The last time sophomore center Harrison Schaen put on a jersey emblazoned with the Princeton Tiger, he was a precocious freshman playing off the bench in the men's basketball team's 66-49 loss to Texas in the first round of the 2004 NCAA tournament.
The football team's dreams of an Ivy League title and a bonfire went up in smoke Saturday afternoon, leaving the Tigers shaking their heads and wondering what might have been."We had our chances to get the 'W,' and we didn't pull it out," senior cornerback Jay McCareins said as he slowly trudged away from the locker room, eyes bleary.
"I don't really know what these guys are going to do."If there has ever been a Princeton men's basketball team about which this could be said ? by its head coach, no less ? it is Joe Scott's 2005-06 squad."These guys," Scott '87 continued, "are going to show what they are going to do."After all, what good is speculation when, just last year, Scott watched his Tigers post their first losing Ivy League record in school history following a preseason laden with talk of a league title?What kind of forecast can be made about a team that features one lone senior and just four other players who spent more than 80 minutes on the court last season?One might quip, "Not a very good one," but then again, Princeton was picked to finish third in the standings in the Ivy League preseason media poll.So, while sharing his outlook for this season ? which starts tonight at Jadwin Gym against Drexel ? Scott dodged the hype and revealed that his only concern is internal improvement."I think the big mistake that I made last year was talking about all that B.S.," Scott said of last year's talk about an Ivy crown.
This year, the women's basketball program is completely unified in both its composition and its focus for the first time in over three years.With the preseason poll ranking Princeton third in the Ivy League, behind first-place Dartmouth and second-place Harvard, the players have but one aspiration ? a league title."From the first person to the trainers to the managers, I feel like we all have one goal, which is to win Ivies," sophomore center Ariel Rogers said.
The first time the field hockey squad stormed the field Saturday afternoon, it was in joy. The second time, the Tigers' sprint off the bench was motivated by frustration and anger.After 70 minutes of regulation play left the game knotted at one, Princeton (9-9 overall, 7-0 Ivy League) and Duke (16-4) went to sudden-death overtime to decide which team would advance past the first round of the NCAA tournament.With 12 minutes left in the first overtime period, the Tigers thought they had recorded the game-winning goal, but it was disallowed by the referees.
When an Ivy League team loses five seniors, including two three-time all-Ivy selections and four of its top seven scorers, and is still picked to finish third in the Ancient Eight, either the other Ivies have decided to field squads of individuals with mascot aspirations or that team must be pretty confident that its underclassmen can pick up the slack.
The pundits have spoken, and the Ivy League announced last Thursday that the women's basketball team is expected to end the season in third place.
When senior point guard Scott Greenman talks about basketball, his eyes light up and a smile crosses his face.
One by one, the members of the football team emerged from the Tigers' locker room and trudged out of Princeton Stadium late Saturday afternoon.Most didn't say a word.
When an Ivy League team loses five seniors, including two three-time all-Ivy selections and four of its top seven scorers, and is still picked to finish third in the Ancient Eight, either the other Ivies have decided to field squads of individuals with mascot aspirations or that team must be pretty confident that its underclassmen can pick up the slack.
The pundits have spoken, and the Ivy League announced last Thursday that the women's basketball team is expected to end the season in third place.
Want to make Joe Scott '87 smile?Don't ask him about backdoor cuts and defensive shifts. Don't ask him about Quakers and Elis.Ask him about his kids.He'll talk about his four-year-old son Ben, beaming as he recalls how Ben managed to stand up on his waterskis this summer at the Jersey Shore.He'll talk about his two-year-old son Jack, even grinning as he explains that he does diaper duty in the mornings.Yes, Scott smiles plenty ? just rarely on the basketball court."This persona everyone sees and thinks I have, it's really just the opposite," he says.
For all the attention given to the world-famous "Princeton Offense," the Tigers' unique defensive system will play just as big of a role in determining the fate of the men's basketball team this season.Once again, Princeton will employ a matchup-zone defense this year.
When senior point guard Scott Greenman talks about basketball, his eyes light up and a smile crosses his face.
The men's basketball team will open its out-of-conference schedule by hosting Drexel in the first round of the preseason National Invitational Tournament.
The last time sophomore center Harrison Schaen put on a jersey emblazoned with the Princeton Tiger, he was a precocious freshman playing off the bench in the men's basketball team's 66-49 loss to Texas in the first round of the 2004 NCAA tournament.
One by one, the members of the football team emerged from the Tigers' locker room and trudged out of Princeton Stadium late Saturday afternoon.Most didn't say a word.
There is something comforting about the sight of a few players flanking their coach as he arrives at the postgame press conference after a loss.
The football team's dreams of an Ivy League title and a bonfire went up in smoke Saturday afternoon, leaving the Tigers shaking their heads and wondering what might have been."We had our chances to get the 'W,' and we didn't pull it out," senior cornerback Jay McCareins said as he slowly trudged away from the locker room, eyes bleary.
After a stellar undefeated season in the Ivy League, the field hockey team was rewarded with a chance to play in front of its home crowd in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
