Jonathan Schiller was a three-year letterwinner for Columbia men’s basketball and was a member of the legendary 1967-68 Columbia team. He was inducted into the Columbia University Athletics Hall of Fame in 2006 and named a Legend of Ivy Basketball in 2017. He is a founding partner of the law firm of Boies Schiller Flexner LLP. Ivy Hoops Online recently sat down with him:
Ivy Hoops Online: What is your basketball background?
Jonathan Schiller: I played at the Landon School in Bethesda, Md. and on many playgrounds and made the Howard Garfinkel top 50. I think that I was the only player who Garfinkel also listed his SAT scores. I was recruited by a number of schools, including some Ivies, and when I walked inside the Columbia gate, I was sold.
IHO: Talk a bit about your playing career at Columbia.
JS: I started as a sophomore for [coach] Jack Rohan. He really taught us how to play defense and box out. At 6-5, I was not as tall as some other players, but I knew how to assume the right positioning. We were fifth in the country in defense and played in your face. I had some great teammates. I just brought one of them, Roger Walaszek, to the Yale game. He was a rugged player.
IHO: You went to Columbia Law School and then started practicing law in Washington, D.C. Did you follow Columbia basketball during those years?
JS: I really had very little to do with Columbia until I got a call from President Lee Bollinger around 2009 to serve on the Board of Trustees. I was honored. I then became chair of the board (2013) and that occupied about one-third of my time. It was a thrill to have the court named after me in 2020 and to witness many of my friends make contributions to Columbia.
IHO: I have seen you at many games over the last few years. Compare the quality of play now with when you played.
JS: It is a very strong game now in the Ivy. A better league than when we played. I don’t think that there is a better team than our 1967-68 team.
IHO: When did you get interested in Columbia women’s basketball?
JS: I really got to know [coach] Megan [Griffith] after the court dedication. I have made it a point to watch her adjustments and team discipline. She has built a great, great program.
IHO: What do you think of NIL and its place, if any, in the Ivy League?
JS: My law firm was involved in the O’Bannon [v. NCAA] case. I’m all for student-athletes having the opportunity to earn money in college. I support “pay to play” for student-athletes who have the opportunity. And in the Ivy, it should impact their scholarship, which may be based on the income of their family. That is not a universal right in college sports. It is available in a number of conferences. A small league like the Ivy League may continue to regulate NIL without violating antitrust law.