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Cornell fired head coach Bill Courtney after six seasons Monday, ESPN reported, opting not to renew his contract.
Courtney finished with an overall record of 60-113 (.311), including a 27-57 (.321) record in conference play. The Big Red finished last in the conference for the second time in three years this season, going 3-11 in Ivy play after having gone 2-26 overall in 2013-14. Cornell was the only Ivy not to make a postseason tournament during Courtney’s tenure.
The San Francisco Chronicle reported that Cal men’s basketball assistant coach Yann Hufnagel was fired Monday following an investigation into allegations of sexual harassment.
Hufnagel served as an assistant coach at Harvard under Tommy Amaker from 2009-10 through 2012-13, and graduated from Cornell in 2006 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial and Labor Relations.
University investigators concluded after a months-long probe that Hufnagel had reportedly violated UC Berkeley’s anti-sexual harassment policy, the Chronicle said, noting a release that stated, ““effective immediately, Hufnagel has been relieved of his duties pending the outcome of the termination process and will not be traveling with the team during its NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament run.”
The Cornell Daily Sun reported Tuesday night that Cornell freshman forward Xavier Eaglin was arrested Sunday on charges of rape, sexual assault and strangulation, per the Cornell University Police Department.
Eaglin was charged with first-degree rape, three counts of first-degree criminal sexual assault and criminal obstruction of breathing or blood circulation. According to the Daily Sun, he was arraigned Monday and remanded to the Tompkins County Jail in lieu of $50,000 cash bail or $100,000 bond. The Daily Sun further reported that, according to university police, a preliminary hearing will be held Friday at 2:30 p.m.
Eaglin played just nine minutes in six games this season, most recently in a home loss to Yale, which is dealing with its own allegedly sexual assault-related controversy in the aftermath of Jack Montague’s departure last month as a student from the university, where posters accusing the team of “supporting a rapist” continue to show up on campus despite that claim not being substantiated by authorities.
The news of Eaglin’s arrest follows the death of Cornell President Elizabeth Garrett Sunday, constituting a tragic and disastrous day and week for the university.
While most of the Ivy League news this week has centered on the triumph and controversy associated with the Yale basketball team, Cornell University has unexpectedly entered the front pages due to the death of its President, Elizabeth Garrett, according to multiple sources. Ms. Garrett, 52, died on Sunday night at her home in New York City due to colon cancer.
Ms. Garrett was the thirteenth President in Cornell’s history, and its first female leader. She was elected President in September 2014 and was inaugurated on Sept. 18, 2015. Prior to her time at Cornell, she was the Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs at the University of Southern California.
President Garrett did her undergraduate studies at the University of Oklahoma, and earned her law degree from the University of Virginia. Afterwards, she clerked for Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall. She was a legislative director for Sen. David Boren (D-OK), a member of President George W. Bush’s Advisory Panel for Federal Tax Reform, and a professor of law at the University of Chicago.
In the midst of a six game losing streak, Cornell headed to Penn and Princeton for its final road trip of the season. The Big Red were hoping to get back in the win column, surprise a top-tier team and escape the league basement. Unfortunately, the team finished the weekend with two losses, an eight-game losing streak and sole possession of last place.
Most of the information about this past weekend was covered well by Mike Tony in his Friday roundup, Saturday recap and Ivy Power Rankings.
Just to add a small amount to those items:
The last several weekends have been difficult for the Cornell basketball program. Although losses to Princeton and Yale were expected, it was hoped that there would be more competition against the top tier, along with one or two victories against Brown and Penn. Unfortunately, the Tigers and Bulldogs together averaged 30-point wins, while the Bears and Quakers were able to withstand Cornell’s pressure and emerged victorious. In the midst of a four-game losing streak, it was thought that the Ithaca arrival of Dartmouth and Harvard, two teams that were defeated on the road by the Big Red a few weeks ago, would provide the opportunity for Cornell to get back in the win column.
Early in last Saturday’s broadcast of the Penn-Cornell game, Big Red announcers Barry Leonard and Eric Taylor recounted a recent conversation with coach Bill Courtney in which the coach was unsure of the identity of his team. After 22 games and in the throes of a four-game losing streak, what does this mean for the program going forward?
Yes I’m stuck in the middle with you,
And I’m wondering what it is I should do,
It’s so hard to keep this smile from my face,
Losing control, yeah, I’m all over the place,
Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right,
Here I am, stuck in the middle with you
-Gerry Rafferty and Joe Egan, “Stuck in the Middle with You” by Stealers Wheel (1972)
Heading into this weekend, Cornell looked to build upon its road sweep of Harvard and Dartmouth to solidify its hold onto fourth place in the Ivy League. After being thoroughly dismantled by first-place Yale, Cornell ended its four-game road trip at 2-2 and finds itself in a tie for fifth place at 2-4 (9-11 overall). After week four of the conference schedule, the league appears to be divided into several groups. While Yale, Princeton and Columbia are at the top, Harvard and Dartmouth find themselves clustered at the bottom. The Big Red are presently stuck in the middle with Penn and Brown.
On Saturday, Cornell’s Board of Trustees held a controversial vote to establish a new College of Business by merging its School of Hotel Administration, Dyson School of Applied Economics and Johnson Graduate School of Management. Many students, alumni and faculty are upset at the Board and new President Elizabeth Garrett for pushing this College through without any input from the greater Cornell community. On Tuesday and Wednesday, President Garrett will be meeting with students and faculty to discuss this important development. Given how well the Big Red men’s basketball team performed this weekend, the President may want to quickly befriend Matt Morgan and have him stand beside her.
A longtime friend of IHO, Rob Browne has agreed to join the site as a contributor focused on Cornell, a team poised to pull off a key upset or two during Ivy play. Here’s Rob’s in-depth look at the state of the Big Red:
Although picked last in the preseason Ivy League poll and having an initial KenPom raking of 311, Cornell has started the season 7-9 (0-2 Ivy) and finds itself with a current ranking of 232. While its most lopsided victory was against Division III Penn State Harrisburg, the Big Red scored decisive victories at home against Binghamton (No. 333) and Lafayette (No. 321). They had several close wins against Howard, (No. 269), Colgate (No. 209), St. Peter’s (No. 178) and Siena ( No. 109).