April 27, 2007
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Joel Cornette, a standout basketball player throughout his career at Butler University, has joined the University of Iowa men’s basketball staff as an assistant coach. The hiring of Cornette was announced Friday by Hawkeye Coach Todd Lickliter and becomes effective immediately.
“Joel is a proven winner. He is driven to succeed and he brings a winning attitude to all areas of his job,” said Lickliter. “He is a skilled teacher who embraces what I want taught and how I want it taught – – much the same as Chad and LaVall. With the addition of Joel, our staff is complete and has my full confidence. This staff will compete at the highest level in all facets of the program.”
Cornette joins the Iowa staff after serving as the coordinator of basketball operations at Butler during the 2006-07 season, where he helped the Bulldogs post a 29-7 overall record. Butler shared the 2007 Horizon League regular season title and advanced to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament before a loss to eventual national champion Florida.
The Bulldogs set a school record for wins a year ago after opening the season with 10 straight victories. Butler won the NIT Season Tip-Off Tournament with wins over Notre Dame, Indiana, Tennessee and Gonzaga.
Butler led the nation in fewest turnovers per game (9.5), ranked fifth in scoring defense (57.1), seventh in free throw percentage (76%), 13th in won-loss percentage (.806), 17th in scoring margin (10.5) and 20th in three-point field goals per game (8.9).
“This is a great opportunity to be a part of the basketball staff at the University of Iowa, and to continue my association with Coach Lickliter and Coach Jordan,” said Cornette. “We’ve been through a lot of battles together, and won a lot of them.
“I view Coach Lickliter as a second father. I look to him for advice and he is a man who has always steered me in the right direction. Working with LaVall has been terrific as well. I’ve looked up to him as both a player and a coach. I’m excited beyond belief to be a part of the Hawkeye program.”
At Butler, Cornette handled administrative and operational duties, including team travel arrangements, and duties related to Butler’s summer basketball camp program. He also worked closely with the Blue Team, Butler’s men’s basketball booster organization.
As a player, Cornette is the only player in Butler basketball history to play in 100 victories before concluding his playing career in 2003. Cornette helped lead Butler to a four-year record of 100-28 (.781). He played a part in four Horizon League regular season championships, two Horizon League tournament titles, three trips to the NCAA Tournament and one berth in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT). He played in every game of his Butler career, setting an all-time school record of 128 games played. He was in Butler’s starting lineup in his final 97 games as a college player.
Cornette is one of just 30 Butler players to score 1,000 career points. He led Butler in rebounding for three straight years and topped the Bulldogs in blocked shots for four consecutive seasons. He finished his career in ninth place on Butler’s all-time rebounding list.
Cornette was named to the Horizon League all-Defensive team for three straight years and he earned all-league honors once. He was picked to the league all-Tournament team in both 2001 and 2003 and was named to the NCAA East Region all-Tournament team in 2003. He was selected as Butler’s co-Most Valuable Player in 2003 and was named Butler’s co-Most Outstanding Male Athlete as a senior.
Cornette served as a student assistant coach at Butler in 2003-04. He played professional basketball for two seasons, both with the Nebraska Cranes of the United States Basketball League and in Australia.
Cornette was born June 22, 1981. He earned his bachelor’s degree in marketing from Butler in 2004. He is a native of Cincinnati, OH, where he attended St. Xavier HS. He was the conference Player of the Year as a senior in 1999.
Cornette joins LaVall Jordan and Chad Walthall as assistant coaches at Iowa under Lickliter.
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