By wpengine November 25, 2002
With a young men’s basketball team plagued by injuries coming off a 5-22 campaign, an unexpected hero will have to emerge in the form of Eric Taylor. The 6-8 sophomore has taken on many roles this season and will need to excel in all of them in order for Cornell to stay competitive. A tri-captain, Taylor is the first sophomore ever elected to this position in the program’s 104-year history. The only returning big man without an injury, he will need to be the team’s top rebounder and the go-to guy in the frontcourt. Finally a starter, he will have to adjust to playing more minutes and being an even larger presence on the court than he was last season. These are facts that have not escaped the Latham N.Y. native. “It’s a different role this year. I’m the only returning big guy so more is counting on me, but I think I’m going to be in good enough shape to play more minutes and be more productive this season,” Taylor said. Nor has it escaped head coach Steve Donahue, who praises his recruit. “Offensively, Eric has a real knack for scoring — he surprises people with his range, he can shoot the ball from the outside. He’s one of those kids that has a great nose for the ball, and that’s hard to teach — the intangible is that he is relentless he just never gives up and refuses to quit,” he said. Nor has it escaped his teammates, who show complete faith in Taylor’s abilities on and off the court. “Eric is a natural leader,” explained fellow tri-captain senior Jacques Vigneualt. “He leads by example on and off the floor. He always plays hard and he is vocal when he needs to be. He will do whatever is in the best interest of the team. He is a true testament to what Cornell basketball is becoming.” In high school, Taylor was not heavily recruited, and Donahue admits that last year, Taylor went above and beyond what was expected of him. “He has exceeded my expectations already, and I’m really glad that he has come,” explained Donahue. “I had no idea that he was this good. You have to watch him to appreciate him.” What a difference a year can make. “I think Eric came in here not sure how good he could be,” explained Donahue. “Now, I’m pretty sure that he understands that he can be one of the best big men in the league. That’s a way different mindset. I think Eric Taylor is way more confident and is absolutely sure that if he plays hard every night, he can be successful against the other people in our league.” Last year, Taylor played in 21 games, starting three. He was presented the inaugural James D. Paull II ’88 Award as the team’s top contributor off the bench. Despite playing as a reserve, Taylor led the team and finished 11th in the Ivy League in rebounding with 5.1 rpg. He also averaged 5.5 points, led the team in field goal percentage with .510 and ranked second in blocks with 11. Yet, after a successful freshman season, Taylor immediately got back to work. In the offseason, Taylor concentrated on getting bigger, stronger, logging many hours in the weight room and working out on the court to improve on last year’s numbers. And apparently, his hard work has paid off. In the team’s first game of the season this past Saturday, Taylor was by far the best player on the court, scoring a career-high 30 points. On the evening, the sophomore shot an amazing 14 of 16 from the floor. He also grabbed nine rebounds in the Red’s first win of the campaign, a 78-72 victory at Buffalo. However, Taylor knows there are several keys for a successful season. “Personally I have to be able to rebound the basketball. I think rebounding is going to be key and that is both individually and team-wise. Staying out of foul trouble will also be important for me.” Although not the most athletic player on the court, Taylor says he relies on a good knowledge of the sport to help him gain the advantage. “I think I have a pretty good understanding of the game,” he explained. “I’m not the most athletic guy out there, but I think I’m able to make up for that by just knowing how to play.” Donahue agreed, stating that one of the reasons he recruited Taylor was because of the forward’s tenacity and hard work. “I wanted that type of kid as I built my program,” Donahue explained. “He is a solid person, he competes, and has passion for basketball, and I want all those things to be the traits of my first couple of classes.” Taylor’s knowledge may have come from his father who played two years at Cornell and then spent some time playing overseas. “He got me into basketball,” Taylor said of his father’s influence. “As a younger kid, I always played baseball and football in the yard; I actually played soccer for a little bit. I was just one of those kids that was involved in a lot of different sports growing up, and I think my height pushed me towards basketball rather than anything else.” With his height, strong leadership, and good game knowledge, he will be an invaluable asset to the program. Archived article by Kristen Haunss
By wpengine November 25, 2002
Every once in a while, a team can find itself in the position to break a record. Sometimes it’s an individual mark, or a team mark. In either case, though, it’s a rare and exceptional accomplishment. For the gymnastics team, the days without a broken record are now uncommon. Within the last two years, the gymnasts have been raising individual and team scores on practically every event and apparatus to bring the program to heights it has never seen. “We’re off to the races not just in terms of the skill level, but in terms of our team,” said head coach Paul Beckwith. Beckwith can’t stop smiling when he thinks of what his 2001-02 squad accomplish. The team won the Ivy League tournament (it isn’t a championship because only four teams compete), placed third in the ECAC championships, and sixth at the USAG nationals in its second straight appearance. In the meantime, the team obliterated the old team records, surpassing the 190.0 overall mark with a combined score of 192.575 at the ECACs. In between, there were several individual accomplishments such as ECAC Rookie of the Year and All-America on the bars, sophomore Meghan Miller, Verizon Academic All-America and All-America on the vault, junior Rachel Goldberg. Junior captain Stephanie Daehler broke records on the floor, senior Shannon Weiman is the record holder on the beam, and sophomore Shellen Goltz has Cornell’s all-around record. “Last year, we broke new ground, got to a new plateau. This is the year to solidify in our minds, the coaches’ minds, the gymnasts’ minds that that wasn’t a fluke. Now, this is us,” Beckwith said. With only two graduations from last year’s squad, the Red is looking to better its 2001-02 performance, although finding the room for improvement is becoming a much harder task for the team. “We want to go up a little bit more because we’re getting to the point where a 190 is a 9.5 average for everybody on every event, and you just can’t go up a lot. We’re getting pretty picky, we’re trying to shave off a half a tenth,” Beckwith said. Despite mandates on practices from the Ivy League’s new seven-week rule, the team has been pushing itself to raise the bar. Many gymnasts are competing harder routines and many will enter more events. “It’s really exciting because our team is constantly improving. Everyone is learning new things and trying to upgrade,” Goldberg said. Miller is expected to be the Red’s top performer on bars again this year, after averaging a score of 9.8 last season. She may also compete in the all-around this year. Goldberg will be expected to contribute on the bars and her specialty, the vault. Goltz is likely to be in the all-around with sophomore Larrissa Calka and freshman Cathy Shnell. With more gymnasts participating in all four events, fewer women may compete regularly for the Red, but it will improve the team’s depth. Junior Denise Hurd performed on the vault and floor exercises all last year, while classmate Katie Nicklas chipped in strong scores on the beam and bars. Sophomores Andrea Mavro, Alison Betof Danielle Inwald will also be integral parts of the team’s success. While Beckwith praises the individual talents of the gymnasts, he attributes much of the success to the camaraderie of the team — a facet of gymnastics that often goes overlooked in what is often considered an individual sport. “This team is just so much fun to work with. When we’re in the gym everybody works together really hard. It makes all the difference in the world when you’re practicing,” he said. And while the competition within the team drives the individuals to work harder, the main goals are team goals and another trip to nationals. Archived article by Amanda Angel