Game in Twin Cities is rare father-son reunion

Before tipoff, Ryan Wittman will get an occasional text message from his father that reads "good luck, stay aggressive," or something to that effect.

Unlike some of his fortysomething colleagues, Randy Wittman, coach of the Timberwolves, has grown comfortable text-messaging his son, a junior forward at Cornell, with tips and encouragement. His son is simply impressed that his dad is learning new skills.

"We do text before games and stuff," said Wittman, who leads Cornell with 22.5 points per game. "We still talk on the phone, too. I know how some of those older people are about texting."

Randy Wittman said he'd rather make a call than send a text in most situations.

"At times it can be difficult," he said. "I'm not as fast as my kids, that's for sure. It takes me a little bit longer. If it's going to be more than one or two words, I'm going to pick up the phone and call you."

With 1,100 miles separating the two, Randy Wittman uses various forms of technology -- webcasts and DVDs of Cornell's games, frequent phone calls and yes, text-messaging -- to keep up with his son's career. When the undefeated Gophers (7-0) face Cornell today, Randy Wittman will have a rare opportunity to watch his son compete in person.

"Any time I can get to see him live ... I don't get very many opportunities, although I get to watch pretty much every game on a tape or on the Internet," he said. "So any chance I can get to do that, I try to take advantage."

The younger Wittman excelled at Eden Prairie High School and has become one of the Ivy League's top players. He has established career highs in points in his past two games for Cornell (4-4), an NCAA tournament team last season, including a 33-point performance Wednesday at Syracuse that included nine three-pointers, a school record.

Ryan Wittman, a first team all-Ivy League player last season, attributes his improvement this season (he averaged 15.1 points a year ago) to tough summer workouts and a desire to become a more well-rounded player.

"Over the summer, I really kind of dedicated myself to the weight room and getting stronger," he said. "My first two years in college, I was primarily a shooter, a three-point shooter. Coming into this year, I really wanted to get bigger and get better at taking the ball to the basket."

Randy Wittman went to Bloomington, Ind., to watch Cornell's game against the Hoosiers, his alma mater, on Sunday. Wittman's father scored 16 points in the 1981 NCAA title game, which the Hoosiers won. But his son said he didn't feel any pressure with him and other family members in the stands and hopes to block out any pregame nervousness against the Gophers, too.

The two have had similar experiences this season. Cornell hasn't lived up to some of its own expectations. The team held a 25-9 lead against No. 16 Syracuse on Wednesday but lost by 10 points.

The Wolves dropped to 4-14 after Friday's 113-84 loss at New Jersey. Sometimes, it's Ryan Wittman who calls -- or text-messages -- offering encouraging words after a tough Wolves loss.

"I've just been telling him to hang in there," Ryan Wittman said. "They've obviously been in a lot of games. I think they're getting better."

Randy Wittman said he appreciates his son's support.

"It's nice from that standpoint of having somebody that goes through ups and downs, which he has throughout his career at Cornell," he said. "It's always nice to hear encouraging words like that, especially from your son."

Still, as the two continue to bolster their relationship, even though they don't have a chance to see each other a lot, one debate within the Wittman family remains.

"He thinks he can shoot the ball better than I can," Randy Wittman said. "I don't think that's true."