2013-2014 Basketball

[Ken711]

Penn 69 Cornell 65 final.

The 2014-15 season begins.

Could it ever be worse than this season? AN are you reading this?

[mountainred]

1 D-III non-Ivy win

Oberlin thinks of themselves as Ivy-like, does that count for anything?

[billhoward]

1 D-III non-Ivy win

Oberlin thinks of themselves as Ivy-like, does that count for anything?

Ivy-liked in what way: times since 1965 they occupied the president's office? overwrought faculty meetings? tuition, room and board? classes dropped for emotional wellness reasons? alumni now raiders of Wall Street? alumni shaping the news on TV? Oberlin certainly gives sophisticated thought to the name of its Ultimate team: Oberlin Flying Horsecows vs. Cornell Buds.

[mountainred]

1 D-III non-Ivy win

Oberlin thinks of themselves as Ivy-like, does that count for anything?

Ivy-liked in what way: times since 1965 they occupied the president's office? overwrought faculty meetings? tuition, room and board? classes dropped for emotional wellness reasons? alumni now raiders of Wall Street? alumni shaping the news on TV? Oberlin certainly gives sophisticated thought to the name of its Ultimate team: Oberlin Flying Horsecows vs. Cornell Buds.

That sounds Ivy-like to me.

[CAS]

I assume we'll find out in the next few days if Andy Noel cares at all about basketball.

[ugarte]

I assume we'll find out in the next few days if Andy Noel cares at all about basketball.

Or if the school has a preference regarding eating expensive head coaching contracts.

[mountainred]

I assume we'll find out in the next few days if Andy Noel cares at all about basketball.

Or if the school has a preference regarding eating expensive head coaching contracts.

Oh, I'm sure they have a preference there.

[mountainred]

Cressler was named Honorable Mention all-Ivy.  Congratulations to Nolan.

[CAS]

Cornell is a combined 37-78 during the Bill Courtney era.

[ithacat]

Cornell is a combined 37-78 during the Bill Courtney era.

Cornell was 32-76 during Donahue's first 4 years, though he was showing improvement. There were then two more losing seasons before Steve had his first winning campaign.

[CAS]

Steve inherited a much more difficult situation than Bill.  Steve's teams generally improved throughout his tenure, and Cornell went 6-8 in the Ivies in year 4. In year 5 Cornell went 8-6 and finished 2nd in the league.  Not sure how Steve's record is relevant in evaluating Bill.

[ugarte]

Steve inherited a much more difficult situation than Bill.  Steve's teams generally improved throughout his tenure, and Cornell went 6-8 in the Ivies in year 4. In year 5 Cornell went 8-6 and finished 2nd in the league.  Not sure how Steve's record is relevant in evaluating Bill.

It's relevant in demonstrating how the school does or does not react to coaching record.

[CAS]

I argue it's not a good comparison. Steve inherited a losing program and was making good progress after 4 years. Bill started after all the positive press of 3 consecutive Ivy titles and a Sweet 16, and has lost 32 of his last 33 D-1 games.

[ugarte]

I argue it's not a good comparison. Steve inherited a losing program and was making good progress after 4 years. Bill started after all the positive press of 3 consecutive Ivy titles and a Sweet 16, and has lost 32 of his last 33 D-1 games.

He also started after everyone who made that team a winner had graduated. The rest of Donohue's recruits going forward weren't that great and, whatever advantage Cornell was supposed to get in recruiting from a Sweet 16 appearance probably disappeared the second the coach from that team took the BC job.

I'm not even arguing in favor of Courtney - this year was so awful that a firing wouldn't be undeserved - but I don't think it matches up with the reality of how Cornell has run the basketball program to expect that the school fires coaches for on-court performance. Our football program has been generally moribund and I still think we lose more coaches to better offers than we do to the axe.

[CAS]

Not every key player from the Sweet 16 team graduated in 2010.  But more importantly this year's team is Bill's team - it featured 3 classes of his recruits.