Ivy men’s basketball Media Day highlights

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With the non-conference schedule set to begin in less than three weeks, the Ivy League held its annual Media Day on Tuesday afternoon. The three-hour event, hosted by Lance Medow, featured coaches and players from each of the eight programs.

Fans can check out the recording on the conference’s YouTube channel.

Below are some highlights:

Introduction

  • For the second year in a row, the Ivy League Tournament champion won an opening-round NCAA Tournament game.
  • Since 2010, the Ancient Eight have eight March Madness victories.
  • For the second time in league history, three teams earned spots in the NCAA or NIT tournaments. (2002 was the other)
  • Eight All-Ivy players, across five teams, return for the 2024-2025 season.
  • Ivy League ranks as the t0th-best conference according to the EvanMiya rankings.
  • 2025 Ivy tournament will be held on March 15 and 16 at Brown’s Pizzitola Sports Center.

Brown

  • “That experience (last year’s first-ever appearance in the Ivy Tournament) is going to pay dividends for this year’s group, but this is a new team, new season, new journey.” – Head coach Mike Martin
  • Last year: 13-18 overall; 8-6 Ivy (fourth place); lost Ivy Tournament final
  • Big non-conference games: at #1 Kansas 12/22, at #23 Kentucky 12/31
  • Return first team All-Ivy senior guard Kino Lilly Jr. (18.9 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 107 assists), but second team All-Ivy senior forward Nana Owusu-Anane (14.7 ppg, 8.8 rpg) is out indefinitely due to recent left shoulder surgery.
  • The Bears will use the preseason and nonconference schedule to determine who will replace Owusu-Anane, Kalu Anya (transfer to St. Louis) and Malachi Ndur (graduation) in the frontcourt. Of the four remaining forwards on the roster, junior Landon Lewis (25 games, 6.9 mpg, 2.3 ppg, 1.5 rpg) looks to have the inside track for one of those starting spots.
  • Four of the top six players from the end of last season (Lilly, senior guard/forward Aaron Cooley, senior guard Lyndel Erold, junior guard Alexander Lesburt Jr.) return.

Columbia

  • “We are definitely working towards getting into that (Ivy Tournament) Final Four and putting ourselves into a position to compete for a championship. These guys have done a lot. The growth and the development of this roster has been pretty dramatic over the last three years, and I do think it’s time now for us to take that next step.” – Head coach Jim Engles
  • Last year: 13-14 overall; 4-10 Ivy (sixth place)
  • 11 returning players, including four of the team’s top six scorers, led by honorable mention All-Ivy senior guard Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa (14.4 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 68 assists) and junior guard Avery Brown (9.9 ppg, 2.8 apg, 70 assists).
  • Seven newcomers: Six first-years and one sophomore (Richard Nweke), who missed last year due to injury.
  • Last year, the Lions were top 20 nationally in three-point shooting and assist rate, as well as top 30 in bench production. (on the other hand, the adjusted defensive efficiency was bottom 65).
  • The coach’s key to overcoming the close losses over the last few years is getting the whole roster to focus on one or two more baskets and one or more defensive stops.

