September 29, 2013 at 12:15 pm
Filed under Administrative
I always said I would keep doing my work at princetonbasketball.com as long as it remained fun.
In the past couple of seasons it has become progressively less and less fun.
So, like a pair of my basketball writing heroes did before me - Jake Wilson and Kyle Whelliston - I'm stepping away for a while.
Content will cease to be added regularly here when this year's current subscriptions expire on October 1, 2013. With only a few days left until the end of that period, I can now make this announcement.
As for the future, I plan on keeping my press credential in the case that I am inspired to write the occasional larger picture "think piece" during the season.
You'll still see me at a number of games, especially at Jadwin Gym, and I very much want to get to my 200th consecutive Ivy League contest!
Both Stephen Goldsmith and Robert Solomon have shown interest in photographing occasionally for the site and I'd welcome that.
There may also be a guest columnist here from time to time.
In the next couple of weeks the pay wall on the site will come down and everyone will be able to explore princetonbasketball.com's full, rich history - something of which I am exceptionally proud.
Perhaps, like Jason Molina sings in the above song, I'll be "gone, but not forever." I'm leaving the door ajar for a return, though I can't promise when that might be - if at all.
I'm looking forward to this significant change in my daily routine, to unsubscribing from a bunch of RSS feeds, canceling a healthy number of Google Alerts and disconnecting from the world I've fully immersed myself in for so long.
It has been incredible running this site in various iterations since 1998. I've been able to do everything I ever hoped I could do, interview everyone I always wanted to talk with growing up watching Princeton basketball and most of all I'm pleased with the community we were able to build here together.
I've been awed by your support, friendship and good will over the years. Just because I am not going to be updating a web site's content regularly does not mean those feelings change. I'm excited about filling my late nights and early mornings with other pursuits, but a part of me will always care deeply about Princeton basketball and for those who love it the way I do.
Surprise! I've inched out of college basketball reporting retirement to join Coach Sydney Johnson & Lawrence Schuler as a correspondent for THE Ivy League Hoops Hour, a weekly podcast which is available through Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and everywhere else you get your shows! If you liked this site you'll enjoy their show greatly and I highly recommend subscribing.
My friend Stan Adelson died earlier this year. He was 94.
Stan was someone who was always around the Princeton basketball program, and he cared about the Tigers to a degree that few I’ve known could match.
With his passing we’ve lost one of the last connective tissues that rode team busses with Butch van Breda Kolff during the Bill Bradley era and was also present straight through to the modern day.
Though it was clear this moment was coming, I’ve had a hard time collecting my thoughts since I learned the news. The following may not be entirely linear I still wanted to write down my fond memories of Stan in one location.
Milton basketball coach Lamar Reddicks served as an assistant at Harvard from 2000-2007, so he knows first-hand what it takes to excel in the Ivy League.
Reddicks thinks his 6'10" senior big man Alec Brennan has the skill set to be a very good player in the conference from jump with the potential to eventually be truly outstanding.
After taking the lone official visit of his recruitment at Princeton the weekend before last, Brennan himself was visited by Tigers head coach Mitch Henderson seven days ago and on the Milton Academy campus Brennan informed Henderson that he would be bypassing myriad high major offers to join the orange and black's 2014 recruiting class.
Brennan narrowed his list of suitors earlier in the summer to eight programs: Brown, Davidson, Harvard, Princeton, Purdue, Stanford, Wake Forest and Yale.
I subsequently had a chance to talk by phone with Reddicks about Brennan's decision and how it came to pass. Exclusive quotes and analysis plus links to numerous player evaluations and videos can all be found after the jump.
Point guard Aaron Young was the third player to join Princeton's 2014 recruiting class, committing in late August. The Virginia Episcopal School senior reportedly chose the Tigers over interest from Brown, Fairfield and Loyola of Maryland.
Yesterday I had a chance to talk with Young's current coach, former University of Virginia standout Curtis Staples. Exclusive quotes and analysis from Staples plus links to player evaluations and videos featuring Young as a both scorer and a distributor can all be found after the jump.
After making an official visit to Princeton over the weekend, sources are reporting that highly regarded 6'10" Milton Academy power forward Alec Brennan verbally committed to join the Tigers' 2014 class. According to ESPN, Brennan held offers from Iowa State, Kansas State, Maryland and several other major conference schools.
Previously Brennan had narrowed his list to eight programs: Brown, Davidson, Harvard, Princeton, Purdue, Stanford, Wake Forest and Yale.
Brennan is the second three star prospect coming to Princeton next season, joining guard Amir Bell.
Speaking of recruits, Alec Brennan made an official visit to Princeton over the weekend.
Fairfield is hosting their second-annual day-long coaching clinic on October 20. Sydney Johnson has again put together an impressive list of guest instructors, as Bill Carmody, Seth Greenberg and Mitch Buonaguro with all be joining him. That's over 800 NCAA victories combined by the guests!
Johnson appears on a David Aldridge list titled "College Basketball Coaches Who Were Studs as Players."
You can watch Johnson discuss integrating many new faces into his program for 2013-14.
Judson Wallace talks about what he'll bring to Olimpia Milano.
