With 11 players returning and a pair of Division I transfers becoming eligible, Steve Donahue brought in only two frontcourt high school recruits and a junior college transfer this fall. Given what Cornell brings back this season, playing time will be at a premium. However, two of the transfers figure to see minutes off the bench and the third could be in the mix as well.
C Jeff Foote – 7-0, 210 lbs. (Lockwood, NY – St. Bonaventure/Maine Central Institute)
The local product walked on at St. Bonaventure, but redshirted his first year before leaving school during the first semester last season. As a result, Foote becomes eligible mid-season and will have 2.5 seasons of eligibility beginning after fall semester finals. The seven-footer obviously has great height, but he is very thin at just 210 pounds. Foote’s shotblocking ability should earn him some minutes in the paint this year, and his offensive repertoire reportedly features an effective hook from close range.
PF Aaron Richardson-Osgood – 6-9, 220 lbs. (Overlake, WA – The Hill School)
Richardson-Osgood did a postgraduate year at The Hill School in Pennsylvania after a solid high school career at Overlake High School in Washington. The big man picked Cornell over offers from Harvard, Denver, and New Hampshire. He joins a crowded Big Red frontcourt with four players 6-7 or taller in the class ahead of him, and may find it difficult to crack Donahue’s rotation.
G Collin Robinson – 6-0, 190 lbs. (Diamond Bar, CA – Southern California/Diamond Bar HS)
Robinson was the consensus top transfer in the Ivy League last season after Tim Floyd opted not to renew his scholarship at USC. As a freshman, his court appearances were limited to garbage time for the Trojans, scoring 13 points in 35 minutes over nine appearances. Robinson was a prolific high school scorer, breaking Keith Van Horn’s school scoring record at Diamond Bar High School. The undersized combo guard is a dangerous outside shooter and should give Cornell an additional threat from beyond the arc off the bench. The only concern is how Robinson’s style — described as “playground” — will fit in on a team with three other players accustomed to scoring. Considered a junior academically, he will have three years of athletic eligibility remaining in the eyes of the NCAA.
SF Andre Wilkins – 6-5, 210 lbs. (Toronto, ON – Blinn CC/Emery HS)
A one-time Brown commitment, Wilkins ended up accepting an offer to the College of Charleston, but he had his scholarship pulled when Bobby Cremmins took over the program last summer. With his college plans thrown into upheaval at the last minute, the Toronto native spent a year at Blinn Community College, averaging 10.1 points and 8.2 rebounds per game and shooting an impressive 65.8 percent from the field. Wilkins is extremely athletic, and will give Donahue a different look on the wing off the bench. As a JuCo transfer, Wilkins can play immediately at Cornell and will have three years of eligibility.
SF Adam Wire – 6-5, 210 lbs. (Southern Pines, NC – Pinecrest HS)
Wire was late commitment in the spring for the Big Red after doing it all for his Pinecrest High School team. As a senior, he averaged 13 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and three steals and was named to the East team in the North Carolina East-West All-Star Game. Wire may have to wait a little while for his chance at playing time, given the depth at the wing position ahead of him.
