Front Row (kneeling, L-R): Asst. coach George Dorfman, Jon Halpern, Monte Boykin, Len Breslow, Sam Jacobs, Josh Wexler, Steve Johnson and head coach Mike Dement.
Middle Row (L-R): Manager Tia Gutenmann, asst. coach Al Walker, Greg Gilda, Paul McRae, Bernard Jackson, Nate Grant, Mike Millane, Dean Kartsonas, Simon Lincoln, trainer Toni McBride and asst. coach Steve Robinson.
Back Row (L-R): Manager Joel Schwartz, Patrick Homer, Mike Pascal, Jamal Oliver, James Paul, Wolfgang Florin, Ike Ayers, Steve George, Mike Proctor and manager Darrin Kibel.
The 1987-88 Big Red
With apologies to Charles Dickens, it was a tale of three seasons for the 1987-88 Cornell men’s basketball team.
At the start of the season, the Big Red opened 4-1. After the holiday’s, Cornell struggled, losing six of its next nine contests. But after a near-disastrous loss at Lafayette, Cornell reeled off 11 consecutive wins to streak to its first Ivy League championship in 34 years.
Talent. This team had it. Experience. The Big Red had seven seniors who knew what it would take to capture an Ancient Eight crown. Perseverance and character. The two ingredients that this team found, making it a championship season.
After struggling through the mid-portion of its season, Cornell opened Ivy league play with a 97-83 loss to preseason favorite Dartmouth. A win over Harvard the following night at home set up what would be the turning point of the season — an 84-43 defeat at Lafayette. Not only was the 41-point loss the worst for Cornell in seven years, but it looked as if the wheels had completely fallen off.
To steal a football phrase, it was now “gut-check time” for Cornell. It all started with a 73-60 triumph over Columbia, setting up a six-week win fest that included 11 consecutive victories. Included among the wins were at Columbia for just the second time in 18 years, a sweep of Princeton and Penn at home and a 101-85 triumph at Dartmouth in a showdown of the first and second place teams in the Ivy League.
Despite losses in its final two regular season games, a Dartmouth loss to Yale gave an 11-3 Big Red squad a spot in the NCAA tournament - collegiate sports’ biggest showcase. And the excitement grew even more when the pairings were announced - Cornell vs. Arizona in Los Angeles.
Pauley Pavilion on the campus of UCLA. To most of the team members, this conjured up memories of playing on the same floor that John Wooden made legendary. A chance to play in a basketball shrine.
It came as no surprise to anyone that the Big Red fell to an Arizona team, an eventual Final Four squad led by future NBA star Sean Elliott, 90-50. But the Big Red represented the Ivy League well that day, both on and off the court.
Perseverance and character.
That will be the lasting memory of the 1987-88 Big Red. When given the chance to fold up their tents, this team reached back for that something extra. It dared to dream and was rewarded for its efforts. It was the Ivy League champion.