It seems that Chris Young pitched for the first time since late May, throwing a pair of innings for the Nationals' Gulf Coast League team last month and going three innings for the Auburn Doubledays on September 3rd.
Richard Stengel is leaving Time Magazine for a job with the State Department.
Several of you sent me this piece about the declining Academic Progress Rate at Harvard.
Princeton picked up a commitment from 6'6"+ small forward Mike LeBlanc last month. Earlier this week I was able to finally catch up with LeBlanc's high school coach Pete Hutchins to talk about the second member of the Tigers' 2014 recruiting class.
LeBlanc - who will play his second season at New Hampton School in 2013-14 after arriving from Dover - reportedly decided on Princeton over offers from Rice, Yale, Brown, New Hampshire and Binghamton.
Exclusive quotes and analysis plus links to player evaluations, photographs and videos featuring LeBlanc can all be found after the jump.
Gary Walters will step down as Princeton's athletic director at the close of the 2013-14 academic year.
The complete Georgetown schedule for the upcoming season has been released.
August was a career month for Will Venable, who compares rhythm at the plate with shooting a free throw. Home run number 21 (video) for Venable gave him both the San Diego season records for most HRs at Petco Park and most lead-off homers in a Padres career. Venable's slugging percentage tops the National League since the All-Star break.
Dave Winfield, Ken Caminiti, Phil Nevin and Will Venable. Those are the only four San Diego Padres to have at least 40 hits and at least eight home runs in a single month. Venable finished August 40-for-109 at the plate with the National League's top slugging percentage. Then yesterday Venable was rewarded with a two year deal worth $8.5 million dollars.
The Stags got word that Pitt transfer Malcolm Gilbert will be eligible to play this season.
USA Today has Joe Scott's Pioneers ranked 51st nationally.
Yesterday Aaron Young held a press conference to announce he was heading to Princeton. Look for profiles on Young and Mike LeBlanc coming to the site soon.
Judson Wallace is out of action following hernia surgery.
Will Venable continued his amazing August, swatting home run number 20 (video) in a San Diego Padres victory. A statistical analysis of Venable's season shows that he may finally have found his groove
Craig Robinson addressed myriad topics at an informal Oregon State press conference.
princetonbasketball.com was founded on April 28th, 1998 in an attempt to provide fans of the Princeton Tigers and Ivy League basketball with the best on-line source for up-to-date news and information. We have since expanded to launch a companion site, Georgetown Basketball News.
As these sites have continued to grow we have increased our coverage to include additional teams with Princeton connections - the Richmond Spiders, Denver Pioneers, Oregon State Beavers, Fairfield Stags and Mercer County Community College Vikings - plus former Tigers playing professional baseball and basketball all over the world. This site is not directly affiliated with the Friends of Princeton Basketball, Princeton University or the Princeton athletic department.
Sun. 11/10 vs. Florida A&M
Sat. 11/16 at Butler
Wed. 11/20 vs. Lafayette
Sat. 11/23 at Rice
Tue. 11/26 vs. George Mason
Sat. 11/30 at Bucknell
Sat. 12/7 vs. FDU
Wed. 12/11 at Rutgers
Sat. 12/14 at Penn State
Fri. 12/20 vs. Portland*
Sat. 12/21 vs. Pacific*
Tue. 12/31 vs. Kent State
Sat. 1/4 at Liberty
Sat. 1/11 at Penn
Sun. 1/26 vs. Kean
Fri. 1/31 at Harvard
Sat. 2/1 at Dartmouth
Fri. 2/7 vs. Columbia
Sat. 2/8 vs. Cornell
Fri. 2/14 at Brown
Sat. 2/15 at Yale
Fri. 2/21 vs. Dartmouth
Sat. 2/22 vs. Harvard
Fri. 2/28 vs. Yale
Sat. 3/1 vs. Brown
Fri. 3/7 at Cornell
Sat. 3/8 at Columbia
Tue. 3/11 vs. Penn
2,503 - B. Bradley, 1962-65
1,625 - I. Hummer, 2009-13
1,550 - D. Davis, 2008-12
1,546 - K. Mueller, 1987-91
1,451 - P. Campbell, 1959-62
1,441 - C. Robinson, 1979-83
1,428 - B. Earl, 1995-99
1,365 - B. Scrabis, 1985-89
1,321 - G. Petrie, 1967-70
1,292 - H. Haabestad, 1952-55
1,277 - G. Lewullis, 1995-99
1,239 - B. Taylor, 1970-72
1,207 - S. Goodrich 1994-98
1,133 - F. Sowinski, 1975-78
1,130 - R. Hielscher, 1991-95
1,122 - C. Thomforde, 1966-69
1,099 - T. Manakas, 1970-73
1,090 - J. Wallace, 2001-05
1,088 - C. Belz, 1956-59
1,079 - B. Hauptfuhrer, 1973-76
1,076 - B. Roma, 1976-79
1,071 - C. Mooney, 1990-94
1,064 - A. Hyland, Jr., 1960-63
1,062 - L. Brangan, 1957-60
1,057 - A. Hill, 1973-76
1,054 - D. Mavraides, 2007-11
1,044 - S. Johnson, 1993-1997
1,031 - J. Hummer, 1967-70
1,010 - W. Venable, 2001-05
