Kareem Maddox is the subject of a piece in the Ventura County Star.
Georgetown (8-0) found a different way to win on Saturday against Utah State. HoyaHoops has postgame audio from John Thompson III, Chris Wright and Henry Sims.
Mercer (3-5) dropped a tough 68-62 decision to Delaware Tech Stanton.
A 66-63 win over Cal State Northridge returned Denver (2-6) to the win column.
Oregon State (3-4) was outclassed by Colorado, 83-57.
Chris Young and Will Venable comment on San Diego's decision to trade Adrian Gonzalez.
Mason Rocca scored six points and had nine rebounds in AJ Milano's 82-75 Euroleague loss to Union Olimpija.
Around the Ivy League: Penn (4-3) pulled away from Army in the second half for a 68-52 victory. Yale (3-4) lost by four at Vermont. A 19-1 second half run helped Michigan achieve a 65-62 win over Harvard (5-2). Brown (4-3) scored the last eight points of a 62-54 decision versus Maine. A John Daniels free throw broke a tie with 2.7 seconds left as Columbia (4-4) rallied to beat Stony Brook, 73-72. Cornell (2-6) fell 71-66 at Minnesota.
Happy Thanksgiving! Hard to believe, but Christmas and Hanukkah are both on the immediate horizon. Looking for something special to buy for the basketball fan in your life? Don't go for what's in the mystery box! Try one of the following items from the 2010 princetonbasketball.com Holiday Gift Guide instead. A percentage of all purchases support this site. Something missing that you think people would enjoy? Please drop a line.
Alexander Wolff's Big Game, Small World: A Basketball Adventure starts at Jadwin Gym and then circles the globe, from remote mountaintops to the Palestra and across to China. The first book this web site was ever thanked in!
Coach: 25 Writers Reflect on People Who Made a Difference features an introduction by Bill Bradley and has a wide range of scribes (George Vecsey, John Irving, Frank Deford...) telling tales of coaches that impacted their lives.
There was no better, more beautifully detailed basketball book I read last summer than When March Went Mad: The Game That Transformed Basketball, about Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and the 1978-79 college basketball season. No direct Princeton content, but well worth your time.
I know I'm getting the latest iteration for Hanukkah every year, and I love traveling with books in this series. Best American Sports Writing always has incredible pieces written by well-known and newly discovered authors.
The best college basketball video game out there is EA's NCAA Basketball 10, available for the Playstation 3 and XBox. You can even run the "Princeton Offense" as one of the game's many sets. There won't be a 2011 edition of this game, so stick with last year's iteration.
Sporting Goods:
Actually want to play the game? The Wilson NCAA Solution Game Ball lets you use the same basketball as Division I players.
While dribbing, look sharp in this Princeton replica jersey by Nike, available in youth and adult sizes and emblazoned with Bill Bradley's #42.
All but the 2007 meeting took place in Durham at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
The Tigers have an 1-17 all-time record against the Blue Devils, 0-9 on the road and 0-6 at neutral sites.
Two stats to gag on before Sunday's tipoff: Princeton is a horrid 17.2% from three point range in their last three games at Cameron (10-58) and a hideous 3-35 from behind the arc in their last two visits (8.6%).
Enjoy these archived recaps while Stephen Goldsmith and I drive south to North Carolina.
This was John Thompson III's first game as head coach. The Tigers hung with second-ranked Duke for half a half, trailing 25-20, but the Blue Devils closed on a 21-3 run as Princeton committed 14 turnovers. Shane Battier hit nine of 12 three point shots and the rout was on. Mike Bechtold's 12 points paced Princeton. Here's what I wrote at the time:
Our seats were three rows behind the Tiger bench, surrounded by Duke students. Our seats had the word "guests" etched into the wood, and the row behind us had the word "buffer" etched into each bleacher seat, with stadium security asking students not to sit in these seats.
Princeton was warming up while we found our seats. Nate Walton was in uniform and moving fairly well for a guy last seen on crutches. It was only after Princeton had been taking layups for a few minutes that I noticed Chris Krug was missing. At halftime, when I called my dad looking for news on Krug, I learned Chris had missed the trip down with a virus.
