Final: Princeton 77, Harvard 71
The Tigers get their first road sweep of Harvard and Dartmouth since 2006 and Mavraides sets a career high with 22 points.
0:20.3: Princeton 73, Harvard 67
Dan Mavraides reaches 20 points for the second time in his career (career high 21) and retakes Princeton's six-point lead by hitting a pair from the line.
0:22.o: Princeton 71, Harvard 67
Harvard calls its last timeout. We're inside of one possession left, so the Crimson will likely have to foul, especially down two possessions.
0:30.6: Princeton 71, Harvard 65
Dan Mavraides comes up big again, burying his second recent big three-pointer to take a six-point Tiger lead. He's got four threes on the game and has 18 points, second on the team only to Davis' 19. Jeremy Lin leads all scorers with 23.
0:51.6: Princeton 68, Harvard 65
It'll be Princeton's ball after Harvard calls its second-to-last timeout.
1:00 2nd: Princeton 68, Harvard 63
Tigers call timeout. It's a full.
2:56 2nd: Princeton 63, Harvard 60
Saunders picks up his third foul and comes out. Davis re-enters with four.
4:17 2nd: Princeton 61, Harvard 59
Davis picks up his fourth foul. Finley is out, Buczak also has four.
5:11 2nd: Princeton 59, Harvard 56
Davis now has 19 points as he hits a clutch three to give Princeton the lead. The lead has changed hands seven times this half.
6:45 2nd: Harvard 56, Princeton 56
Tied again, and neither team has cooled off from the field. Princeton is shooting 51.1%, Harvard 61.3%.
7:51 2nd: Harvard 54, Princeton 54
Zach Finley has fouled out and the game has its seventh tie as we enter the under-8 media timeout.
11:49 2nd: Harvard 46, Princeton 45
It's feeling like the last team to have the ball will win this one since neither team has been able to pull away. The Tigers are in foul trouble with Finley carrying four, Buczak three, Davis three and Mavraides three. Princeton has seven team fouls already this half, and some accurate shooting from the free-throw line could benefit Harvard big.
15:24 2nd: Princeton 41, Harvard 40
Different night, same kind of feel looking at the Ivy League scoreboard. Cornell is having its way with another opponent, this time Yale, while Penn-Dartmouth, Yale-Columbia and Princeton-Harvard are all close.
15:24 2nd: Princeton 41, Harvard 40
Add Zach Finley to the dunker list as he drives the lane and slams one home to retake the lead.
18:30 2nd: Princeton 35, Harvard 32
The Tigers have their first lead and Douglas Davis breaks into double-digits for the 12th time this year with 12 points.
0:00 1st: Harvard 32, Princeton 32
We have our second tie of the game. The Crimson end the half shooting 61.1%, overshadowing Princeton's 50%, normally enough for a lead on the scoreboard.
0:59 1st: Harvard 32, Princeton 30
It's been the same way all half, the Tigers staying just behind the Crimson, who are still shooting over 60%.
3:46 1st: Harvard 30, Princeton 25
The Crimson continue to inch ahead of the Tigers. Harvard is shooting 68.8% this half, something that will no doubt be a halftime topic.
6:51 1st: Harvard 23, Princeton 20
That's a big three from Marcus Schroeder. The Tigers need a stop.
7:37 1st: Harvard 22, Princeton 17
It's a packed house here at Lavietes Pavilion and there's plenty of orange and black with the local alumni club's reception following. The Tigers still haven't caught the Crimson on the court, however, and Princeton just picked up its ninth team foul.
7:37 1st: Harvard 20, Princeton 17
The Tigers have eight team fouls to Harvard's two, and the Crimson look to be on the road to breaking Princeton's two-game streak of going to the line more than its opponents. Harvard will have at least six attempts with the front end of the upcoming one-and-one, while the Tigers have just Davis' 2 for 3.
8:20 1st: Harvard 18, Princeton 17
Davis does better at the free-throw line this time around, making two. He's the only Tiger to have taken aim from the stripe.
8:28 1st: Harvard 18, Princeton 15
The Tigers still haven't led in this one, but they're keeping it close.
15:05 1st: Harvard 6, Princeton 6
The Tigers weathered Harvard's hot start and have tied it with a few gritty buckets of their own. Davis has missed the game's only free throw.
17:32 1st: Harvard 6, Princeton 2
Harvard has hit its first three shots, all layups.
Introductions: Same five for Princeton, with Douglas Davis, Marcus Schroeder, Dan Mavraides, Kareem Maddox and Pawel Buczak. For Harvard, Jeremy Lin, PeterBoehm, Doug Miller, Drew Housman and Andrew Pusar.
34 minutes to tip: Postgame, the Princeton alumni club of New England will be getting together for a reception. TigerBlog spots Princeton Varsity Club assistant directors Marie Muhvic and Steve Stoute in the gym.
35 minutes to tip: Hello from Cambridge (actually, Boston since Lavietes Pavilion is located on the other side of the Charles River from the Harvard campus) where the Princeton men's basketball team will take on the Crimson. It's a chilly one outside, and the Charles looks more like a rink than a river.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Friday, January 30, 2009
Princeton Men's Basketball at Dartmouth
Final: Princeton 59, Dartmouth 54
The Tigers have their first four-game winning streak since November 2006 and have as many wins this season, six, as they did all last season.
1:02 2nd: Princeton 57, Dartmouth 48
Patrick Saunders widens Princeton's lead further and now has nine points. That's a career best for the rookie, who accomplishes it in his home state.
1:30 2nd: Princeton 55, Dartmouth 48
Douglas Davis' latest bucket open Princeton's lead to seven, its largest, and puts him into double figures with 11.
3:30 2nd: Princeton 53, Dartmouth 48
The Tigers regain the five-point lead on another layup by Buczak, who now has 14, just one off his best.
4:00 2nd: Princeton 51, Dartmouth 46
Pawel Buczak is up to 12 points, three from his career high of 15 achieved at Manhattan. Nick Lake's foul sends Dartmouth's Clive Weeden to the line for two.
11:30 2nd: Princeton 40, Dartmouth 38
Alex Barnett is above his average now with 20 points, his last three making it a one-possession game. Still a long, long way to go in this one.
14:35 2nd: Princeton 36, Dartmouth 31
Tonight's games are much like the Ivy League race last season in that Cornell is the only team that's way ahead. Yale is ahead of Columbia and Harvard is ahead of Penn by a three-pointer each at last check, but the Big Red have a 15-point lead over Brown at the half.
16:00 2nd: Princeton 31, Dartmouth 31
Douglas Davis is up to nine points after a pair of free throws. Davis has gone double-figures in 10 of 13 games this season.
0:00 2nd: Princeton 27, Dartmouth 25
Dueling inspirational final shots? Princeton's Douglas Davis gets a breakaway layup with about 10 seconds to go, but Alex Barnett drilled a three-pointer at the halftime buzzer to trim the Tiger lead to two. Barnett now has a game-high 13 points.
1:00 2nd: Princeton 23, Dartmouth 22
A steal and a layup for Mavraides gives him 10, his fourth double-digit game in the last five contests.
6:45 2nd: Dartmouth 19, Princeton 18
It's a 6-0 run for the Tigers, with the latest bucket a three from New Hampshire native Patrick Saunders.
7:45 2nd: Dartmouth 19, Princeton 12
Barnett is ready to re-enter for the Big Green, but Dartmouth hasn't needed him while he's been out. The Big Green lead is at its biggest.
11:00 2nd: Dartmouth 15, Princeton 10
Marcus Schroeder gets in the scoring column with a nifty up-and-under move. Barnett is out of the game for the Big Green, but Dartmouth still grabs its biggest lead on a David Rufful three-pointer.
11:29 2nd: Dartmouth 12, Princeton 8
TigerBlog had a feeling Alex Barnett wouldn't be scoreless for long, and the league's second-leading scorer (18.6 ppg) has eight of Dartmouth's 12 points as the Big Green have taken their first lead. Sydney Johnson calls timeout.
14:00 2nd: Princeton 5, Dartmouth 0
In a bit of Princeton-Dartmouth symmetry, Dartmouth head coach Terry Dunn has been affiliated with four of the five Division I schools in the state of Colorado, except the one where a Princeton alum is now coaching. Dunn is an alum of Northern Colorado, albeit before it was Division I, and he was an assistant at Air Force, Colorado State and Colorado. Joe Scott '87, who is also Princeton's former assistant and head coach, was the head coach at Air Force and is now the head coach at Denver, where he guided the Pioneers to their latest win, a 56-54 Sun Belt Conference victory over South Alabama, last night.
16:45 2nd: Princeton 5, Dartmouth 0
Your score: Dan Mavraides 5, Dartmouth 0. A three-pointer and a long two show Mavraides might have a game closer to his 21-point output against Lehigh rather than the three he scored last time against Concordia.
Introductions:
All the staff on both the Princeton and Dartmouth benches, except for the athletic trainers and Dartmouth's student manager (Princeton's grad student manager Lawrence Schuler joined in), are wearing sneakers today for the annual show of support for the fight against cancer. A New York Times article with more detail on the tradition is here.
4 minutes to tip:
Dartmouth will start Marlon Sanders, Jabari Trotter, David Rufful, Kurt Graeber and of course, leading scorer Alex Barnett.
8 minutes to tip:
Princeton's starters are in, and the same five will start: Buczak, Mavraides, Schroeder, Davis and Maddox.
12 minutes to tip:
Ivy League basketball is finally here for the Tigers who get the 14-game, 40-day sprint started tonight. No starters are in the books yet, but Princeton coach Sydney Johnson has used only two lineups all season, the first for nine games and the current one for the last four. Unless Johnson has a switcheroo, Pawel Buczak, Dan Mavraides, Marcus Schroeder, Douglas Davis and Kareem Maddox will start.
The Tigers have their first four-game winning streak since November 2006 and have as many wins this season, six, as they did all last season.
1:02 2nd: Princeton 57, Dartmouth 48
Patrick Saunders widens Princeton's lead further and now has nine points. That's a career best for the rookie, who accomplishes it in his home state.
1:30 2nd: Princeton 55, Dartmouth 48
Douglas Davis' latest bucket open Princeton's lead to seven, its largest, and puts him into double figures with 11.
3:30 2nd: Princeton 53, Dartmouth 48
The Tigers regain the five-point lead on another layup by Buczak, who now has 14, just one off his best.
4:00 2nd: Princeton 51, Dartmouth 46
Pawel Buczak is up to 12 points, three from his career high of 15 achieved at Manhattan. Nick Lake's foul sends Dartmouth's Clive Weeden to the line for two.
11:30 2nd: Princeton 40, Dartmouth 38
Alex Barnett is above his average now with 20 points, his last three making it a one-possession game. Still a long, long way to go in this one.
14:35 2nd: Princeton 36, Dartmouth 31
Tonight's games are much like the Ivy League race last season in that Cornell is the only team that's way ahead. Yale is ahead of Columbia and Harvard is ahead of Penn by a three-pointer each at last check, but the Big Red have a 15-point lead over Brown at the half.
16:00 2nd: Princeton 31, Dartmouth 31
Douglas Davis is up to nine points after a pair of free throws. Davis has gone double-figures in 10 of 13 games this season.
0:00 2nd: Princeton 27, Dartmouth 25
Dueling inspirational final shots? Princeton's Douglas Davis gets a breakaway layup with about 10 seconds to go, but Alex Barnett drilled a three-pointer at the halftime buzzer to trim the Tiger lead to two. Barnett now has a game-high 13 points.
1:00 2nd: Princeton 23, Dartmouth 22
A steal and a layup for Mavraides gives him 10, his fourth double-digit game in the last five contests.
