Dartmouth

Jon Teitel's "Forgotten Legends" Series: Dartmouth's Rudy LaRusso

Jon Teitel — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 11:48:09 -0800

In the latest installment in his "Forgotten Legends" interview series CHN writer Jon Teitel caught up with Corey LaRusso, the son of Dartmouth great Rudy LaRusso. LaRusso is widely regarded as the greatest player in Dartmouth history, where one of his teammates was the late Dave Gavitt and his head coach Alvin "Doggie" Julian. After helping lead the Big Green to a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances (they haven't been back since) LaRusso played ten seasons in the NBA for the Lakers and Warriors before retiring. LaRusso passed away in 2004.

Jon Teitel: Your dad won All-City honors at James Madison HS under legendary coach Jammy Moskowitz after growing seven inches from his freshman to his sophomore year. How good was he back then, and what impact did his growth spurt have on his basketball ability?

Corey LaRusso: He was actually a pitcher as a freshman. His first love was baseball and the Brooklyn Dodgers. Coach Moskowitz had seen him play some pickup basketball games and just convinced him to come out for the basketball team the following year. I think he started his final two years of high school after learning the game during his sophomore year. James Madison was a basketball power and my dad dedicated a lot of his success to his coach. Some of the seniors wondered why my dad was starting over them, which just gave him motivation to work his ass off! He would play pick up games all day and all night. Jammy said he had the most ability of anyone he ever coached.

JT: As a senior in 1955, he scored 14 points in the PSAL final (a five-point loss to Jamaica). How close did he come to winning that game, and did that loss stick with him for a long time afterwards?

CL: It was a huge disappointment that stuck with him forever. They played again two weeks later and James Madison killed Jamaica!

JT: He scored 25 points and made a last-second layup in a one-game playoff against Princeton in 1959 to lead Dartmouth to its most recent conference title. Where did that shot rank among the most clutch of his career, and how was he able to play his best when it mattered the most?

CL: Back then you had to win the Ivy title to get into the NCAA Tournament so there was a lot at stake. Each team had beaten the other on the road and the playoff game was at Yale. They were down by one with five seconds left, so Coach Doggie Julian called timeout and said, "Get the ball to Rudy!" Future Hall of Famer Dave Gavitt threw a pass to my dad (who saved it from going out of bounds), and then he made the shot at the buzzer. I have heard that even today you cannot get into a Dartmouth fraternity unless you know my dad's birthday/stats/etc.! We went back there in 1999 for his 40-year reunion. He knocked on the door to the Sphinx Club, and once the pledge who opened the door recognized him he said my dad could come in...but I had to wait outside!

My dad came out 20 minutes later crying his eyes out. He said that his jersey was in there with tons of photos and all his career stats. He just melted because he was so touched, and I finally started to realize how big of a deal he was on campus. A few years later after he passed away the school brought my entire family back for a night in his honor. Dartmouth was down double-digits at halftime, but hit a shot at the buzzer to win it and the crowd started chanting "Rudy, Rudy!!" His spirit was absolutely there. He was the strongest person (mentally AND physically) who you ever met. He retired early because he had the stubborn Brooklyn determination to succeed in the world outside basketball.

JT: His 17.9 career rebounds per game is still an Ivy record, and he holds the school records for rebounds in a game (32), season (503), and career (1,239). What made him such a great rebounder, and do you think anyone will ever break his records?

CL: I do not think they will ever break his records in the Ivy League because they do not have the athletes now. His NBA reputation was that he was the best two-handed rebounder in the game.

JT: In the 1958 NCAA Tournament he had a double-double in wins over Connecticut and Manhattan and a loss to Temple. How was he able to play so well against the best teams in the country, and how did that three-game stretch shape his legacy at Dartmouth?

CL: He had a great supporting cast that year but ended up fouling out on some questionable calls. That one game stood out in his career as the most suspicious in terms of the officiating. Something hokey must have been going on.

JT: In the 1959 NCAA Tournament he scored 12 points before fouling out in a loss to eventual national runner-up West Virginia (who was led by Jerry West's 25 points). Could he tell at the time that West was going to become a star?

CL: The next year my dad and West were paired together on the Lakers and became best friends. They just could not stop Jerry that night.

JT: In the summer of 1959 he was drafted 12th overall by Minneapolis (six spots behind Dick Barnett). Did he see that as a validation of his college career, or the realization of a lifelong dream of reaching the NBA, or other?

CL: Julian was coach of the Celtics in the late 1940s but went to Dartmouth in 1950 after a falling out with Red Auerbach. I asked my dad if he thought that the Celtics did not draft him because of the situation with Julian and he said he did. Minneapolis GM Lou Mohs came to the 1959 Dartmouth-Princeton playoff game...but could not get into the gym because it was sold out. Mohs ended up paying a souvenir salesman $50 for his entire rack of souvenirs in order to get in and watch my dad!

JT: He played at least 71 games a season in nine of his ten years in the NBA. How was he able to remain so durable for such a long stretch of time?

CL: I believe that my dad could tolerate pain to an incredible level. Even when I would play pickup games with him he would never show it even if he was in pain. He would take painkiller shots which his doctor said was actually "horse serum"! My dad died of Parkinson's at age 66 and I think it might have had to do with the drugs he took, as they had not been properly tested at the time. Many of the retired players from that era have had heart problems. Big dogs do not live a long time and I fear that big people are the same way. I think that Shaquille O'Neal might not live to age 80. My dad was never a drinker or smoker, so for him to die early goes against everything we know about health.

