Naeve's philosophy: Do one thing, do it well

Cornell center Andrew Naeve knows his role.

Bully your way to the hoop and score. Get back on defense.

Repeat.

It shows up on his stat sheet: In 651 minutes this season, he has taken only one three-point shot.

According to Naeve, "I don't even remember taking that three."

In any case, that discipline is part of what has made him an important leader on his young team.

"We've got plenty of shooters on our team," Naeve said. "That's not what I need to be doing for our team to be successful."

But Cornell's success does appear to hinge, in large part, on him.

Naeve came off the bench in all 27 games his freshman season, contributing 1.8 points and 2.7 rebounds in just over 11 minutes per game.

From that first season, it was clear that, with some hard work, he could be one of the Big Red's key players. And even then, just about three years ago, Cornell coach Steve Donahue was confident that he was "getting better every day."

Naeve now stands as one of the Big Red's three captains and one of its key starters. On a team with a backcourt that relies heavily on freshmen, he is the only veteran presence making a consistent contribution to the Big Red.

The Miles, Iowa native averages 9.1 points per game, fourth on his team. He is shooting a respectable 50.3 percent, and dishes out about one assist per game.

It is on defense, however, where Naeve really makes his mark.

Naeve's rebounding is among the best in the league. His 7.5 per game represents about a quarter of his team's total boards, and is behind only Harvard's inactive Brian Cusworth and Penn's Mark Zoller in the league. Naeve has 41 of his team's 68 blocks, and is far and away the active league leader, with 16 more than Dartmouth's Alex Barnett, the next-closest player.

His contributions on both sides of the ball have left their mark in the box score. Naeve has four double-doubles, tied for third-most of any player in the league. But they have also made quite an impression on his coach.

"I don't know if there is a better all-around center in the league at this point in his career," Donahue told The Cornell Daily Sun earlier in the season. "Some may be better offensively, but with his ability to do a lot of different things in this league, he is a pretty special player for us."

Part of the reason for Naeve's defensive ability comes from his size. He was already big by Ivy League standards when he was a freshman, at 6-foot-9 and 220 pounds. Since then, however, he's worked to become even more imposing.

"I've gotten a ton stronger, . and now I'm 6-10 and 240," Naeve said. "It's helped me a ton in all aspects of my game."

But despite all of his achievements, one of his primary goals has still eluded him.

"We haven't won an Ivy League title yet. That's the only thing I've wanted to accomplish," Naeve said.

With the Big Red heading to the Palestra this Saturday only half a game behind Penn, he still may have a shot at that title.

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