Princeton started Walton at Center. C.J. Chapman and Ed Persia at Guard and Eugene Baah & Mike Bechtold at Forward. Persia picked up two fouls in the first two minutes and was replaced by Kyle Wente. The first thirteen minutes of the game were impressive. Princeton was well composed, found good shots and worked well against the press. Walton missed two backdoor layups, but the Tigers were moving without the ball, cutting hard and doing little things right. Princeton was down 25-20 with 7:37 in the first half. Thompson made some good decisions, including a length of the court "home run" pass to Kyle Wente off of an inbound pass that lead to an easy layup. El-Nokali, in street clothes, was acting as another assistant coach, advising C.J. during timeouts.
Duke turned up their defense, and Princeton made some poor passes which led to easy Duke baskets. Duke outscored Princeton 21-3 to finish the half and it was 46-23 at the break. Terence Rozier-Byrd played center with Walton moving to forward to finish the first half. Princeton shot 9-16 (56.3%) in the first half but turned the ball over 14 times. Duke shot 57%.
To start the second half, Duke hit five straight [!] three pointers. Walton came out to rest his ankle and Thompson went with five guards for a stretch, with Wente and Persia in at the same time. Logan, Wysocki and Hegseth all saw time in the second half. The final score may indicate "blowout" but Princeton kept fighting and played forty hard minutes. For a team playing the cards they have left in the deck, they do some nice things and I think this team can only get better.
Additional observations:
-Ed Persia has a good deal of Mitch Henderson in him. Threw his body all over the court hustling. Played tough and emotional but not out- of-control.
-Either everyone has gotten shorter or Mike Bechtold has grown an inch or two in the last year. Bechtold had a few nice blocked shots and I thought he played the best defense of any Tiger tonight.
-Name a better college player than Shane Battier. Wow.
-Duke has so many assistant coaches in suits they look like a legal defense team when they walk into the gym.
-Heard JTIII on Duke radio while leaving the parking lot. Thompson talked about how Princeton was a better team than they showed tonight and how they have to get better. I know I look forward to the Monmouth game and how the team can develop in the next eleven days.
When Mason Rocca battered his way to 28 points inside and grabbed a team-best 13 rebounds, leading Princeton to a 66-60 overtime victory against Rutgers in December of 1999, the Tigers had a 71-34 all-time advantage over the Scarlet Knights through 105 meetings.
Since that afternoon however, Princeton has lost 10 out of 11 and the last five straight to Rutgers, many in agonizing fashion.
It is understatement to say the 2000s were not a good decade for the Tigers in this inter-state matchup that dates back to 1917, a trend Princeton hopes to reverse in the 2010-11 season opener on November 12th at Jadwin Gym.
Join me now as we look back at the two teams' past 11 meetings. It won't be pretty, but it should put next week's game in a greater context.
Many of these pieces originally appeared on the listserv that predated this web site.
This was John Thompson III's second home game as Princeton's head coach, coming five days after the Tigers surprised a Xavier squad that would be ranked in the Top 25 later that season. It was also the first game I covered as a member of the media. Here's what I wrote at the time:
Another late arriving crowd for this year's installment of Rutgers/Princeton. Student section certainly larger than the Xavier game. Students were given orange t-shirts with a giant letter "P" on them celebrating 100 years of Princeton basketball. Looked good to see a solid orange block of fans standing for much of the game.
Ed Persia has taken some bleach to his head since the Xavier game. He now has a small blonde tuft on his head. Eugene Baah has untied his cornrows and they are now short dreadlocks. But enough with the haircut report. On to the game...
Rutgers came out playing man-to-man defense. Princeton responded with a full-court-press. Princeton went up 8-2 on a strong drive Eugene Baah and three pointers by Mike Bechtold and C.J. Chapman. Rutgers was able to get far too many second and third chances with offensive rebounds in the first ten minutes of the game. Not all of these offensive rebounds were the result of men out of position. Some of these rebounds were the result of unlucky bounces or batted balls. Princeton's rebounding was much better in the second part of the first half and Rutgers' rebounding advantage was just five [16-11] at the half.