JT: In 1962 he scored a career-high 50 points in a ten-point win in the regular season finale against St. Louis. Was it just one of those scenarios where every shot he put up seemed to go in because he was in "the zone"?

CL: Elgin and Jerry were hurt that night so he was the go-to guy, and he told me that he could not miss.

JT: The Lakers lost to Boston three times in the NBA Finals in devastating fashion in a five-year span (1962: three-point overtime loss in Game 7; 1963: three-point loss in Game 6; 1966: two-point loss in Game 7). Was it frustrating for him to be so close to winning so many titles and having to keep going through the Celtics' dynasty to get there?

CL: Frank Selvy missed a jumper at the end of regulation in Game 7 in 1962 and the Lakers lost in OT. After the loss we did not hear from him for ten days. It turned out that he had gone back to Dartmouth and was just drinking with some friends because he did not know how to get a grip on the loss. When I was about five years old we were driving around one day and I asked him if he ever won an NBA title and he said no. When I asked why, he said, "It was because we could not stop f---ing Bill Russell!" I responded, "you mean the Dodgers shortstop?" and he just cracked up. It became a running joke in my family!

The Lakers just did not have a center. If you took out Bill Russell and Lakers center Ray Felix, I think the Lakers would beat the Celtics five times out of five. My dad he had no problem playing against Tom Heinsohn. Some nights my dad would have a big game and some nights Heinsohn would. They were friends off the court and would go grab a beer after the game, but nobody else on either team would do that.

JT: In 1966 he got in a famous fight with Willis Reed during the Knicks' home opener. Did he ever talk about the fight, and did he have a temper off the court?

CL: Marv Albert still calls it the biggest fight ever in the Garden. Even bigger than Ali-Frazier! They were just elbowing each other during a free throw attempt and then it broke out into a brawl. My dad threw about 50 punches that went whizzing by Reed's head but never connected. Reed was in a frenzy and just clocked John Block and ended up shattering his face. My dad later said that Reed swung at him 14 times but never hit him. That same year my dad got into another fight that happened to occur right in front of Lakers owner Jack Kent Cooke, and that is when the trade happened.

JT: In January 1967 he was part of a three-team trade that sent him to Detroit, but he refused to go to due to his pregnant wife and decided to retire. What role did family play in his life, and was he worried that his career might be over?

CL: He did not think for a second that his career was over. He was upset that the Lakers were doing that to him while my mom was pregnant with me. He said he would just retire but the NBA told him that he would have to go to Detroit. Everyone knew it was a bad trade for the Lakers and a lot of the fans were angry about it. Cooke called him over to his house one day and they talked for 5-6 hours. They ended up re-routing the trade so that my dad would sit out for a few months and then go to the Warriors.

JT: After signing with the Warriors (who let him live in LA and commute to San Francisco for games and practices) he ended up having the two highest scoring seasons of his career before retiring for good. How did that commute affect your family, and how was he able to play his best towards the end of his career?

CL: He would just fly back and forth to SF and after two years of that he just decided that he was done with it. He was always the third fiddle to Baylor and West on the Lakers, although he made a few All-Star teams during that time. Cooke made the trade because of the fights my dad got in. Warriors coach Bill Sharman got him into the best shape of his life and after that he could not wait to play against the Lakers and had some big games against them. My dad was not opposed to flying. He met my mother when he was a rookie and she was a flight attendant!

JT: He was a five-time All-Star and averaged 10+ points per game in each of his ten seasons. How was he able to remain so consistent throughout his career, and do you think he belongs in the Hall of Fame?

CL: He absolutely belongs in the Hall of Fame, as his ten years worth of stats are incredibly similar to the first ten years of the best Ivy player in NBA history (Bill Bradley).

JT: He later was an investment banker and sports agent (with you as one of his partners). What was it like working with him, and how did he like being an agent?

CL: He was one of the first agents to initiate the flow of basketball talent to Italy (Brian Shaw, Danny Ferry, etc.). As an Italian-American who had played the game he just took it to another level. I became a part of my dad's business after his health started to decline. I learned the game from my father. One of my high school teammates at Palisades High was Steve Kerr. We handled 5-7 players and I just helped continue his work. I now work with agent Eric Fleischer out of NY as an NBA recruiter for the WAC and Pac-12.

Rudy is also on Jon's list of best pro players in Ivy League history.