6:45 2nd: Dartmouth 19, Princeton 18
It's a 6-0 run for the Tigers, with the latest bucket a three from New Hampshire native Patrick Saunders.
7:45 2nd: Dartmouth 19, Princeton 12
Barnett is ready to re-enter for the Big Green, but Dartmouth hasn't needed him while he's been out. The Big Green lead is at its biggest.
11:00 2nd: Dartmouth 15, Princeton 10
Marcus Schroeder gets in the scoring column with a nifty up-and-under move. Barnett is out of the game for the Big Green, but Dartmouth still grabs its biggest lead on a David Rufful three-pointer.
11:29 2nd: Dartmouth 12, Princeton 8
TigerBlog had a feeling Alex Barnett wouldn't be scoreless for long, and the league's second-leading scorer (18.6 ppg) has eight of Dartmouth's 12 points as the Big Green have taken their first lead. Sydney Johnson calls timeout.
14:00 2nd: Princeton 5, Dartmouth 0
In a bit of Princeton-Dartmouth symmetry, Dartmouth head coach Terry Dunn has been affiliated with four of the five Division I schools in the state of Colorado, except the one where a Princeton alum is now coaching. Dunn is an alum of Northern Colorado, albeit before it was Division I, and he was an assistant at Air Force, Colorado State and Colorado. Joe Scott '87, who is also Princeton's former assistant and head coach, was the head coach at Air Force and is now the head coach at Denver, where he guided the Pioneers to their latest win, a 56-54 Sun Belt Conference victory over South Alabama, last night.
16:45 2nd: Princeton 5, Dartmouth 0
Your score: Dan Mavraides 5, Dartmouth 0. A three-pointer and a long two show Mavraides might have a game closer to his 21-point output against Lehigh rather than the three he scored last time against Concordia.
Introductions:
All the staff on both the Princeton and Dartmouth benches, except for the athletic trainers and Dartmouth's student manager (Princeton's grad student manager Lawrence Schuler joined in), are wearing sneakers today for the annual show of support for the fight against cancer. A New York Times article with more detail on the tradition is here.
4 minutes to tip:
Dartmouth will start Marlon Sanders, Jabari Trotter, David Rufful, Kurt Graeber and of course, leading scorer Alex Barnett.
8 minutes to tip:
Princeton's starters are in, and the same five will start: Buczak, Mavraides, Schroeder, Davis and Maddox.
12 minutes to tip:
Ivy League basketball is finally here for the Tigers who get the 14-game, 40-day sprint started tonight. No starters are in the books yet, but Princeton coach Sydney Johnson has used only two lineups all season, the first for nine games and the current one for the last four. Unless Johnson has a switcheroo, Pawel Buczak, Dan Mavraides, Marcus Schroeder, Douglas Davis and Kareem Maddox will start.
It's Cold Outside
The Princeton men's and women's lacrosse teams, along with the rest of their Ivy League rivals, will begin practice Sunday on the scheduled Feb. 1 start date.
Before any Ivy League school has a formal practice, most of the rest of Division I will have already been practicing for more than two weeks and will have scrimmaged twice. There have already been regular season Division I women's games played (last weekend in an event in San Diego).
TigerBlog has one question about the early play: Why?
This January in the Northeast has been colder than most, but even the best January's are not exactly warm. TigerBlog understands the idea of getting in maximum practice time and being ready when the regular season starts. There is also the idea of playing important games early in the year and then having them be huge factors come NCAA tournament time for seeding and at-large bids.
Still, is it really helping to drag your players outside in mid-January in the 20 degree weather when you're trying to be at your peak three to four months later?
The Princeton men will practice for three full weeks and scrimmage twice before opening the season against Canisius on Feb. 21, which itself seems sort of early. The following week, Princeton will play a huge game against Johns Hopkins; since Bill Tierney has been Princeton head coach, the Tigers have never failed to get into the NCAA tournament after defeating Hopkins in the regular season.
Even with a young team, it's hard to imagine how starting practice in mid-January would have Princeton more ready to play that game when it rolls around.
Before any Ivy League school has a formal practice, most of the rest of Division I will have already been practicing for more than two weeks and will have scrimmaged twice. There have already been regular season Division I women's games played (last weekend in an event in San Diego).
TigerBlog has one question about the early play: Why?
This January in the Northeast has been colder than most, but even the best January's are not exactly warm. TigerBlog understands the idea of getting in maximum practice time and being ready when the regular season starts. There is also the idea of playing important games early in the year and then having them be huge factors come NCAA tournament time for seeding and at-large bids.
Still, is it really helping to drag your players outside in mid-January in the 20 degree weather when you're trying to be at your peak three to four months later?
The Princeton men will practice for three full weeks and scrimmage twice before opening the season against Canisius on Feb. 21, which itself seems sort of early. The following week, Princeton will play a huge game against Johns Hopkins; since Bill Tierney has been Princeton head coach, the Tigers have never failed to get into the NCAA tournament after defeating Hopkins in the regular season.
Even with a young team, it's hard to imagine how starting practice in mid-January would have Princeton more ready to play that game when it rolls around.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
On Your Mark ...
What's the difference between Fort Myers, Fla., and Princeton right now, other than the fact that it's 72 degrees in Fort Meyers and 27 degrees here at TigerBlog HQ?
Well, the local Division I men's basketball team in Fort Myers is Florida Gulf Coast University, which competes in the Atlantic Sun conference. As of this morning, Florida Gulf Coast has played more league games than any team in Division I - a total of 12.
Princeton (and Penn), on the other hand, are the only DI teams not to have played a league game to this point. That changes this weekend, when the two travel north to take on Dartmouth and Harvard Friday and Saturday
Princeton and Penn go through this each year, due to Princeton's academic calendar that features first semester exams in January.
What this does is set up a total sprint for the Tigers (and Quakers). Princeton has played 13 men's basketball games so far in 77 days since the opener against Central Michigan, which came before football season at Princeton ended.
Beginning Friday, Princeton will play its 14 Ivy League games in a 40-day stretch. It gets off to a tough stretch, with the trip north followed by a home game against defending champ and 2009 favorite Cornell.
There is little in college sports that can compare to an Ivy weekend, especially one on the road. TigerBlog remembers vividly its first experience on the Princeton men's basketball bus, back in the 1989-90 season, riding up Broadway after leaving Columbia on the way to Cornell, with 20 pizzas on board (TigerBlog and Sean Jackson were the only two who liked mushrooms, so we'd share one) and a 2 a.m. arrival time. It's a grind, no doubt, to play Friday night, hop on the bus, arrive somewhere in the middle of the night, have a shootaround in the late morning and then hang around until it's time to play again. Then it's back on the bus for the long ride home.
As for the Princeton women, they're off to a 1-0 start after having defeated Penn before exams. The Tigers will take on Dartmouth Friday night at Jadwin in a game that will always be special for Princeton head coach Courtney Banghart, who became the Ivy League's all-time leading three-point shooter for women's basketball at Dartmouth and later was an assistant coach for the Big Green. It will also mark the second Jadwin return for former Princeton assistant women's coach Mary Gleason, now a Dartmouth assistant.
Well, the local Division I men's basketball team in Fort Myers is Florida Gulf Coast University, which competes in the Atlantic Sun conference. As of this morning, Florida Gulf Coast has played more league games than any team in Division I - a total of 12.
Princeton (and Penn), on the other hand, are the only DI teams not to have played a league game to this point. That changes this weekend, when the two travel north to take on Dartmouth and Harvard Friday and Saturday
Princeton and Penn go through this each year, due to Princeton's academic calendar that features first semester exams in January.
What this does is set up a total sprint for the Tigers (and Quakers). Princeton has played 13 men's basketball games so far in 77 days since the opener against Central Michigan, which came before football season at Princeton ended.
Beginning Friday, Princeton will play its 14 Ivy League games in a 40-day stretch. It gets off to a tough stretch, with the trip north followed by a home game against defending champ and 2009 favorite Cornell.
There is little in college sports that can compare to an Ivy weekend, especially one on the road. TigerBlog remembers vividly its first experience on the Princeton men's basketball bus, back in the 1989-90 season, riding up Broadway after leaving Columbia on the way to Cornell, with 20 pizzas on board (TigerBlog and Sean Jackson were the only two who liked mushrooms, so we'd share one) and a 2 a.m. arrival time. It's a grind, no doubt, to play Friday night, hop on the bus, arrive somewhere in the middle of the night, have a shootaround in the late morning and then hang around until it's time to play again. Then it's back on the bus for the long ride home.
As for the Princeton women, they're off to a 1-0 start after having defeated Penn before exams. The Tigers will take on Dartmouth Friday night at Jadwin in a game that will always be special for Princeton head coach Courtney Banghart, who became the Ivy League's all-time leading three-point shooter for women's basketball at Dartmouth and later was an assistant coach for the Big Green. It will also mark the second Jadwin return for former Princeton assistant women's coach Mary Gleason, now a Dartmouth assistant.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Squash... Um, It's Like Racketball, Right?
Tonight on ESPN, #1 Duke will take on #4 Wake Forest in men's college basketball. If you're a big sports fan, you probably knew that already.Now that may be big, but it's not #1 vs. #2. As far as we can tell, the only place that's happening is at the Jadwin Squash Courts, where the Princeton women (#1) take on Penn (#2) in a rematch of last year's national championship final.
Now, you may already know that too. After all, you're reading TigerBlog, which you came to from GoPrincetonTigers.com, which means you're probably a Princeton fan. And that means you probably know that Princeton has a pretty good squash program, even if you honestly don't know what that means. Any maybe you don't even care.
If you don't know, here's a little run-down of the great sport of college squash (a TigerBlog favorite). And if you don't care, perhaps this isn't the piece for you.
Squash is somewhat like racketball, which you may have played once or twice in college. There are different rules and different equipment; for instance, a squash ball is far more dead than a racketball. In squash, you go get the ball; in racketball, it's probably going to find you at some point.
Teams play nine varsity players per match, ranked first through ninth based on a system of challenge matches. For instance, Amanda Siebert will play No. 1 for Princeton because she won her last challenge match against whoever was No. 2 at the time. Challenge matches don't occur daily at practice, but they happen enough that lineups can and will fluctuate during the year.
Matches can be played in either two or three shifts. Most matches, including tonight, will be played in two shifts. This means that the even-numbered matches (2, 4, 6, 8 and a JV 10th match) will be played first. The players for the odd-numbered matches will serve as refs for these matches, and vice versa. In a situation when a "let" is asked for (meaning a do-over) because the two players accidentally bumped each other, the referee has to determine the call. It is not an ideal way to manage matches, but you're more likely to find Bigfoot than five capable squash referees for a Wednesday night in Princeton.
A three-shift match, used primarily for the national tournaments, will be played on three courts. Shift one is matches 3, 6 and 9, followed by 2, 5 and 8 and then 1, 4 and 7.
Each match counts the same; winning the No. 1 match is no more important than the No. 9 match. Individual matches are best three of five games, with individual games being won with nine points. You can only score on your serve, and if you get to 8-8, there are a couple ways to determine the game.
Now, this is a VERY basic explanation of the game (and if you're a crazed squash fan, don't kill TigerBlog for simplifying it), but it might help you understand it better. It is a fast-moving sport with incredible athleticism. Two evenly matched players can play dramatic point after dramatic point. When you figure that five of these matches go on at the same time, these team matches tend to be a lot of fun and quite exciting.
Princeton hosts a number of matches this season for both the men and the women, including the men's team national championships from Feb. 20-22. TigerBlog will talk more about that weekend later, but trust us; if the Sunday final is between Princeton and Trinity, do everything you can to get here.
Tonight's match won't have the same atmosphere because students are on break and the weather is lousy, but if you can make it, it should be well worth it. The women's match at 5:30 seems destined for a 5-4 or 6-3 decision with several tight matches, and the following men's match features a Princeton team that has won the Ivy League three straight seasons.
