2021 Stock Riser Check-In: Ike Cornish
With every player come a unique journey. For 2021 Legacy Early College wing Ike Cornish, making the decision to move from Baltimore, Maryland to South Carolina was a better situation for him both on and off the floor.
During his first two years on a successful Dulaney team, Cornish wasn’t a primary option offensively considering he shared the floor with the likes of his brother, Josh (Bowie State), Che Evans (San Diego State) and 2021 guard Ryan Conway Ryan Conway 6'0" | PG Dulaney | 2021 State #111 Nation MD (Seton Hall). Not only did transferring to Legacy offer Cornish the stage on a national level, but also more opportunity for growth.
“It’s helped me more of just becoming more mature” Cornish continued, “when I was home, I had everyone telling me that I had to get in the gym, do this or do that. Since I’m on my own, it’s all up to me. From getting workouts in, washing my clothes or making sure my room is clean. It’s all really helped me take more responsibility over my development.”
While Cornish was being courted by a number of mid-major programs as a sophomore at Dulaney, we witnessed his stock sky-rocket after logging many big performances at Legacy and posting a stat line of 13.3 points and 3.6 rebounds in 29 games according to MaxPreps.
“I enjoyed my time at Dulaney and really loved the school, but I just felt like if I could do what I was doing at Dulaney at a higher school, I’d get more recognition,” Cornish told Prep Hoops. “Really no teams that we played against at Dulaney were better than any team I played this year while at Legacy. Like when you think about the top teams in Maryland like St. Frances, we never played them at Dulaney except if it was in summer league, so I wanted to prove to colleges that I can play at that level consistently.”
Cornish went on to say that his confidence has grown tremendously since the move. A lot has to do with growing into his body and simply becoming more confident. He also gave credit to his coaches, head coach BJ Jackson and assistant coach Jeff Merritt, for their ways in improving him overall as a player.
A player with Cornish’s measurables has become the hot commodity in the modern game. A long player who can score and defend with versatility. He’s improved on the defensive end in large part because of his strength.
“We see a lot bigger players than I did at Dulaney,” Cornish said. “Even then, I used to get pushed around too easily but now that I’m getting stronger and more athletic I can handle those players better. I’m also getting quicker, so I can guard faster guys and guard multiple positions.”
Despite moving away from home, those close to Cornish are extremely pleased with what opportunities it has brought. Cornish recently set a commitment date of August 21, which is his birthday. The group that he’ll choose from includes Georgetown, Maryland, Rutgers, St. John’s, Virginia Tech and Xavier.
All have been consistent in their communication throughout the pandemic, but there’s no denying the attention that Cornish is getting when it comes to Maryland, the hometown school.
Cornish explained how throughout his first two years of high school, some of the Maryland staff would come watch workouts but never seemed genuinely interested enough to recruit him heavily. After an impressive performance against Our Saviour Lutheran in a gym packed with high-major coaches, Cornish received an offer from the Terps. From there, the relationship between Cornish and the staff has grown strong as they look to put themselves in the driver’s seat in his recruitment.