As you probably recall, one of TigerBlog's favorite stories about former Princeton head men's basketball coach Bill Carmody is the time that he was talking to the media after a game far from Jadwin Gym and was asked about how even his center shot three-pointers.
"In our program, everyone shoots the three," he said. Then, pointing to TB, he said "even our SID can make one."
Oh, how the times have changed. Witness this picture:
If ever there was a metaphor for the evolution of Princeton men's basketball, it's that picture. Even the SID can dunk now.
For those who have been paying attention, you know that the Princeton men's basketball team that heads to the Sweet 16 to take on Creighton Friday night at 9 in Louisville plays a much different way than the Tigers of the past. If you're one of those people, then you're also probably in the minority.
TB was watching "Pardon the Interruption" Monday to hear what they would have to say about Princeton's sweep of Arizona and Missouri in the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament. Tony Kornheiser went first and spoke about how "Princeton knows who it is" and "Princeton knows its limitations."
All TB could do was shake his head. Then it was Michael Wilbon's turn. He got it right. "I watched them. I saw guys dunking. I saw guys getting offensive rebounds."
Yes, he did. It's partly because of how the game has changed and partly because so much of the basketball world adopted the principles of the "Princeton Offense" after the success of the 1990s.
Mostly, though, it's because of Mitch Henderson's desire to get his team to where it is this week. Actually, it's his desire to get to this point and then to have it not be a once-in-a-lifetime event.
To do so, he's built a team that is athletic, physical and fast-paced. Princeton had its highest-scoring team ever a year ago, averaging 79.8 points per game. This year's team is just under 76.
The team that beat UCLA with Henderson as its point guard in 1996? That team averaged 59.1 points per game. The team two years later that reached the top 10 of the national rankings? That team averaged 66.5.
The 1998 team was 306th in Division I in rebounding, averaging 26.6 per game. This year's team ranks ninth, with 39.42 per game.
This hasn't happened accidentally. It's the vision that Henderson and his staff have had.
At the same time, Henderson has not abandoned the intangibles that have always made Princeton special. It's a team that greatly values its history, its alums, its legacy in the sport.
If you ask TigerBlog, this the by-product of the coaching legacy that he referenced yesterday, how Princeton's men's basketball history is sort of like an ancestry.com account. Can any other program trace its lineage the way Princeton can, going back decades and having its never-broken chain?
Gary Walters has been a huge part of that chain as a player, assistant coach and Director of Athletics. In fact, he was a huge part of it before he even realized it, as he played for Pete Carril at Reading High School before either came to Princeton.
When Gary would be asked about the lineage, he would speak in biblical terms, saying one "begat" the next, who "begat" the next, and so on.
Back at the start of the 1989-90 season, after Princeton had nearly beaten mighty Georgetown in the NCAA tournament to end the previous season, fans would flock to see the unique group who had almost pulled off the miracle. TB used to compare the Tigers to the Harlem Globetrotters. They were almost a novelty as much as a basketball team to the outside world.
Almost all of what casual fans know about Princeton men's basketball was cemented back then. If they haven't been watching, they haven't seen how differently the team plays now.
Ask Arizona and Missouri. They can vouch for what the modern Tigers are all about.
It's why they're one of 16 teams who are still playing.
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