Brown: Woody Grimshaw (1947)
Columbia: Jim McMillian (1971)
Cornell: Ed Peterson (1950)
Dartmouth: Rudy LaRusso (1960)
Harvard: Saul Mariaschin (1948)
Pennsylvania: Matt Maloney (1997)
Princeton: Geoff Petrie (1971)
Yale: Chris Dudley (1988)

Ivy League Notes and Quotes

Jon Teitel — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 12:30:37 -0800

With Ivy League become fully joined so to speak this weekend it's a good opportunity to take a look at the league to this point in the season. CHN writer Jon Teitel compiled some quotes from the coaches' midseason media teleconference a couple weeks ago, and those will be combined with notes and evaluations of each of the Ancient Eight. This weekend's schedule:

Friday, January 28th
7:00 PM Brown at Princeton
7:00 PM Cornell at Dartmouth
7:00 PM Columbia at Harvard
7:00 PM Yale at Penn

Saturday, January 29th
6:00 PM Cornell at Harvard
6:00 PM Yale at Princeton
7:00 PM Brown at Penn
7:00 PM Columbia at Dartmouth

Harvard (13-3, 2-0)
It's been a good season thus far for Tommy Amaker's Crimson, who boast wins over Boston College and Colorado not to mention a three-point loss at Michigan. Expected to be one of the contenders to win the league, Harvard has lived up to that status despite Kyle Casey missing four games due to injury. Freshman guard Laurent Rivard has been one of the reasons as to why, averaging 12.6 points per game. Forward Keith Wright leads Harvard in both scoring (14.3) and rebounding (8.3), and with four players in double figures Harvard is a difficult team to slow down offensively. Harvard leads the Ivy League in assists per game as well.

Princeton head coach Sydney Johnson on Harvard: "Harvard and Penn are the most talented teams from top to bottom, but everyone is playing good basketball."

Dartmouth head coach Paul Cormier on Harvard: "I hope Harvard is the most talented team we face all year, because they are really, really good."

Columbia (11-5, 2-0)
The Lions have also gotten off to a good start, winning both meetings with Cornell to begin league play with a 2-0 record. As expected Norwua Agho has been the lead option offensively, averaging 16.2 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game. Kyle Smith's squad is the best rebounding team in the Ivy League, boasting a margin of plus-6.8 rebounds per game. Columbia's best non-conference victory may be a 74-71 win over Maine, who currently leads America East. Next up for the Lions is that trip to Harvard on Friday night, a significant step up in competition despite Cornell's status as three-time defending league champions.

Head coach Kyle Smith: "Noruwa Agho has been playing great. I have been really impressed with how he passes the ball, as he has changed from a scorer to a playmaker. It is hard to rebound when you are hurt and playing on back-to-back nights, but we have been emphasizing it in practice."

Yale (9-7, 2-0)
James Jones' team has won four straight, most recently sweeping a pair of games from Brown over the last two weeks. Center Greg Magnano has already won or shared three Player of the Week awards while Austin Morgan has one to his credit as well. Freshman Jeremiah Kreisberg has started six games, even winning the Rookie of the Week award for his play last week. Three Bulldogs average double figures, and just like their bitter rival they also own a victory over Boston College this season. Yale visits Penn and Princeton this weekend.

Head coach James Jones on Magnano: "Greg Mangano has been real important for us on both offense and defense: drawing double-teams, making good decisions, etc. It is kind of hard to say whether Greg is best big-man in conference, but if he is not the best then he is one of the best. "

Princeton (12-4, 0-0)
The Tigers have yet to enter league play but they've done a solid job of navigating their non-conference schedule. Forwards Ian Hummer and Kareem Maddox have both played well, each showing off the talent to earn postseason honors in the form of one of the All-Ivy teams. Four Tigers average from 13.1 to 13.8 points per game with Hummer and Maddox being two; the others are guards Dan Mavraides and Douglas Davis and the two forwards are also in the top five in the league in rebounding. Tops in the Ivy League in field goal percentage, Princeton also ranks well in the league with regards to both field goal and three point percentage defense. They get Brown and Yale this weekend, with the latter possibly being a big one if the Bulldogs arrive at Jadwin Gym 3-0 in league play.

Head coach Sydney Johnson on Ian Hummer: "Ian Hummer has gotten more comfortable this season, and has always had the enthusiasm."

Penn (6-8, 0-0)
Penn may have taken on the most ambition non-conference schedule, playing the likes of Kentucky, Pittsburgh and Big 5 rival Villanova, and while they didn't win any of those contests the experience of playing such competition could help them in league play. Zack Rosen and Jack Eggleston lead the way offensively and freshman guard Miles Cartwright has been a good addition to the rotation. But the Quakers will need to improve defensively if they're to contend as they're last in the Ivy in field goal percentage defense (47.3%) and sixth in three-point percentage defense (35.7%). Penn is also sixth in rebounding margin, meaning that they'll need to help out Eggleston (8.1 rpg) in this area as well. Conference play opens with a tough battle tonight as they host Penn at the Palestra.

Head coach Jerome Allen on Rosen: "Zack Rosen does everything for us, and is a great leader both on and off the floor. He wants to be coached and wants to get better."

Allen on Cartwright: "Miles Cartwright has done a tremendous job of blending in with the group on both ends of the court."

Allen on their early-season scheduling: "We do not schedule games to learn lessons. We schedule them to win. We are just trying to establish our identity on the defensive end, regardless of who we are playing. Our three games against Top 10 teams taught us that every possession counts."

Brown (7-9, 0-2)
Brown opened up league play with two games against Yale, dropping both by a combined 13 points, most recently falling 59-51 in New Haven last weekend. Four players average at least 9.4 points per game with senior Peter Sullivan's 13.6 leading the way. Sophomore Tucker Halpern has raised his scoring average three points this season and is shooting higher percentages from both the field and three. Brown's been a middle of the pack team in many of the major statistical categories, which could be an explanation for their current record. But they're also the worst three-point shooting team in the league, and they'll need to become more proficient in that department if they're to finish league play with a solid record. They'll visit Princeton and Penn this weekend, with the latter possibly being the better choice in regards to which game the Bears can win to earn a split.

