Post by 01- PirateDave on Mar 5, 2015 11:09:05 GMT -6
Ivy Player Has Eligibility Remaining, but Not in Ivy League
Shonn Miller Will Have to Leave Cornell Because of Rule on Graduate StudentsBy SETH BERKMANMARCH 3, 2015
Photo: Shonn Miller, hugging a teammate, has averaged 16.3 points and 8.5 rebounds a game in the Ivy League. He missed a season with a shoulder injury. Credit Heather Ainsworth for The New York Times
ITHACA, N.Y. — After one of his final basketball practices at Cornell, Shonn Miller sat in the bleachers at Newman Arena, his eyes fixed on teammates who were still shooting jumpers.
Miller, a senior, laughed when asked if he would rather be with them on the floor than talking about his playing career, in which he established himself as one of the most accomplished players in program history and a candidate for Ivy League player of the year this season.
Miller, who missed last season after shoulder surgery, is in the curious position of having a year of eligibility left but not being able to use it at Cornell. An Ivy League rule forbids the participation of graduate students, so Miller will essentially be a free agent come his graduation in May.
The Rutgers senior guard Myles Mack, right. “He just competes at a high level,” Scarlet Knights Coach Eddie Jordan said.Senior Myles Mack Doesn’t Regret Choosing Rutgers MARCH 2, 2015
Wagner’s Mike Aaman, center, a transfer from Rhode Island, in action. He recently had 23 rebounds in a game, the third highest total in Division I this season.Top Rebounder Refuses to Surrender to His History of Concussions FEB. 28, 2015
Jake Layman, scoring during Maryland's win over Wisconsin on Tuesday, is tied for seventh in the Big Ten in rebounds per game (6.4) and 18th in scoring (13.3).Jake Layman Is Powering Maryland’s Basketball ResurgenceFEB. 27, 2015
With Seth Tuttle, a 6-foot-8 senior center, as the catalyst, Northern Iowa (27-2) has won a program-record 16 consecutive games.Northern Iowa’s Seth Tuttle Points the Way Back to the TournamentFEB. 27, 2015
His plans include contributing to another college team next season, most likely one with N.C.A.A. tournament hopes, but that is low among his current priorities. With two regular-season games to go at Cornell, he is trying to lead the Big Red to their own postseason appearance.
Photo: Miller, shooting over a Darmouth player, will essentially become a college free agent when his senior season concludes. Credit Heather Ainsworth for The New York Times
“He’s not going to worry about that until he’s done playing at Cornell,” Coach Bill Courtney said about his star player’s decision about where to play next. “These are his guys. He wants to win for them.”
Miller, who was Courtney’s first recruit at Cornell, would not be the only Big Red player to use his final season of eligibility at another Division I program. Errick Peck averaged 4.6 points a game for Purdue last season after earning a bachelor’s degree in communications from Cornell. Dwight Tarwater is averaging 3.7 points a game at Cal this season after graduating from Cornell in 2014. So-called graduate transfers can play right away.
“Unfortunately, that’s the way it plays out,” Galal Cancer, a Cornell senior, said about parting with some of his teammates because of the rule.
In November, Alex Rosenberg, a Columbia student, fractured his foot before the season. He took the unusual step of withdrawing, allowing him to return to the university and the team as a senior next season.
Miller was the Ivy League rookie of the year in 2011-12. As a sophomore, he was having an All-Ivy season and had Cornell close to postseason eligibility when he injured a shoulder in a game at Princeton. The Big Red lost their final four games without him, finishing 13-18. Shoulder surgery sidelined him for his junior year, and the Big Red were 2-26.
“I kind of let us down in a way,” Miller said of his injury. “For me, it was one of the worst feelings basketball-wise that I’ve felt, ever.”
But he began to see the game differently while on the sideline, envisioning spots where he could have helped on defense or in executing an offensive plan.
“It was huge for him to learn the game from sitting on the bench,” Courtney said. “He was able to see it as a coach. He matured a little bit. He wasn’t a leader before. He came back a leader because he understood what we’re trying to accomplish.”
Miller has played in all 28 games for Cornell this season, spurring one of the nation’s best turnarounds. He is averaging 16.3 points a game, third in the Ivy League, and 8.5 rebounds, which is first.
Continue reading the main storyContinue reading the main story
Although Cornell (13-15 over all, 5-7 Ivy League) will not be playing in the N.C.A.A. tournament, it may be invited to the CollegeInsider.com tournament, the College Basketball Invitational or the National Invitation Tournament if it can defeat Princeton and Pennsylvania this weekend and finish 15-15.
But for Miller, playing in any postseason tournament is more important now than what may lie ahead. Next season, Miller could play for a program where an N.C.A.A. tournament berth is expected or a national championship might be possible.
He does not like discussing his post-Cornell playing career. Courtney met with Miller and his mother, Stephanie Williams, before the season and agreed that Miller should focus on completing his senior year at Cornell.
“Right now, it’s about Cornell,” Williams said. “If he thinks about going somewhere else, it would be difficult to give his all to his basketball teammates, his studies. Teams that want him are going to wait for him, and if they can’t wait, they don’t really need him.”
