Basketball coach Scott '87 resigns

Joe Scott '87 has unexpectedly stepped down as head coach of the men's basketball team following a 2-12 Ivy League season that represented a low point in the storied history of the program. He will take over as head coach at the University of Denver.

Scott, who had been facing harsh criticism following the rockiest campaign of his disappointing three-year tenure, will be named to his new position at a Wednesday press conference, ESPN.com reported.

"It's me feeling professionally and personally that this is a good opportunity,'' Scott told ESPN.com. "I love Princeton basketball. When I looked at everything, it was the right thing. It's more about that than leaving my alma mater."

After turning once-moribund Air Force into an NCAA Tournament team over his four seasons with the program, Scott was heralded before the start of the 2004-05 season as a potentially stellar successor to John Thompson III '88.

The Tigers stumbled to a 6-8 conference record in Scott's debut season, however — the first losing Ivy record in program history and an immeasurable disappointment for a team with lofty postseason aspirations.

Over his three seasons, Scott compiled an overall record of 38-45, highlighted by a 10-4 second-place league finish in the 2005-06 season, and an encouraging 9-4 non-conference start this year. Ultimately, though, Scott's legacy will be defined by unprecedented losing, the prolonged offensive lapses that Princeton often suffered under his command, and a coaching style that many perceived as over-the-top and distressing to players.

Scott's departure comes after weeks of cries on the part of students and alumni for the coach to be stripped of his duties.

Will Scharf '08, who is a member of a facebook.com group calling for Scott's resignation and says he has been an avid Princeton basketball fan from a young age, said the blame for this year's "abysmal" season could only fall in one place.

"You can only blame players or a system so much," Scharf said in an e-mail last week. "At the end of the day, Princeton should not be going 2-12 in the Ivy League ... There's nothing wrong with the talent of our players."

"If Joe Scott has any decency and respect for Princeton basketball, he'll resign," Scharf added. "If Princeton has any sense, Scott will be fired."

In a March 16 article in The Daily Princetonian, however, players voiced support for Scott and placed the majority of the blame on themselves.

"Coaches don't win games, they put you in position to win games; players have to win games," junior forward Kyle Koncz said. "We were on the court, and we didn't win the games. So if you're going to blame coach, you have to blame us just as much, if not more, because we were in every game."

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Koncz and his teammates will now have to adjust to the style of a new head coach, who will in all likelihood be drawn from the extensive Princeton coaching network. Current Tiger assistants Mike Brennan '94 and Tony Newsom will figure among potential candidates, as speculation as to Scott's replacement is sure to run rampant over the coming weeks.

Director of Athletics Gary Walters '67 must now balance the beginnings of a coaching search with his current workload as chair of the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee.

Scott, meanwhile, takes over a Denver program that finished with a last-place, 3-15 record in the West Division of the Sun Belt Conference this season, and a 4-25 record overall. Former Pioneer head coach Terry Carroll was fired after six seasons.

"It's a great opportunity here," Scott told ESPN.com. "It's a really good opportunity professionally. There's a commitment here. I think it's a good place and a good fit. The school and myself are a good fit. Obviously they feel the same way."