From the podcast: Rob Pannell on Cornell ties and his legacy

Kyle Devitte: One of the things that I think is interesting is Cornell having one of the youngest coaches in all of Division 1, Connor Buczek. In one of his first couple of seasons he takes the team all the way to the (NCAA) title game. I don’t know how that happens. It’s not like he’s a 10-year veteran or anything like that, right? He was able to rally and bring the support of such a strong community forward, and build that team and help will that team to the championship game. 

Rob Pannell: Connor is an amazing coach. I think when you look at his time at Cornell, he was an amazing player as well. When he came in, he was one of those guys that got it right off the bat. From the first weight room session to the first practice, he was all-in on Cornell lacrosse and was going to work as hard as he needed to to help the team accomplish our goal of winning a championship.

Jack talks about how special the Cornell family is when there’s a Cornell coach coaching the team he lived through playing there. He understands what it’s like to be part of the team and the importance of the alumni and the legacy. I mean, Connor and Jordan (Stevens) are the perfect guys to do that. The two of them, I think, are what really makes it special.

Connor certainly has that incredible presence in front of a TV. Maybe a lot of us even now look at him and say, “I can’t believe he’s 28 or 29 years old.” He speaks to us in front of alumni functions in New York City. And then you have Jordan, who also lived it and breathed it and was part of it for multiple years as a player and then as a coach. The two of them are certainly ideal, I think, for Cornell, as those are two guys that got it when they were on the team. I couldn’t think of two better young men to be leading Cornell right now. 

Jack Piatelli: I remember we went to a Brown game a number of years ago. I think it was your senior year. (Sons) Brian and John joined me and, obviously, they were big fans of yours, looking up to you as a player. And I remember, maybe it was three years ago, you gave John a call and he was shocked that you had called him and asked him to work your camp. He was so honored. You put your arm around him and were sort of like a big brother to him. And I know he appreciates that very much. But it goes back to the whole alumni association. Everybody puts their egos aside; it doesn’t matter whether you’re a C.J. Kirst, Rob Pannell, it doesn’t matter. You’re all part of the association. 

RP3: And he was great when he worked that game for me and came right in. He’s great with kids. I mean, he’s just a great person. John, you look at him, is humble, he’s quiet, he is so down to earth … I would have loved to play with him, but sometimes you’ve probably got to shake him a little bit because he’s so just smooth. He’s just even-keeled the whole time. And it’s been great to see Brian have some success this year as well, and really have an impact for the Big Red building off of last year. So obviously the Piatelli boys have done Cornell well.

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