Coaches who call Courtney, Williams or Miller’s high school coaches at St. Ignatius in Cleveland receive the same message.
“I politely tell them, thank you for your interest,” Williams said. “When the season is over — sometime after, not the day after the season is over — I will definitely get in contact with you, and we will schedule something. It will be after he has some time to digest.”
Courtney called Miller, who is 6 feet 7 inches and has the ability to play both ends of the floor from the perimeter and the interior, the most talented player he has coached in his five years at Cornell.
I sure hope that Miller took advantage of his Ivy League education and majored in something he can pursue after his playing days are over....
RDC 22 hours ago
While I applaud the obvious dedication to academics of Cornell and the other Ivies, they need to move into the 21st Century. One would think...
Rob E. Yesterday
"Although Cornell (13-15 over all, 5-7 Ivy League) will not be playing in the N.C.A.A. tournament, it may be invited to the CollegeInsider...
SEE ALL COMMENTS
Miller’s appeal was evident Friday night in an upset of Harvard (20-6, 10-2), which is tied with Yale for first in the Ivy League. Miller had 24 points and 15 rebounds in a 57-49 victory, highlighted by a reverse dunk off an alley-oop pass.
After the game, Harvard Coach Tommy Amaker said he thought Miller, who is third in the Ivy League in blocks and second in free-throw percentage at 83.4 percent, could have an impact at a major Division I program next season.
Despite often being the best player on the floor this season, Miller rarely calls for the ball or shows emotion after game-changing plays.
Early in the second half against Harvard, Miller, whose shooting beyond the arc has been one of his few weaknesses (27 for 96, or 28.1 percent), hit a 3-pointer that gave Cornell a 34-23 lead. As the Cornell student body came to life, the Crimson called a timeout, and Miller quietly walked to the sideline. Three minutes later, he hit another for a 40-28 lead as his teammates began jumping off the bench.
With Cornell in control late, Miller sealed the victory with 1 minute 16 seconds remaining, hitting a pull-up jumper to put the Big Red ahead, 50-41. He then turned toward Cornell’s student section, yelling while pounding his chest.
“It was just like, a lot built up until that point,” Miller said.
Two years after he watched his team’s postseason chances dissipate, Miller helped Cornell defeat Harvard for the first time in his career and ensured Cornell would remain in the hunt for a postseason berth.
Courtney said Miller’s commitment to the program had been unparalleled.
“People look at him and think he’s not into the game or think he’s floating,” Courtney said. “But he’s the most intense competitor I’ve ever coached.”
He added: “You look at him tonight: There’s no place in the country he can’t play.”
Shonn Miller Will Have to Leave Cornell Because of Rule on Graduate StudentsBy SETH BERKMANMARCH 3, 2015
Photo: Shonn Miller, hugging a teammate, has averaged 16.3 points and 8.5 rebounds a game in the Ivy League. He missed a season with a shoulder injury. Credit Heather Ainsworth for The New York Times
ITHACA, N.Y. — After one of his final basketball practices at Cornell, Shonn Miller sat in the bleachers at Newman Arena, his eyes fixed on teammates who were still shooting jumpers.
Miller, a senior, laughed when asked if he would rather be with them on the floor than talking about his playing career, in which he established himself as one of the most accomplished players in program history and a candidate for Ivy League player of the year this season.
Miller, who missed last season after shoulder surgery, is in the curious position of having a year of eligibility left but not being able to use it at Cornell. An Ivy League rule forbids the participation of graduate students, so Miller will essentially be a free agent come his graduation in May.
The Rutgers senior guard Myles Mack, right. “He just competes at a high level,” Scarlet Knights Coach Eddie Jordan said.Senior Myles Mack Doesn’t Regret Choosing Rutgers MARCH 2, 2015
Wagner’s Mike Aaman, center, a transfer from Rhode Island, in action. He recently had 23 rebounds in a game, the third highest total in Division I this season.Top Rebounder Refuses to Surrender to His History of Concussions FEB. 28, 2015
Jake Layman, scoring during Maryland's win over Wisconsin on Tuesday, is tied for seventh in the Big Ten in rebounds per game (6.4) and 18th in scoring (13.3).Jake Layman Is Powering Maryland’s Basketball ResurgenceFEB. 27, 2015
With Seth Tuttle, a 6-foot-8 senior center, as the catalyst, Northern Iowa (27-2) has won a program-record 16 consecutive games.Northern Iowa’s Seth Tuttle Points the Way Back to the TournamentFEB. 27, 2015
His plans include contributing to another college team next season, most likely one with N.C.A.A. tournament hopes, but that is low among his current priorities. With two regular-season games to go at Cornell, he is trying to lead the Big Red to their own postseason appearance.
Photo: Miller, shooting over a Darmouth player, will essentially become a college free agent when his senior season concludes. Credit Heather Ainsworth for The New York Times
“He’s not going to worry about that until he’s done playing at Cornell,” Coach Bill Courtney said about his star player’s decision about where to play next. “These are his guys. He wants to win for them.”
