Another Ivy graduate transfer
According to a March 28 tweet from Coach Shop, Cole Harrison, a 6’11” center, will graduate Dartmouth this May and seek a graduate transfer for his final season of athletic eligibility. Harrison missed the entire 2016-17 season due to injury. The Brentwood, Tenn. native notched 1.4 points, 1.4 rebounds and 5.5 minutes a game over his three seasons in Hanover.
USA Basketball invitees
Earlier this month, USA Basketball announced that rising sophomore forward Jeannie Boehm of Harvard accepted an invitation to attend the U-19 World Cup Team trials, May 18-21, at the US Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. Boehm was a member of the USA U-18 team, last summer, that won a gold medal at the FIBAS Americas Tournament in Chile. On May 15, Princeton rising sophomore guard/forward Bella Alarie was added to the U-19 trials. Alarie was the Ivy League Rookie of the Year. Thirty-three women will compete for 12 spots for the USA team that will compete in the July 22-30 event in Cividale del Friuli and Udine, Italy.
And on Sunday, USA Basketball announced that both Alarie and Boehm were selected to the U-19 World Cup team. The two Ivy Leaguers will join three athletes from the Big XII, as well as two each from UConn, the SEC, and the Pac-12. Included in this group are Megan Walker (UConn; No. 1 2017 recruit by espnW) and Chennedy Carter (Texas A&M; No. 6 2017 recruit), and Christyn Walker, (undecided; No. 1 2018 recruit)
Last week, Canada Basketball announced that Brown rising sophomore forward Erika Steeves was invited to participate in the Women’s National Team Program Phase 1 Assessment camp, which is ongoing in Edmonton. Canada Basketball will use the camp as preparation for tournaments in Spain (May 26-27) and France (May 31 to June 2) as the team attempts to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, its third straight appearance. Steeves made the All-Ivy Tournament team this past March, and will co-captain the Bears in 2017-18.
Award winners
Columbia’s rising senior Camille Zimmerman was named the All-Met Division I women’s college basketball Player of the Year by the Met Basketball Writers Association (MBWA). She is the first Columbia woman to ever receive the award, and the first Lion since Jim McMillian. Zimmerman was a 2016 second-team All-Met and unanimous All-Ivy first-team selection this year. She led the conference in seven statistical categories, including scoring, and eight in the NCAA. The MBNA covers 19 Division 1 teams in the NYC Metropolitan area with schools in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.
Columbia graduating senior forward Luke Petrasek was named to the All-Met third team, in addition to his earlier selection to the Ivy League’s second team.
Graduating senior Nia Marshall was named Cornell’s Female Athlete of the Year by the Cornell Daily Sun. Marshall leaves school as the Big Red’s all-time leading scorer, as well as its only player to have at least 1,300 points, 500 rebounds, 100 assists, 100 steals, and 50 blocks. She was a first-team All-Ivy in 2014-15 and 2016-17, and a second-team member in 2015-16.
Earlier this month, former Quakers basketball and track & field athlete Robyn Fortsch (1983-87) entered the Penn Athletics Hall of Fame with along with legendary men’s basketball coach Fran Dunphy and player/coach Jerome Allen. Although she tore both ACLs in high school, Fortsch recovered to be a two-time team MVP in both of her sports and a senior year first-team All-Ivy basketball player during her time at Penn.
Morgan eyes the NBA
Cornell’s Matt Morgan declared his decision to enter the 2017 NBA Draft. Like Yale’s Makai Mason, who declared for the 2016 Draft, Morgan did not sign with an agent. As a result, the 6’3” shooting guard has until May 24th to remove his name from the draft to maintain his two remaining years of eligibility. The Ivy League’s all-time leading first-year scorer and a two-time second-team All-Ivy member, the North Carolina native is using this experience to get feedback on his game, while getting his name out in the open in case he decides to try it again in the future. According to the Independent Tribune in North Carolina, Morgan has had recent contacted with Golden State, Minnesota and Washington.
The Independent Tribune article also mentioned that Morgan’s family was contacted by Providence College and North Carolina State to consider transferring after the firing of coach Bill Courtney. Morgan stated that he stayed with the Big Red due to his involvement in the coaching interview process and the selection of current coach Brian Earl.