Here’s what you’ve all been waiting for: the 2019-20 Ivy Hoops Online Women’s All-Ivy honorees as selected by IHO contributors, which are notably different from the selections that the Ivy League released:
Mike Tony
Columbia first-year forward Jack Forrest to transfer
Jack Forrest, one of few rays of hope for Columbia during its long slog to a 6-24 record this season (1-13 in Ivy play), is transferring, Verbal Commits reported Saturday.
Forrest averaged 8.9 points and 3.3 rebounds per game in his rookie campaign, including a season-high 23 points in Columbia’s lone conference win in the Ivy opener against Cornell.
Losing Forrest would be a blow to the Lions, marking yet another loss of talent transferring away from the program. Patrick Tapé opted to become a graduate transfer before the 2019-20 season following his junior campaign, a year after Jaron Faulds and Myles Hanson left the program. Mike Smith and Jake Killingsworth have also entered the transfer portal, the Columbia Spectator noted, as both lost seasons due to injury and cannot play as graduate students per Ivy League rules. That means Columbia’s first, third and fourth-leading scorers from this season will be unavailable next season, although last season’s leading scorer Gabe Stefanini lost the 2019-20 season due to injury and is expected to return in 2020-21.
Inside Ivy Hoops 3-13-20
In the season finale episode of Inside Ivy Hoops recorded Thursday night, Ivy Hoops Online editor Mike Tony is joined by IHO writer Rob Browne, and the two reflect on the Ivy League’s decision to cancel the men’s and women’s basketball conference tournaments and the remarkable fallout since, plus reaction to the league’s All-Ivy selections:
My apologies for inexplicably leaving out the great Ray Curren from the IHO contributor acknowledgments. Ray did a characteristically fantastic job covering the Dartmouth men this season for IHO.
Ivy League cancels men’s and women’s conference tournaments
The Ivy League announced Tuesday that it has canceled the men’s and women’s conference basketball tournaments slated to be held at Harvard’s Lavietes Pavilion Friday through Sunday in response to coronavirus concerns, declaring the Princeton women and Yale men, the Ivy League regular season champions, the automatic qualifiers to the NCAA tournaments.
“We understand and share the disappointment with student-athletes, coaches and fans who will not be able to participate in these tournaments,” Ivy League Executive Director Robin Harris said. “Regrettably, the information and recommendations presented to us from public health authorities and medical professionals have convinced us that this is the most prudent decision.”
Brown men shouldn’t be too down after missing Ivy League Tournament
Brown just missed out on an Ivy League Tournament berth for the second straight year this weekend, again getting edged out by Penn for the tourney’s No. 4 seed despite an impressive road sweep of Harvard and Dartmouth. And as coach Mike Martin indicated on Twitter after the loss, letdowns like this really sting.
2nite was 1 of the hardest post game talks I’ve ever had. We had just swept a tough r
oad trip + did it with grit, toughness, and togetherness- I was so proud of our team. But then we learned the news that it wasn’t enough. Hurting for our players – I’m lucky to be their coach.
— Mike Martin (@mmartinbrown) March 8, 2020
Report: Bryce Aiken to become graduate transfer
Bryce Aiken will pursue graduate transfer opportunities, 247Sports reported Saturday.
The news is no shock but indicates that Aiken is looking to use what is left of his college eligibility rather than starting a professional career.
Aiken played only seven games this season due to a foot injury that happened on Dec. 21, missing the final 18 games of the regular season. Aiken is expected to get a medical redshirt for this past season and will graduate from Harvard in the spring, according to 247Sports.
The Ivy League does not grants redshirts or allow graduate students to play athletics.
Aiken averaged 16.8 points, 2.7 assists and 2.4 rebounds per game in 65 career contests for the Crimson, establishing himself as one of the league’s most dynamic scorers when healthy. Aiken missed 31 games his sophomore and junior seasons due to injury.
No. 21/No. 17 Princeton women defeat Columbia as Alarie and Littlefield make history
Princeton (AP No. 21, Coaches No. 17) pulled off another patented second-half runaway at Levien Gym Friday night and made history in the process.
The Tigers looked like they could be in for their first real fight of Ivy League play as the Lions trimmed their lead to 36-31 1:56 into the third quarter.
But Princeton outscored Columbia 19-8 the rest of the quarter en route to a 77-52 win to stay unbeaten in conference action.
Inside Ivy Hoops – March 6, 2020
In the latest episode of Inside Ivy Hoops, Ivy Hoops Online editor Mike Tony is joined by IHO writer George Clark, and the two look ahead to the final weekend of regular season play and reflect on the penalties that the NCAA issued against Jerome Allen, Penn Athletics and Penn men’s basketball, and more:
Penn men still looking for fulfilling finish after collapse at Yale
Whether it’s fair or not, we’re often defined in life by how we finish. How we finish relationships. How we finish jobs. How we finish thoughts.
For Penn at John J. Lee Amphitheater Friday night, the finish wasn’t worthy of the start.
Penn appeared to deliver the coup de grâce to Yale when senior guard Devon Goodman hit a three-pointer, his sixth of the night on seven attempts, to put the Red & Blue up 73-63 with 2:52 remaining.
Then the long nightmare casting a longer shadow over Penn’s Ivy League Tournament hopes began.
Three thoughts on Harvard’s men besting Penn
Three thoughts on Harvard’s 69-65 win over Penn Saturday night: