Scott '87 to lead Tiger hoops

The search for a new men's basketball head coach is over just a day after it began.

The University hired Joe Scott '87, a former assistant coach for the Tigers, from the United States Air Force Academy on Wednesday to take the reigns of its basketball program. Scott will meet his new team for the first time on Friday morning, before a press conference.

Scott replaces John Thompson III '88, who announced his departure for Georgetown on Tuesday.

Players reacted favorably to the decision to hire Scott. Junior forward Andre Logan, whom Scott recruited while here, praised the choice, describing him as a passionate leader and a proud Tiger.

"He's a strong-willed guy who works hard and expects the same kind of effort from his players that he puts into it," Logan said. "That guy loves Princeton. It's nice to have someone from the family.'"

While the swiftness of the process was unexpected, the choice of Scott does not come as a surprise.

This season, his fourth as head coach at Air Force, he became the focus of national attention when — employing the famed "Princeton Offense" — he led the Falcons to a 22-7 record and a top-25 national ranking. By the time Air Force fell in the first round of the NCAA tournament, Scott had become a hot coaching commodity.

Since speculation began a month ago that Thompson would replace former Georgetown head coach Craig Esherick, Scott was rumored to be the top candidate for the Princeton post. After Thompson said he would leave, Princeton athletic department officials asked for and received permission to talk to Scott about filling the newly created vacancy.

Director of Athletics Gary Walters '67 confirmed last night that Scott was his top choice and the only candidate he spoke to. He also noted that Scott did "everything in his power to expedite the process."

Scott met with Air Force senior associate athletic director Mike Saks late Tuesday afternoon to discuss his future and again Wednesday morning, at which time he resigned.

For the New Jersey native, taking the Princeton job is a return to his roots — he played point guard for the Tigers under the legendary Pete Carril. During his college career, he played in three NCAA Tournaments and was named team MVP in 1987.

Scott later served as an assistant coach at Princeton from 1992 to 2000, under Carril and Bill Carmody.

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He accepted the Air Force head spot only months before Carmody departed for Northwestern and Thompson took over the Princeton program. Prior to the moves, Scott had outranked Thompson as Carmody's number-one assistant.

In four years as head coach at Air Force, Scott was 51-63. This season's NCAA tournament appearance and Mountain West Conference title were the Falcons' first in 42 years.

As early as March 18, Scott hinted he would return to Princeton if the chance to do so arose.

"It would be difficult to turn down," Scott told reporters after Air Force's loss in the tournament. "Princeton is and always will be close to my heart."

Ultimately, Scott's connection to Princeton basketball made him the easy pick for the job.

"Very few schools have the opportunity to appoint an alumnus of their University who was recognized as one of the top five coaches in the country this past season," Walters said in a statement. "Joe's appointment also ensures that the unique genealogy of Princeton basketball that stretches back over 70 years will continue."

But Walters was also quick to note that Scott is an innovative coach in his own right.

"We're looking for originality, not imitation," Walters said.

The team received word of the hiring during a Wednesday pickup game at Jadwin Gymnasium. Walters interrupted the scrimmage to break the news and praise Scott's talents.

Scott could not be reached for comment Wednesday night.