The New York Times-20080124-Former Princeton Star Turns Brown Into Contender

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Former Princeton Star Turns Brown Into Contender

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Craig Robinson understood that few thought he could win when he took over as the coach at Brown before the 2006-7 season. It was not that he did not have the credentials or the desire to turn the Bears around, but how could Brown -- or anyone else -- break the stranglehold Penn and Princeton had on the Ivy League? The two teams have won or shared Ivy titles in 46 of the league's 52 years, which includes three Princeton championship teams in the early '80s that were anchored by Robinson, the fourth-leading scorer in Tigers history.

Brown lost its conference opener, last Saturday at Yale, but the Bears are considered among the favorites for the league title. That is a reflection not just on how far Brown has come under Robinson, but also on the slumping fortunes of Penn and Princeton. Princeton is 2-12 and in the midst of a 12-game losing streak, the longest in the program's history. Penn is 5-12 after Wednesday night's 80-64 loss at Temple, and in a particularly poor performance, lost by 30 points to Florida Gulf Coast.

There is no clear-cut leader who can say this is my championship to lose, Robinson said. Because it's so wide open, I think it makes everybody excited about the opportunity. I feel like we have a shot at winning it, but we have to play well. We can't just show up. People are going to play us hard now that people are starting to talk about Brown.

It has been a busy few months for Robinson, who tries to find time to help with the presidential campaign of his brother-in-law Barack Obama. Last week, Robinson spent a day campaigning in South Carolina alongside his younger sister Michelle, who is married to Obama.

Brown (8-7)played a preconference schedule that included games against Rhode Island, which was ranked No. 23 before dropping out of the Associated Press poll this week; Baylor; Michigan; Providence; and Notre Dame. According to several Web sites, the Bears are 103rd in N.C.A.A. Division I in a simulated ratings percentage index, the best of any Ivy team.

Brown was 11-18 and 6-8 in the Ivy League last season. With the return of guards Mark McAndrew and Damon Huffman, who are the team's leading scorers, and the addition of forward Peter Sullivan, a two-time Ivy freshman player of the week this season, the Bears have depth, experience and the league's best backcourt. Still, Robinson said his team was a work in progress.

We were so far behind when I got here, said Robinson, who had been an assistant at Northwestern. We were picked to finish last last season, and we finished fifth. Everybody thought that was miraculous. This year, we've been picked to finish fifth. To do better than those expectations, we have to keep getting better every game.

It has been nearly 20 years since someone other than Penn or Princeton received the Ivy League's automatic bid to the N.C.A.A. tournament. During a rare down year for the Quakers and the Tigers, Cornell won the 1987-88 Ivy title with an 11-3 league record. The Big Red has had only three winning seasons since but went 16-12 last season under Coach Steve Donahue, who spent six years as an assistant at Penn. Cornell, which is 9-5 and won its Ivy opener last weekend, was picked first in the league in a preseason news media poll.

I see this as a year where there'll be some blemishes on the championship team, Donahue said. None of us are substantially better than our opponents. When I was with Penn, we won 48 straight in the Ivy League at one time and 57 out of 59, and then Princeton went on their roll. There was an eight-, nine-year stretch where there was an undefeated team or a one-loss team. I don't see anybody at that level. Everybody thinks that every game, at least on their home court, they can win.

Cornell has received a lift from Collin Robinson, a transfer from U.S.C., who scored 802 points as a senior at California's Diamond Bar High School, setting a team record once held by the former N.B.A. player Keith Van Horn.

[Illustration]PHOTO: Mark McAndrew, above, and Damon Huffman are Brown's leading scorers and make up the Ivy League's best backcourt.(PHOTOGRAPH BY DAVID SILVERMAN/BROWN UNIVERSITY)