Princeton held on to the ball well in the first half, only turning it over three times. Good way to tell your team in executing: You can cite all the the turnovers they made in under thirty seconds without thinking twice. Princeton led at the half 25-18. No player on Princeton had more than five points at halftime. Ed Persia's quick hands led to two Tiger steals, and that deserves to be noted. Rutgers went zone against Princeton for a stretch in the first half, but it did not prove very effective.
Halftime. The Trenton High School marching band/drum corps were pretty great, but wouldn't leave the court, even when asked/told to do so by the public address announcer. This held up both team's warmups and Coach Thompson had to make "shoo!" motions to the drummers as the slowly plodded off the court once they were finished. Reminded me of far too many bands I used to book who would try and play longer than the club had slotted them for...
The first three minutes of the second half were, in my opinion, the most important sequence of this game. Princeton held Rutgers scoreless for the first 3:50 of the second half, but was only able to extend their lead to 27-18 on a Persia jumper off a well-sold pump-fake. Rutgers extended their defense and started to drive to the basket. The Scarlet Knights also did a good job taking away the Princeton perimeter game.
Rutgers came back and tied the game at 34-34 with 8:21 left and the game was nip-and-tuck the rest of the way. Andre Logan scored to put Princeton up two off an assist by Nate Walton. Todd Billet tied the game with two free throws. Logan scored on another layup off a pass from Walton. Rashod Kent scored to tie the game at 38 with 4:45 left. Ahmed El-Nokali scored on a layup off a third Walton assist to put Princeton up 40-38. Rutgers hit one of two free throws.Walton missed a three pointer and Rutgers took the lead, 41-40 on a tough basket by Mike Sherrod. Princeton took the lead back on two Logan free throws. Greer fed Kent for a dunk to put Rutgers up 43-42. El-Nokali's runner in the lane was blocked with 1:33 left. Rutgers ball.
Nate Walton fouled Kent, "hack-a-Shaq" style, when Kent got the ball down low. Kent missed the front end of his one-and-one and the Tigers had the ball with 1:20 left. Chapman threw the ball away looking for Nate Walton down low with 0:59 left. Jeff Greer scored after a tough jump-stop in the paint to put Rutgers up three, 45-42. Timeout Princeton. With 0:11 left, Andre Logan missed a three pointer, but Walton got the rebound and scored. El-Nokali fouled Jeff Greer with 0:04 on the clock. Greer missed his first free throw but made the second. Timeout Princeton.
Walton inbounded the ball under the Tigers' basket and fed a streaking Ed Persia who dribbled upcourt, spun towards the basket and fired an off-balance but open three pointer that hit the backboard too strong and Rutgers had a close two point victory, 46-44.
Rutgers continued the recent trend in this series, as the road team has now won four straight.
Logan was a spark off the bench for the second straight game, with some great blocks, good cuts to the basket and nice positioning to keep the ball in play off of Tiger misses. The jump shots will come in time.
El-Nokali hit several driving layups in the game but his final shot, which was blocked with less than two minutes left and Princeton down one, was ill-advised. El-Nokali got cut on his left wrist late in the second half and had to come out to be taped up. I imagine Ahmed got some blood on his jersey, as he had to switch both his jersey *and* his shorts, returning to the game not as #15 but as #31.
C.J. Chapman had another good defensive game, but he and Mike Bechtold disappeared offensively for stretches. One positive to take out of this game is that Princeton nearly won the game despite sub-par offensive games from Chapman and Bechtold.
Nate Walton passed the ball as well as usual and stayed out of foul trouble matched up against larger players all evening. Can't say enough about Nate's effort and heart this year. Nate Walton's father, who I hear was a basketball player of some import, was at the game, signing autographs.
Not much else to say. Sort of what you would expect from Rutgers/Princeton, especially with the players each team have this season. Reminded me of tight games these teams played in the 1980s. Close without many mistakes. Like Princeton's response to their effort against Lafayette, a win over Xavier, I expect Princeton to come out and play very well against TCU.
Princeton would lose by 31 at Texas Christian. Whoops.
Northwestern won their exhibition over Robert Morris (IL) by 20.
