On December 29, 2024, with Princeton trailing the Akron Zips by double digits and then-junior forward Caden Pierce out of the game with an ankle injury, then-sophomore guard Dalen Davis took control.
With 1.8 seconds left on the clock, Davis took one dribble and buried a triple to seal a 76–75 win in Jadwin Gymnasium. The shot brought Jadwin to its feet and hinted at the passing of a torch that felt far away then.
Fast-forward 312 days.
Xaivian Lee is at Florida, Pierce is sitting out this season, former Associate Head Coach Brett MacConnell is at the farm with the Stanford Cardinal, and Davis, now a junior, has the keys to the team ahead of the season opener against, fittingly, Akron.
“No pressure,” Davis said about his new role. As a leader on the team, his emphasis will be on “attention to detail” and leaning on his teammates “a little bit more this year.”
After back-to-back Ivy Madness semifinal exits, Princeton men’s basketball enters the 2025–26 season with a rare profile: no seniors, two new assistant coaches, and three junior captains leading the largest first year class for the program since 2013.
“I feel great right now,” Head Coach Mitch Henderson ’98 told the Daily Princetonian during a sit-down interview. “[I’m] very much hopeful at the moment and I wouldn't use those words to describe last season at any point, it was really a difficult year.”
“It was a big challenge and it was hard for everybody, so glad to have moved on from that,” he continued.
After being picked to finish first in the Ivy League media poll for the 2024–25 season, the Tigers struggled with consistency throughout the season. Despite showing glimpses of potential against Rutgers, St. Joe’s, and Penn, Henderson’s squad fell to Yale in the Ivy Madness semifinals.
“It’s disappointing. Our objective is to win the league and go to the tournament,” Henderson said to the ‘Prince’. “You learn a lot from the most painful seasons.”
After former Associate Head Coach Brett MacConnell and assistant coach Lawrence Rowley were asked to not return, the Tigers brought in Mike Brennan ’94 and Matthew Johnson.
“I think they’ve added a lot,” Henderson said. “Mike’s been a head coach for 10 years. Played here. He has an intimate knowledge of the university. This place gave him an opportunity as a player, so I know it resonates within him deeply.”
Johnson spent six years with the University of Connecticut Huskies, winning two national champions in 2023 and 2024.
“He [Johnson] was a big part of that [the national championships]. He's just got a lot of experience and huge big game situations, and we're going to draw on that throughout the season.”
Despite the changes within the program, first year guard Landon Clark insisted that Princeton was the place his class wanted to be.
“I can speak for all of us — None of us thought for a second that, ‘Maybe Princeton’s not the place for us,’” Clark said. “Maybe we were a little surprised about the changes, but it didn't affect us.”
Clark is a part of a six-player first year class that also includes first year guard/forward Sebastian Whitfield and first year forward Jacob Hammond.
“We’re a really close group. We hang out all the time, so that’s been great,” he said.
Clark is a native of Bangor, Maine, where he was a standout three sport athlete at St Paul’s, playing basketball, football, and baseball. Outside of school, he played for Maine United AAU and Middlesex Magic AAU, which helped him with exposure to the D1 level.
“Playing receiver at 6’ 8’’ probably wasn't gonna always work for the knees, so it was basketball,” Clark said.
“[He] can do a lot of everything, lefty, very skilled.” Henderson said.
For Clark, the priority is “trying to do the dirty work, playing extremely hard, and doing whatever it takes to help the team win.”
When asked about the rookies, Davis had only praise. “As a [first year], I couldn’t have done half the stuff they were doing. They learned the offense pretty quick, learned the defense pretty quick. It took me about a year and a half to learn it,” Davis said.
Davis is the only player on this year’s roster with more than 20 minutes of average collegiate playing time, averaging 24.7 minutes across 30 games last games.
“I’m the only one that’s 21 on the team,” Davis said, with a chuckle.
With Lee’s departure , Davis will be the primary ball handler.
“Nothing I’m not used to,” Davis said. “I’ve been a point guard, shooting guard my whole life, had the responsibility of leading the team before, so I think it’s just the same thing.”
Henderson told the ‘Prince’ that “he’s [Davis] doing great [and] loves having the balls in his hands,” adding that he is “not going to carry us in every single game. He’ll have some games where that doesn’t go. But I trust that the group and this team is super connected.”
There is a core group around Davis: junior guard and captain Jackson Hicke, junior forward and captain Jacob Huggins, sophomore forward Malik Abdullahi, sophomore guard Jack Stanton, and sophomore forward CJ Happy.
“They didn’t get as much of a chance last year, but I knew and we knew that they were going to be terrific players here, and that’s still the case,” Henderson said.
Last year, Hicke started eight games for the Tigers, averaging 5.5 point per game on 47 percent shooting from the field. Huggins started in just three games, though he impressed in the Ivy Madness loss to Yale.
“[Huggins] was really helpful all season, and you know, it was my decision at certain times to not play him but he was terrific when he did [play],” Henderson said following the loss to Yale.
When asked about his three junior captains, Henderson was all positive.
“There’s not a moment where they’re not engaged in the development of the rest of the team so it's a sharp locker room,” he said. “We’re going to have some highs and some lows, but I think if those guys can keep a level head we're going to be okay.”
The challenge for the new Tigers begins immediately. The Orange and Black open the season on the road at Akron before playing No. 19 Kansas, Bradley, and Saint Joseph’s in non-conference play.
“It's likely the most difficult schedule we’ve had, and that's the intention every single year, to keep challenging ourselves,” Henderson said.
For Davis, the game against Kansas is a full circle moment. A three star recruit, Davis had an offer from Kansas before ultimately choosing to commit to Princeton.
“Kansas was my dream school,” he said. “When they told me we’re playing Kansas … it's a surreal experience.”
Still, for Henderson, the focus won’t be the marquee games, but the daily work of shaping an identity.
“[I hope] that the group continues to find an identity that helps them in the toughest of situations, and that we're at our very best as we hit league play, or at least we're nearing it,” Henderson said. “We're obviously young, so we'll be putting some guys out there that haven't had a lot of experience, but that would be ideal again.”
Ahead of Saturday’s opening game of the year, Henderson remains “open minded to finding the right group,” while noting that he doesn't “see much changing” in terms of style of play — five guys working together to get a really good shot, having terrific spacing, constantly moving and cutting.
During a time where the Ivy League continues to adapt to the broader landscape of college basketball, Henderson’s squad is looking to do the most they can with their current roster.
"At some point that may come up,” Henderson said when asked about the possibility of another Tiger taking the path Pierce chose.
“If I’m thinking about all that, it’s just a distraction from what's going on in the court. And what’s going on the court is really fun and special.”
In the Ivy League, the Yale Bulldogs sit atop the preseason poll, with first-team All-Ivy selection Nick Townsend returning for his senior year. Harvard — who brings back reigning Ivy League Rookie of the Year Robert Hinton — is predicted to finish second, ahead of the Cornell Big Red. The Tigers come in fourth.
“It doesn’t really matter where the preseason poll puts us, as long as we’re getting better as a group,” Davis said. “We’re a young group but I think we’ve got all the pieces to make it back to March Madness.”
Henderson echoed much of the same, adding that the league is extremely talented. “There’s a lot of really good players, and the teams you just mentioned lost some good players too. Everybody’s been hit by things that have been happening for the rest of the country.”
Hayk Yengibaryan is a head News editor, senior Sports writer, and education director for the ‘Prince.’ He is from Glendale, Calif. and typically covers breaking news and profiles. He can be reached at hy5161[at]princeton.edu.
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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