Think You're Having A Good Week?
So things are going well for you? Maybe you found a $20 bill in a pocket? Got a great parking space? You're an Arizona Cardinals fan?
That's nothing compared to what's been happening of late for Craig Robinson ’83, the current head basketball coach at Oregon State. He's also doubling these days as essentially the "first brother-in-law," as his sister Michelle (also a Princeton grad) is married to the President of the United States.
Robinson received some pretty good ink from his orange and black sweater and from spending inauguration night in the Lincoln Bedroom of the White House. Robinson, though, is doing more than just hanging on his family's coattails.
Inheriting a team that was winless in the Pac-10 last year, Robinson began his first season at OSU with a loss at Howard, a team now 3-16, and followed that with losses to Nevada, Yale and Montana State to start 0-4 and run the team's losing streak to 24 straight.
And then some funny things started happening. OSU began to win a few games prior to the start of the league season and pulled even at 5-5. Then the Beavers knocked off USC to end the long Pac 10 streak, getting that behind them.
After a 1-5 league start, OSU has since swept Cal and Stanford on the road (the first time in 16 seasons) and then added a non-league win to make it three straight, a 3-5 league mark and a 9-10 overall record.
OSU was named the "Team of the Week" by Andy Katz on ESPN.com.
Robinson's success at OSU can only be helped during the recruiting process by his family ties. In other words, this pretty good week for Robinson is likely to be followed by many more.
That's nothing compared to what's been happening of late for Craig Robinson ’83, the current head basketball coach at Oregon State. He's also doubling these days as essentially the "first brother-in-law," as his sister Michelle (also a Princeton grad) is married to the President of the United States.
Robinson received some pretty good ink from his orange and black sweater and from spending inauguration night in the Lincoln Bedroom of the White House. Robinson, though, is doing more than just hanging on his family's coattails.
Inheriting a team that was winless in the Pac-10 last year, Robinson began his first season at OSU with a loss at Howard, a team now 3-16, and followed that with losses to Nevada, Yale and Montana State to start 0-4 and run the team's losing streak to 24 straight.
And then some funny things started happening. OSU began to win a few games prior to the start of the league season and pulled even at 5-5. Then the Beavers knocked off USC to end the long Pac 10 streak, getting that behind them.
After a 1-5 league start, OSU has since swept Cal and Stanford on the road (the first time in 16 seasons) and then added a non-league win to make it three straight, a 3-5 league mark and a 9-10 overall record.
OSU was named the "Team of the Week" by Andy Katz on ESPN.com.
Robinson's success at OSU can only be helped during the recruiting process by his family ties. In other words, this pretty good week for Robinson is likely to be followed by many more.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Men's Basketball Adds a TV Game
Tiger fans who want to see the men's basketball team on the road will have another chance to do so on TV as Princeton's Feb. 13 game at Yale will be on the YES Network. Chris Shearn, who has worked Princeton football games on YES as a sideline reporter, will be the play-by-play man with former Wagner coach Tim Capstraw, who has broadcast experience with the New Jersey Nets, on color. The sideline reporter will be Dan Fleschner.
Both Penn-Princeton games are also scheduled to be on TV, with the home game Feb. 17 on ESPNU and the Mar. 10 game at The Palestra on CN8. The ESPNU crew will be the same as for the UNC Greensboro game on Jan. 3, with former Philadelphia Phillies broadcaster Scott Graham on play-by-play and former Fairfield coach Tim O'Toole on color. The CN8 crew will be announced later.
Saturday's game at Harvard, the Feb. 21 Carril Court dedication versus Dartmouth and the Mar. 7 game at Cornell will also be available on Sirius Satellite Radio, which will pick up the home team's broadcast.
As always, every Princeton men's basketball game will have the excellent play-by-play of John Sadak online around the world at GoPrincetonTigers.com and on the radio in the Princeton area at WPRB 103.3.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Let Them Eat Cake
Here it is, the Jadwin Gym 40th anniversary cake that fans were treated to during the Princeton-Concordia game Sunday.Fans were invited into the Backcourt Bistro to share the cake, and share they did. TigerBlog was looking forward to having the leftovers available on Monday, but there were no leftovers. The entire cake was eaten during the game.
To those who had a piece (or 2, 3 or whatever), glad you were able to enjoy it.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Princeton vs. Concordia Men's Basketball
Final: Princeton 64, Concordia 44
TigerBlog apologizes for the technical difficulties we encountered with the TigerBlog laptop, but here are a few final notes: Seven Tigers, the most since Dec. 16, 2007 against Manhattan, hit three-pointers, a fact that was accomplished by the first seven threes Princeton took. Thanks to Jon Solomon of PrincetonBasketball.com for noticing the last part of that note. Also, for the first time this season, Princeton took more free throws than its opponent, six to three. The Tigers also matched a season-high with nine three pointers, a feat accomplished in each of the last two games.
18:00 2nd: Princeton 35, Concordia 21
The Tigers are shooting 44.8% to Concordia's 25.8%, obviously a huge reason for the difference in the game. So are Concordia's nine turnovers to Princeton's two, which is on the way to the lowest total of the season for the Tigers. It has more than offset Concordia's significant rebounding edge of 25-15.
2:30 1st: Princeton 29, Concordia 17
Pawel Buczak? More like Pawel BOOM-czak, at least for one play. The junior from down I-295 in Moorestown slams it home for the first time this season.
3:30 1st: Princeton 25, Concordia 17
TigerBlog can personally verify that the huge cake being served in honor of Jadwin Gym's 40th birthday is both yummy and pretty. What's also pretty is the up-and-under layup by Douglas Davis, which gave Princeton a 25-17 lead.
5:00 1st: Princeton 23, Concordia 12
Judging early on, it looked like Concordia's lack of rust (the Clippers played yesterday on Long Island against Adelphi) out-did Princeton's having not played since Jan. 7 due to finals. But Douglas Davis just gave Princeton its largest lead with a three-pointer.
8:30 1st: Princeton 16, Concordia 9
The Clippers started the game on a 5-0 run, but Princeton scored the next 10 points. Threes by Nick Lake and John Comfort, who made his earliest appearance of the season today, gave the Tigers a 16-7 lead before Concordia had the last bucket.
Hello from Jadwin Gym, where Princeton basketball is celebrating the 40th anniversary of its home arena.
TigerBlog apologizes for the technical difficulties we encountered with the TigerBlog laptop, but here are a few final notes: Seven Tigers, the most since Dec. 16, 2007 against Manhattan, hit three-pointers, a fact that was accomplished by the first seven threes Princeton took. Thanks to Jon Solomon of PrincetonBasketball.com for noticing the last part of that note. Also, for the first time this season, Princeton took more free throws than its opponent, six to three. The Tigers also matched a season-high with nine three pointers, a feat accomplished in each of the last two games.
18:00 2nd: Princeton 35, Concordia 21
The Tigers are shooting 44.8% to Concordia's 25.8%, obviously a huge reason for the difference in the game. So are Concordia's nine turnovers to Princeton's two, which is on the way to the lowest total of the season for the Tigers. It has more than offset Concordia's significant rebounding edge of 25-15.
2:30 1st: Princeton 29, Concordia 17
Pawel Buczak? More like Pawel BOOM-czak, at least for one play. The junior from down I-295 in Moorestown slams it home for the first time this season.
3:30 1st: Princeton 25, Concordia 17
TigerBlog can personally verify that the huge cake being served in honor of Jadwin Gym's 40th birthday is both yummy and pretty. What's also pretty is the up-and-under layup by Douglas Davis, which gave Princeton a 25-17 lead.
5:00 1st: Princeton 23, Concordia 12
Judging early on, it looked like Concordia's lack of rust (the Clippers played yesterday on Long Island against Adelphi) out-did Princeton's having not played since Jan. 7 due to finals. But Douglas Davis just gave Princeton its largest lead with a three-pointer.
8:30 1st: Princeton 16, Concordia 9
The Clippers started the game on a 5-0 run, but Princeton scored the next 10 points. Threes by Nick Lake and John Comfort, who made his earliest appearance of the season today, gave the Tigers a 16-7 lead before Concordia had the last bucket.
Hello from Jadwin Gym, where Princeton basketball is celebrating the 40th anniversary of its home arena.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Talking With Tierney
Bill Tierney met this morning with a group of about 30-40 coaches for the Lower Bucks Lacrosse youth organization. The basic idea was for Tierney, Princeton's Hall of Fame coach, to give some basic pointers on coaching the sport and on common mistakes youth coaches make.
The result was about 90 minutes that were pure Tierney. He spoke about the good fortune he has had in his career, especially the opportunity to coach his sons, and blended that with a genuine appreciation for the tough job that youth coaches have these days. He was funny, direct, informative and above all humble.
His audience was mostly awed by having someone of Tierney's stature speak to them. During a Q&A session at the end, the "Q's" bounced around between lacrosse strategy and basic philosophy and the "A's" were informative, respectful and enormously well-embraced.
Among Tierney's points:
* if you walk way from a youth game happy only because you won, then you're not doing it the right way
* if you "kick 'em in the butt," then you have to turn around and embrace them as well
* if you take a bunch of kids and let them play a game, what they'll remember most is that they had a good time doing it
* kids inherently want to get along and play the right way and show good sportsmanship; it's when they look around and see the coaches and parents around them losing track of that that the kids begin to lose their way
* the goal is to keep all of the players in the program because they're having a good experience
For a youth coach, this was the equivalent of having Bill Belichek or Phil Jackson or whoever the best hockey coach is come and speak to a group of volunteers at the most grass-roots level of the sport.
TigerBlog was there to introduce Tierney and to listen to stories that were familiar. Tierney speaks often about his four children and his experiences with them, both sons Trevor and Brendan who were part of NCAA championship teams in their own right, and daughters Courtney and Brianne, who were college athletes and are now college coaches, as well as his wife Helen.
One of his best questions asked by the audience was the question of coaching your own children, something that most youth coaches do. It's a difficult balance, Tierney said, because you don't want to be seen to be favoring your child, while at the same time, you don't want to overdo it in the other direction.
He followed that with one his best stories, which comes from after Princeton defeated Johns Hopkins 8-4 in the first game of the 2001 season, which would end with the Tigers' sixth NCAA championship. Tierney had to replace Brendan in the starting lineup with freshman Ryan Boyle, one of the elite lacrosse players of all-time. It was not easy to do, for obvious reasons.
Boyle had four assists in that first game. Later that night, Tierney said, he got into bed feeling pretty good about the win, and before he could fall asleep, he heard his wife say: "would it have killed you to play your son a little more?"
The audience loved that one, as always.
As for TigerBlog, it had one regret over its intro for Tierney. Lower Bucks Lacrosse, and the many leagues in the area, didn't exist before Tierney brought the sport to Central Jersey and Southeast Pennsylvania. Its explosion is directly relatable to Tierney's success at Princeton.
TigerBlog forgot to mention that without Tierney, the gathering of coaches would most likely have been prior to the start of Little League baseball season.
The result was about 90 minutes that were pure Tierney. He spoke about the good fortune he has had in his career, especially the opportunity to coach his sons, and blended that with a genuine appreciation for the tough job that youth coaches have these days. He was funny, direct, informative and above all humble.
His audience was mostly awed by having someone of Tierney's stature speak to them. During a Q&A session at the end, the "Q's" bounced around between lacrosse strategy and basic philosophy and the "A's" were informative, respectful and enormously well-embraced.