Head coach Jesse Agel on his rotation: "It takes a village for us to be good. We do not have one specific guy who will carry us. When we win, we usually have 5-7 guys who play very well. It excites me that we still have not hit our peak yet, as we are getting better in every practice."

Agel on Sullivan's change in role: "Peter Sullivan has become more of a facilitator during the season, which is why his free throw attempts have gone down. He is still getting into the lane, but is just kicking it out to an open man once he gets there."

Cornell (4-12, 0-2)
The reigning three-time defending Ivy champs dropped a pair of tough games to Columbia in the beginning of their quest for a fourth crown, and their non-conference slate may have been a bit ambitious given the coach and roster turnover. First-year head coach Bill Courtney has a team that's finally approaching good health and in Chris Wroblewski one of the better guards in the Ivy League. Cornell is second in the league in three-point percentage but just seventh in overall field goal percentage (just 41.5% of their points come on two-point shots). Cornell visits Dartmouth tonight in a matchup of two 0-2 teams in league play and with Harvard on Saturday night the game against the Big Green becomes that much bigger.

Head coach Bill Courtney on Wroblewski: "It has been an adjustment for Chris Wroblewski, as he hurt his ankle early on and was a role player last year, but as of late he has been terrific."

Courtney on the season to date: "We have had some ups and downs, which were expected after losing so many seniors from last season, but we are as healthy as we have been since the start of the season. We have learned a lot about our strengths and weaknesses, both as players and coaches."

Dartmouth (4-12, 0-2)
In their first season under Paul Cormier the Big Green have struggled offensively, ranking at or near the bottom of the Ivy League in many of the major statistical categories. R.J. Griffin, David Rufful and Jabari Trotter all average nine points per game to lead the way but it's tough to win games consistently when as a team you average less than 59 points per game. It also didn't help matters that senior point guard Ronnie Dixon has missed the last six games with a broken hand, and the date of a possible return remains to be seen. Dartmouth's two league games came against Harvard, most recently losing by nine at Harvard last weekend. Just like Cornell the Big Green could have Friday's contest circled as an opportunity to get into the win column conference-wise.

Head coach Paul Cormier on Dixon: "Ronnie Dixon is an important asset to our team. He was starting to have a real good season before breaking his hand last month. One of our biggest weaknesses is shooting, as we seem to be rushing some of our shots. If we are not risking any further injury to Ronnie, we will put him back in there. He is a senior who deserves all the minutes he can get, but he will be out for the bulk of the season. He is only going to be able to play for 1/3 of the season, so it is a real shame."

Player of the Week History

11/15 F Keith Wright (Harvard)
11/22 G Christian Webster (Harvard) and G Austin Morgan (Yale)
11/29 Wright
12/6 F Ian Hummer (Princeton)
12/13 G Norwua Agho (Columbia) and F Kareem Maddox (Princeton)
12/20 Maddox
12/27 G Zack Rosen (Penn)
1/3 G Chris Wroblewski (Cornell)
1/10 Agho and C Greg Magnano (Yale)
1/17 Agho and Magnano
1/24 Magnano

Rookie of the Week History

11/15 G Miles Cartwright (Penn)
11/22 G Sean McGonagill (Brown)
11/29 Cartwright
12/6 G Laurent Rivard (Harvard)
12/13 G Steve Frankoski (Columbia)
12/20 F Gediminias Bertasius (Dartmouth)
12/27 Cartwright
1/3 Rivard
1/10 F Dockery Walker (Brown)
1/17 Rivard
1/24 F Jeremiah Kreisberg (Yale)

Ivy League Coaches Media Conference Quotes

Jon Teitel — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 23:01:13 -0700

Last Wednesday the eight Ivy League head coaches took part in the Ancient Eight's preseason media teleconference, and along with their thoughts the preseason poll results and preseason All-Ivy candidates were unveiled. CHN writer Jon Teitel compiled the thoughts of each coach below, and the preseason poll can be seen there as well.

Brown's Jesse Agel (11-20, 5-9)
"Hopefully we are going to progress from being competitive to winning games. I feel we are pretty good offensively, but a work in progress defensively. I am hoping that our freshmen will grow up during the season to become "February sophomores". The Sullivan brothers (Matt/Peter) are a couple of years apart, and Pete shoulders a lot of the load for us. The biggest part for Garrett Leffelman last year was trying to stay healthy for more than one month at a time. He really burst onto the scene in the second half of the season. With Pete Sullivan being down, we want Garrett to take more shots, and if he can make 55% of his shots again, he is going to have a great season. We want the stars to be stars and let our four freshmen just fill in by playing their roles, while adjusting to college life both on and off the court. They are very coachable and learning extremely quickly. We do not have any juniors in our program, so we have to garner some experience for our young guys."

Columbia's Kyle Smith (11-17, 5-9)
"We have a mostly new coaching staff and several returning players. Noruwa Agho wants to be a good all-around player: I thought he might be just a shooter, but he is willing to pass the ball and make his teammates better. The talent level in this league is excellent. I would not put 7-foot center Max Craig in the same category as Omar Samhan (who was the star of the Sweet 16 squad at St. Mary's last year when Smith was an associate coach), but he has a physical presence and plays hard. Zack Crimmins is another 7-footer we have who is skillful. We do not want to put a lot of pressure on ourselves with wins/losses: we just want to get better every day. Having success on the road is a key for any winning program."

