Men's Basketball News Releases
Access the News Release archive
MOUNT VERNON – Cornell juniors Griffin LaDew (Pewaukee, Wis./Waukesha Catholic Memorial) and Michael Tierney (Cedar Rapids/Jefferson) were named to the all-Iowa Conference men’s basketball teams, released Wednesday.
  LaDew, a 6-foot-2 shooting guard, was tabbed to the seven-man first team. He is the first Ram to earn first team all-league honors since Matt Ditch in 2003-04. Tierney, a 5-11 point guard, was a second team selection.
LaDew, a second team pick last season, ranked in the top 10 in the league in seven statistical categories. He led the IIAC in made 3-point goals per game (3.04) and free throw percentage (94.8) and ranked second in scoring (16.7 ppg), 3-point percentage (43.9) and steals (1.73 spg), fourth in minutes played (31.7 mpg) and eighth in field goal percentage (50.2).
LaDew’s 94.8 free throw percentage broke his own single-season school record of 90.6, set in 2005-06. He went 55-of-58 from the foul line, making his final 22 free throws of the season. LaDew tied Chris Heller (1991-92) for most 3-pointers made in a season with 79. His 180 3-point attempts rank second in single-season history.
LaDew made seven 3-pointers in a game three times this season. He scored in double figures in 20 of 26 games, including a career-high 31-point effort at Faith Baptist Dec. 14, 2007. LaDew climbed to ninth on Cornell’s career scoring list with 1,158. He is on pace to break the all-time scoring mark of 1,373 points, held by Jeff Fleming (1983-87).
Tierney received all-conference recognition for the first time as a Ram. He ranked second in the IIAC in free throw percentage (91.0), fourth in steals (1.48 spg) and assist/turnover ratio (1.20), fifth in assists (3.43 apg), sixth in minutes played (29.7 mpg) and ninth in scoring (12.8 ppg).
Tierney shot 45.4 percent from the field (98-of-216) and connected on 61-of-67 free throws. He started all 21 games he played, reaching double-digit points in 15 of them.
LaDew and Tierney helped guide the senior-less Rams to a 9-17 overall mark and the program’s first IIAC Tournament berth since 2003-04. Cornell finished in a tie for fifth in the league standings with a 7-9 record under fourth-year head coach Mike DeGeorge.
Loras junior forward Kyle White was named the IIAC’s Player of the Year for the second consecutive season. Buena Vista head coach Brian Van Haaften was tabbed Coach of the Year. The all-IIAC first team featured LaDew, Buena Vista’s Andre Wagner, Central’s Brett DeHoogh, Coe’s Kyle Kuenstling, Dubuque’s Tyler Daugherty, Loras’ Luke Slater and Simpson’s Tim Dunlavy.
|
