Basketball Preview 2007

For one fleeting weekend two Februarys ago, it finally looked like Columbia basketball was ready to take a crucial step forward.

With the expected return of all members of the 2006-07 basketball team, the incoming freshman class will see limited action.

The intensity level of this year’s Ivy League matchups will be multiplied due to the fact that there is no clear frontrunner for the league championship.

In Joe Jones’ first year as the Lions’ men’s basketball coach, he led a team that had won zero Ivy League games the previous season to six victories.

Following a season that saw Columbia garner its most overall wins—16—since the 1992-93 season, and its most Ivy wins—seven—since 2000-01, expectations are high for this season.

In the fall of 1967, New York was a city in turmoil. Opposition to the war in Vietnam was reaching its height, while the divide between blacks and whites continued to grow. In this climate of instability lay Morningside Heights, a hotbed for activism and protest felt both within the boundaries of the Columbia gates and beyond.

With every great basketball team, there’s a story of a great leader.

Height and depth­—the two aspects of the women’s basketball team that were left in question once the season finished last February.

From first-year Danielle Browne to senior Megan Griffith, the Lions (8-20, 4-10 Ivy) were not lacking in talent during their 2006-2007 campaign.

Change means things will be different, but that doesn’t imply anything positive or negative.