The aftermath: M. hoops fans left to assess the damage

As the 1997-98 season drew to a close, and the men's basketball team put the finishing touches on a 27-2 season, nobody had any delusions around here. This was a once-in-a-lifetime team, the likes of which we wouldn't see again for a long time.

But even as the program came down to Earth, there was the sense that standards had been raised. In a pair of "down" seasons, the Tigers still made the NIT and in 1998, advanced to the quarterfinals of that tournament. And Princeton's recruiting remained strong enough to lure Spencer Gloger away from UCLA in 1999.

The Tigers weren't quite at the level of the top major-conference schools, but the feeling was that they had certainly caught up to the more mediocre schools in the ACC, Big Ten and Big East — the Florida States of the world. And that's what should make the news of coach Bill Carmody's departure to Northwestern so puzzling for Princeton fans.

Hiring John Thompson III '88 to replace Carmody was the right move for Princeton. When hiring a new coach at this stage in the offseason, the interests of the players should really be the only factor considered. If Princeton wants to have any shot at an Ivy title this season the Tigers will have to rally around their new coach, big time. By all accounts, the Tigers are happy to have a familiar face to lead them and are confident in Thompson's knowledge of the system.

And if there's a silver lining in Carmody's departure, it's that it overshadowed Chris Young's decision to sign with the Pittsburgh Pirates. That's good, because there's no sense in overanalyzing Young's choice.

When college athletes turn pro before graduating, they're often criticized for setting aside their educations prematurely. Young on the other hand, is still right here on campus, working toward his degree.

Young was a fine basketball player, but his best chance of making the big leagues rested in his right arm, not his hook shot. Furthermore, his stock wasn't going to increase. Last year, he posted a 1.82 E.R.A. Then, he no-hit Houston into the fifth inning during the NCAA tournament and pitched brilliantly in the extremely competitive Cape Cod League over the summer. What was he supposed to do this year? Not give up a run all season?

Having inked a contract with Pittsburgh that includes a $1.65 million signing bonus, Young is essentially in a no-lose situation. He'll have his education, as well as the support of a baseball organization that has a lot invested in his development. Someday, Young will look back on this decision and, odds are, he'll have no regrets.

But still, while Tiger fans should be happy for Young, it could take considerably longer to come to grips with Carmody's decision and what it might say about the state of Princeton basketball.

It would be so much simpler if we could just chalk this up to disloyalty on Carmody's part. The timing of the coach's departure left Princeton with almost no time to get up off the mat before the season starts.

But still, nobody can deny that Carmody has paid his dues here. In addition to his four years as head coach, he sat beside Pete Carril as an assistant for 14 more. By all indications, it seemed Carmody would leave Princeton only if he had a chance to move up to a considerably more prominent program.

Now, he's at Northwestern. It was no surprise to see Carmody interviewing for the highly sought-after Notre Dame job in 1999. But now, Tiger fans across the country are wondering the same thing: Northwestern?

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When you look at Northwestern's basketball program, there's a pretty strong overarching theme: The number zero — as in zero NCAA tournament appearances in the program's history and zero victories in Big Ten competition last season.

Northwestern gives scholarships, but so does every other school in the Big Ten. It's entirely possible that Carmody will have a more difficult time recruiting there than he did here.

Expectations should be comfortably low up in Chicago, but there will still be pressure to produce. The Chicago Tribune's Skip Bayless has already written off Carmody, without bothering to watch him coach even one Big Ten game.

A couple of Northwestern players were also quoted in the Tribune, expressing apprehension about the possibility of running a Princeton-style offense. After a meeting with Carmody to watch tapes of Princeton games, the Wildcats' Tavaras Hardy was reassured, telling the Tribune: "I think he'll find something to fit us. I don't think we'll be Princeton."

You gotta love it. Returning players from a team that went 5-25 last year speaking condescendingly about the way other schools play offense.

The thinking here is that Carmody will do just fine at Northwestern. It wouldn't surprise me in the least to see him succeed. But will he succeed any more than he would have had he stayed at Princeton? That's more of a 50-50 proposition.

Games are won and lost on the court, but reputation and the perceived stability of the program are important, too. It's no coincidence that the Tigers won some highly publicized recruiting battles shortly after the '97-98 team's surge into the Top Ten.

Three weeks ago, the idea that Northwestern was anywhere near Princeton's level on the college hoops totem pole would have been an insult to the Tiger program. But now, in the wake of Carmody's departure, is it time to rethink that point of view?

Maybe we shouldn't read that much into Carmody's decision. It's possible that money was an issue, on some level. Or maybe Carmody just felt it was time to take a risk at this stage in his career. Bill Parcells has made a career out of leaving winning teams to rescue franchises in distress, and perhaps that's what's happening here.

Carmody enabled the Tigers to flourish following Carril's retirement, but he hasn't ever had to build his own program. It would be understandable if he chose to leave to pursue that opportunity. Being in a strong conference is no guarantee of success, but winning in the Big Ten — if you can pull it off — is far more rewarding than winning in the Ivy League.

So did Carmody leave for Northwestern because the grass is greener up in Evanston, Ill.? Or did he leave because he intends to make the grass greener? The distinction is a crucial one.

Throughout most of his first press conference, Carmody listed the many attributes that made Northwestern such an attractive spot for him. Much to the relief of Princeton fans, however, he didn't totally ignore his former program.

He talked about Princeton's tradition of hard work and commitment to success, and how he hoped to take these traits to Northwestern "to develop some kind of tradition."

After all that has occurred over the past two weeks, Tiger fans must cling to that quote. Because if Carmody's departure was an issue of comfort instead of ambition, it means that even after all we've seen the Tigers accomplish recently, Princeton still hasn't risen above the level of a bottom-of-the-barrel scholarship school.

And that, for Tiger fans, might be even harder to come to grips with than losing their coach and best player 10 weeks before the season-opener.