Cornell basketball opened up the 2009-10 campaign with a win in Tuscaloosa, Ala., against Alabama, 71-67, on Saturday. The Red (1-0, 0-0 Ivy) showed its dominance in the heart of the SEC, and picked up its third-straight season-opening victory. Senior Ryan Wittman led the Red, picking up 23 points, three rebounds and five from beyond the arc. The pentagonal efforts of Wittman, senior Jeff Foote, senior Louis Dale, sophomore Chris Wroblewski and senior Alex Tyler combined for 59 of the Red’s 71 points on Saturday afternoon.

Less than three years after graduating from Cornell in 2007, Kevin App has returned to the Hill ready to once again imprint his mark on Cornell athletics –– accepting the position of assistant coach of the men’s basketball team. App, who served as a tri-captain his senior year, graduated with a degree in civil engineering and spent one year working as project manager for a construction company in Bethesda, Md. Upon realizing that he missed being around basketball, App, with the help of Cornell men’s basketball head coach Steve Donahue, secured a position as assistant coach at Williams College for the 2008-09 season. However, after former Cornell assistant coach Zach Spiker accepted a job at Army, Donahue contacted App about rejoining the Red as a member of the coaching staff.

“Announce the Princeton score,” fans yelled excitedly.

“Donahue doesn’t want it announced,” came the reply from press row.

But with less than two minutes left, men’s basketball head coach Steve Donahue’s wife decided it was time for him and his team to know what everyone else already did — the Red was mere minutes away from its second straight Ivy title.

“I guess everyone else knew [that Princeton was losing],” Donahue said, laughing. “My wife yelled something at me, and I find out I’m the only guy that didn’t know. I was thinking since I didn’t hear anything, that Princeton had won.”

“Announce the Princeton score,” fans yelled excitedly.

“Donahue doesn’t want it announced,” came the reply from press row.

But with less than two minutes left, men’s basketball head coach Steve Donahue’s wife decided it was time for him and his team to know what everyone else already did — the Red was mere minutes away from its second straight Ivy title.Victory!: The men's basketball team celebrates its second-straight Ivy League Championship by cutting the net.

The e-mail was short: “Josh, me and you need to have a little chat. No problems, just want to talk.”

So, one night in Nov. 2005, I took a phone call. The voice on the other end was Chris Mascaro ’06, and he was offering me the opportunity of a lifetime.

What if you had the opportunity to go to every Cornell athletics event for free, home and away; receive an all-access pass and the best seats in the house to every event; meet and talk with all the players and coaches; befriend the staff and administration in and out of Athletics, at Cornell and other schools; chat with famous media personalities, coaches and athletes from around the country, in college, professional sports and beyond?

Would you take it?