Johnson '97 to Billikens:'How low can you go?'

Last week, the men's basketball team's NCAA record was wiped from the books, as the St. Louis Billikens scored 20 points in a loss to George Washington to break the Tigers' modern Division I record for fewest points scored in a game. Princeton had shared the mark with Georgia Southern since 2005 after it scored 21 points in an outing versus Monmouth.

"This hurts," former head coach Pete Carrill said. "Back in the day, we had records for everything. Now, we can barely hold on to a NCAA record for more than two years."

While Tigers everywhere bemoaned the loss of such a prestigious record, current head coach Sydney Johnson '97 vowed he would reclaim the record and not be outdone by his predecessor.

"I told the guys, before this season is out, we will win that one back," Johnson said at a recent press conference.

Johnson and the current team warmed up for the national challenge by setting a record last week for the longest losing streak in school history.

"I'm proud of the guys," Johnson said of the school record 10-game losing streak. "But we can do better. We have the potential to make waves on a bigger stage."

Current assistant coach Scott Greenman '06 was a member of the team that set the original record under former head coach Joe Scott '87.

"The toughest thing to chew is that the record is now held by the Billikens," Greenman said. "Can someone please tell me what a Billiken is?"

Scott, reached at his home in Denver, was nostalgic about the record-breaking game against Monmouth.

"We just played Princeton basketball in that game," he said. "It was a beautiful thing."

After that game, the next season was rough for Scott, who simply felt he could not live up to the accomplishment of the year before.

"It was tough. I mean after setting a national record, there's just nowhere to go but down," Scott said. "Honestly, it was one of the biggest reasons I felt I had to leave. I just needed a new start somewhere where I didn't feel the pressure of that NCAA record."

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Scott left big shoes, but Johnson is determined to fill them.

"We feel good about the team we have. Getting that school record was a step in the right direction," Johnson said. "I'm confident I can get us in a position to successfully reclaim that record."