A Happy 25th

Of all the busy days that TigerBlog has had here at Princeton, it's likely that none were more overwhelming than the Monday after Princeton defeated Penn in the 1996 Ivy League men's basketball playoff.

You remember that. Princeton and Penn tied for the Ivy title and had to have a playoff game to determine the league's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, which Princeton won 63-56 in overtime. Penn had beaten Princeton eight straight times over four years before that, so given that fact and the stakes of the game, it was one of the most intense games Princeton has ever played.

And the story of the night didn't start to play out until the game itself ended, as it turned out.

As TigerBlog walked into the Princeton locker room after the game, he was greeted immediately by a sight that he knew was going to create even more chaos. The only other person already in there was Pete Carril, and he had written on the chalkboard "I'm retiring. I'm very happy."

Then he shared that with the team when the players came in. Then he shared it with the media. TB was right. It was chaos.

It got even worse Monday, after the selections. Every media outlet in the college basketball world wanted to talk to Carril, and TB had to coordinate all of those while also getting the postseason guide to the printer. On and on it went, and all the while, TB had the same thought in the back of his head - there was also men's lacrosse stuff that needed to get done.

He also knew he wasn't going to get to it any time soon. Then, in the late afternoon, a student worker came in and said: "I did Ivy player of the week nominations. We won. I wrote a story and faxed it out [ah, the pre-webpage days]. I updated notes for this weekend's game."

He said it so matter-of-factly, perhaps unaware of how much help he'd just been to TB. On the other hand, he didn't even say anything before he did it, because that's how he was. He just got it done.

TigerBlog saw that student worker Monday at Lincoln Financial Field. His name is Nate Ewell, and these days he's the communications director for College Hockey Inc.

In addition to being a student-worker way back when, he also was the men's lacrosse team manager. Nate was at the Linc along with the rest of the Princeton team of 1994, which was honored on the occasion of its 25th anniversary.

The NCAA does this each year at halftime of the Division I men's final. It recognizes the team from 25 years ago.

TigerBlog found the team members as they tailgated outside the stadium before the game. He was immediately struck by the fact that about three-quarters of them looked exactly the same as they had when he saw them play as undergrads.

Don McDonough? Looks exactly the same. He was the first guy TB saw. He wasn't the only one.

Scott Conklin. Kevin Lowe. Taylor Simmers (though the beard threw TB a bit). Andy Hubbard. Rob Neff. Jason Osier. All the same.

TB went to say hi to Scott Bacigalupo, who said hello and then said "Scott Bacigalupo," as if 1) he didn't look exactly the same and 2) TB would forget the goalie who was the Most Outstanding Player of the 1992 and 1994 finals.

In all there were about 35 former players. And Nate. He looks the same as well.

You know who else looks like Nate? His son. In fact, there were a bunch of little kids running around the tailgate.

It was great to see Nate. TB hasn't had too many chances to spend time with him through the years, but he remains one of his all-time favorites. And hey, TB still owes him for the time he did all that lacrosse stuff that day in 1996.

Back when Nate was the manager, TB did a lot of the public address for the men's lacrosse games. Nate was the one who kept the stats, by hand, not on a computer.

In fact, it was Nate who taught TB how to keep lacrosse stats as much as anyone. TB and Nate spent a lot of time watching a lot of lacrosse back then, and they're among the best days TB has had at Princeton.

The group moved from tailgating to watching the game inside the stadium, and then they went out on the field, all wearing Princeton jerseys with their numbers on them. It was a great sight, and it was the very best of Princeton Athletics - a group of guys who came to the school, accomplished great things together and then stayed close to each other for the next quarter-century as they went down the various paths of their lives.

Other than spending about a half hour talking to them before the game and then seeing them on the field at halftime, there was one other great part of the reunion.

Their head coach was there.

Bill Tierney, who won six NCAA titles at Princeton and then another at Denver, was at the tailgate and then on the field as well. Nate's son took a picture of his dad, Tierney and TB.

At the tailgate, Bill wore a Denver Lacrosse shirt, and TB asked him if he was really going to go out on the field like that. No, Tierney assured him.

And there he was, on the grass at Lincoln Financial Field at halftime, in a look TB hasn't seen from him in 10 years. He was wearing Princeton Lacrosse gear.

As much as TB roots for the Pioneers, he couldn't help but smile and think that this was Tierney's best look.