No more excuses: Tigers' time is now

This year, the women's basketball program is completely unified in both its composition and its focus for the first time in over three years.

With the preseason poll ranking Princeton third in the Ivy League, behind first-place Dartmouth and second-place Harvard, the players have but one aspiration — a league title.

"From the first person to the trainers to the managers, I feel like we all have one goal, which is to win Ivies," sophomore center Ariel Rogers said. "It makes this year so much fun just to have that kind of energy in practice."

Such a lofty goal would have been ridiculed four years ago, when head coach Richard Barron inherited a struggling team with an abysmal 2-25 record in its 2000-01 season.

But now, with four recruited classes of his own and 11 returning players this season, Barron has built a competitive program whose team unity will make it a formidable force in the Ivies.

"I think my freshman year and even sophomore year too, there was kind of a little bit of divide between the mentality of the players on the team," senior captain Katy O'Brien said. "You could actually see a difference in the girls that Coach Barron had brought and the girls that had been here for years past. This year we have a more cohesive goal and work ethic."

Every class will be represented in Barron's starting five, which will feature senior center Becky Brown, who ranks 10th all-time on the women's basketball scoring list entering this season. Complementing Brown in the paint is returning starter and sophomore forward Meagan Cowher, who was out for much of last year's Ivy League season due to a broken foot. On the wing, junior captain and forward Casey Lockwood finally returns to the roster at full strength after recovering from a torn ACL from her freshman season.

In the frontcourt, O'Brien will step into the two-spot instead of her position last season, point guard. Directing the offense at point will be freshman Jessica Berry, who shows great promise as "an impact player but someone who still has a lot to learn," Barron said.

While these five players may swish in the bulk of the points for the Tigers this season, the true strength of the team lies in its depth off the bench. Princeton can look to the reserves for help at every position, including junior Elyse Umeda, a speedy and energetic replacement for Berry at point guard. Barron also looks to the bench players for team leadership, ranging from Rogers' emotional guidance to junior guard Lillie Romeiser's dedicated work ethic.

After a successful summer training trip to Europe and hard work in the off-season that focused on honing the fundamentals, all the players have made marked improvements in their skills. The Tigers have also changed their offense from a traditional to a more simplified version.

"We kind of got away from the classical Princeton offense," Cowher said. "We're sticking to more a basic offense which allows for each player to add their own skills."

The Tigers' offensive power will undeniably center on their post play, led by Brown inside. With the addition of Berry to the shooting arsenal, however, Princeton will also boast a strong outside threat.

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Despite positive changes, Barron notes that the Tigers' two main areas in need of improvement are on defense and on the boards, as evidenced by their recent scrimmage against Delaware.

Yet even with a lot of work in front of it, the Princeton squad seems eager to improve its play and adapt to new strategies this season, especially with the five new players on the team.

"We're clicking a lot faster than we did last year," Cowher said.

Added to this strong team chemistry is an unwavering confidence in the team's chances to produce consistent, winning performances.

"Not only have we improved just with our skills [and] our game plan, I think our confidence has improved a lot, and that's a major part of basketball," Rogers said. "Our coach is always saying that this is a game of runs. I feel like if you don't have the confidence to go out and play another team as if you have the upper hand, you can't compete."

The biggest challenge for the Tigers, however, will be maintaining this confidence throughout the season. Princeton found itself on the losing end of many close games last season, and a determined attitude will be essential when facing all opponents — from Dartmouth to non-conference squads.

"We have to make sure that we take care of every game," Barron said. "Part of us being a young team [is that] we haven't necessarily gotten excited to play each game."

So though the Tigers may not be the current league favorite, they will look to start the season off strong. A win over St. Joseph's, a team that Princeton has not played in 22 years, would give the Tigers a much-needed boost of confidence.

Barron has done his part in recruiting the talent. The players must now turn that talent and team chemistry into tangible results.