After undertaking a national search for a new men's basketball head coach, Dartmouth looked backwards to rehire one of the most successful coaches in recent program history.
Paul Cormier, who in his seven seasons posted two of the three winningest campaigns in the program's past 50 years, will begin his second stint with the Big Green 19 years after leaving to become Fairfield's head coach, the school announced Wednesday in a press release.
Cormier will have to stabilize a program thrown into turmoil last season. Terry Dunn abruptly resigned as head coach Jan. 8 with the Big Green off to a 3-10 start. FoxSports.com reported that Dunn was forced to resign after "each player signed a document that was taken to the administration on Friday stating they refused to play for Dunn."
Assistant Coach Mark Graupe replaced him on an interim basis, and the Big Green limped to a 5-23 overall finish and a 1-13 Ivy League record.
Hired by Dartmouth in 1984, Cormier coached the 1987-88 team to an 18-8 record and a 10-4 Ivy mark, followed in 1988-89 by a 17-9 record with a 10-4 Ivy mark, becoming the only coach since 1960 to lead the Big Green to consecutive second-place finishes in the conference, according to the press release.
In 1991, he moved to Fairfield, where he also spent seven seasons, leading the Stags to the NCAA Tournament in 1997. Cormier then moved to the NBA, most recently serving as an advance scout for the Golden State Warriors.
Ivy Quick Hits
— Harvard assistant coach Carl Junot has been named the head men's soccer coach at Tufts. Junot, who was named a Top Assistant Coaches honoree by College Soccer News in 2008, moves from a Crimson team that made the NCAA tournament in each of his two seasons to a Jumbos squad that finished 2-10-2 and 0-8-1 in NESCAC play in 2009.
— Harvard All-American Alex Meyer won the Nike Swim Miami Open Water Meet 10K event, beating 61 other swimmers with a time of 1:57:58, almost four minutes ahead of his nearest competitor.
— Columbia basketball players earned spots on the men's and women's All-Metropolitan Area teams, recognizing the best Division I players in the New York metropolitan area, as awarded by the Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association. Noruwa Agho made the men's third team, marking the fourth straight season a Lion was named to the team. Judie Lomax was named to the women's first team, the first time a Columbia woman was selected in the 15-year history of the award.
