Reunion Night In Jadwin Gym

PRINCETON-CORNELL MEN'S BASKETBALL TICKETS

Princeton had just won a road game, and now Bill Carmody was speaking to the media.

Carmody sat at a table in the front of the room. TigerBlog stood behind him, to his right. One of the writers, who had never seen Princeton play basketball before, mentioned how every starter had made at least one three-pointer. 

Carmody, without flinching, said this:

"If you want to play here, you have to be able to shoot the three. Everyone in our program can make that shot." 

Then, without turning around, he just pointed his finger towards TB and said "Even our SID can make one."

TigerBlog has been here for a long time. That remains one of his absolute highlights.

In truth, TB was always a better low-post lunchtime player than he was an outside shooter, but he could make a three every now and then. In his Jadwin Gym lunchtime basketball career, TB would much prefer to be on Carmody's team than having to play against him. Why? Two reasons.

First, he got you to want to play well, just by being on his team. He also made it so much fun, with an endless commentary as the game went on.

Second, TB often guarded Carmody, or, worse, covered someone for whom Carmody set a pick. Either way meant an elbow or two was coming his way. Nothing dirty. Just a reminder that if you're going to play, you should play to win.

Bill Carmody is one of the legendary figures in the history of Princeton men's basketball. He spent 14 years as an assistant to Pete Carril, helping him build the dynasty from 1989-92 and then, after the win over UCLA in Carril's final season, leading the team to the national Top 10 in his second season.

Princeton from 1996-98 went 41-2 in the Ivy League and went to three NCAA tournaments, winning games in two of them, including a win over UNLV in 1998. Those teams were responsible for some of the best moments in program history.

Those teams will be recognized tonight in Jadwin Gym, before Princeton's game against Cornell (tip at 7). More than 20 players from those teams will back. So too will Carmody.

TB had a chance to catch up with Carmody last week, and you can read the story right HERE. If you are a Carmody fan, or if he was before your time, it's well worth the time to read it, if TB says so himself. There aren't many people TB has ever met for whom he has more respect and just flat out likes more than Bill Carmody.

The ceremony will be before the game. The two head coaches will be among those recognized, with Princeton's Mitch Henderson and Cornell's Brian Earl (the 1999 Ivy Player of the Year). The two are very close, but their friendship has to be set aside each time they go head-to-head.

Once the game starts, it will all be about the present. Princeton and Cornell happen to come into this game tied for first in the league at 5-2, followed by 4-3 Dartmouth and Yale, with Penn, Brown and Harvard all at 3-4. The race of the championship and the Ivy League tournament spots is obviously wide-open right now, and every game, every weekend, is huge.

This weekend is a back-to-back weekend in the Ivy League, so the Tigers will host Columbia tomorrow (tip at 6). No matter what happens, the league standings will look much different Sunday than they do now.

Cornell is the league's top offensive team, averaging nearly 10 points more per game than any other team (84.9 points per game; Yale is next at 75.5, with Princeton third at 75.2). Cornell is also eighth in the league scoring defense, allowing 74.2, which means that there are on average nearly 160 points scored in Cornell games this season.

Cornell also plays with great depth. The Big Red have no player in the top eight in the league in scoring, but there are five players in the top 25.

Princeton is third in the league defensively, allowing 66.9 per game. The first meeting between these two, in Ithaca on Jan. 7, was a 75-68 Princeton win; those 68 points were Cornell's second-lowest total of the year, behind only 63 in a 78-63 loss to Syracuse.

It'll be a special night in Jadwin. The pregame event and presence of so many Tiger greats assures that. 

Once the game starts? That should only make it more special.