ITHACA - Even in defeat, Steve Donahue felt something good might be brewing for his Cornell Big Red back in December.
After Syracuse dealt Cornell its third straight loss, 80-64 in the Carrier Dome three days before Christmas, the Orange's postgame analysis did wonders for a team searching for answers.
“The comments by the Syracuse guys were right on the money,” Donahue said. “They felt they could get any rebound, they felt they could get any shot. The blatant honesty - we really needed that. From that point on, we've been terrific.”
So terrific that Cornell (20-5, 12-0 Ivy League) has lost only one game since - at Duke - and last Saturday night clinched just the second Ivy League title in school history with an 86-53 win over Harvard. That made the Big Red the first team in the nation to clinch a berth in the NCAA tournament.
“We were in the Duke game, even ahead,” said fifth-year senior forward Jason Hartford, a junior college transfer from Oregon who sat out last season with a foot injury. “Just to be that close to a program that well-known and we grew up watching on TV, to have a chance to win the game, was just unreal, a big confidence-booster. I think everybody's game has elevated.”
“We kind of knew coming into the season that we had the potential to be a good team,” said co-captain Adam Gore, a junior guard from Indiana. “It wasn't until we got into the Ivy League season and got on a roll that our confidence really picked back up. Guys realize now that we have a chance to do some things.”
The road to the NCAA tournament is especially difficult for Cornell, which is located about 50 miles south of Syracuse in upstate New York. That's a geographical nightmare for the Big Red, who must endure long bus trips to play conference road games scheduled on back-to-back weekend days so players miss as few classes as possible. And since the Ivy League is the only conference in the country that doesn't conduct a postseason tournament to determine its champion, the pressure is high each Friday and Saturday, when one shot can ruin a chance at the postseason.
That was never more evident than in a stunning 72-71 victory at Harvard in mid-February. Crimson guard Jeremy Lin, a 25 percent 3-point shooter, made a 3 with 42 seconds remaining to give Harvard a 71-66 lead. Undaunted, sophomore Alex Tyler, who had committed a turnover with just over a minute remaining, made a putback, a hook that drew a goaltending call, and a layup in a 25-second span without a timeout.
“Not only do we win it in regulation, we win it with three field goals,” Donahue said. “The guys don't panic and throw a garbage 3 up there and get lucky. It was three executed plays. They did a terrific job of staying poised. All of them, to a man, understood what needed to be done.”
That has seldom been the case. Since coach Mike Dement's 1987-88 Cornell team went 17-10 and 11-3 in the Ivy League to earn the school's second NCAA tournament bid (the 1953-54 team coached by Royner Greene went 18-8 and 11-3 in the old Eastern Intercollegiate Basketball League to earn the school's first NCAA berth, two years before the Ivy League was formed), the Big Red had just two winning seasons until going 16-12 and 9-5 in the Ivies in 2006-07 under Donahue.
In winning this year, Cornell broke one of the most consistent monopolies in college basketball. Since 1969, either Penn or Princeton won or shared the Ivy League title in all but three years.
“This wasn't a quick fix,” said Donahue, who compiled a 74-117 record in his first seven years. “There were a lot of things that needed to be done so we could be competitive. I'm appreciative of the guys who built the foundation and then we were able to sell that same product to better players.”
And Donahue takes his sales pitch to new places, trying to avoid banging heads in the Northeast corridor because there are so many options for prospective players.
“We can go find kids that are a Cornell fit, and that's basically the Midwest,” said Donahue. “We have a Big Ten-type of campus, and I thought those kids would appreciate it. I think they're overlooked sometimes out in those rural areas. I just felt they were the type of kids who would buy into this.”
Heading into the final weekend, the Cornell women were 17-8 overall and at 9-3 tied for second in the Ivies, one game behind first-place Harvard. Which means they will finish with a winning record for only the third time since the program started in 1971.
That Donahue and women's coach Dayna Smith shared an office at Penn eight years ago might have something to do with that.
“We haven't accomplished everything we want to right now, but we're happy to be in the position we're in,” said Smith, whose 2003-04 team went 3-24 and 1-13 in the Ivy League. “It's been a lot of hard work.