Among Tierney's points:
* if you walk way from a youth game happy only because you won, then you're not doing it the right way
* if you "kick 'em in the butt," then you have to turn around and embrace them as well
* if you take a bunch of kids and let them play a game, what they'll remember most is that they had a good time doing it
* kids inherently want to get along and play the right way and show good sportsmanship; it's when they look around and see the coaches and parents around them losing track of that that the kids begin to lose their way
* the goal is to keep all of the players in the program because they're having a good experience
For a youth coach, this was the equivalent of having Bill Belichek or Phil Jackson or whoever the best hockey coach is come and speak to a group of volunteers at the most grass-roots level of the sport.
TigerBlog was there to introduce Tierney and to listen to stories that were familiar. Tierney speaks often about his four children and his experiences with them, both sons Trevor and Brendan who were part of NCAA championship teams in their own right, and daughters Courtney and Brianne, who were college athletes and are now college coaches, as well as his wife Helen.
One of his best questions asked by the audience was the question of coaching your own children, something that most youth coaches do. It's a difficult balance, Tierney said, because you don't want to be seen to be favoring your child, while at the same time, you don't want to overdo it in the other direction.
He followed that with one his best stories, which comes from after Princeton defeated Johns Hopkins 8-4 in the first game of the 2001 season, which would end with the Tigers' sixth NCAA championship. Tierney had to replace Brendan in the starting lineup with freshman Ryan Boyle, one of the elite lacrosse players of all-time. It was not easy to do, for obvious reasons.
Boyle had four assists in that first game. Later that night, Tierney said, he got into bed feeling pretty good about the win, and before he could fall asleep, he heard his wife say: "would it have killed you to play your son a little more?"
The audience loved that one, as always.
As for TigerBlog, it had one regret over its intro for Tierney. Lower Bucks Lacrosse, and the many leagues in the area, didn't exist before Tierney brought the sport to Central Jersey and Southeast Pennsylvania. Its explosion is directly relatable to Tierney's success at Princeton.
TigerBlog forgot to mention that without Tierney, the gathering of coaches would most likely have been prior to the start of Little League baseball season.
Friday, January 23, 2009
Tramps Like Us
So, the "Jadwin At 40" list is now final, and The Boss is No. 1. The performance by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band at Jadwin in 1978 has been called the No. 1 moment in the building's history.
TigerBlog is pretty sure there were other great moments that it missed during its research. Already one comment has appeared on Jon Solomon's princetonbasketball.com site mentioning the time in 1998 that the Jadwin crowd was assessed a technical foul against Harvard. Most of the great moments of that season were away from Jadwin, including three games at the Meadowlands, two at Madison Square Garden, the one at the Dean Dome in Carolina and the two NCAA games. Jadwin, though, did rock during the Ivy League season that year; perhaps some spot on the list could have been found.
One great point about the list is that you never know when the next one is going to happen. The crowd on Dec. 18, 1999, didn't realize that Spencer Gloger was about to knock down 10 threes, and the crowd on the weekend of Feb. 28-Mar. 1, 1997, didn't realize Sydney Johnson was going to hit 11 straight threes.
Maybe the most amazing was moment No. 6, where Dave Ulrich of Mt. Laurel won a Saturn by hitting three halfcourt shots at halftime (when he only needed two to win). Here was a crowd listed at 400 at a women's basketball game, and they ended up at a game that produced the Play of the Day. In many ways, that's what sports is all about.
Anyway, enjoy the list, and if you can get to Jadwin for the game Sunday, there'll be 12 square feet of cake waiting for you.
TigerBlog is pretty sure there were other great moments that it missed during its research. Already one comment has appeared on Jon Solomon's princetonbasketball.com site mentioning the time in 1998 that the Jadwin crowd was assessed a technical foul against Harvard. Most of the great moments of that season were away from Jadwin, including three games at the Meadowlands, two at Madison Square Garden, the one at the Dean Dome in Carolina and the two NCAA games. Jadwin, though, did rock during the Ivy League season that year; perhaps some spot on the list could have been found.
One great point about the list is that you never know when the next one is going to happen. The crowd on Dec. 18, 1999, didn't realize that Spencer Gloger was about to knock down 10 threes, and the crowd on the weekend of Feb. 28-Mar. 1, 1997, didn't realize Sydney Johnson was going to hit 11 straight threes.
Maybe the most amazing was moment No. 6, where Dave Ulrich of Mt. Laurel won a Saturn by hitting three halfcourt shots at halftime (when he only needed two to win). Here was a crowd listed at 400 at a women's basketball game, and they ended up at a game that produced the Play of the Day. In many ways, that's what sports is all about.
Anyway, enjoy the list, and if you can get to Jadwin for the game Sunday, there'll be 12 square feet of cake waiting for you.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
And Eat It Too
As we have been saying for awhile now, this Sunday is the 40th anniversary of the first game ever played in Jadwin Gym. To commemorate the event, you can click here and see the list of the top 40 events in Jadwin history that goprincetontigers.com has been counting down.
The men's basketball team returns to action after an 18-day break for first semester exams when it takes on Division II Concordia Sunday at 5 at Jadwin. And what would a 40th anniversary be without a cake?
All fans in attendance will be invited to share in the Jadwin birthday cake, which will be in the Backcourt Bistro during the game. The cake will be 36" x 50", which is more than 12 square feet of cake (courtesy of our friends in dining services, led by Stu Orefice).
There will also be a second cake, made to look like Jadwin, for decoration purposes.
TigerBlog advises going after the cake Sunday and backing away with carrots and celery Monday.
The men's basketball team returns to action after an 18-day break for first semester exams when it takes on Division II Concordia Sunday at 5 at Jadwin. And what would a 40th anniversary be without a cake?
All fans in attendance will be invited to share in the Jadwin birthday cake, which will be in the Backcourt Bistro during the game. The cake will be 36" x 50", which is more than 12 square feet of cake (courtesy of our friends in dining services, led by Stu Orefice).
There will also be a second cake, made to look like Jadwin, for decoration purposes.
TigerBlog advises going after the cake Sunday and backing away with carrots and celery Monday.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Hail To The Chief
Let the debate go forward: Was that an Oregon State or a Princeton scarf that first brother-in-law Craig Robinson was wearing at the inauguration of his sister Michelle's husband Barack Obama?
Robinson - and his sister - are Princeton grads. Craig Robinson is the fourth all-time leading scorer in Princeton basketball history with 1,441 points, and he was the 1982 and 1983 Ivy League Player of the Year.
He went from a career in finance to be an assistant coach with former Tiger head man Bill Carmody at Northwestern and then became first the head coach at Brown before moving this season to take over at Oregon State.
Princeton and OSU have very similar color schemes, and Robinson was very, very visible during inauguration coverage. Robinson's bio on Oregon State's Website, by the way, does not mention his sister or her husband.
Speaking of President Obama, here's hoping that the days of showing complete disrespect for the leader of the country have ended now that Bill Clinton and George W. Bush are no longer in the White House. That'd be a pretty good accomplishment for Obama - and the country.
Robinson - and his sister - are Princeton grads. Craig Robinson is the fourth all-time leading scorer in Princeton basketball history with 1,441 points, and he was the 1982 and 1983 Ivy League Player of the Year.
He went from a career in finance to be an assistant coach with former Tiger head man Bill Carmody at Northwestern and then became first the head coach at Brown before moving this season to take over at Oregon State.
Princeton and OSU have very similar color schemes, and Robinson was very, very visible during inauguration coverage. Robinson's bio on Oregon State's Website, by the way, does not mention his sister or her husband.
Speaking of President Obama, here's hoping that the days of showing complete disrespect for the leader of the country have ended now that Bill Clinton and George W. Bush are no longer in the White House. That'd be a pretty good accomplishment for Obama - and the country.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Jadwin's Top 40 At 40
This Sunday marks the 40th anniversary of the first event ever at Jadwin Gym, a men's basketball victory over Penn. Since then, the building has hosted thousands of events all of different varieties besides Princeton athletics, including high school sports, pro sports, concerts, political gatherings and pretty much anything else.
Beginning tomorrow (Tuesday), goprincetontigers.com will be counting down the top 40 moments in the building's history. We'll have Nos. 31-40 on Tuesday, 21-30 Wednesday, 11-20 Thursday and 1-10 Friday.
Researching this project led TigerBlog to more information than it realized about the building. Jadwin, in addition to being a building with great history, is also the home to much of the Department of Athletics, including much of the administration, athletic communications, marketing, business and ticketing, Princeton Varsity Club and offices for 18 of the 38 varsity sports.
TigerBlog will pause every now and then and look around the building and realize there are worse things than working in a place that most people pay to get into.
Make sure to check out the top 40 moments. Even if you think you know the building, you'll be surprised by some of what is on the list.
On another note, congrats to Sean Morey of the Arizona Cardinals, who is back in the Super Bowl against the team with which he won a Super Bowl ring earlier, the Pittsburgh Steelers. Morey, a Pro Bowl special teams player, is a Brown grad who scored the first touchdown in Princeton Stadium history.
Beginning tomorrow (Tuesday), goprincetontigers.com will be counting down the top 40 moments in the building's history. We'll have Nos. 31-40 on Tuesday, 21-30 Wednesday, 11-20 Thursday and 1-10 Friday.
Researching this project led TigerBlog to more information than it realized about the building. Jadwin, in addition to being a building with great history, is also the home to much of the Department of Athletics, including much of the administration, athletic communications, marketing, business and ticketing, Princeton Varsity Club and offices for 18 of the 38 varsity sports.
TigerBlog will pause every now and then and look around the building and realize there are worse things than working in a place that most people pay to get into.
Make sure to check out the top 40 moments. Even if you think you know the building, you'll be surprised by some of what is on the list.
On another note, congrats to Sean Morey of the Arizona Cardinals, who is back in the Super Bowl against the team with which he won a Super Bowl ring earlier, the Pittsburgh Steelers. Morey, a Pro Bowl special teams player, is a Brown grad who scored the first touchdown in Princeton Stadium history.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Player To Be Named
Doug Davis, the freshman who is the leading scorer on the Princeton men's basketball team, has let us know that he would prefer to be known by his full name from now on. All future mentions of him will therefore be of Douglas Davis.
Davis is not the first Princeton basketball player who has changed his name from a nickname to a full name. James Mastaglio, for instance, started out his freshman year as "Jamie" before requesting that he be called James, which he was for the remainder of his time with the Tigers.
Besides Davis and Mastaglio, who was known as "Stags" more than Jamie or James, there is former women's hockey player Lizzie Keady, who was Elizabeth Keady as a freshman, Liz Keady as a sophomore and Lizzie as a junior and senior. Also, two field hockey juniors have made changes. Christina Bortz was Tina as a freshman, and Cynthia Wray went by Cindy.
TigerBlog also called men's water polo player Mark Zalewski by the name of Steve Zalewski in his freshman year, obviously scarred by Clarkson's men's hockey player Steve Zalewski's success in games against the Tigers.
And while we're talking pronunciations, former basketball player Ahmed El-Nokali wanted to change his first name from "ACK-med" to "AH-med" for the second half of his senior year, but TigerBlog never bought into it. Former basketball coach Bill Carmody (whose team lost a tough one last night to Purdue on a shaky call at the end) insisted that his big man from Evanston, Ill., was Mason "ROH-kuh" and not Mason "ROCK-uh," but Mason himself said either one was fine.
All of this takes TigerBlog back to its Trenton Times days of covering high school sports. Trenton High had a quarterback who one year was called Spencer Lester, only to correct that the following year by saying his name was actually Lester Spencer.
TigerBlog has been trying to remember other cases of Princeton athletes who asked to have their name changed but has come up empty. Regardless, the freshman guard from Philadelphia by way of the Hun School is now Douglas Davis.
Davis is not the first Princeton basketball player who has changed his name from a nickname to a full name. James Mastaglio, for instance, started out his freshman year as "Jamie" before requesting that he be called James, which he was for the remainder of his time with the Tigers.
