If You Build It

If you're going to be on campus tonight, then you might want to consider stopping by McCosh 50 at 7:30.

The Jake McCandless Speaker Series returns with two former Tiger football players who are used to public speaking. Ross Tucker and Kyle Brandt, teammates a little more than 20 years ago and members of the Class of 2001, will be on the stage, along with Ford Family Director of Athletics John Mack.

Tucker and Brandt are big-time members of the sports media world. 

Tucker, who was a longtime NFL offensive lineman, is now a broadcaster, podcaster and any other kind of caster there is when it comes to talking about football. Brandt began his professional career in acting, including being on "Days Of Our Lives." These days, he's one of the stars of "Good Morning Football" on NFL Network.

There aren't many people who more outgoing and affable than Ross Tucker. He's just a lot of fun to be around. TigerBlog hasn't spent nearly as much time around Kyle Brandt through the years, but he clearly has a big personality too. That's something you can tell from watching him on TV.

Brandt, by the way, returned the opening kickoff of the first game ever played in Princeton Stadium, which makes him the first person ever to run with the ball on Powers Field. 

The event is free and open to the public.

TB wishes he could be there, but he'll be in Baltimore, watching the women's lacrosse game between Princeton and Loyola. There are currently four unbeaten teams in Division I women's lacrosse, and Princeton and Loyola are two of them.

Princeton came close to no longer being one of them this past Saturday at Penn State, where the Tigers eked out a 12-11 victory courtesy of a last-minute goal from Sophie Whiteway on a free position shot and then one last defensive stand.

By the way, this week's player guest on the women's Princeton Laxcast is senior Lucie Gildehaus, who talks about dealing with injury and Covid, how difficult the choice to stay enrolled last year was and what she's learned about leadership during her time as a Tiger. She also talked about how she was a really good youth skier, competing in New Hampshire on her weekends prior to middle school. She was excellent on the podcast.

This past weekend's lacrosse games and everything else seem like they were a long time ago. All of the Princeton Athletics emotion since then has been contained in the women's basketball team and its 56-55 loss to Indiana in Round 2 of the NCAA tournament Monday night.

All day yesterday TB heard from people about just how impressive the Tigers were, and they were certainly that and more. As TB wrote yesterday, the harshness of it can be difficult to process at first. 

Maybe the same is true of how Patrick Glory and Quincy Monday saw their seasons end as well. Glory and Monday are the two Princeton wrestlers who reached the finals of the NCAA championships Saturday night.

Yes, both of them came up just short of an NCAA title. Yes, that stings. TB just hopes that they are able to understand the significance of what they've accomplished. And they both have another year to chase down the top prize.

Seeing them win in the semifinals was one of the great moments Princeton Athletics has produced in recent times. The idea that Princeton wrestling produced two NCAA finalists a day before the Princeton women's basketball team came within one basket of the Sweet 16 is extraordinary to those who like TB go back aways. 

The extent of what  Chris Ayres and his staff and Courtney Banghart and now Carla Berube and their staffs have done in building those programs cannot be overstated.

They have turned their programs into national powers, legitimate Top 25 teams year after year. They have become major factors in the postseason. They produce amazing athletes. 

And, as such, they have rallied their communities and have been embraced for all of the success they've had. 

You want to win. You want your season to go as long as it can. Sometimes, though, you have to stay focused on the bottom line. In the case of Princeton wrestling and Princeton women's basketball, they are simply amazing. 

What you've seen from them on their biggest stages the last few days is confirmation of that. 

And again, here's your reminder to go see Ross Tucker and Kyle Brandt tonight.