Men's Basketball: Refreshed roster expecting better

The 109th season of Princeton men’s basketball and the second in the tenure of head coach Sydney Johnson ’97 sits two days away.

Johnson’s first year at the helm of the program for which he starred a little more than a decade ago could be termed as somewhat of a disappointment. With an overall record of 6-23, including a 3-11 mark in the Ivy League, Princeton basketball seemed to have lost some of the spark that had defined the program since its inception more than a century ago.

A new team and a fresh perspective

As the Tiger faithful holds its breath in anticipation of the new season and the turnaround that is expected with it, Johnson has something else in mind.

“We don’t view it as a turnaround at all,” he said. “I mean that not to be cute about it, but we have an entirely different team. Last year, 90 percent of the guys that played were returning players. This year, we don’t have that at all. This team is completely different, and we will certainly be looking for different results for this team as well. We’ve been working very hard and very intently to make that happen.”

This year’s team bears little resemblance to last year’s squad. The previous 17-man roster has shrunk to 14. Five seniors graduated last spring, including co-captains and forwards Kyle Koncz ’08 and Noah Savage ’08, two of the Tigers’ top three scorers last season.

The Tigers also lost three players for personal reasons. Most prominently, the backcourt will feel the absence of junior guard Lincoln Gunn, who started 23 games for the Tigers last year, placing fourth on the team in scoring and second in minutes played.

“Lincoln came to a decision; he came to me and talked through his decision. I respect how he handled it, and I support him 100 percent,” Johnson said. “In terms of details, that’s really a personal decision.”

Senior forward Alex Okafor and junior forward Chris Petrie also left the team.

Gunn’s high school teammate, junior guard Marcus Schroeder, is the only returning player in the backcourt to have seen significant game time prior to this season.

Guard Jason Briggs and forward Mike Strittmatter will be the lone seniors on this year’s roster and will assume key roles for this young Princeton squad. Briggs and junior guard Nick Lake will serve as co-captains.

The man in the middle

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Despite losing potent offensive weapons and a multitude of experience to graduation, the Tigers retain the services of junior center Zach Finley, who led the team last year with 10.2 points per outing. Finley is a strong presence in the low post, tallying 28 blocks last season.

“One thing I would say about this year is that it is a new team. We have some guys coming back that have played in the past, but for the most part, it will be a new core group of guys, so it is difficult to know exactly what to expect,” Finley said. “We’ve made a lot of progress since we all got back on campus this fall, and I think this team has talented players and provides a lot of room for improvement, which is something to be excited about. I know all of us are really excited to get things going as we kick off a new season on Friday.”

Finley’s presence is especially important because the Princeton offense relies on having a big man in the middle who is capable of both scoring and routing passes effectively to his teammates on the perimeter. Having a reliable scorer in the paint opens up driving lanes for the team’s forwards and gives the Tiger guards a better chance of finding open three-point shots.

Considering Princeton’s recent reliance on shooting effectively behind the arc, drawing the defense into the middle is essential.

Keeping cool away from home

If the Tigers are to have any success this season, one key factor will be winning on the road. The team lost all 16 games it played away from Jadwin Gymnasium last season, including three contests held at neutral sites.

“There were a few games where we were leading down the stretch and didn’t close out. There were games we were behind a bucket here and there, and we just weren’t able to make that last shot,” Johnson said. “Overall, we just have to keep it simple. Winning is a pretty simple formula, and we just need to follow it through. The same things that allow us to win on the court at home will also allow us to win on the road.”

With a smaller roster and a predominance of underclassmen, high expectations are in place for this year’s freshman class. Guards Max Huc, Doug Davis and John Comfort and forwards Patrick Saunders and Zane Ma will play important roles in restoring the program to its former prominence.

“We have five very good freshmen, and I think all of them will make some type of impact right away,” Schroeder said. “They all bring something different to our team and will help us tremendously.”

“One thing we have is youthful exuberance,” Johnson said. “We have some depth at the perimeter positions, and we feel like we’ll be able to shoot the ball slightly better than last year. I’m not giving away any secret by saying that we’re not a big, strong, imposing team. Quite frankly, I don’t think we’ll ever be. That’s just not the style we shoot for.”

“We won’t exactly be playing smashmouth basketball, but at times we’ll have to face teams that do play that kind of a game,” Johnson added.

The Tigers will have to take advantage of their strong points to fill in its win column this season. Even with Finley in the paint, it is unlikely that the Tigers will rely on hard, physical basketball on the low blocks to pull out victories.

The storied Princeton basketball program has 25 Ivy League titles under its belt, but it has been four years since the team added to their banner collection in Jadwin. The Tigers have a long road ahead of them if they are to bring number 26 back to Princeton. The first test for this young team comes at home this Friday against Central Michigan.

“The team is looking good for our first game against Central Michigan,” Schroeder noted. “We’ve had a solid preseason, and, with a few more days to prepare, we’ll be ready to play great against them.”