Besides Davis and Mastaglio, who was known as "Stags" more than Jamie or James, there is former women's hockey player Lizzie Keady, who was Elizabeth Keady as a freshman, Liz Keady as a sophomore and Lizzie as a junior and senior. Also, two field hockey juniors have made changes. Christina Bortz was Tina as a freshman, and Cynthia Wray went by Cindy.
TigerBlog also called men's water polo player Mark Zalewski by the name of Steve Zalewski in his freshman year, obviously scarred by Clarkson's men's hockey player Steve Zalewski's success in games against the Tigers.
And while we're talking pronunciations, former basketball player Ahmed El-Nokali wanted to change his first name from "ACK-med" to "AH-med" for the second half of his senior year, but TigerBlog never bought into it. Former basketball coach Bill Carmody (whose team lost a tough one last night to Purdue on a shaky call at the end) insisted that his big man from Evanston, Ill., was Mason "ROH-kuh" and not Mason "ROCK-uh," but Mason himself said either one was fine.
All of this takes TigerBlog back to its Trenton Times days of covering high school sports. Trenton High had a quarterback who one year was called Spencer Lester, only to correct that the following year by saying his name was actually Lester Spencer.
TigerBlog has been trying to remember other cases of Princeton athletes who asked to have their name changed but has come up empty. Regardless, the freshman guard from Philadelphia by way of the Hun School is now Douglas Davis.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
It's Tournament Time
The Ivy League announced today that it will have a conference tournament to determine the winner of the automatic bid to the NCAA tournament in men's and women's lacrosse beginning with the 2010 season. The regular-season champion will still be known as the league champion, in keeping with Ivy League policy for other sports.
The move is mostly a reaction to the two at-large bids that the Great Western Lacrosse League got last season after having its own conference tournament, which lifted the strength of schedule and therefore RPI of its participants. ACC lacrosse has always benefited from having a conference tournament in terms of NCAA tournament factors, including quality wins.
Had there been an Ivy League men's lacrosse tournament a year ago, the league almost surely would have gotten two NCAA bids, rather than just the one that Cornell earned for winning the league. The tournament last year would have been Cornell-Penn and Princeton-Brown, with the winners to meet. Had it broken in several different ways, three teams might have gotten in from the league (for instance, had Penn won, then Penn, Cornell and the Princeton-Brown winner might all have gotten in and the GWLL would have been back to one bid).
On the women's side, the Ivy League has had two or three teams in the NCAA tournament every year this decade. For them, the conference tournament will be a good vehicle for postseason preparation, as well as a way to improve seedings.
The logical question that can be asked by Ivy League fans is whether or not this is a precursor to a league tournament in other sports, most notably basketball. TigerBlog loves the idea of the lacrosse tournament; it would hate the idea of a basketball tournament.
TigerBlog cannot stand the conference basketball tournaments for leagues who will get one NCAA tournament bid, because it totally devalues the regular season. A year ago, for instance, Cornell went 14-0 in men's basketball. Had there been a conference tournament and Cornell had stumbled, there would have been no at-large bid waiting.
This would be bad for two main reasons: 1) Cornell spent two months proving it was the best and only deserving team in the league for the NCAA tournament and 2) you want to send your best team to the NCAA tournament, because that's where the real potential for a league to make a name for itself is with a first-round win. Yes, the conference tournament final is on ESPN, but so what? So many games are televised now, that even that isn't that great of a prize anymore.
Back to the lacrosse tournament, though, TigerBlog relies on this philosophy: Anything where more lacrosse is played cannot be a bad thing.
The move is mostly a reaction to the two at-large bids that the Great Western Lacrosse League got last season after having its own conference tournament, which lifted the strength of schedule and therefore RPI of its participants. ACC lacrosse has always benefited from having a conference tournament in terms of NCAA tournament factors, including quality wins.
Had there been an Ivy League men's lacrosse tournament a year ago, the league almost surely would have gotten two NCAA bids, rather than just the one that Cornell earned for winning the league. The tournament last year would have been Cornell-Penn and Princeton-Brown, with the winners to meet. Had it broken in several different ways, three teams might have gotten in from the league (for instance, had Penn won, then Penn, Cornell and the Princeton-Brown winner might all have gotten in and the GWLL would have been back to one bid).
On the women's side, the Ivy League has had two or three teams in the NCAA tournament every year this decade. For them, the conference tournament will be a good vehicle for postseason preparation, as well as a way to improve seedings.
The logical question that can be asked by Ivy League fans is whether or not this is a precursor to a league tournament in other sports, most notably basketball. TigerBlog loves the idea of the lacrosse tournament; it would hate the idea of a basketball tournament.
TigerBlog cannot stand the conference basketball tournaments for leagues who will get one NCAA tournament bid, because it totally devalues the regular season. A year ago, for instance, Cornell went 14-0 in men's basketball. Had there been a conference tournament and Cornell had stumbled, there would have been no at-large bid waiting.
This would be bad for two main reasons: 1) Cornell spent two months proving it was the best and only deserving team in the league for the NCAA tournament and 2) you want to send your best team to the NCAA tournament, because that's where the real potential for a league to make a name for itself is with a first-round win. Yes, the conference tournament final is on ESPN, but so what? So many games are televised now, that even that isn't that great of a prize anymore.
Back to the lacrosse tournament, though, TigerBlog relies on this philosophy: Anything where more lacrosse is played cannot be a bad thing.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Good Luck, Bill Bayno
Bill Bayno resigned as head men's basketball coach at Loyola Marymount Monday. Bayno has not coached at all this year, sidelined with what the L.A. Times called "work-related depression issues." TigerBlog wishes Bayno all the best.
TigerBlog also remembers sitting next to Bayno in the 1998 NCAA tournament pre-tournament meeting in Hartford. Princeton was the 5th seed, and then-UNLV coach Bayno was preparing his 12th-seeded Runnin' Rebels for a first-round matchup with the 26-1 Tigers.
The pre-tournament meeting is exciting the first time you go to it and then becomes more and more tedious everytime you go back. Basically, there's a checklist that the tournament's on-site director goes down, making sure everyone knows what color uniforms they're wearing, what locker room they have, who goes first in the post-game interviews, etc.
For the lacrosse tournament, the checklist includes two of TigerBlog's favorites: the question of whether or not the teams will be using headsets like in football (no one ever has) and the moment the head referee asks the coaches if they certify that their players are properly equipped (they are), they know how to use that equipment (they do) and they know what to do if that equipment becomes defective (maybe 1 in 10 actually knows the rules).
At the 1998 basketball meeting, Bayno was dressed in his UNLV warm-up suit, listening intently to what was going on. When the meeting ended, he turned to person on his right, who had been identified as the Princeton sports information director when introductions were made, and uttered words TigerBlog has never forgotten:
"You're the Princeton SID?" Bayno said. "My team has no chance."
The final was Princeton 69, UNLV 57.
TigerBlog also remembers sitting next to Bayno in the 1998 NCAA tournament pre-tournament meeting in Hartford. Princeton was the 5th seed, and then-UNLV coach Bayno was preparing his 12th-seeded Runnin' Rebels for a first-round matchup with the 26-1 Tigers.
The pre-tournament meeting is exciting the first time you go to it and then becomes more and more tedious everytime you go back. Basically, there's a checklist that the tournament's on-site director goes down, making sure everyone knows what color uniforms they're wearing, what locker room they have, who goes first in the post-game interviews, etc.
For the lacrosse tournament, the checklist includes two of TigerBlog's favorites: the question of whether or not the teams will be using headsets like in football (no one ever has) and the moment the head referee asks the coaches if they certify that their players are properly equipped (they are), they know how to use that equipment (they do) and they know what to do if that equipment becomes defective (maybe 1 in 10 actually knows the rules).
At the 1998 basketball meeting, Bayno was dressed in his UNLV warm-up suit, listening intently to what was going on. When the meeting ended, he turned to person on his right, who had been identified as the Princeton sports information director when introductions were made, and uttered words TigerBlog has never forgotten:
"You're the Princeton SID?" Bayno said. "My team has no chance."
The final was Princeton 69, UNLV 57.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Some Thoughts As The Next Athletic Event Is 10 Days Away
So, it's Deans' Date, which as any current or former Princeton student knows, is the day written work such as papers and labs are due for the first semester. Exams begin tomorrow, and the next athletic events are still at least 10 days away.
In that vein, some thoughts ... A TigerBlog notes column, as it were:
* While the men's hockey team lost three straight prior to exams, keep in mind that at this time a year ago, the Tigers were below .500. This time, Princeton is still in first place in the ECAC, though Cornell has four games in the next two weekends to try to make up the two points that the Tigers have over the Big Red at this point. Also two points behind Princeton are Dartmouth, who has played one fewer game than Princeton, and Quinnipiac, who has played the same number of games. Princeton is four points up on Yale for the final first round bye at this point, though Yale has played four fewer games as well.
* The surging Princeton women's hockey team has won four in a row and five out of six to move into third place in the ECAC standings. Princeton has wins over national powers Minnesota-Deluth and Dartmouth during that stretch, which includes a first-ever sweep at Harvard and Dartmouth.
* Men's lacrosse season opens five weeks from Saturday, at home against Canisius. Inside Lacrosse had six staff members pick their preseason Final Fours, and Princeton was not selected by any of them (Denver, among others, got one selection). Princeton graduated the focal point of its team of the last four years (goalie Alex Hewit and defenseman Dan Cocoziello, both of whom were first-team All-Americas), but a deep group of freshmen is blending with the rest of a young team. It'll be interersting to see how it plays out. Even without Hewit and Cocoziello, the defense should be strong. Offensively, Princeton has an interesing dynamic of returning players such as Tommy Davis, Jack McBride and Mark Kovler; some players who didn't play much last year but looked very good on the June trip to Europe such as Tyler Moni and Paul Barnes; and the freshmen. Canisius is no pushover, by the way; the Griffs won the MAAC last year and feature Adam Jones, the MVP of the Under-19 World Championships.
* The women's basketball team, which won seven games all of last year, has won six heading into exam break this year. Most importantly, the Tigers are 1-0 in the Ivy League after a nice win over Penn last Saturday. Princeton and Dartmouth are both 1-0 as the Ivy season begins; Dartmouth is Princeton's next opponents, on Jan. 30 at Jadwin Gym. Much like a Princeton football game against Dartmouth will always be special for Roger Hughes, who was the offensive coordinator for the Big Green before coming to Princeton, a women's basketball game against the Big Green will also be special for head coach Courtney Banghart, who played and coached in Hanover.
* The men's basketball team is 0-0 in the league, but the Tigers will be heading into the league season on a three-game winning streak if they can beat Division II Concordia on Jan. 25. That day will be the 40th anniversary of the first game in Jadwin Gym, and there will be a cake for all fans to help celebrate. As for the Tigers, their win over Lehigh was a very good, strong, solid performance against a good team. It gives a reason for optimism heading into the league.
* The women's swimming team hosts Dartmouth on Jan. 25 in what will be the last chance this year to see Alicia Aemisegger on campus. The Ivy League championships will be on Long Island Feb. 26-28.
* Finally, TigerBlog offers condolences to Mark Panus, the former manager of sports media relations in the Princeton Office of Athletic Communications and men's basketball and lacrosse contact from 1990-94, on the death of his wife Joanne, who passed away last week at the age of 41 after a fight with cancer. Mark is universally well-liked by those here at Princeton who worked with him, and they remember his wife for her humor, charm and caring manner.