Will Venable is part of a group of MLB players pitching to special needs children in a fundraiser for the Miracle League of San Diego on November 13th.
Richmond's Kevin Anderson is one of 30 finalists for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award.
Above, the Jadwin Jungle waits for the opening tip of the 2005-06 season.
This post was originally penned on November 7, 2009 as "A Decade of Season Openers." I've added last season's game against Central Michigan and revamped these essays for the upcoming season.
Many of these pieces come from the listserv that predated this web site.
Read on for the stories of the past 11 Tiger tipoffs in sequential order...
Sophomore center Chris Young led three Princeton players in double figures, but the Tigers fell in an early 17 point hole at Syracuse and never closed within single digits. Here's what I wrote at the time:
Went to the usual sports bar to watch the game and was there 30 minutes before the dish guy told me the game was "blacked out" on their system [even though I called to confirm earlier in the day]. Jumped in the car and drove frantic across Chicago to another sports bar who had been phoned by the first sports bar to make sure they had the game. Listened to the five of the first seven minutes on WHWH over the car phone [thanks, dad!]. It was 5-2 Syracuse when I got in the car. What started as "first game of the season jitters" steamrolled into a 34-11 Syracuse halftime lead. For the record, I made it into the second sports bar at 23-6. Oy.
When I closed my eyes at the half, my nightmares were filled with an endless series of filled passing lanes and defenders with arms spread wide. Syracuse had played very good defense, Princeton had made some forced choices and missed any type of shot they had. It was not looking good. Then, as the second half started, you could see a bit of fire in this year's model of the Princeton Tigers.
Players cut harder.
Passes were smarter.
Defense was tighter.
By the middle of the second half, I was wondering how this game would have gone had Mason Rocca not had to sit out [with what I assume is a groin problem, even though I did not see him on the bench]. Sure, Etan Thomas missed the game for Syracuse as well, but I never thought any sort of "what ifs"would be close to crossing my mind at halftime. The Tigers dug a "Penn game hole" but could not climb all the way out of it.
This is what young teams do. They grow up. They make mistakes. Then they hit shots. They cut Syracuse leads to 49-36 with 6:15 left and don't get any closer, even with some good chances to do so. They throw the ball away and give up easy second chances at the other end. I think this team will grow up at a rate that pleases many. Sure, they will lose a good number of games, but by the time Ivy season rolls around, the schedule will have been worth it. I have been known to take a loss pretty hard in my day, but I feel better than I expected about a seventeen point opening night loss.
Watching Chris Young, who is now HUGE [esp. in his torso], be the stable force in the middle, kicking the ball out to players that will learn what to do with it in time, made me feel good about this coming season. Hell, Lafayette blew Princeton out to start last year, and if this season could mimic that one I'd be more than happy.
Some other thoughts:
Decent touch-passes on occasion from Young [drawing the double team] to Walton, including one pass that lead to a lay-up I'm pretty sure was goaltending. Nice play to create points working off of the attention Young draws. Young also hit two DEEP three-pointers. As predicted, it will take some outside shots and some hard cuts from the guards to keep Young from being double/triple teamed. By the time Princeton hit several three-pointers it was just too late.
Baah provided decent spark and a quick step to the basket, even if he still did look out-of-control from time to time. He caused several second chances and hit some nice shots however. Like the cornrows.
Chapman showed decent touch and great range. I hope his "practice shot" is back.
Tiger court spacing needs some work.
As does the speed in which they swing their passes around the arc.
Princeton will play Missouri @ 7:00 pm EST on Saturday night in Syracuse, NY.
I'll be back at this new sportsbar watching progress happen quickly.
Mason Rocca (left) scored nine points and grabbed five rebounds off the bench for Armani Jeans Milano, but the host team could not hold off the New York Knicks in yesterday's high scoring exhibition. Rocca was a game-best +15 for his squad in 20 minutes of play. Penn product Ibby Jaaber scored 16 points, swiped seven steals and committed nine turnovers. I have the game on my DVR and hopefully I can watch to write up a few notes shortly.