Cornell's Bill Courtney (29-5, 13-1)
"We are a team full of unknowns, so even our returning players will have to step into new roles. I love the work ethic of my players. Losing 3 of the best players in school history means that a guy like Chris Wroblewski will have to take on a lot of leadership, and he has excelled in that role. I definitely can recall the night I scored 31 points as a senior in a two-point win against Cornell; you always remember the games when you scored 30! I always knew I wanted to be a college basketball coach. It is a tremendous honor to be at Cornell with its great reputation in both academics and athletics. My family and I have been embraced by the community. The trickiest part is figuring out the whole process of recruiting without scholarships."

Harvard's Tommy Amaker (21-8, 10-4)
"We feel like we have a good nucleus of returning players, but Jeremy Lin was incredible for us last year, so we will have our work cut out for us this year. Injuries have set us back, but if we can remain healthy and consistent, then I think we can be a very competitive team this year. A lot of on-court success is determined about how things are going for our guys off the court, particularly our younger players. Coach K has not called me to chat about Princeton: he does not have to ask me for any advice related to basketball, as it is the other way around all the time! It has been a neat environment on campus ever since we made the postseason last year (the school's first postseason appearance since 1946), and it has been wonderful to see the growth and excitement take place. We had a lot of sellouts and overflow crowds last year, and I think both our fans and our recruits enjoy our entertaining style of play. We have played MI before, which was part of the contract from before I got here because we had some kids from Boston on our roster at Michigan (Amaker previously was the MI head coach). We would love to continue to play BC since they are a local rival, and BC (and former Cornell) head coach Steve Donahue also wants to see that happen."

Penn's Jerome Allen (6-22, 5-9)
"This will be an interesting year throughout the league due to the good balance, now more than ever. I think our staff has the opportunity to bring back the brand of basketball success we are used to at Penn. They say that you never know how she is until you marry her: we are only a couple of weeks into our relationship, and still have to figure out who are going to be our constant contributors. All of our guys who were injured (such as Tyler Bernardini/Andreas Schreiber) have done a great job in rehab of getting back towards 100%. We have to compete and really respect the game. Whichever team makes the fewest mistakes and plays defense will probably be on top. Nothing has changed from a coaching standpoint in terms of starting the season as coach vs. becoming coach during the season. We just embrace the process of going from point A to point B, and after mastering that first step we will just try to keep playing the right type of basketball."

Princeton's Sydney Johnson (22-9, 11-3)
"Trying to size up our league, I think that Penn will be a very strong team and right the ship immediately. I agree with the talk that it is a wide-open league, and our task is to practice hard and be very hungry. We have told our three seniors (Bobby Foley/Kareem Maddox/Dan Mavraides) the same thing for the past four years, so now they can turn around and tell the younger guys what to do. It is always different going from individual workouts to having the whole gang out there. Marcus Schroeder was the heart and soul of our team, but we have some guys who can fill that void. We want all of our guys to be able to handle the ball, which was a major point of emphasis last spring. Rutgers and Duke will just start our season with a bang. Coach K will more than likely go down as one of the greatest coaches of all-time. Harvard head coach (and former Duke captain) Tommy Amaker has not given me any tips, but I think the Duke basketball family is pretty tight, and they should keep it that way. As we all go out and play different teams, we all represent the Ivy League. It is an interesting dynamic: you want the other seven teams to get some good non-conference wins, but you have to have tunnel vision during conference play."

Yale's James Jones (12-19, 6-8)
"We have a Good mix of upperclassmen and underclassmen, but not a lot of experience outside of Michael Sands/Porter Braswell. We certainly have to take care of home court, but also have to play consistently down the stretch. We don't need a high-scoring point guard; we just need someone to not turn the ball over and be smart with his decision-making. Expectations have been raised so high in our league due to Cornell's convincing run in the tourney. The Connecticut 6 Classic is a tremendous idea. It will not be the first game played at the Mohegan Sun Arena, and I do not think our guys will be anywhere near the casino. I think it is great for fans of all 6 teams to get to see them play there, and hope we can do it for years to come. The only thing I am worried about for the game at BC on November 18th is that my 5-year old son will come with us on the bus, and I just hope he does not burn the house down when playing with my brother Joe's (assistant coach at BC) kid. I suspect the game itself will be a dogfight, as Steve Donahue (former Cornell head coach) is a great coach."

Dartmouth's Paul Cormier (5-23, 1-13)
"I have never seen these kids play before this year and did not recruit them. We started with 20 players and are now down to 14. We have about seven who were on the team last year and the rest are new. This year is about changing the culture a bit and focusing on defense, as we know we will be recruiting some players to fit our offensive style. Some of my fondest memories were coaching in Philly (as an assistant to Rollie Massimino at Villanova): it is a tremendous college basketball environment. In the early 1980s the Big 5 games were absolutely the best. Those games were bloodbaths, as the teams left everything out on the floor. Most teams had at least a few kids from Philly and it was neighbor against neighbor, so you could just throw out any records/predictions. I enjoyed my first go-round at Dartmouth, but I got into the scouting side of the NBA game and stayed there too long. I have been trying to get back into the college game for a few years, and when the Dartmouth position opened up I jumped at the chance. There is nothing better than being back in northern New England at the school that gave me my first chance to be a head coach. I am as excited as hell about being here, and think we will be competitive in the near-future. This is the first time I have ever gone after a job without really needing it. You cannot rebuild from scratch without the commitment from the school. The admissions and financial aid process is much more transparent now."