In that vein, some thoughts ... A TigerBlog notes column, as it were:
* While the men's hockey team lost three straight prior to exams, keep in mind that at this time a year ago, the Tigers were below .500. This time, Princeton is still in first place in the ECAC, though Cornell has four games in the next two weekends to try to make up the two points that the Tigers have over the Big Red at this point. Also two points behind Princeton are Dartmouth, who has played one fewer game than Princeton, and Quinnipiac, who has played the same number of games. Princeton is four points up on Yale for the final first round bye at this point, though Yale has played four fewer games as well.
* The surging Princeton women's hockey team has won four in a row and five out of six to move into third place in the ECAC standings. Princeton has wins over national powers Minnesota-Deluth and Dartmouth during that stretch, which includes a first-ever sweep at Harvard and Dartmouth.
* Men's lacrosse season opens five weeks from Saturday, at home against Canisius. Inside Lacrosse had six staff members pick their preseason Final Fours, and Princeton was not selected by any of them (Denver, among others, got one selection). Princeton graduated the focal point of its team of the last four years (goalie Alex Hewit and defenseman Dan Cocoziello, both of whom were first-team All-Americas), but a deep group of freshmen is blending with the rest of a young team. It'll be interersting to see how it plays out. Even without Hewit and Cocoziello, the defense should be strong. Offensively, Princeton has an interesing dynamic of returning players such as Tommy Davis, Jack McBride and Mark Kovler; some players who didn't play much last year but looked very good on the June trip to Europe such as Tyler Moni and Paul Barnes; and the freshmen. Canisius is no pushover, by the way; the Griffs won the MAAC last year and feature Adam Jones, the MVP of the Under-19 World Championships.
* The women's basketball team, which won seven games all of last year, has won six heading into exam break this year. Most importantly, the Tigers are 1-0 in the Ivy League after a nice win over Penn last Saturday. Princeton and Dartmouth are both 1-0 as the Ivy season begins; Dartmouth is Princeton's next opponents, on Jan. 30 at Jadwin Gym. Much like a Princeton football game against Dartmouth will always be special for Roger Hughes, who was the offensive coordinator for the Big Green before coming to Princeton, a women's basketball game against the Big Green will also be special for head coach Courtney Banghart, who played and coached in Hanover.
* The men's basketball team is 0-0 in the league, but the Tigers will be heading into the league season on a three-game winning streak if they can beat Division II Concordia on Jan. 25. That day will be the 40th anniversary of the first game in Jadwin Gym, and there will be a cake for all fans to help celebrate. As for the Tigers, their win over Lehigh was a very good, strong, solid performance against a good team. It gives a reason for optimism heading into the league.
* The women's swimming team hosts Dartmouth on Jan. 25 in what will be the last chance this year to see Alicia Aemisegger on campus. The Ivy League championships will be on Long Island Feb. 26-28.
* Finally, TigerBlog offers condolences to Mark Panus, the former manager of sports media relations in the Princeton Office of Athletic Communications and men's basketball and lacrosse contact from 1990-94, on the death of his wife Joanne, who passed away last week at the age of 41 after a fight with cancer. Mark is universally well-liked by those here at Princeton who worked with him, and they remember his wife for her humor, charm and caring manner.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Retired Numbers
Fans in the Princeton area may have seen the news that former Princeton men's hockey player Scott Bertoli will have his number retired by the Trenton Devils in a ceremony on February 21. Bertoli, a 1999 Princeton graduate, was a member of Princeton's first ECAC Championship team in 1998.
Shortly after his senior season ended Bertoli began his professional career with the Trenton Titans of the ECHL. Bertoli's career last eight seasons, most of which was spent with the Titans. He retired following the 2006-07 season as Trenton's all-time leader goals (182), assists (344), and points (526).
The announcement of the retirement of Bertoli's #19 got TigerBlog thinking about retired numbers. Frequent visitors to TigerBlog and its big brother GoPrincetonTigers.com know that Princeton retired the #42 in honor of Bill Bradley and Dick Kazmaier in the fall. But what other Princeton athletes have had their number retired by a professional team? In a sense the question has already been answered. The #24 that Bill Bradley wore with the New York Knicks was retired and now hangs from the rafters of Madison Square Garden.
As a completely unrelated aside, Bertoli is the only Princeton athlete TigerBlog knows of that has had his likeness emblazoned on a bobblehead.
Shortly after his senior season ended Bertoli began his professional career with the Trenton Titans of the ECHL. Bertoli's career last eight seasons, most of which was spent with the Titans. He retired following the 2006-07 season as Trenton's all-time leader goals (182), assists (344), and points (526).
The announcement of the retirement of Bertoli's #19 got TigerBlog thinking about retired numbers. Frequent visitors to TigerBlog and its big brother GoPrincetonTigers.com know that Princeton retired the #42 in honor of Bill Bradley and Dick Kazmaier in the fall. But what other Princeton athletes have had their number retired by a professional team? In a sense the question has already been answered. The #24 that Bill Bradley wore with the New York Knicks was retired and now hangs from the rafters of Madison Square Garden.
As a completely unrelated aside, Bertoli is the only Princeton athlete TigerBlog knows of that has had his likeness emblazoned on a bobblehead.
Friday, January 9, 2009
Top To Bottom
The Princeton men's hockey team is in first place in the ECAC - sort of. Princeton, the defending ECAC tournament champion, has 16 points, two better than Cornell's 14, though the Tigers have played two more games than the Big Red.
In fact, the ECAC standings are somewhat jumbled at this time, since teams range in the number of league games played from six (Yale and Union) to 11 (Harvard). Princeton hosts Union and Rennselaer this weekend while Cornell plays two non-league games against Niagara, so the Tigers will have played four more games than the Big Red by Saturday night.
After that, Cornell catches up when the Tigers go into exam break. By the time Princeton resumes at Yale and Brown Jan. 30 and 31, Cornell will have played at Union and Rennsalaer and home with Yale and Brown.
The big prize in the ECAC is a first-round playoff bye, which goes to the top four finishers in the standings. Right now, Princeton is six ponits ahead of fifth-place Harvard.
Of course, winning the regular season title is also a huge bonus, since it all but assures an at-large NCAA tournament bid if its is not followed by a tournament title.
In fact, the ECAC standings are somewhat jumbled at this time, since teams range in the number of league games played from six (Yale and Union) to 11 (Harvard). Princeton hosts Union and Rennselaer this weekend while Cornell plays two non-league games against Niagara, so the Tigers will have played four more games than the Big Red by Saturday night.
After that, Cornell catches up when the Tigers go into exam break. By the time Princeton resumes at Yale and Brown Jan. 30 and 31, Cornell will have played at Union and Rennsalaer and home with Yale and Brown.
The big prize in the ECAC is a first-round playoff bye, which goes to the top four finishers in the standings. Right now, Princeton is six ponits ahead of fifth-place Harvard.
Of course, winning the regular season title is also a huge bonus, since it all but assures an at-large NCAA tournament bid if its is not followed by a tournament title.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
If You're Reading This ...
... then you didn't link from GoPrincetonTigers.com today. The Website redesign launched this morning, and as with all redesigns, there are a few bugs in the system.
On the other hand, we're confident that we can work those bugs out and have a better, less cluttered Website that we previously did.
The main changes are that we'll now have seven main stories scrolling instead of four, giving more teams a chance to be on the center of the main page at one time; a better listing for schedules on the front page; and more tabs that leave fewer free-standing links and ads and make the page less busy.
The TigerBlog link of the front page should be active again shortly. In the meantime, if you have any feedback on the new site, let us know.
On the other hand, we're confident that we can work those bugs out and have a better, less cluttered Website that we previously did.
The main changes are that we'll now have seven main stories scrolling instead of four, giving more teams a chance to be on the center of the main page at one time; a better listing for schedules on the front page; and more tabs that leave fewer free-standing links and ads and make the page less busy.
The TigerBlog link of the front page should be active again shortly. In the meantime, if you have any feedback on the new site, let us know.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Men's Basketball vs. Lehigh
Final: Princeton 73, Lehigh 64
The Tigers keep their since-1930 streak alive of defeating Lehigh in Princeton.
0:31 2nd: Princeton 68, Lehigh 63
A three-pointer by the Mountain Hawks begets their last timeout. It's Princeton's ball, and barring a turnover, Lehigh would likely foul. Princeton is 15 for 22 from the line tonight as a team, with Davis (2 for 4), Mavraides (4 for 6), Buczak (0 for 0), Schroeder (4 for 6) and Maddox (3 for 4) on the floor right now.
0:56 2nd: Princeton 67, Lehigh 60
Lehigh's Zahir Carrington has 20 points and 11 rebounds, making him the third men's basketball player to get a double-double in Jadwin Gym this season. Central Michigan's Chris Kellermann had 28 points and 13 rebounds, and Rutgers' Gregory Echenique had 15 points and 11 boards.
1:05 2nd: Princeton 65, Lehigh 58
Kareem Maddox just picked up his fourth foul, which was whistled beyond the three-point line. The Tigers were lucky the attempt from the field didn't fall, or the seven-point lead could have become three with the extra toss from the line.
1:10 2nd: Princeton 63, Lehigh 55
Doug Davis just joined Dan Mavraides in double-figures with 12, and the latest points game on a three-pointer that restored the Tigers to an eight-point lead.
6:20 2nd: Princeton 51, Lehigh 43
Princeton's shooting percentage has dropped to 43.6%, still well ahead of Lehigh's 29.5%, but Princeton's double-digit lead has slimmed. Dan Mavraides has upped his career high to 18 points.
13:39 2nd: Princeton 44, Lehigh 33
We have our first Tiger in double-figures with Dan Mavraides hitting a pair of threes to reach 15 points. The sophomore set a career high in the last game with 17 points in Princeton's win over UNC Greensboro.
15:58 2nd: Princeton 38, Lehigh 32
Through the first four minutes of the second half, not much has changed. The Tigers have increased their lead by two since halftime and are still shooting 50% from the field with no Tiger in double-figures but seven having contributed points.
Halftime: Princeton 32, Lehigh 28
Princeton's shooting has cooled off from its 5-of-6 and 8-of-10 start, but it's still at 50%, ahead of Lehigh's 43.5%. The Tigers will still have to mind the glass, as Lehigh leads there 17-12, but the scoring has been balanced among Princeton players, with seven in the book so far and Mavraides still leading with eight. Princeton's turnovers remain relatively low, with five, and Lehigh has eight.
6:07 1st: Lehigh 26, Princeton 23
A cooling has come for the Tigers, who have missed five of their last six shots. Lehigh has since gone on a 10-2 run to turn a five-point deficit into a three-point lead.
9:47 1st: Princeton 21, Lehigh 16
The Tigers are still shooting 80% from the field and have a five-point lead to show for it. Dan Mavraides' eight points still paces Princeton.
13:15 1st: Lehigh 14, Princeton 13
Make that a 6-0 run by Lehigh, and the Mountain Hawks lead by the football-like score of 14-13.
14:00 1st: Princeton 13, Lehigh 12
Princeton is still shooting 5 for 6, but back-to-back baskets by Lehigh have cut the Princeton edge to one.
15:20 1st: Princeton 13, Lehigh 8
The Tigers have a five-point lead thanks in big part to Dan Mavraides' two three-pointers. Princeton is shooting a blistering 5 for 6 from the field to start, and the Mountain Hawks have hit half their four shots. We'll have to see if the Tigers can keep up the hot shooting and hold the lead.
Hello from Jadwin Gym for the final time before the exam break as the Princeton men's basketball team takes on Lehigh. The Tigers will be home again Jan. 25 vs. Concordia (N.Y.), marking 40 years to the day since the first game at Jadwin against Penn.
The Tigers keep their since-1930 streak alive of defeating Lehigh in Princeton.
