Friday night, on the side court next to the storied main floor of Jadwin Gymnasium, the sports staffs of the two titans of Princeton media — The Daily Princetonian and WPRB — waged their annual blood feud of a battle in the 2005 Matt Oxman '01 Classic.
Proving that the good guys never win, the loudmouth shock-rockers of WPRB jumped to an early lead and breezed to a 64-49 victory over the oft-frazzled, yet still eloquent, scribes of the 'Prince.'
Despite having claimed victory last year, the 'Prince' entered the game as the substantial underdog, and with good reason, after the Benedict Arnold-esque off-season defection of sophomore center Meka Asonye from the 'Prince' to WPRB. Making matters worse, the scribes were also without two of their senior stalwarts, Zack Faigen and Adam Farren, who brazenly skipped the game in order to drink mint juleps at the Kentucky Derby.
The 'Prince' was also without the services of senior Anuj Basil, who missed the game for unknown reasons, but that was probably to its advantage.
As predicted, Asonye proved to be the difference-maker, dominating the paint with his strength and size. After winning the opening tip, Asonye immediately bulled his way to a bucket on the ensuing possession, giving WPRB a lead it would never relinquish.
By the end of the first five minutes of play, the broadcasters had opened a double-digit lead. From there, WPRB never looked back, outshooting, outrebounding, outrunning and thoroughly outplaying the 'Prince.'
Loudmouths
It was not Asonye alone who led WPRB to victory, though. Sophomore point guard Freddie "Why Won't Anyone Cover My Dodgeball Tournament?" Flaxman proved deadly from long range, while triggering a secondary break that would have made Roy Williams proud on several occasions.
The loudmouths also received strong contributions from their five seniors. Always courteous power forward Rob Anderson provided vocal support throughout the contest, while shooting guard Chris "Captain" Kirk was deadly from long range as usual. Point guard Brett Scharschmidt lived up to his billing as the "most underrated player at Princeton," while forward Ben Klaber contributed several garbage time buckets after showing up an hour late. Finally, swingman Jeff "Bulldog" Bullian played scrappy defense and chipped in several nifty assists.
"I just wish Anuj had been here to see me dominate," Bullian said.
Also contributing valuable minutes were sophomore guard John Boscia, who adeptly nodded his head at Flaxman's incessant trash talking, and junior team captain Grant Edwards, who excelled at the difficult task of managing his team members' enormous egos.
"I'm not sure why, but my guys just wouldn't shut up," Edwards said. "I guess they wanted to take advantage of the large audience — they're used to having no one listen to their ranting."
Tenacious
The future Pulitzer Prize winners of the 'Prince,' however, demonstrated their trademark pluckiness and would not go gentle into that good night. Playing in his fourth and final Oxman Classic, senior shooting guard Thad "Tenacious D" Hartmann played his trademark tenacious defense, hitting the floor for loose balls on multiple occasions.
"I play tenacious defense," Hartmann said.
Meanwhile, fellow senior Zack "Big Sexy" Pierce carried the scoring load for the 'Prince' in the early going. For the fourth straight year, Pierce, a member of both the 'Prince' and WPRB, was forced to choose a side to live and die with, and for the fourth straight year, he wisely picked the Prince over the dark side.
"I'm not obnoxiously loud and ridiculously egotistical," he explained, "so I fit in much better at the 'Prince.' "
The performance of the writers' underclassmen bodes well for their future. Sophomores Dustin "Oscar" Meyer and Tyler "Snow Bunnies" Woulfe fearlessly battled in the paint all night, while freshmen Jeff Bernstein, Mike Gallo and Adam Hickle drilled shots from the perimeter.
Junior team captain David Baumgarten contributed a working stopwatch and little else.
Despite the loss, the 'Prince' still leads the all-time series, 83-5.
Read More
Preview: No. 3 men’s lacrosse plays No. 5 Syracuse in NCAA quarterfinals
Hayk YengibaryanShould the Tigers beat the Orange, they will advance to the Final Four for the first time since 2022 as they look to win their first national championship since 2001.
Should the Tigers beat the Orange, they will advance to the Final Four for the first time since 2022 as they look to win their first national championship since 2001.
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.