The Ivy men’s basketball preseason media poll was released Tuesday, confirming that the top of the league appears to be a three-way scrum between Harvard, Yale and Princeton at this point. Yale received the most first-place votes (eight) but Harvard garnered the most points overall, awarding the Crimson their first perch atop the media poll standings since the 2014-15 season, which was also the last time Tommy Amaker’s club was Ivy League champion. Princeton received three first-place votes, finishing just behind Yale overall.
Mike Tony
Penn men’s basketball data analyst dies in an apparent suicide
Nicholas Moya, a Penn senior who served as a data analyst for the Penn men’s basketball team, died Thursday, the Daily Pennsylvanian reported Friday. noting in an additional report the following day an obituary that cited Moya’s “long battle with depression.”
Moya, who was 21 years old, is likely the fourteenth Penn student since February 2013 to die by suicide, according to the Daily Pennsylvanian, which further noted that Moya’s family requested that mourners donate to the Kyle Ambrogi Foundation, which is dedicated to promoting education and awareness of depression and suicide prevention.
Donations to the Kyle Ambrogi Foundation can be made here.
Jaelin Llewellyn commits to Princeton – high majors better get used to this sort of thing
Some Wake Forest fans must have thought the Demon Deacons had Jaelin Llewellyn.
Llewellyn is a four-star ESPN recruit whose father Cordell played with Wake Forest, as well as Rhode Island.
But last month, Llewellyn chose Princeton over the likes of Wake Forest, Virginia, Purdue, Cincinnati, Florida and Ohio State, less than seven weeks after he gave an interview to Phenom Hoops Report in which he did not include Princeton in the 11 teams expressing strong interest in him (although he did include Harvard).
O Tannenwald
Jonathan Tannenwald’s been an insightful reporter on Ivy League and Big 5 basketball for Philly.com, and before that, The Daily Pennsylvanian, for 15 years. He’s been a guest multiple times on our On the Vine podcast and he’s been a generous resource, mentor and friend to many at The DP, Penn’s student newspaper, over the years.
Jack McCloskey, former Penn coach and player, dies at 91
Jack McCloskey, who led Penn to an Ivy League championship as a coach in 1966 and led the Detroit Pistons to NBA titles in 1989 and 1990 as a general manager, died Thursday at 91 in Savannah, Ga., per the New York Times, due to complications from Alzheimer’s disease.
Princeton graduate transfer Hans Brase commits to Iowa State
Hans Brase is going to be a Cyclone.
Brase has committed to Iowa State, the Des Moines Register reported Friday. Brase had suffered back-to-back season-ending injuries in 2015-16 and 2016-17 at Princeton, including a torn ACL in 2015.
The Clover, S.C. native, a 6-foot-9 forward, averaged 9.3 points and 5.7 rebounds per game during his 93 contests as a Tiger.
Couldn’t be prouder for this kid (I mean old man?) @hans_brase https://t.co/gHOQz90NBh
— Spencer Weisz (@S_Weisz973) May 12, 2017
Yale guard Makai Mason to transfer to Baylor for 2018-19 season
Makai Mason made a name for himself on a national level by posting 31 points in a NCAA Tournament Round of 64 win over Baylor in 2016, Yale’s first-ever win in the Big Dance.
Now Mason has decided that if you can beat ’em, join ’em.
Several sources announced Thursday that Mason would join Baylor as a graduate transfer in the 2018-19 season following one more season at Yale in 2017-18.
Jon Rothstein of FanRag Sports reported in February that Mason would play for the Elis in the 2017-18 season and become a graduate transfer following that season.
Mason was a standout during Yale’s NCAA Tournament run in 2016 but was injured in a scrimmage in November, reportedly needing to undergo surgery to repair his foot. Yale bowed out to Duke in the Round of 32 in the 2016 NCAA Tournament.
Ivy League Tournament to return to the Palestra in 2018
The Ivy League’s athletic directors just couldn’t pass up the Palestra – again.
They announced Thursday that the 2018 Ivy League Tournaments will be held at the Palestra in Philadelphia, the same site that hosted the inaugural league men’s and women’s tournaments in March.
The 2018 Ivy tournaments will be featured on the ESPN family of networks, the league announced, adding that ticket and specific broadcast information will be announced at a later date.
“The Inaugural Ivy League Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournaments were an unequivocal success,” conference Executive Director Robin Harris said in the league’s press release. “We featured the tremendous talent of our basketball student-athletes in an electric atmosphere, and we look forward to an even better event in 2018.”
On the Vine – Mar. 23, 2017
Joining hosts Peter Andrews and Mike Tony for the season three finale episode of On the Vine are special guest Mike James (@ivybball) and IHO writers George Clark and Robert Crawford.
The panel reflects on Princeton’s NCAA Tournament loss to Notre Dame and the rest of the Ivy League campaign, and then looks ahead to the 2017-18 season:
On the Vine program alert
Joining hosts Peter Andrews and Mike Tony tonight for the season finale edition of On the Vine will be special guest Mike James (@ivybball) and IHO writers George Clark and Robert Crawford to reflect on the 2016-17 campaign and look ahead to the 2017-18 season.
Listen live at 8:30 p.m. EST on Mixlr.