0:31 2nd: Princeton 68, Lehigh 63
A three-pointer by the Mountain Hawks begets their last timeout. It's Princeton's ball, and barring a turnover, Lehigh would likely foul. Princeton is 15 for 22 from the line tonight as a team, with Davis (2 for 4), Mavraides (4 for 6), Buczak (0 for 0), Schroeder (4 for 6) and Maddox (3 for 4) on the floor right now.
0:56 2nd: Princeton 67, Lehigh 60
Lehigh's Zahir Carrington has 20 points and 11 rebounds, making him the third men's basketball player to get a double-double in Jadwin Gym this season. Central Michigan's Chris Kellermann had 28 points and 13 rebounds, and Rutgers' Gregory Echenique had 15 points and 11 boards.
1:05 2nd: Princeton 65, Lehigh 58
Kareem Maddox just picked up his fourth foul, which was whistled beyond the three-point line. The Tigers were lucky the attempt from the field didn't fall, or the seven-point lead could have become three with the extra toss from the line.
1:10 2nd: Princeton 63, Lehigh 55
Doug Davis just joined Dan Mavraides in double-figures with 12, and the latest points game on a three-pointer that restored the Tigers to an eight-point lead.
6:20 2nd: Princeton 51, Lehigh 43
Princeton's shooting percentage has dropped to 43.6%, still well ahead of Lehigh's 29.5%, but Princeton's double-digit lead has slimmed. Dan Mavraides has upped his career high to 18 points.
13:39 2nd: Princeton 44, Lehigh 33
We have our first Tiger in double-figures with Dan Mavraides hitting a pair of threes to reach 15 points. The sophomore set a career high in the last game with 17 points in Princeton's win over UNC Greensboro.
15:58 2nd: Princeton 38, Lehigh 32
Through the first four minutes of the second half, not much has changed. The Tigers have increased their lead by two since halftime and are still shooting 50% from the field with no Tiger in double-figures but seven having contributed points.
Halftime: Princeton 32, Lehigh 28
Princeton's shooting has cooled off from its 5-of-6 and 8-of-10 start, but it's still at 50%, ahead of Lehigh's 43.5%. The Tigers will still have to mind the glass, as Lehigh leads there 17-12, but the scoring has been balanced among Princeton players, with seven in the book so far and Mavraides still leading with eight. Princeton's turnovers remain relatively low, with five, and Lehigh has eight.
6:07 1st: Lehigh 26, Princeton 23
A cooling has come for the Tigers, who have missed five of their last six shots. Lehigh has since gone on a 10-2 run to turn a five-point deficit into a three-point lead.
9:47 1st: Princeton 21, Lehigh 16
The Tigers are still shooting 80% from the field and have a five-point lead to show for it. Dan Mavraides' eight points still paces Princeton.
13:15 1st: Lehigh 14, Princeton 13
Make that a 6-0 run by Lehigh, and the Mountain Hawks lead by the football-like score of 14-13.
14:00 1st: Princeton 13, Lehigh 12
Princeton is still shooting 5 for 6, but back-to-back baskets by Lehigh have cut the Princeton edge to one.
15:20 1st: Princeton 13, Lehigh 8
The Tigers have a five-point lead thanks in big part to Dan Mavraides' two three-pointers. Princeton is shooting a blistering 5 for 6 from the field to start, and the Mountain Hawks have hit half their four shots. We'll have to see if the Tigers can keep up the hot shooting and hold the lead.
Hello from Jadwin Gym for the final time before the exam break as the Princeton men's basketball team takes on Lehigh. The Tigers will be home again Jan. 25 vs. Concordia (N.Y.), marking 40 years to the day since the first game at Jadwin against Penn.
A Quick Glance At The Record Book
The first 11 records listed in the Princeton men's basketball record book are all held by Bill Bradley. In all, Bradley holds 22 school records, not to mention such distinctions as the top 11 single-game scoring performances in school history and the three highest single-season scoring totals in school history.
In all, 19 players beside Bradley hold at least one school men's basketball record. The oldest mark is the 24 free throws in a game by John Uhl against Penn in 1912; the most recent is the 90 blocked shots by Chris Young in the 1999-2000 season. Young also set a record with nine blocked shots against Ohio on Nov. 26, 1999, in a game that was interestingly enough played in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Spencer Gloger's 10 three-pointers in a game also was set that season, on Dec. 18, 1999, against Alabama-Birmingham.
The player who holds the second-highest number of school records is Sean Jackson, who holds seven of them: three-pointers made per game and attempted in a season and career, consecutive games with at least one three-pointer made (56), three-pointers made in a season (95) and three-pointers attempted in a season (198, tied with Brian Earl).
Speaking of Earl, he has six records of his own, including three-pointers in a career (281, which is also the Ivy League record) and most games played (116).
Head coach Sydney Johnson has three school records: steals in a career, consecutive three-pointers made (11, over a two-game stretch) and most three-pointers made in a game without a miss (6).
The only other players in program history with more than one record are Dave Orlandini (who shot 51.3% for his career and 54.5% for the 1987-88 season from three-point range), Joe Heiser (free throw percentage in a season and career) and Dave Fulcomer (three rebounding records).
When talk shifts to unbreakable records, the one that usually comes up is Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak. TigerBlog has always believed that that record will fall one day because it will only take 57 games to do it. Cy Young's 511 wins, for instance, can never be touched because of the sheer quantity.
Applying that same logic to Princeton basketball and its records would make Johnson's three-point records the most likely to fall, as it'll only take seven shots in a game to break one of them.
If you want to talk about the most unbreakable records in the book, you probably start with Bradley's 2,503 career points, 30.2 points per game in a career, 32.3 points per game in a season (1963-64) or 58 points in a game. Yes, it would only take one year for someone to average more than Bradley or one game to put up 59 or more, but TigerBlog doesn't see it happening.
The most unbreakable non-Bradley record? How about Fulcomer's 16.9 rebounds per game in the 1955-56 season? That's 456.3 rebounds for a 27-game season, or 50.3 more rebounds than Fulcomer's single-season record. No player in the last 40 years has more than 190 rebounds in a single season (Young in 1999-2000).
In all, 19 players beside Bradley hold at least one school men's basketball record. The oldest mark is the 24 free throws in a game by John Uhl against Penn in 1912; the most recent is the 90 blocked shots by Chris Young in the 1999-2000 season. Young also set a record with nine blocked shots against Ohio on Nov. 26, 1999, in a game that was interestingly enough played in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Spencer Gloger's 10 three-pointers in a game also was set that season, on Dec. 18, 1999, against Alabama-Birmingham.
The player who holds the second-highest number of school records is Sean Jackson, who holds seven of them: three-pointers made per game and attempted in a season and career, consecutive games with at least one three-pointer made (56), three-pointers made in a season (95) and three-pointers attempted in a season (198, tied with Brian Earl).
Speaking of Earl, he has six records of his own, including three-pointers in a career (281, which is also the Ivy League record) and most games played (116).
Head coach Sydney Johnson has three school records: steals in a career, consecutive three-pointers made (11, over a two-game stretch) and most three-pointers made in a game without a miss (6).
The only other players in program history with more than one record are Dave Orlandini (who shot 51.3% for his career and 54.5% for the 1987-88 season from three-point range), Joe Heiser (free throw percentage in a season and career) and Dave Fulcomer (three rebounding records).
When talk shifts to unbreakable records, the one that usually comes up is Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak. TigerBlog has always believed that that record will fall one day because it will only take 57 games to do it. Cy Young's 511 wins, for instance, can never be touched because of the sheer quantity.
Applying that same logic to Princeton basketball and its records would make Johnson's three-point records the most likely to fall, as it'll only take seven shots in a game to break one of them.
If you want to talk about the most unbreakable records in the book, you probably start with Bradley's 2,503 career points, 30.2 points per game in a career, 32.3 points per game in a season (1963-64) or 58 points in a game. Yes, it would only take one year for someone to average more than Bradley or one game to put up 59 or more, but TigerBlog doesn't see it happening.
The most unbreakable non-Bradley record? How about Fulcomer's 16.9 rebounds per game in the 1955-56 season? That's 456.3 rebounds for a 27-game season, or 50.3 more rebounds than Fulcomer's single-season record. No player in the last 40 years has more than 190 rebounds in a single season (Young in 1999-2000).
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Future Football
The Princeton football team becomes Ohio State-like in 2017, at least in terms of scheduling. The Tigers will open the season with four straight home games, as San Diego, Lafayette, Columbia and Georgetown all come to Powers Field at Princeton Stadium on consecutive Saturdays.
At least if it's still Powers Field at Princeton Stadium. Palmer Stadium lasted 83 years, so there's no reason to believe that Princeton Stadium will be gone before it turns 20. Still, who knows what the future will bring.
If you look back nine football seasons, Web-based items that are taken for granted today such as video streaming, live stats, audio and the like were in their infancy. Who knows what technology will exist on Sept. 16, 2017, when San Diego takes on Princeton?
If Roger Hughes is still the Princeton coach that day, he will pass Bill Roper's program record for longest tenure as a head coach by beginning his 18th season. Were Hughes to go one game over .500 in that time, he'd tie Roper's school-record 89 wins in 2017.
Princeton will play some news faces, such as Georgetown and Davidson, and renew young rivalries with Hampton, the Citadel and San Diego in that stretch.
The order of Ivy League games remains the same, as it'll be Columbia, Brown, Harvard, Cornell, Penn, Yale and Dartmouth each of the next nine years.
TigerBlog will be there for all of it. Or whatever comes along to replace TigerBlog.
If only TigerBlog knew now what the next big technology would be. It's like Rocky said to his turtles in the first 20 minutes of the first move in the series: "If you guys could sing and dance, I wouldn't have to be doing this."
At least if it's still Powers Field at Princeton Stadium. Palmer Stadium lasted 83 years, so there's no reason to believe that Princeton Stadium will be gone before it turns 20. Still, who knows what the future will bring.
If you look back nine football seasons, Web-based items that are taken for granted today such as video streaming, live stats, audio and the like were in their infancy. Who knows what technology will exist on Sept. 16, 2017, when San Diego takes on Princeton?
If Roger Hughes is still the Princeton coach that day, he will pass Bill Roper's program record for longest tenure as a head coach by beginning his 18th season. Were Hughes to go one game over .500 in that time, he'd tie Roper's school-record 89 wins in 2017.
Princeton will play some news faces, such as Georgetown and Davidson, and renew young rivalries with Hampton, the Citadel and San Diego in that stretch.
The order of Ivy League games remains the same, as it'll be Columbia, Brown, Harvard, Cornell, Penn, Yale and Dartmouth each of the next nine years.
TigerBlog will be there for all of it. Or whatever comes along to replace TigerBlog.
If only TigerBlog knew now what the next big technology would be. It's like Rocky said to his turtles in the first 20 minutes of the first move in the series: "If you guys could sing and dance, I wouldn't have to be doing this."
Monday, January 5, 2009
2008 - One Last Look
Our countdowns of the top 12 athletes and events of 2008 appear to have been fairly successful. The number of page views on GoPrincetonTigers.com for each of the stories was very high, especially considering that late December is a slow traffic time.
Despite the fact that the releases were only up for two weeks, the countdown of the Top 12 athletes was the second most-viewed story on GoPrincetonTigers.com in the entire year of 2008, while the countdown of events was fifth. The most read release of the past year? The announcement of the football class of 2012.
The rest of the 10 most viewed stories for 2008 were the football story after the Princeton-Citadel game in third place, followed by the first day of the men's lacrosse trip to Spain and Ireland, the countdown of the Top 12 events, the women's soccer incoming class and fall schedule announcement, the preview of the men's hockey NCAA game against North Dakota, the announcement of the men's lacrosse Class of 2012, the football story after Jordan Culbreath ran for 276 yards against Dartmouth and the story of the first men's lacrosse game of the season.