Preseason Poll
1. Princeton (12 first-place votes) 128 points
2. Harvard (4) 120
3. Cornell (1) 96
4. Pennsylvania 89
5. Yale 57
6. Brown 55
7. Columbia 48
8. Dartmouth 19

Poll: Who Will Win the Ivy League

Shawn Siegel — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 09:10:43 -0700

Top 10 College Mascots

Dan Daitchman — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 22:49:51 -0800

With non-conference play all but done and conference play starting up, CollegeHoops.net decided to bridge the two with a topic more important than both: mascots!

Mascots were originally used to help bring good luck to a team, and the theme has stayed ever since. This listing gives love to mascots from all over college basketball. Some are household names. Others you may have never heard of until now. Regardless of publicity (but not hilarity), I bring you the top college basketball mascots in the land.

Syracuse Orangeman – We'll start with one of the more well-known mascots. What’s a better mascot than a giant orange with a blue hat? Sightings include numerous ESPN commercials and all Syracuse basketball home games. The orange has played a crucial role in Jim Boeheim’s success over the years.

UCSC Banana Slug – Arguably the toughest mascot in all of sports. It was once removed as mascot by the dean at the university, but a strong rally by the UCSC faithful made sure the slug returned to its rightful home. Pulp Fiction fans will recognize the banana slug on the t-shirt that John Travolta wears in the movie.

WKU Hilltopper (aka big red blob) – This thing is anything but a hilltopper, and has stemmed from former WKU coach E.A. Diddle nervously clutching a red towel during games. Public appearance of hilarity: the commercial in which the blob is sitting in his prom date’s kitchen being grilled by her parents, and the dad looks at it and simply says “I don’t even know what you are.”

Stanford Tree – Many fans may be thinking “Why the hell is the Cardinal’s mascot a tree?” It stems from the fact that the tree is a redwood tree, as Palo Alto, CA is not too far from California’s historic redwood forests (having been there, I’d recommend it to those looking to get as far away from every form of human civilization as possible). Nonetheless, the tree is comical-looking, and as ESPN’s Pat Forde can surely tell you, is a lot of fun to dress as.

Delaware Fighting Blue Hen (YouDee) – What’s more fierce than a hen? A blue hen!

Dartmouth’s Keggy the Keg – This mascot was never approved by Dartmouth, but Keggy sure has brought a lot of excitement to Hanover, NH. This keg was the #1 fan at all things Dartmouth, and proved to be a good luck charm at countless lacrosse matches. Who could say no to a keg that’s grinning from ear to ear? I certainly couldn’t.

St. Joe’s Hawk – Students at St. Joe’s have plenty of financial incentive to tryout to be the hawk for basketball games, because doing so waives all tuition fees. The catch? The mascot has to flap its arms for all 40 minutes. Eager students should hit the gym before attempting such a feat.

Franklin and Marshall College Diplomats – These mascots made the list because I nearly fell out of my chair laughing after I saw them. What’s better than two of America’s Founding Fathers smiling and giving the thumbs up?

UCSB's "Fanton of the Dome" - UCSB's athletics teams are the Gauchos.. which is cool to begin with. Second, they play in the Thunderdome, which not only sounds bad ass, its a good arena too. And finally, add in the "Fantom of the Dome" and you have the ultimate combination. The Fantom doesn't appear at all games anymore, as he's just a random dude who lives in So Cal, but he showed up for the Gauchos big showdown with UNC and will no doubt continue to be a UCSB tradition.

Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) Nads – First off all, I didn’t even know RISD had a mascot. But if I were to guess what the school’s mascot would be, I certainly wouldn’t have guessed that it’d be a pair of testicles. Scrotie is the number one fanatic for RISD sporting events, and makes the list due to the hilarious amount of shame and disgust it brings to the university.

Like other mascots instead? Let us know below:

Mid-Major Player of the Week: Eric Maynor

Joey Whelan — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 21:02:00 -0800

As a companion to CHN's National Player of the Week, we will be presenting a Mid-Major Player of the Week as well this season. All non-BCS players are eligible for this award. In the case that the National POY is a non-BCS player, they will be repeated here as well.

Player of the Week

Eric Maynor – VCU

3 Games: 25 ppg, 3 rpg, 5.7 apg, 2.3 spg, 55.8% FG, 47.3% 3P FG

The CAA’s top player put together a banner week in garnering this week’s award. Not only did Maynor have great looking numbers, but he was a devastatingly efficient scorer, something you don’t often see from mid-major scoring machines. After torching Vanderbilt and Western Michigan early in the week, the senior saw his numbers take a bit of a dip, but not enough to prevent him from leading the Rams to a win in their conference opener.

Just Missed Out

Lester Hudson – Tennessee-Martin

2 Games: 23 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 2 apg, 2 spg, 41.4% FG

One of last season’s more intriguing character stories, Hudson is having another fine season. He is still quite trigger happy from the perimeter, but he is a versatile scorer as he proved with a pair of twenty point games against Morehead State and Eastern Kentucky. As was the case last year, Hudson is one of the best rebounders for his size in the country, posting his first double-double of the season this week.

Ryan Wittman – Cornell

3 Games: 27.3 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 2.7 apg, 1 spg, 37.6% FG, 40% 3P FG

Ivy League teams consider this your warning for the season: Ryan Wittman is a gunner. The junior dropped 28, 33 and 21 points on Indiana, Syracuse and Minnesota respectively attempting a ridiculous 45 three-pointers and hitting 40% of them. At 6’6” and with that kind of range he will be an absolute match up nightmare in a conference where most players at that size are banging under the boards.

Diow Lowhorn – San Francisco

3 Games: 23.3 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 53.3% FG, 63.6% 3P FG

The bruising Lowhorn has picked up right where he left off after his sophomore season, scoring in bunches and hauling down any rebound within in his reach. What the forward has done this year though is add the ability to score from the perimeter. Lowhorn connect on 7 of his 11 attempts from deep this week and is shooting a stellar 50% from that range on the season.

Worth Noting

Alex Barnett – Dartmouth

Vs. Vermont: 32 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 12-19 FG, 6-7 3P FG

Sure Dartmouth lost by 17 points to Vermont, but how much fun was it watching Alex Barnett hit everything he threw up at the basket? The senior, though never having been afraid to shoot from outside, has never been a major weapon from this spot on the floor. What a difference a year makes as Barnett has gotten off to a torrid start, hitting 15 of his first 29 three-point attempts. He’ll be another player Ivy League teams need to watch out for in conference play.

Ivy League: Coach Ranking

Jon Teitel — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 12:16:43 -0800

Ranking the 8 Ivy League coaches is no easy task: One of them has never been a head coach before, two others coached their 1^st Ivy games last year, and none have served a full decade as an Ivy head coach. As we get ready for another college basketball season, here is a look at who is doing the best job of keeping up with the Joneses...literally.

1. Glen Miller - Penn

(223-184 record in 17 years as head coach at Connecticut College/Brown/Penn)

Career highlights: Went 13-1 in conference play during his 1^st year at Penn en route to winning the school's 3^rd straight Ivy title. As coach at Brown for 9 years, had most consecutive wins in school history since the 1930s, in addition to 1 NIT bid. As coach at Connecticut College for 6 years, he went 24-0 in regular season in 1998-1999. As assistant at Connecticut for 7 years, worked for team that won 1988 NIT title.

Prediction for 2008-09: Having lost only 1 starter from last year, he will have a decent chance to unseat Cornell from the top of the standings.

2. Steve Donahue - Cornell

(96-123 record in 8 years as head coach)

Career highlights: Went 14-0 in conference play last year en route to winning the school's 2^nd Ivy title ever and being named NABC district Coach of the Year. As assistant at Penn for 10 years, he helped recruit 5 of the top 20 scorers in school history for teams that won 6 conference titles in 8 years.

Prediction for 2008-09: With most of last year's NCAA Tournament team back, a repeat of last year's success will put him further down the long path towards Dunphy/Carril territory.

3. James Jones - Yale

(117-134 record in 9 years as head coach)

Career highlights: During his 9 years at Yale, he has become the longest-tenured coach in the league and given the school its only postseason tournament win in over a century of basketball. During his 9 years as an assistant at Albany, Yale, and Ohio, he worked for teams that made the postseason twice.

Prediction for 2008-09: He has a great track record, but not sure if he will ever get over the hump to get a career winning record.

4. Joe Jones - Columbia

(63-75 record in 5 years as head coach)

Career highlights: As assistant at Villanova for 6 years, he worked for teams that went to the postseason 5 times. During his 5 years at Columbia, he has won more games than any Columbia coach in almost 3 decades.

Prediction for 2008-09: His young team will have to grow up fast to avoid its 5^th losing season in 6 years.

5. Tommy Amaker - Harvard

(184-57 record in 11 years as head coach at Seton Hall/Michigan/Harvard)

Career highlights: As head coach at Seton Hall/Michigan, for 10 years, he only had a losing record twice, and won 2004 NIT title. He was also an assistant for 9 years at Duke, getting to the Final Four 5 times in 6 years, including back-to-back NCAA titles in 1991 and 1992. During his 1^st year at Harvard, his team went 8-22.

Prediction for 2008-09: After an investigation cleared him of any improper recruiting violations earlier this year, his 4 returning double-digit scorers will try to put the media's focus back on wins and losses.

6. Terry Dunn - Dartmouth

(34-71 record in 4 years as head coach)

Career highlights: As assistant at several schools for 15 years, he worked for teams that went to the postseason 6 times. During his 4 years at Dartmouth, his team has not won more than 10 games in any season.

Prediction for 2008-09: If he cannot turn the program around soon, he will probably not be around for long.

7. Sydney Johnson - Princeton

(6-23 record in 1 year as head coach)

Career highlights: As assistant at Georgetown for 3 years, he worked for team that reached the Final Four in 2007. During his 1^st year at Princeton, his team had 1 of the worst seasons in the school's storied history.

Prediction for 2008-09: As the only 3-time captain in school history from his playing days in the 90s, the administration will probably cut him some slack as he tries to return to the glory days, but it will take awhile to do so.