Cornell

  • “A lot of things will look familiar (to Brian Earl’s teams). We’ve obviously had some success doing it and, more importantly, we have a group of guys who are confident and comfortable playing this way.” – coach Jon Jacques
  • Last year: 22-8 overall, 11-3 Ivy (tied for second place); lost Ivy Tournament semifinal, lost NIT first round vs Ohio State
  • With Brian Earl’s departure for William & Mary, Cornell has a new head coach, Jon Jacques, who played for the Big Red from 2006-2010 and captained the school’s 2010 Sweet Sixteen team. He was an assistant and associated head coach under Bill Courtney and Brian Earl from 2013-2024. There will also be three new assistant coaches on his staff, including former Princeton player (1990-1994) and American head coach (2013-2023) Mike Brennan.
  • Since Earl changed Cornell’s style of play after the missed 2020-2021 season to one that features high tempo (No. 23 in 2023-24), lots of three-pointer attempts (No. 7) and 11-12 players a game, the Big Red have earned three straight trips to Ivy Madness. Jacques and Earl’s former players are going to continue using what works, but the new coach will “sprinkle in new ideas as they make sense.”
  • Three of the top five scorers and rebounders graduated, but second team All-Ivy senior guard Nazir Williams (11.4 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 2.0 apg) and senior forward Guy Ragland Jr. (9.1 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 40% from three) remain. The Big Red will look to have more production from two of the team’s hardest workers, junior guard Cooper Noard (29 starts, 8.8 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 60 three-pointers) and junior forward AK Okereke (7.1 ppg, 2.3 rpg).

Dartmouth

  • “We were pretty clear to the guys that we needed to absolutely find a way to play more disciplined, play unselfish. Really work together to play a tough brand of basketball, a kind of basketball that is smart and disciplined and fast at the same time. So, we’re introducing some new concepts, and I think the guys have really bought into that.” – coach Dave McLaughlin
  • Last year: 6-21 overall, 2-12 Ivy (eighth place)
  • The coach decided to make major changes on both sides of the ball. On offense, the team needs to increase offensive production and efficiency through improved shot selection, ball control and rebounding. Instead of playing through one player, like they did with recently graduated forward Dusan Neskovic, the Big Green will look to play through all five players in transition and half-court situations.
  • To make the wholesale changes, McLaughlin worked closely with assistant coach and former Big Green guard Jabari Trotter, as well as two new members of his staff, Rich Glesman, who was a head coach in Japan’s B-League for the last seven years, and Taurus Samuels, who played at Dartmouth from 2018-2022.
  • Senior guard Ryan Cornish, who missed the last 13 Ivy games due to injury and surgery, returned to the court in mid-August and is dealing with the ups and downs of getting back to the lineup.
  • Much of Dartmouth’s success will rest on its “Big Three” junior forwards, 6′ 8″ Brandon Mitchell-Day (20 starts, 9.0 ppg, 5.9 rpg), 6’6″ Jayden Williams (14 starts, 8.3 ppg, 2.0 rpg) and 6’8″ Jackson Munro (22 starts, 6.3 ppg, 3.8 rpg).
  • The coaching staff and players realize that the battle for players’ unionization continues, but they say it doesn’t come up during practices and that is an off-the-court issue that doesn’t affect their work on the court.

Harvard

  • “We’re looking for our team to step up (to replace the production of transfers Malik Mack and Chisom Okpara). We’re looking to all of these players to emerge, develop and to grow.” – Head coach Tommy Amaker
  • Last year: 13-14 overall, 5-9 Ivy (fifth place)
  • The 14-player roster features seven first years, including 6’5″ Robert Hinton, ESPN’s No. 25 ranked rookie shooting guard.
  • Senior guard Evan Nelson (26 starts, 8.4 ppg, 3.4 apg in 2022-2023) returns after missing last year to an Achilles injury and will join senior Louis Lesmond (27 starts, 9.8 ppg, 64 three-pointers on 38% shooting) and junior Chandler Pigge (22 starts, 8.1 ppg, 5.0 rpg) in the backcourt.
  • The only two returning big men are sophomores Thomas Batties II (22 games, 9 starts, 6.8 ppg, 4.2 rpg) and Luca Ace-Nasteski (25 games, one start, 2.2 ppg, 3.1 rpg).
  • Former Crimson great Seth Towns, the 2018 Ivy League Player of the Year, returns to the program as an assistant coach. Towns is the second Amaker alum, joining Matt Fraschilla, on the Harvard bench.