Miller, who was Courtney’s first recruit at Cornell, would not be the only Big Red player to use his final season of eligibility at another Division I program. Errick Peck averaged 4.6 points a game for Purdue last season after earning a bachelor’s degree in communications from Cornell. Dwight Tarwater is averaging 3.7 points a game at Cal this season after graduating from Cornell in 2014. So-called graduate transfers can play right away.
“Unfortunately, that’s the way it plays out,” Galal Cancer, a Cornell senior, said about parting with some of his teammates because of the rule.
In November, Alex Rosenberg, a Columbia student, fractured his foot before the season. He took the unusual step of withdrawing, allowing him to return to the university and the team as a senior next season.
Miller was the Ivy League rookie of the year in 2011-12. As a sophomore, he was having an All-Ivy season and had Cornell close to postseason eligibility when he injured a shoulder in a game at Princeton. The Big Red lost their final four games without him, finishing 13-18. Shoulder surgery sidelined him for his junior year, and the Big Red were 2-26.
“I kind of let us down in a way,” Miller said of his injury. “For me, it was one of the worst feelings basketball-wise that I’ve felt, ever.”
But he began to see the game differently while on the sideline, envisioning spots where he could have helped on defense or in executing an offensive plan.
“It was huge for him to learn the game from sitting on the bench,” Courtney said. “He was able to see it as a coach. He matured a little bit. He wasn’t a leader before. He came back a leader because he understood what we’re trying to accomplish.”
Miller has played in all 28 games for Cornell this season, spurring one of the nation’s best turnarounds. He is averaging 16.3 points a game, third in the Ivy League, and 8.5 rebounds, which is first.
Continue reading the main storyContinue reading the main story
Although Cornell (13-15 over all, 5-7 Ivy League) will not be playing in the N.C.A.A. tournament, it may be invited to the CollegeInsider.com tournament, the College Basketball Invitational or the National Invitation Tournament if it can defeat Princeton and Pennsylvania this weekend and finish 15-15.
But for Miller, playing in any postseason tournament is more important now than what may lie ahead. Next season, Miller could play for a program where an N.C.A.A. tournament berth is expected or a national championship might be possible.
He does not like discussing his post-Cornell playing career. Courtney met with Miller and his mother, Stephanie Williams, before the season and agreed that Miller should focus on completing his senior year at Cornell.
“Right now, it’s about Cornell,” Williams said. “If he thinks about going somewhere else, it would be difficult to give his all to his basketball teammates, his studies. Teams that want him are going to wait for him, and if they can’t wait, they don’t really need him.”
Coaches who call Courtney, Williams or Miller’s high school coaches at St. Ignatius in Cleveland receive the same message.
“I politely tell them, thank you for your interest,” Williams said. “When the season is over — sometime after, not the day after the season is over — I will definitely get in contact with you, and we will schedule something. It will be after he has some time to digest.”
Courtney called Miller, who is 6 feet 7 inches and has the ability to play both ends of the floor from the perimeter and the interior, the most talented player he has coached in his five years at Cornell.
I sure hope that Miller took advantage of his Ivy League education and majored in something he can pursue after his playing days are over....
RDC 22 hours ago
While I applaud the obvious dedication to academics of Cornell and the other Ivies, they need to move into the 21st Century. One would think...
Rob E. Yesterday
"Although Cornell (13-15 over all, 5-7 Ivy League) will not be playing in the N.C.A.A. tournament, it may be invited to the CollegeInsider...
SEE ALL COMMENTS
Miller’s appeal was evident Friday night in an upset of Harvard (20-6, 10-2), which is tied with Yale for first in the Ivy League. Miller had 24 points and 15 rebounds in a 57-49 victory, highlighted by a reverse dunk off an alley-oop pass.
After the game, Harvard Coach Tommy Amaker said he thought Miller, who is third in the Ivy League in blocks and second in free-throw percentage at 83.4 percent, could have an impact at a major Division I program next season.
Despite often being the best player on the floor this season, Miller rarely calls for the ball or shows emotion after game-changing plays.
Early in the second half against Harvard, Miller, whose shooting beyond the arc has been one of his few weaknesses (27 for 96, or 28.1 percent), hit a 3-pointer that gave Cornell a 34-23 lead. As the Cornell student body came to life, the Crimson called a timeout, and Miller quietly walked to the sideline. Three minutes later, he hit another for a 40-28 lead as his teammates began jumping off the bench.
With Cornell in control late, Miller sealed the victory with 1 minute 16 seconds remaining, hitting a pull-up jumper to put the Big Red ahead, 50-41. He then turned toward Cornell’s student section, yelling while pounding his chest.
“It was just like, a lot built up until that point,” Miller said.
Two years after he watched his team’s postseason chances dissipate, Miller helped Cornell defeat Harvard for the first time in his career and ensured Cornell would remain in the hunt for a postseason berth.
Courtney said Miller’s commitment to the program had been unparalleled.
“People look at him and think he’s not into the game or think he’s floating,” Courtney said. “But he’s the most intense competitor I’ve ever coached.”
He added: “You look at him tonight: There’s no place in the country he can’t play.”
good luck to all!