8. Jesse Agel - Brown

(1^st year as head coach)

Career highlights: As assistant at Vermont for 17 years, he helped recruit Taylor Coppenrath and won several conference titles. During his 2 years as an assistant at Brown, his team set a school record for most wins in a season.

Prediction for 2008-09: A rebuilding year, but if he can recruit anyone half as good as Coppenrath, he might get the Bears their 1^st 20-win season ever at some point in the near future.

Ivy Basketball Preview: 08-09

CHN — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 11:21:12 -0800

Conference Rank: 22nd

10 year average: 24th

Conference Page

All-IVY Team
Pos.	Player	Team	Yr.

G	Louis Dale	Cornell	Jr
G	Jeremy Lin	Harvard	Jr
G/F	Tyler Bernardini	Penn	So
F	Ryan Wittman	Cornell	Jr
F	Alex Barnett	Dartmouth	Sr
CHN Award Winners		Returning Leaders
Mid-Major All-Americans Louis Dale Ryan Wittman		Points: Alex Barnett 15.6 Rebounds: Alex Barnett 7.3 Assists: Chris Skelja (Brown) 4.4

IVY LEAGUE Standings
Nat'l	Team	League	Tourney

87	Cornell* **	Ivy	1	NCAA
153	Penn	Ivy	2
171	Brown	Ivy	3
195	Harvard	Ivy	4
233	Princeton	Ivy	5
263	Yale	Ivy	6
290	Dartmouth	Ivy	7
329	Columbia	Ivy	8

*Click on links for full Top 144 team preview

** returning conference champion

Poll: Who Do You Think Will Win the Ivy League?

Other Ivy League Content

Conference Media Poll

Other

Rise & Fall: Ivy

State of 08: New York

Dartmouth's Pattman is Ivy POW

Press Release — Mon, 08 Jan 2007 00:00:00 -0800

HANOVER, N.H. - Dartmouth's Leon Pattman (Memphis, Tenn.) was named the Ivy League player of the week, after leading the Big Green men's basketball team o a pair of victories.

Pattman scored a combined 50 points in an 80-73 overtime thriller against Harvard and in a 66-58 victory over Army.

On January 6 against the Crimson, the senior poured in a season-high 27 points to go along with four blocked shots, two rebounds and two assists. In regulation, he scored Dartmouth's last four points (on two layups) to force the overtime.

In the extra session, Pattman had seven of Dartmouth's 16 points, including a 3-pointer with 2:40 remaining, putting the Big Green ahead for good.

On January 2 against Army, Pattman led all scorers with 23 points in the win. He added four rebounds and two assists, going 6-of-8 from the floor and 4-of-5 beyond the arc.

On the season, Pattman is averaging a team-leading 18.4 points per game to go long with 4.3 rebounds. He's shooting 50 percent from the floor and 86.4 ercent from the free throw line.

Dartmouth returns to action on Friday, January 12, traveling to Harvard for an Ivy League rematch. Game time is 7 p.m.

Dartmouth Wins First Game

Press Release — Sun, 10 Dec 2006 21:01:07 -0800

HARRISONBURG, Va. Junior Johnathan Ball (Memphis, Tenn.) scored 14 of his game-high 16 points during the second half as Dartmouth held on to beat James Madison, 74-70, in men's basketball Sunday afternoon at the JMU Convocation Center.

Ball was a perfect six-of-six from the floor for the game and converted on three of four free throws during the final 1:19 of play as the visiting Big Green earned its first victory of the season, coming out of Dartmouth's final exam break.

JMU fell to 2-6 for the season with the loss in its final game before semester examinations.

Dartmouth shot 62.5 percent both overall (15-24) and from three-point range (5-8) while taking a 36-23 lead during the first half, and the Big Green finished with a 57.4 percent shooting effort from the field for the game.
Dartmouth scored its final 11 points from the foul line, connecting on 11 of 14 free throws, after JMU pulled to within 63-58 on sophomore guard Colbey Santos' follow shot with 1:19 remaining.

JMU was called for an intentional foul on the in-bounds play following Santos' field goal, and Ball hit both free throws for a 65-58 Dartmouth lead. He drained another free throw with 1:02 to play for 66-58 Big Green lead, and Dartmouth survived a three-point play from JMU freshman guard Pierre Curtis and a three-point field goal from Santos during the final 30 seconds.

A Santos layup got JMU to within 70-65 with 20.7 seconds left, but Dartmouth's Alex Barnett (St. Louis, Mo.) connected on two free throws at the 19.5 mark and the Big Green's Michael Giovacchini (Salt Lake City, Utah) scored a pair with 7.2 seconds to play following Santos' three-pointer at the nine-second mark. Junior forward Terrance Carter's layup for JMU at the closing horn provided the game's final points.

In addition to Ball, Dartmouth had two other players in double figures. In his first action of the year since suffering an ankle sprain, senior Leon Pattman (Memphis, Tenn.) had 15 points off the bench. Barnett had the Big Green's first double-double since March 3, 2006 when he pulled down 12 rebounds to go along with 13 points.

Now 1-6 on the year, the Big Green is home for the next two games, hosting Stony Brook on Thursday, December 14 at 7 pm and Quinnipiac on Monday, December 18.

- Dartmouth Media Relations -