The Pinkie Interviews Cornell Play-by-Play Man, Barry Leonard

I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to sit down and talk with Barry Leonard, the Cornell play-by-play man, this afternoon. We spoke about the experience of Cornell, the youth of Kentucky and the Sweet Sixteen match-up that is set for Thursday night. We also squeezed in a little Mark Coury. Below is the interview.

nickev: The first thing you notice when you look at this match-up is Cornell’s experience vs. Kentucky’s youth. The Big Red has six seniors that get a lot of minutes and this is their third strait trip to the NCAA Tournament. On the other hand, Kentucky starts three freshman, a sophomore and a junior – none of which had participated in an NCAA tournament prior to this season.

Because of Cornell’s advantage experience-wise, many analysts are billing this a match-up of experience vs. talent. However, the Big Red feature three All-Ivy League Selections, including Ryan Wittman, the 2010 Ivy League Player of the Year, and Louis Dale, the 2008 Ivy League Player of the Year. Do you believe that pundits overlook the talent on this team because they compete in the Ivy League?

Leonard: I don’t know if they’re overlooking talent. As you get more experienced the talent comes to the surface and that is definitely the case with this team. If you look at the sum of the parts, Cornell has three guys that stand out above everyone else in the Ivy League. They have the best center in Jeff Foote, the best small forward in Ryan Wittman, and the best point guard in Louis Dale. You could even say that Chris Wroblewski is a top ten player in the Ivy League. Wittman has been All-Ivy three years in row. Foote is the back-to-back defensive player of the year. Wroblewski was named newcomer of year last year. I’m not sure if they are overlooking talent. It’s just that they play so well together as team, it makes it easy to overlook the skill level.

nickev: Can you talk more specifically about the play of Wittman and Dale?

Leonard: I hate to overanalyze, but Wittman is probably the most cerebral player in the Ivy League. His dad is Randy Wittman, the former coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves, so he just understands the game. When he first came to Ithaca, he was just a jump shooter. Now he has elevated his play and has a complete game. He can get to hole, shoot the 30-footer, distribute the basketball and has really worked on improving his defense. His skill set is just so diverse. He prides himself on assist-to-turnover ratio. He is not just a shooter anymore. His development from his freshman year to his senior year is greater than everyone else because he has been marked man since day one. He is the all-time leader in three’s made in Ivy League history. He is one of five players in the history of the Ivy League to surpass 2,000 points. He has NBA range. He is a complete player.

Dale came to Cornell as an underrated recruit out of Alabama. He didn’t even receive a look from UAB or Alabama. Our staff saw tape of him and immediately flew down to see him. He has always been the most athletic player on the team but he has really developed his entire game. He harnessed that athletic talent and learned to play within the system. He is not a shoot first point guard, but he has the ability to score when needed. He led the Ivy in assists this season and is the all-time assists leader at Cornell. If they are going to go deep into the tournament he has to lead and he has done that in the last two games. To be quite honest, they were probably the two best games of his college career and he really struggled in NCAA tournament play the last two seasons. He finished with 21 points and 7 assists against Temple and then had 26 and 3 against Wisconsin.

nickev: The Big Red don’t just do it from the perimeter. At 7-0, 265-pounds, Jeff Foote is a beast underneath and combines with their talented guards to create one of the best inside-out combos in the tournament. What are his strengths as a player?

Leonard: He is the best passing big man in country. After their near-win at Kansas, Cole Aldrich said this dude can play after he played him to a standoff. Defensively he polices the lane and blocks shots, but his greatest skill is that he knows the game. He is the best at coming off of pick-and-rolls in the Ivy League. He is tremendous at getting his teammates involved. When he plays the high post, he excels at feeding guys cutting to the basket. He can anchor himself on the block, too. In his three years after transferring from St. Bonaventure he has really improved offensively in the low post. He is a borderline NBA second round pick.

nickev: Do they often surround Foote with four perimeter guys in a 4-out-1-in set?

Leonard: For the most part they go 4-out-1-in. They spread the ball out on wing and Dale and Wroblewski are interchangeable at the top. It is not a Princeton like offense because Foote often pops out to the top. Foote’s position in the offense is predicated by what the defense is giving them. You will see a lot of motion. If the defense chases three point shooters then it opens up Foote underneath. If they double Foote on the block, it opens shooters. Wisconsin tried to deny three-point attempts and they drove the lane for open 15-foot jumpers. It is a very versatile offense.

nickev: Many people look at Cornell and automatically think slow-it-down, half-court offense. But, in reality that is nowhere near the case. This is a team that is averaging nearly 76 points-per-game on the season and likes to get up and down the court. On Sunday they put up 87 points on a Wisconsin team that ranked fourth nationally in scoring defense. Do you expect them to continue to run against a Kentucky team that excels in the open court?

