Couldn't let this wait until after Christmas!
The Pioneers draw up a great play to beat Seattle in the final second.
John Poole said,
It seems a shame that Joe Scott, who seems to be a fine coach when he chooses his own roster from scratch, was unable to adapt to a successful program in progress during his short stay at Princeton. I was not fond of his bullying manner and courtside antics and am just as happy that he moved on to DU (where I wish him success). He left Princeton basketball in shambles. Even though both he and Sidney Johnson are Princeton alumni, Sidney demonstrates much more maturity and a better understanding of how to coach an Ivy ballplayer. I believe that he is in the midst of a dramatic rebuilding of the Princeton basketball winning tradition.
David Lewis said,
Is coaching an Ivy basketball player that much different than coaching a University of Denver student? It's mind bogling to me that Scott did not have success at Princeton. I still do not understand the reason for his lack of success. He obviously is an outstanding coach. For his last two years at Princeton, he did not have a lot of depth to work with. But what about year one? Venable, Wallace and Greenman etc., defending Ivy champs. Only Scott himself and his former players from that team no why that team fell apart in Ivy League play. It would be interesting to hear from any of them as to why things went so terribly wrong. Wallace has gone on to have a great professional career in Europe. Has he ever commented publicly on what happened the last half of his senior year?
R.W. Enoch, Jr. said,
I just got "Outside the Limelight" yesterday. There are some answers to your questions in there, and I highly recommend it. I'm not going to give it away, because you should buy the book, but generally speaking, Orton makes it sound like Scott made little-to-no effort to fit in with the Princeton program when he returned from being away at Air Force, which I think is any new employee's responsibility especially when they're coming into a fully functional, already-winning sports program. It sounds like he really alienated a lot of players, young and old, and by the start of his second season, he had "fired" a slew of players from the team.
John Poole said,
I have not yet read "Outside the Limelight", but I am a long-time Princeton basketball follower (50 years!) and have also followed Joe Scott's career. Mr. Enoch's remarks above are consistent with what I've observed. Joe has succeeded twice, it appears now, to reverse programs that had never experienced any recent success. It took him a couple of years in each case and he did it primarily with the type of player he likes to recruit -- a fall-on-your-sword loyalist. When he came to Princeton I was very excited about our prospects based on his success at Air Force. Unfortunately, he did not adjust to veteran players who had already been successful under another coach with a different coaching style. In general, Ivy students, at least the ones who greeted Scott when he arrived at Princeton, demand more than simple authority from their teachers. If Joe had had a few years to recruit his own types, perhaps he would have been more successful, but I'm just as glad that he didn't. Please forgive this stereotype, but I'm more comfortable with the type of individual attracted to the Ivies than one attracted to the service academies. I can't speak for UD.
I suspect that most of Coach Scott's former Princeton players will be discreet about their opinions, if for no other reason than we all share an affection for Princeton basketball and don't like to air our family fights in public.
But, again, I hope for Joe's success -- except when he has to play against Coach Johnson.
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