Men's Basketball: New star takes over backcourt

The five-foot, 11-inch freshman phenom took over for the Tigers in his first collegiate basketball game and almost gave Princeton the game. Davis’ 25 points, four rebounds and four steals, however, left Princeton (0-1 overall) just a little bit short, as it fell to Central Michigan (1-0), 55-53.

“Friday night’s loss, just like any loss, is very disappointing,” junior center Zach Finley said. “I felt like we competed hard, which was good to see, but we still didn’t do all the things we needed to win, and there’s a lot of room for improvement.”

With the Tigers down 52-47 with 58 seconds left in the game, Davis took matters into his own hands.

A quick penetration layup brought the Tigers within three. On the ensuing possession, sophomore guard Dan Mavraides stole the ball, leading to a Princeton three-on-one fast break. Davis led the trio down the court, faked a bounce pass and, spinning in midair, laid the ball in right -handed off the left side of the glass. With 17 seconds left in the game, the Tigers were forced to foul. Central Michigan made both free throws, bringing the lead back to three. Davis took the quick inbounds pass and flew up the court, stopping and popping on what many fans thought was a three-point jumper with eight seconds left in regulation. Unfortunately for the Tigers, his foot had caught the line, leaving Princeton trailing, 54-53.

The Tigers immediately fouled on the inbounds play. The Chippewas’ point guard, Robbie Harman, converted on one of the two free throws, but Princeton had the ball stolen in the final seconds of the game, leaving a hopeful and expectant crowd standing silent on its feet in Jadwin.

“Obviously, it’s very frustrating and disappointing to lose,” senior guard and co-captain Jason Briggs said. “However, it’s early in the season, and hopefully this game will serve as a learning tool.”

Davis scored six points in the final 49 seconds and finished the night with a new record for a Princeton freshman playing in his first game. He played every minute of the game. Fellow freshman forward Patrick Saunders was second on the team in minutes played. Saunders posted four points, three boards, two blocks and a steal in his 33 minutes on the floor.

Juniors Marcus Schroeder and Finley, the only current Tigers to have started more than four games last season, did not start against Central Michigan. Finley came in with 11:40 left in the first half. Schroeder didn’t make his entrance until well into the second period.

Finley played with a cast on his left hand from an injury incurred earlier in the year. Despite being hampered physically, Finley finished with nine points, eight rebounds and two blocked shots.

“As far as the hand, I broke it about three weeks ago, and they say it takes about four-six weeks to heal,” Finley said. “So, I’ll probably have to keep it taped up for the next couple weeks or so.”

The Princeton basketball of old — constant motion, backdoor screens and layups, defeating opponents by wearing them down and catching them off guard — seems to have disappeared. In its place is a more modern, conventional form of basketball. Penetration and kick out, stop and pop, pick and roll — elements of fast-paced roundball appeared in Princeton’s repertoire. The players and coaches have keyed in on the differences between this particular squad and previous Princeton teams. Speed and flash seem to have returned to Princeton basketball, not to mention the ability to put more points on the board.

“I think our team this year is more dynamic,” Schroeder said. “We can score in a lot of different ways, and that will help us as the season goes on.”

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Despite the positive signs from Friday’s opener, there remain many weaknesses that require work. Numerous players pointed to defensive lapses and failure to take care of the ball as crucial contributors to the loss. The Tigers committed 21 turnovers Friday night, many of which came on long, errant crosscourt passes.

“We have a lot to work on. We turned the ball over, lost track of guys on defense and didn’t rebound well,” Briggs said.

The Chippewas’ poor shooting performance helped the Tigers stay in the game down the stretch. Central Michigan was only 10 of 18 from the line and had a higher three-point percentage than total field-goal percentage. Had it not been for the hot hand of forward Chris Kellerman, who scored 28 points and pulled down 13 rebounds, it is likely that the Tigers would have pulled out a win in its season opener for the second consecutive year.

Princeton will look for its first win of the season Wednesday night when it takes on Maine at home.