Men's basketball failed in its upset bid against Texas in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Was I disappointed? Surely. Was I a little angry? I can't say that I wasn't. Am I still thrilled to be a fan of Princeton basketball? You bet.
Over the course of the season, this team matured and progressed from one with a lot of potential to the dominant team in the Ivy League.
Now that the season is over, it's time to take a look back and see just what made the Tigers so effective. What better way to do that than with end-of-season awards? So, without further ado, the envelope please.
And the award for team MVP goes to . . . Will Venable.
I know Judson Wallace led the team in scoring. I know he scored at least 20 points in five straight league games. I know he scored a career high of 31 points against Holy Cross.
Let me tell you what else I know. Venable led Princeton in four categories: assists (81), steals (43), field goal percentage (.568), and minutes (33.4 per game). The junior guard out of San Rafael, Calif. was also second on the team in rebounding with 4.9 per game, and he was second in scoring.
I also know that Venable's three-point play with less than five seconds left gave Princeton a win at Yale; his layup with seconds remaining against Columbia forced overtime; and he scored 28 points in almost singlehandedly carrying the Tigers to a win at Cornell.
Finally, I know that after Wallace's outside touch abandoned him, it was Venable's ability to drive to the basket and either finish at the rim or find an open teammate that kept the Tigers in first place. Big, early deficits against both Brown and Yale disappeared mainly because Venable became more aggressive. By the way, it was his slashing ability that led to 16 points against Texas on only six shots.
And the award for Rookie of the Year goes to . . . Max Schafer.
Schafer took a lot of abuse early in the season as he struggled to connect from the field. Some Yale fans were especially cruel to the Jersey native.
He doesn't win this award because of his shooting — even though it improved by leaps and bounds. He wins this award because of his defense and ball handling. Schafer was a tenacious on-ball defender.
He also filled in admirably for injured Ed Persia at the end of the season. Schafer's ability to handle the ball gave Scott Greenman more freedom on the offensive end and allowed him to look for his shot more.
And the award for Role Player of the Year goes to . . . Andre Logan.
Every time Logan dove to the floor going after a loose ball, I held my breath as bad memories of two ACL injuries filled my head. Well, Logan made me hold my breath a lot this season because if the Tigers ever needed a hustle play, it was almost always he who delivered.
Before the injuries, Logan was one of the Tigers' goto players on offense. A season and a half later Logan was asked to do more of the little things — and that's exactly what he did.
He finished first on the team in blocked shots and third in rebounding.
Logan picked up his scoring in the latter half of the season after Konrad Wysocki left the team after 10 games.
And the award for Coach of the Year goes to . . . John Thompson '88.
This was a tough one.
While it might seem obvious that Thompson wins this award, being the only nominee, he still deserves the recognition. Thompson faced the burden of being the preseason favorites in the Ivy League as Princeton had its most talented team in years. After the first Penn game, however, it appeared that the Tigers were only the best on paper.
Thompson rallied his troops to the tune of nine straight league wins, though. It wasn't just a matter of motivation, although this may have played a part. JTIII gave Venable and Logan more freedom in the offense, allowing them to take their defenders one-on-one.
Princeton looked to run not only off of turnovers but also off of missed shot attempts. Lastly, Thompson cashed in on all the minutes he gave to his deep freshman class early in the season. Many, myself included, questioned why the likes of Schafer, Harrison Schaen, and Luke Owings were getting so much playing time early in the season when it was clear they looked lost. Obviously Thompson knew what he had on his roster.
Thompson has now guided the Tigers to two NCAA Tournament appearances in four seasons at the helm.
Princeton only graduates Ed Persia from this year's Ivy League title team. The future at Jadwin looks very bright.
Read More
Six for six: men’s and women’s track and field both complete triple crown
Luke StocklessMen’s and women’s track and field each won the Ivy League title this past weekend, capping off a dominant season in which both teams won the triple crown — a feat not seen in 14 years.
Men’s and women’s track and field each won the Ivy League title this past weekend, capping off a dominant season in which both teams won the triple crown — a feat not seen in 14 years.
Nation’s No. 2 miler Mena Scatchard ’25 to transfer to Stanford for graduate year
Luke StocklessThe Tigers’ most decorated distance runner ever has decided to use her final year of eligibility at Stanford after graduating from Princeton this May.
The Tigers’ most decorated distance runner ever has decided to use her final year of eligibility at Stanford after graduating from Princeton this May.
Two-way treats: Shenefelt and Kram do it all for Princeton baseball team
Joseph UglialoroThe baseball team features two players who hit and pitch, a rarity at the college level. Nick Shenefelt and Kaden Kram each took unique paths to playing both ways this season.
The baseball team features two players who hit and pitch, a rarity at the college level. Nick Shenefelt and Kaden Kram each took unique paths to playing both ways this season.