Men's Basketball: Keeping the legacy humming

Freshman forward Ian Hummer is no stranger to Princeton basketball. His father, Edward Hummer ’67, played three seasons on the men’s basketball team, as did his uncle, John Hummer ’70. The Hummer family represented the Tigers well: Edward ranks 10th in program history with 550 career rebounds, while John’s 15.4 points per game place him seventh.

And by the time his four years are over, Ian may add a second generation of the Hummer family to the Princeton leaderboards.

“Just to keep the tradition going is special for me,” Hummer said. “Playing on the same courts they played on is pretty special. I came to Princeton many times, for Reunions and whatnot, and I saw a lot of the school and just fell in love with it.”

Hummer knew that he would have to fight for playing time when he joined a team that returned all five starters this season. But the freshman has adapted to his role on the bench and is averaging 7.1 points per game, third highest on the team. Hummer’s play is a large part of the reason that the Tigers are 15-6 and just half a game behind first-place Cornell in the Ivy League standings.

“[Playing right away] has been a pretty big deal for me, because I just wanted [to] come in as a freshman and do whatever possible,” Hummer said. “Whether it be offensively or defensively, I’m glad I can be a big part of the team.”

The freshman has already gained some recognition for his exploits on the court, earning Ivy League Rookie of the Week honors twice this season. Hummer received the title after dropping a season-high 17 points on UNC Greensboro in just 12 minutes in December, and again after scoring 18 points to help the Tigers defeat Brown and Yale in their first weekend of league play. He also scored 13 points against California, the current Pac-10 Conference leader, and ranks fifth among Ivy League freshmen in scoring.

Hummer has played an increasingly large part in the Tigers’ recent success. Hummer played a season-high 35 minutes against Columbia last Friday, providing 11 points and a team-best nine rebounds to help Princeton erase a halftime deficit and remain undefeated in the league. At Penn on Tuesday, Hummer grabbed five offensive rebounds and added 14 points, including a key putback late in the second half that sparked a 7-1 game-clinching run.

“I’d say my post presence — muscling guys down and rebounding — is my biggest strength right now,” Hummer said. “I try to go out and play within myself all the time. If my shots aren’t falling, I want to stop a player. If I have an advantage on the offensive end, I want to take advantage of that.”

Hummer’s per-game scoring average actually understates the role he plays in Princeton’s offense. The Tigers play at a deliberately slow pace — only three Division I teams average fewer possessions per game than the Tigers — and Hummer’s role as a sixth man has limited him to just under 20 minutes per game. On the court, Hummer has used 24.2 percent of his team’s offensive possessions through Sunday, nearly tied with sophomore guard Doug Davis for the highest mark on the team.

Hummer has also been very effective with those possessions. Though he has yet to attempt a three-pointer, he has produced in other areas, ranking third on the team in field-goal percentage and second in free-throw attempts. One of Hummer’s most impressive attributes is his passing ability: He ranks third on the team in assists per minute, a rarity for a 6-foot-7-inch forward. This versatility gives head coach Sydney Johnson ’97 a lot of flexibility to draw up plays involving Hummer.

“We definitely want good passers, because it allows our way of playing to work better,” Johnson said. “We like to use mismatches, like all of our players to be able to score, so if we have good passers, guys who can play well together, [it] certainly gives [our offense] a bit of a flow. It also shows that he’s willing to [pass], which is good. We want unselfish players on our team.”

“[Hummer] really helps our dynamic in the post,” senior forward and co-captain Nick Lake noted. “We can have him down there with one of our centers or forwards, and we can go to him, knowing he’s going to make the right decision. He will either take the shot himself if he’s open, or, if not, he’s going to find someone else and get them a layup.”

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Hummer attended Gonzaga College High School in Washington, D.C., and was rated the No. 62 small forward of his class nationally by ESPN’s Scouts, Inc. During Hummer’s junior year, the Purple Eagles won the city title and finished the season ranked No. 4 in the country by ESPN.

Princeton has outscored its opponents by 84 points with Hummer on the court. He ranks as the Tigers’ third-best player by that metric, behind only Davis and junior guard Dan Mavraides.

Off the court, Hummer has been just as valuable to the Tigers.

“[Hummer] is a very talented player, and he works hard, so, from that standpoint, he’s helped us a lot,” Lake said. “But he’s also really fun to have around. He’s a happy-go-lucky kid, so it’s fun to have him in the locker room.”

“He gets along terrific with his freshman classmates on the team,” Johnson said. “Our freshman class has really clicked and bonded, and I like seeing that.”

Between Hummer, his freshman teammates and the other underclassmen playing major roles, the Tigers seem primed to challenge for the Ivy League title for years to come.