Super Savage and Killer Koncz

Senior forwards Kyle Koncz and Noah Savage have been around long enough to have known three coaches — a testament to the trying times that Princeton basketball has endured in recent years. Recruited by former head coach John Thompson III '88, the two teammates played their first three years under former head coach Joe Scott '87.

Savage immediately assumed a prominent role for the Tigers and started almost every game during his freshman and sophomore seasons.

Last year, however, Savage saw his minutes cut in favor of Koncz. To some, the sudden drop-off in his minutes — he played less than 14 minutes per game in 2006-07 — provided ample evidence that he had somehow earned a place in Scott's doghouse.

Savage rejected any negative characterization of his relationship with his former coach. Instead, he struck an optimistic note about the future.

"I can't really comment about that," Savage said. "If you look at my minutes, I started every game of my career until last year. Hopefully, I'll have a bigger role this year." Koncz echoed his classmate's sentiments, though he understood how such a perception could have developed.

"I can see why people would think that," Koncz said. "[But] Noah wasn't any different last year."

The two seniors also agreed on other important issues, chief among them their excitement about the upcoming season and their happiness with novice head coach Sydney Johnson '97 based on their practices this fall.

"He's a great coach," Koncz said. "He's a guy who knows what we should do and has respect for us."

When asked to characterize his coach, Savage cited Johnson's playing experience — a three-time team captain and two-time first-team All-Ivy selection, Johnson also won the Ivy League Player of the Year award in 1997 — as one of his greatest strengths, along with his competitive nature and his knowledge of the program.

"He lives up to his reputation," Savage said. "He's a tough guy ... [who] knows basketball, knows how to play and has that fire in his eyes. He wants to win."

The transition between Scott and Johnson has been relatively easy for Savage and Koncz, particularly because Johnson never truly left Princeton.

"Princeton basketball is a tight family," Savage said. "[Coach Johnson's] been following what's been going on here, and he was familiar with everybody."

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In addition to having maintained ties to the program, Johnson preaches the same basic philosophy as previous Princeton coaches.

After all, he learned from two when he was in a Tiger uniform, playing under Pete Carril and Bill Carmody, and he coached under another when he worked last season at Georgetown for Thompson. Unsurprisingly, Johnson runs the Princeton Offense, albeit with plenty of his own wrinkles.

It seems as if he will need them. Last season, the Tigers scored an Ivy-worst 50.4 points per game. Too often, the team seemed content with settling for perimeter jump shots and failed to play inside with any consistency.

Both Savage and Koncz stressed that the offense will not change entirely. Princeton will still take plenty of three-point shots in its half-court set.

Savage and Koncz are the team's best weapons in this department, as both start the year in Princeton's top 15 all-time in career three-pointers. Both players also mentioned, however, that the team will try to be more aggressive this year.

"We'll try to push the ball a little bit more," Koncz said.

Savage concurred, drawing a parallel between Johnson's offensive philosophy and that of the school he left.

"If you look at the way Georgetown plays, they look for early offense inside," Savage said. "They know how to manage the game and take good shots."

One big difference for the Tigers' offense this season will be that Savage and Koncz will no longer eat into each other's minutes.

Johnson plans to have both players on the court together.

The two forwards' styles should mesh well. Koncz is an excellent defender and arguably the team's best spot-up shooter — last season, he hit 39 percent of his team-leading 132 three-point field-goal attempts.

Savage also features a strong perimeter game — he shot 33 percent from downtown — but his superior strength gives him the ability to get inside and post up as well.

The spirit of optimism infusing Princeton basketball this season has certainly touched the two senior leaders, though neither elected to give a bold prediction about where the Tigers would finish in the Ancient Eight this season.

"I'll let my game do the talking," Savage said, before quickly revising his statement. "I'll let our game as a team do the talking."

And as for the doghouse? Savage no longer has to worry about that, if he ever did. There's a new kennel master in town.