Penn

  • “I think we know we have to improve on what went wrong last year, mostly on the defensive end. Rebounding, toughness, that’s been our focus.” –  coach Steve Donahue
  • Last year: 11-18 overall, 3-11 Ivy (seventh place)
  • Seven new players, including three junior transfers (Dylan Williams from Triton Junior College, Ethan Roberts from Drake and Army, Mike Zanoni from Mercer)
  • Sophomore guard Sam Brown (25 games, 18 starts, 10.9 ppg, 61 made three-pointers on 43% shooting) and senior forward Nick Spinoso (29 starts, 10.8 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 3.7 apg) are expected to have large roles this year.
  • According to the coach, Williams, who led his team to the 2024 NJCAA National Championship game, is Penn’s first true point guard since Darnell Foreman (2014-2018) and has already shown strong leadership. He also feels that rookie A.J. Levine will get some time at the point.
  • Look for more specifics from Donahue in his Q&A with Ivy Hoops Online’s Ian Wenik: Part 1, Part 2.

Princeton

  • “It’s a very difficult loss (Ivy League Tournament semifinal game vs. Brown). I think those things form you, they change you a lot. If they don’t, then it makes change and growth a little more difficult. Our objective is to win the league, which we think gives us the best opportunity to put ourselves in the spot of going back to the NCAAs. I’m looking forward to the learning opportunities that we’ll have with this group.” – head coach Mitch Henderson
  • Last year: 24-5 overall, 12-2 Ivy (first place); lost in Ivy semifinals and first round of NIT vs. UNLV
  • The Tigers will be led by its three returning starters, including 2024 Player of the Year junior forward Caden Pierce (16.6 ppg, 9.2 rpg), junior guard Xaivian Lee (17.7 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 3.7 apg), and senior guard Blake Peters (7.8 ppg, 64 made three-pointers).
  • Sophomore guard Dalen Davis is primed to make a jump this season. He averaged 10.2 points on 44% shooting from the field, 43% from three and 99% from the free throw line over the last nine games of the 2023-2024 season and had 21 points in the Ivy Madness semifinal loss to Brown.
  • Sophomore guard Deven Austin is expected to return after missing the last year and a half to injury. He averaged 5.4 ppg on 51% shooting from the field and 58% from three. He has shown flashes of his old talent but working his way back.
  • Five first-years, including 6’7″ forward Malik Abdullahi, ESPN’s No. 50 small forward recruit.

Yale

  • “My team will dictate to me how we’re going to play. By virtue of what they do in practice and how they play, cream always rises. We’re going to find out who the guys are going to be taking the shots and what we need to do to be successful.” – coach James Jones
  • Last year: 23-10 overall, 11-3 Ivy (tied for second); won Ivy tournament, won 1st round NCAA vs Auburn, lost second-round NCAA vs. San Diego State
  • The Bulldogs lost starters Matt Knowling and August Mahoney to graduation and first team All-Ivy junior forward Danny Wolf to Michigan, but have two returning second-team All-Ivy senior guards, Bez Mbeng (Defensive Player of the Year, 11.1 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 64 steals) and John Poulakidas (13.4 ppg, 83 made three-pointers on 41% shooting).
  • Yale, as usual, will be defined by its defending, rebounding and sharing of the ball, while the balance of its point production will adapt to the particular strengths of the team.
  • Sophomore center Samson Aletan (21 games, 2.2 ppg, 1.5 rpg) has taken a step forward this year. While the coach said the 6’10” center is a generous teammate looking to make a pass to his teammates, the staff is imploring him to go up strong and finish, as opposed to kicking it out.
  • The coach said 6’6″ junior Casey Simmons (32 games, 3.5 ppg, 2.0 rpg) is another player, who has shown improvement. The 6’6″ forward, who started his career at Northwestern, has spent more time in the gym to add toughness to his length and athleticism.
  • Jones said he schedules a tough out of conference schedule (last year: Gonzaga & Kansas; this year: Purdue, Minnesota) to learn how his team will stack up in league play and teach his players how to play in an intense, hostile environment.