of the positions. Six-foot-six freshman Jake Rohe (St. Thomas More School, Conn./San Juan Capistrano, Calif.) was a three-sport athlete in high school, while 6-6 freshman David Muller (New Hampton, N.H./Bath, (N.Y.), Prep) also played soccer in high school. Both used an extra year of prep school to refine their skills. The guard spot looks secure with Prather at one guard and 6-3 junior two-guard Kevin Cuttica (7.8 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 48 assists). He is a very good outside shooter and had a solid sophomore season after playing out of position at the point during his freshman year. Backing up the starting guards will be returning players 6-2 senior Jim Pieri (2.5 ppg, 0.7 rpg, .481 3-pt), 6-5 sophomore A.J. McGuire and 6-0 sophomore Pete Carroll (1.1 ppg, 0.8 rpg). Pieri was a reserve last season who came in and made three-point shots. McGuire and Carroll suffered injuries last season. McGuire, grandson of former Marquette coach and CBS television analyst Al McGuire, missing the entire season. Carroll missed 10 games. Rounding out the backcourt will be 6-4 freshman Aaron Klumpp (Windsor HS/Windsor, N.Y.) and 6-1 freshman Jacques Vigneault (Dawson College/Verdun, Quebec). Klumpp won all-state honors twice while Vigneault was a member of Quebec's under-19 team.
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http://www.collegebaskets.com
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