Schafer taking time off from team, will not dress tonight

Junior point guard Max Schafer will not dress for tonight's men's basketball game against Temple after missing practice Sunday and Monday, Schafer told the Daily Princetonian last night.

Schafer said he is taking a "few days" off from the team "to sort out personal issues," declining to elaborate on his reasons for his decision.

"I don't understand where I stand with the basketball program right now," he said. "I have a lot to figure out."

This is not the first time this season Schafer's status with the team has been uncertain.

Head coach Joe Scott '87 told Schafer that he was no longer a member of the team on Oct. 17, after the Tigers' fourth practice of the year, but Schafer was reinstated the following day, players told the 'Prince' at the time.

Schafer declined to comment on any "confidential" conversations he had with Scott at that time.

This time, however, Schafer said the decision to take time away from the team was entirely his own.

"The coaches have been very supportive," he said. "Coach Scott told me to take time to figure out what I need to figure out."

Scott could not be reached for comment.

Schafer has played in three of the Tigers' four games this season, scoring six total points and seeing varied playing time off the bench.

He played two minutes in Princeton's season-opening loss to Drexel, 22 in the Tigers' victory over Lehigh and 14 in Princeton's loss to Lafayette. He did not play at all in the Tigers' most recent game, a 62-39 loss to Colgate on Saturday in Hamilton, NY.

After starting the final six games of his freshman season, including Princeton's 2004 NCAA tournament first round loss to Texas, Schafer played in 25 contests off the bench as a sophomore.