When Will Venable (video) struck out against Brian Wilson in the top of the ninth yesterday, San Diego's improbable final weekend push to make the NL playoffs came up one win short. Venable played in 131 games in 2010, batting .245 with 13 home runs, 29 stolen bases and 129 strikeouts. After making an adjustment to his back elbow in his swing and raising his average as high as .253, Venable went hitless in his final 12 at-bats.
Chris Young only was able to make four starts for the Padres this season. One in the second game of the year and three down the stretch. Young was 2-0 for the Friars with a 0.90 ERA in 20 innings. It is unlikely San Diego will pick up Young's option year.
Bishop John Barres told stories of Pete Carril at the Mayors' Prayer Breakfast in Reading.
Another collection of videos from various corners of the Princeton basketball family. Above Coach Carril talks about the improvement of Sacramento Kings guard Tyreke Evans.
C. Young (2-0) 5.0 IP 3 H 0 ER 2 BB 6 K 0.90 ERA. 82 pitches, 51 strikes.
Chris Young (video) made what could have been his last start with the Padres a memorable one, throwing five shutout innings as San Diego blanked the Cubs 3-0.
But the story of the game was a pair of amazing catches by center fielder Will Venable. The former Princeton two sport star blocked 23 shots while playing basketball in college but his rejections of a pair of run-scoring plays last night may have been the defensive highlights of his professional baseball career.
In the top of the second inning Venable leapt full extension at the center field fence to rob Alfonso Soriano (video) and one inning later he pulled a sure home run out of the stands (video) while on the run to keep Chicago from tying the game. Not a bad night in the field for a guy who almost didn't play due to his sore back.
Because of Young and Venable the Padres remain in the playoff chase, trying to catch either Atlanta for the Wild Card or San Francisco for the NL West crown.
Northwestern has finally published their 2010-11 men's basketball schedule.
Princeton will welcome a 6'6" prospect to campus next weekend for a visit.
Center Desmond Hubert, who listed Princeton as one of his final seven schools said "everybody's even" when asked by NJHoops.com about which direction he's leaning.
Bill Bradley is interviewed by Bleacher Report about the social impact of sports.
Georgetown's Austin Freeman was named Big East Preseason Player of the Year by Blue Ribbon.
An awkward attempt at a joke made by NRCC chief Pete Sessions behind closed doors has Princeton basketball as an indirect news item on Politico. Don't read the comments, or your eyes will start burning.
Will Venable was scratched from the Padres' lineup on Monday night due to a sore back, the same ailment that landed him on the disabled list in early July. With Venable out of commission, the San Diego offense sputtered and the Friars are currently two games behind San Francisco in the NL West and 1.5 games behind Atlanta for the Wild Card with five games remaining on the schedule.
Before he went down, Venable smacked his 13th home run of the season (video) into the right center sandbox at PETCO Park.
Desperate to get back on track, the team turns to Chris Young versus the Cubs tonight at 10:05 pm ET.
Denver finalized their 2010-11 basketball schedule with the addition of a December 8th game at St. Mary's.
C. Young (1-0) 5.0 IP 3 H 1 ER 3 BB 1 K 1.20 ERA. 72 pitches, 42 strikes.
Chris Young threw five strong innings before being lifted for a pinch hitter as San Diego defeated Cincinnati 4-3 to move back into the Wild Card lead, leapfrogging Atlanta.
Will Venable added two hits and scored two runs. Venable is batting 17-32 (.531) over his last 10 games. The Padres outfielder credits a significant change in his swing for this recent surge.
Will Venable has been on a hot streak as he learns to have fun during a pennant race. Venable was a perfect 3-3 at the plate last night in San Diego's 3-1 loss to the Dodgers, raising his average to .249.
Looking to slip back into first place, Chris Young gets the start for the Padres tonight at home versus Cincinnati. First pitch is scheduled for 10:05 pm ET.
Craig Robinson can be found in Washington, DC this weekend at the National Book Festival. Robinson discussed his team's tempered expectations for 2010-11 earlier this week with Jeff Goodman of Fox Sports.
Joe Scott and the Denver Pioneers hope to impress the WAC and/or the WCC and gain possible membership in either conference. Would certainly make more geographical sense than the Sun Belt.
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
