Men's Basketball News Releases
Rams picked to finish third in IIAC Preseason Coaches' Poll
MOUNT VERNON - Expectations are running high in Mike DeGeorge's fifth season as head men's basketball coach at Cornell College.
The Rams enter a promising 2008-09 campaign with 13 letterwinners and their top seven scorers back from a year ago, when they finished 9-17 overall and earned their first trip to the Iowa Conference Tournament in five years. Cornell is picked to finish third in the IIAC preseason coaches' poll after tying for fifth with a 7-9 league mark last season.
"We wanted to create an expectation for our team last season and that's what we got accomplished," said DeGeorge, whose team opens the new campaign Monday, Nov. 17 at Knox. "We were disappointed in our number of wins last year, but now we know what we are capable of doing. We have a long way to go before we prove ourselves. But for the first time since I've been here, I feel confident that we can beat anybody on our schedule.
"There is definitely a different feel to the start of this season. I believe this team has a legitimate chance to win the conference championship. It's right there in front of us. We're all excited about the season."
The Rams, seeking their first winning season since 2002-03, feature 10 upperclassmen and four fourth-year letterwinners on the roster. The seasoned group includes six players who have started at least 20 games in a season, led by the all-conference senior backcourt tandem of Griffin LaDew (Pewaukee, Wis./Waukesha Catholic Memorial) and Michael Tierney (Cedar Rapids/Jefferson).
LaDew and Tierney will be joined by senior forward Tyler Cody (Roberts, Wis./St. Croix Central) and junior Matt Lewis (Augusta, Ill./Southeastern) as team captains. LaDew (16.7 ppg, 79 3-point goals) was a first team all-IIAC pick in 2007-08 and Tierney (12.8 ppg, 3.4 apg) earned second team honors. Cody shot 40.2 percent (35-of-87) from 3-point range and has made 137 career 3-point goals. Lewis started 23 games two years ago before suffering an injury that sidelined him for the entire 2007-08 campaign.
Cornell also brings back starters in 6-foot-11 junior center Chris Handke (Bellevue/Bellevue), 6-8 junior forward Riley Larson (Cedar Rapids/Jefferson) and sophomore guard Corey Dieser (Albert Lea, Minn./Albert Lea). Handke led the team in rebounding (5.8 rpg) and shot 48.7 percent from the field. Larson averaged 9.8 points and 5.7 rebounds. Dieser was the team's defensive stopper a year ago.
Rounding out Cornell's letterwinners are sophomore guard J. Ryan Lott (Overland Park, Kan./Blue Valley Northwest), sophomore forward Joe Newcomb (Salem, Ind./Eastern), 6-8 junior center James Wohrley (Dixon, Ill./Dixon), junior center Adam Norton (Rushford, Minn./Rushford-Peterson), senior guard Andre Rattray (Palatine, Ill./Palatine) and senior forward Brady Bormann (Canby, Minn/Canby).
"We have a talented and experienced group, but we don't have a proven group," DeGeorge said. "We have to establish ourselves early and identify roles on the team. This should be a much quicker process than last year. I'd like to use nine or 10 guys. We will have some good players that are not in our rotation."
The Rams have one of the league's best pure shooters in LaDew, who is on pace to become the school's all-time leading scorer by mid-season. He ranks ninth on Cornell's career scoring list with 1,158 points, needing 216 to break the all-time mark held by Jeff Fleming (1983-87). Last season, LaDew led the IIAC in free throw percentage (94.8) and 3-point goals made (3.04 pg) and ranked second in steals (1.73 spg) and fourth in 3-point percentage (43.9).
Tierney was second in the conference in free throw percentage (91.0), fourth in steals (1.48 spg) and fifth in assists (3.43 apg). Handke, one of eight Rams listed at 6-5 or taller, ranked fourth in the IIAC in blocked shots per game (0.92).
The Rams welcome five newcomers to this year's squad, led by freshman guard Marc Neef (Highlandville, Mo./Spokane). Neef, a first team all-state performer, averaged 21.0 points his final prep season and ranks sixth in Missouri state history with 345 career 3-point goals made.
Defending IIAC champion Buena Vista is the preseason coaches' pick to capture the league crown again, garnering eight of the nine first-place votes. Loras is projected second with one first-place tally. Cornell and Wartburg tied for third, followed by Dubuque in fifth, Coe sixth, Central seventh, Simpson eighth and Luther ninth.
Cornell opens the home portion of its schedule Nov. 25 against Faith Baptist. The Rams begin league play Dec. 6 at home against Simpson.