Leonard: This particular game will come down to tempo. Knowing Donahue and the players, they will stay with what got them there. Big changes will come on defensive end because of Kentucky’s size and athletic guards. They may slow it down a little bit on offense and make Kentucky guard them for 30-35 seconds. But, if they get a break they will push it. They have proved that they can slow it down and grind it out. They might do that in an attempt to get UK’s freshman frustrated by slowing it down. If you look at Kansas, they ran half court against them but they also pushed the basketball and beat them in transition several times.

nickev: One of Kentucky’s weaknesses, especially early on, has been defending the three-point shot. Cornell has shown that when they are connecting from deep, they are a very dangerous team. They entered the NCAA Tournament hitting 71-of-132 in their final six games and against Wisconsin shot 8-for-15. On the season they have five guys who connected on 39 threes or more, including Wittman’s 107. Perimeter shooting has to be a focal point for the Big Red on Thursday. How do they ensure that they get open looks against Kentucky?

Leonard: As they always say, the pass goes quicker than the ball. What this team does better than any other team is making the extra pass. They’ll move the ball around the perimeter and will pass up shots to get better looks. Syracuse was really the only team all season long to adjust to that. Syracuse was trailing by 16 when they extended their zone and it caused Cornell problems. I wonder if UK’s athleticism can overshadow the Cornell offense much like the Orange’s did. If they can extend their defense and deflect passes, it could disrupt Cornell. Cornell will have to move quickly, make the extra pass and get Kentucky scrambling. They can’t play 1-on-1 on the perimeter. They have been successful all season long because they are so synchronized and unselfish. To have a chance, they must continue that on Thursday.

nickev: Recently, the majority of teams have implemented some variation of the 2-3 zone against the Wildcats. Do you expect Donahue to stick to this strategy?

Leonard: To be honest I haven’t talked to coach, but I would think that because of their size and athleticism, I mean they have the future No. 1 and No. 2 pick in the NBA Draft along with three other potential first round picks, there is no way that one-on-one they can stay with UK. I expect them to mix up a number of zones. With Wall or Bledsoe, I don’t think Cornell can have success with the press like they had in the first and second round of the tournament. Mark Coury and Adam Wire are excellent defenders in zone defense.

nickev: This is head coach Steve Donahue’s tenth season at Cornell. The administration’s patience has really paid off with three consecutive Ivy League titles. Can you talk a little bit about Donahue and his philosophies as a head coach?

Leonard: He has certainly paid his dues. He spent ten years as an assistant under Fran Dunphy, the current Temple head coach. He is a part of that Philly cradle of coaching. He’s the type of coach that players want to play for because he gives you open reign on offense as long as you commit to the defensive side. This is his first time he has really had his type of team. A team that can shoot the ball and play defense. Following their win over Wisconsin he almost broke down on the podium as he thanked the administration for their patience with him and allowing him to build a team Over his first six seasons he was 50 games under .500. A lot of, or most, schools wouldn’t have been as patient. A lot of credit goes to Andy Noel (Cornell’s AD), he saw a guy bringing in better players, continually playing a tougher schedule and simply elevating the program. Donahue’s philosophy is to play up-tempo, have good shooters and to play hard nose defense. He fits that Philly mold.

nickev: What do the Big Red have to do to hang with the Wildcats and have a chance at the end, and continue this magical postseason run?

Leonard: Well, they have to stay out of foul trouble, which will be difficult to do. Foote has to play 30-35 minutes. The tempo of the game will be huge. They have to play the game at their pace. They have the ability to slow down the game and run half court. When they are on offense, can they dictate what they want to do? I think they are going to do whatever possible to get Kentucky’s four freshman frustrated. Remember, Cornell has six seniors that have seen every type of defense and all sorts of athleticism. It will also take super human efforts from their glue guys on defense, Coury and Wire. Obviously, they need to knock down shots from the perimeter.

nickev: Last question, tell me about Mark Coury?

Leonard: He is the quietest, most unassuming guy you’ll ever meet. His teammates genuinely enjoy him being around because he’s all about the team. In his first minutes at Cornell he came off the bench against Alabama. About 15 seconds after entering the game he was boxed out and wiggled around and got an offensive putback. I thought, “Boy, this is a kid who knows how to play the game”. He is not going to jump out at you physically, but he seems to show up in their biggest games. He was excellent against Alabama and at Kansas earlier in the season. His first half against Wisconsin was probably the best half he’s played all season long. He knows how to play the game and he is a good passer. He is a perfect fit for Cornell. Donahue says that Coury has the ability to influence games without scoring a point. He will be in there during crucial situations.