“I'm happy for the players. I'm happy for Cornell,” said Smith, who was given the job in 2002 after a recommendation from Donahue. “It's nice that we can also be known as a basketball school. We're hoping that this is just the beginning.”
“The comments by the Syracuse guys were right on the money,” Donahue said. “They felt they could get any rebound, they felt they could get any shot. The blatant honesty - we really needed that. From that point on, we've been terrific.”
So terrific that Cornell (20-5, 12-0 Ivy League) has lost only one game since - at Duke - and last Saturday night clinched just the second Ivy League title in school history with an 86-53 win over Harvard. That made the Big Red the first team in the nation to clinch a berth in the NCAA tournament.
“We were in the Duke game, even ahead,” said fifth-year senior forward Jason Hartford, a junior college transfer from Oregon who sat out last season with a foot injury. “Just to be that close to a program that well-known and we grew up watching on TV, to have a chance to win the game, was just unreal, a big confidence-booster. I think everybody's game has elevated.”
“We kind of knew coming into the season that we had the potential to be a good team,” said co-captain Adam Gore, a junior guard from Indiana. “It wasn't until we got into the Ivy League season and got on a roll that our confidence really picked back up. Guys realize now that we have a chance to do some things.”
The road to the NCAA tournament is especially difficult for Cornell, which is located about 50 miles south of Syracuse in upstate New York. That's a geographical nightmare for the Big Red, who must endure long bus trips to play conference road games scheduled on back-to-back weekend days so players miss as few classes as possible. And since the Ivy League is the only conference in the country that doesn't conduct a postseason tournament to determine its champion, the pressure is high each Friday and Saturday, when one shot can ruin a chance at the postseason.
That was never more evident than in a stunning 72-71 victory at Harvard in mid-February. Crimson guard Jeremy Lin, a 25 percent 3-point shooter, made a 3 with 42 seconds remaining to give Harvard a 71-66 lead. Undaunted, sophomore Alex Tyler, who had committed a turnover with just over a minute remaining, made a putback, a hook that drew a goaltending call, and a layup in a 25-second span without a timeout.
“Not only do we win it in regulation, we win it with three field goals,” Donahue said. “The guys don't panic and throw a garbage 3 up there and get lucky. It was three executed plays. They did a terrific job of staying poised. All of them, to a man, understood what needed to be done.”
That has seldom been the case. Since coach Mike Dement's 1987-88 Cornell team went 17-10 and 11-3 in the Ivy League to earn the school's second NCAA tournament bid (the 1953-54 team coached by Royner Greene went 18-8 and 11-3 in the old Eastern Intercollegiate Basketball League to earn the school's first NCAA berth, two years before the Ivy League was formed), the Big Red had just two winning seasons until going 16-12 and 9-5 in the Ivies in 2006-07 under Donahue.
In winning this year, Cornell broke one of the most consistent monopolies in college basketball. Since 1969, either Penn or Princeton won or shared the Ivy League title in all but three years.
“This wasn't a quick fix,” said Donahue, who compiled a 74-117 record in his first seven years. “There were a lot of things that needed to be done so we could be competitive. I'm appreciative of the guys who built the foundation and then we were able to sell that same product to better players.”
And Donahue takes his sales pitch to new places, trying to avoid banging heads in the Northeast corridor because there are so many options for prospective players.
“We can go find kids that are a Cornell fit, and that's basically the Midwest,” said Donahue. “We have a Big Ten-type of campus, and I thought those kids would appreciate it. I think they're overlooked sometimes out in those rural areas. I just felt they were the type of kids who would buy into this.”
Heading into the final weekend, the Cornell women were 17-8 overall and at 9-3 tied for second in the Ivies, one game behind first-place Harvard. Which means they will finish with a winning record for only the third time since the program started in 1971.
That Donahue and women's coach Dayna Smith shared an office at Penn eight years ago might have something to do with that.
“We haven't accomplished everything we want to right now, but we're happy to be in the position we're in,” said Smith, whose 2003-04 team went 3-24 and 1-13 in the Ivy League. “It's been a lot of hard work.
“I'm happy for the players. I'm happy for Cornell,” said Smith, who was given the job in 2002 after a recommendation from Donahue. “It's nice that we can also be known as a basketball school. We're hoping that this is just the beginning.”
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