As an aside, the most viewed bio of the year was that of freshman Jonathan Meyers. The most viewed bio of all-time on GoPrincetonTigers.com is that of Meagan Cowher, which TigerBlog has long believed was due to the fact that people from all over the country wanted to see if she had her father's chin.
Interestingly, of the top eight most viewed stories, only one was a postgame recap. This goes along with what TigerBlog has long suspected; namely, that readers aren't as interested in reading about events after the fact. This, TigerBlog also suspects, has a great deal to do with the demise of newspapers.
Anyway, happy new year to all.
Despite the fact that the releases were only up for two weeks, the countdown of the Top 12 athletes was the second most-viewed story on GoPrincetonTigers.com in the entire year of 2008, while the countdown of events was fifth. The most read release of the past year? The announcement of the football class of 2012.
The rest of the 10 most viewed stories for 2008 were the football story after the Princeton-Citadel game in third place, followed by the first day of the men's lacrosse trip to Spain and Ireland, the countdown of the Top 12 events, the women's soccer incoming class and fall schedule announcement, the preview of the men's hockey NCAA game against North Dakota, the announcement of the men's lacrosse Class of 2012, the football story after Jordan Culbreath ran for 276 yards against Dartmouth and the story of the first men's lacrosse game of the season.
As an aside, the most viewed bio of the year was that of freshman Jonathan Meyers. The most viewed bio of all-time on GoPrincetonTigers.com is that of Meagan Cowher, which TigerBlog has long believed was due to the fact that people from all over the country wanted to see if she had her father's chin.
Interestingly, of the top eight most viewed stories, only one was a postgame recap. This goes along with what TigerBlog has long suspected; namely, that readers aren't as interested in reading about events after the fact. This, TigerBlog also suspects, has a great deal to do with the demise of newspapers.
Anyway, happy new year to all.
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Princeton-UNCG Men's Basketball
Final: Princeton 65, UNCG 55
The Tigers improve to 3-8 on the season while UNCG falls to 1-10. Princeton will be home again Wednesday vs. Lehigh.
0:18 2nd: Princeton 63, UNCG 55
Though the lead got as small as three with 1:08 to go, it looks like the Tigers' six-game losing streak is about to end.
5:54 2nd: Princeton 49, UNCG 44
Princeton's five-point lead is its smallest since 16:33 left in the first half, when Princeton led 7-3.
7:29 2nd: Princeton 49, UNCG 40
Pawel Buczak has a career-high 10 rebounds so far.
8:16 2nd: Princeton 47, UNCG 38
John Comfort goes up and under for a layup, giving him a season-high five points.
10:30 2nd: Princeton 45, UNCG 33
John Comfort has hit his first three-pointer of the game and his third of the season. For the first time this season, the rookie, who has seen increasing playing time in the last few games, has had a three-pointer in back-to-back contests.
13:36 2nd: Princeton 40, UNCG 29
Princeton hasn't let the lead dwindle
17:20 2nd: Princeton 38, UNCG 25
The Tigers have scored the first six points of the second half, forcing UNCG coach Mike Dement to call timeout.
Start of 2nd Half: Princeton 32, UNCG 25
The Tigers are still up by 7, but the Spartans ended the first half on a 10-2 run.
3:51 1st: Princeton 30, UNCG 17
Doug Davis has 13 points, securing his eighth double-digit scoring game in 11 contests this season.
10:53 1st: Princeton 20, UNCG 8
Kareem Maddox's three-pointer, which made it 18-6, was his first since the Rutgers game on Dec. 10.
Hello from Jadwin Gym, where the Tigers are hosting the first meeting with UNC Greensboro in the programs' histories. Today's game is being televised live on ESPNU in addition to the live stats and John Sadak and Jerry Price on GoPrincetonTigers.com and WPRB 103.3 FM.
The Tigers improve to 3-8 on the season while UNCG falls to 1-10. Princeton will be home again Wednesday vs. Lehigh.
0:18 2nd: Princeton 63, UNCG 55
Though the lead got as small as three with 1:08 to go, it looks like the Tigers' six-game losing streak is about to end.
5:54 2nd: Princeton 49, UNCG 44
Princeton's five-point lead is its smallest since 16:33 left in the first half, when Princeton led 7-3.
7:29 2nd: Princeton 49, UNCG 40
Pawel Buczak has a career-high 10 rebounds so far.
8:16 2nd: Princeton 47, UNCG 38
John Comfort goes up and under for a layup, giving him a season-high five points.
10:30 2nd: Princeton 45, UNCG 33
John Comfort has hit his first three-pointer of the game and his third of the season. For the first time this season, the rookie, who has seen increasing playing time in the last few games, has had a three-pointer in back-to-back contests.
13:36 2nd: Princeton 40, UNCG 29
Princeton hasn't let the lead dwindle
17:20 2nd: Princeton 38, UNCG 25
The Tigers have scored the first six points of the second half, forcing UNCG coach Mike Dement to call timeout.
Start of 2nd Half: Princeton 32, UNCG 25
The Tigers are still up by 7, but the Spartans ended the first half on a 10-2 run.
3:51 1st: Princeton 30, UNCG 17
Doug Davis has 13 points, securing his eighth double-digit scoring game in 11 contests this season.
10:53 1st: Princeton 20, UNCG 8
Kareem Maddox's three-pointer, which made it 18-6, was his first since the Rutgers game on Dec. 10.
Hello from Jadwin Gym, where the Tigers are hosting the first meeting with UNC Greensboro in the programs' histories. Today's game is being televised live on ESPNU in addition to the live stats and John Sadak and Jerry Price on GoPrincetonTigers.com and WPRB 103.3 FM.
Friday, January 2, 2009
Hello From Eastern PA!
Final Lafayette 66, Princeton 64
Edwards evens the game and Lafayette has one final possession. Not wanting to foul, Virgin takes it down the lane and drops in the game-winning basket with six seconds to win.
39.6 Lafayette 64, Princeton 62
Lafayette is up by two after Allgood fouls out and Zavocki hits two free throws.
2:14 Lafayette 62, Princeton 59
The Leopards take the lead.
3:54 Princeton 59, Lafayette 58
Lafayette is now down by just one basket, coming back from a 22-point deficit. The Leopards held the Tigers scoreless for over nine minutes.
7:17 Princeton 57, Lafayette 48
Lafayette is on a roll and has cut the lead to single digits. Rebounding seems to be the difference.
12:15 Princeton 57, Lafayette 42
The Leopards are chipping away at the lead and are now down by 15, the closest margin of the half. Lafayette is starting to pick it up under the basket and its rebounding is limiting Princeton's second-chance opportunities.
18:00 Princeton 53, Lafayette 31
Addie Micir and Jessica Berry each hit three-pointers to put Princeton up by 22 at the first media timeout of the half.
Halftime Princeton 47, Lafayette 31
Edwards is leading the team with 17 points and Micir is following up with 14 points. Jessica Spicer has eight points to lead Lafayette. The Tigers are outrebounding the Leopards, 20-7.
2:14 Princeton 44, Lafayette 29
The Leopards have started to finally find its shots and has crept within 15 at the final media timeout. The crowd is definitely motivating the team, it's loud in here at the Kirby Sports Center.
7:04 Princeton 33, Lafayette 13
Lauren Edwards has scored a career-best 12 points, as Princeton takes a 20 point-lead.
8:51 Princeton 26, Lafayette 11
Princeton is up by 15 points as Lafayette calls its second timeout of the half. The Tigers have forced the Leopards into nine turnovers and seven fouls.
11:42 Princeton 21, Lafayette 9
The Tigers go on a run and are up by 12. Princeton has scored the last 10 baskets of the game and have held Lafayette scoreless since 15:32.
15:46 Princeton 10, Lafayette 7
The Tigers are up by three, and have gone 2-for-3 from long range, by the first media timeout. Jessica Berry will take two free shots after the timeout.
17:36 Princeton 7, Lafayette 4
Lafayette scores two baskets quickly but Lauren Edwards drains two free throws and follows up with a three pointer to help the Tigers take the lead. Addie Micir adds a jumper to give Princeton a 7-4 lead before the Leopards call a timeout.
Pregame
Hello from eastern Pennsylvania where the Princeton women's basketball is warming up for its first game of the new year against Lafayette College. The campus is pretty empty, being as though the students are on break, but there was a men's game here earlier this afternoon. There was a good crowd for that game so hopefully that will repeat itself tonight. The Tigers will be wearing orange uniforms for tonight's game. This is just the second time the team has sported the orange jerseys. The last time they wore them was against George Washington, where they had an impressive showing against a team that went to the Sweet 16 last year. Senior Whitney Downs will be a scratch player again tonight. The coaching staff is hoping to have her healthy and back on the court by the time Ivy League play begins.
Edwards evens the game and Lafayette has one final possession. Not wanting to foul, Virgin takes it down the lane and drops in the game-winning basket with six seconds to win.
39.6 Lafayette 64, Princeton 62
Lafayette is up by two after Allgood fouls out and Zavocki hits two free throws.
2:14 Lafayette 62, Princeton 59
The Leopards take the lead.
3:54 Princeton 59, Lafayette 58
Lafayette is now down by just one basket, coming back from a 22-point deficit. The Leopards held the Tigers scoreless for over nine minutes.
7:17 Princeton 57, Lafayette 48
Lafayette is on a roll and has cut the lead to single digits. Rebounding seems to be the difference.
12:15 Princeton 57, Lafayette 42
The Leopards are chipping away at the lead and are now down by 15, the closest margin of the half. Lafayette is starting to pick it up under the basket and its rebounding is limiting Princeton's second-chance opportunities.
18:00 Princeton 53, Lafayette 31
Addie Micir and Jessica Berry each hit three-pointers to put Princeton up by 22 at the first media timeout of the half.
Halftime Princeton 47, Lafayette 31
Edwards is leading the team with 17 points and Micir is following up with 14 points. Jessica Spicer has eight points to lead Lafayette. The Tigers are outrebounding the Leopards, 20-7.
2:14 Princeton 44, Lafayette 29
The Leopards have started to finally find its shots and has crept within 15 at the final media timeout. The crowd is definitely motivating the team, it's loud in here at the Kirby Sports Center.
7:04 Princeton 33, Lafayette 13
Lauren Edwards has scored a career-best 12 points, as Princeton takes a 20 point-lead.
8:51 Princeton 26, Lafayette 11
Princeton is up by 15 points as Lafayette calls its second timeout of the half. The Tigers have forced the Leopards into nine turnovers and seven fouls.
11:42 Princeton 21, Lafayette 9
The Tigers go on a run and are up by 12. Princeton has scored the last 10 baskets of the game and have held Lafayette scoreless since 15:32.
15:46 Princeton 10, Lafayette 7
The Tigers are up by three, and have gone 2-for-3 from long range, by the first media timeout. Jessica Berry will take two free shots after the timeout.
17:36 Princeton 7, Lafayette 4
Lafayette scores two baskets quickly but Lauren Edwards drains two free throws and follows up with a three pointer to help the Tigers take the lead. Addie Micir adds a jumper to give Princeton a 7-4 lead before the Leopards call a timeout.
Pregame
Hello from eastern Pennsylvania where the Princeton women's basketball is warming up for its first game of the new year against Lafayette College. The campus is pretty empty, being as though the students are on break, but there was a men's game here earlier this afternoon. There was a good crowd for that game so hopefully that will repeat itself tonight. The Tigers will be wearing orange uniforms for tonight's game. This is just the second time the team has sported the orange jerseys. The last time they wore them was against George Washington, where they had an impressive showing against a team that went to the Sweet 16 last year. Senior Whitney Downs will be a scratch player again tonight. The coaching staff is hoping to have her healthy and back on the court by the time Ivy League play begins.
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