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Princeton basketball team breaking for exams
Ivy League schedule poses next big test for Tigers
By Ken Weingartner
The Packet Group
Monday, Jan. 10, 1999
The Princeton University men's basketball team is idle for the next two weeks because of semester exams. When the Tigers return to the court, another test awaits — the Ivy League schedule.
Princeton hit the break at 7-7 following a 70-69 overtime loss to visiting Lafayette on Saturday. The Tigers missed two shots in the final seconds that could have sent the squad into the exam period in a much brighter mood.
"It's going to be tough," Nate Walton said about the 16-day layoff. "After a game like this, you want to get right back out there, play that last play over again. It's going to burn for a couple weeks. It's hard. You put a lot into basketball and when it doesn't work out the way you want it's depressing.
"But we know the Ivy League season is coming up. We're going to keep our heads up and keep trying to get better for the Ivy League."
The Tigers, playing without lone senior Mason Rocca, who is sidelined until February because of ankle surgery, lost for the third time in their last four games. Of course, those setbacks were to Kansas, Xavier and defending Patriot League champ Lafayette.
"Losing Mason takes a big chunk out of you," Princeton coach Bill Carmody said. "If we went 7-7 and he was with us, I'd say that wasn't good. I don't think we're that far away from being a pretty good team, without Mason.
"I think we can be pretty good. But we definitely have to shore up our rebounding. I like the guys, I just wish we had a little more depth and a little more strength."
Princeton returns to action Jan. 24 against Division III Catholic, then starts its 14-game Ivy League slate on Jan. 28 at Cornell.
"It's been a very up-and-down season so far," said Chris Young, who equaled a career high with 24 points against Lafayette. "The best way to look at it right now is that now the real season begins. Those 14 games are the ones that matter. We're 0-0 now."
The Tigers will focus on two areas during the next few weeks: rebounding and ball handling.
Princeton was outrebounded 43-28 by Lafayette, and gave up 15 offensive boards to the Leopards. The Tigers had just one offensive rebound, by Walton.
"Just overall as a team, we all have to get in there and get more rebounds," Young said. "I think that's the biggest place we miss Mason right now. We've just got to keep going at it, keep improving. That's all we can do."
In addition, the Tigers committed 16 turnovers against Lafayette, a high number considering the Leopards never pressed during the contest.
It was the eighth time this season the Tigers committed at least 15 turnovers in a game. They are 2-6 in those contests. During Carmody's four-year tenure, Princeton is 74-11 when it turns over the ball 15 or fewer times and 6-10 when giving it up 16 or more times.
"Traditionally, Princeton has always been a better team at taking care of the ball," Young said. "It's part of the reason we win here. I don't know how many we had (Saturday), but it was too many. We're not going to win too many games if we turn the ball over like we are."
Carmody said fatigue might have been a reason for the Tigers' turnovers against Lafayette, which won a game at Princeton for the first time since 1954 — a span of 14 games. Walton, Young and Spencer Gloger each played all 45 minutes against the Leopards while Ahmed El-Nokali played 42 minutes.
"We had a stretch where we just had a few turnovers in a row," Carmody said. "I think my guys might have got a little tired. We probably could have gotten a couple other guys in there because it was a hard game throughout."
Princeton hoped to take advantage of a mismatch in the middle on its final possession in OT against Lafayette, which saw its top two big men foul out in the extra period, but the Young was denied the opportunity to handle the ball during the last 14 seconds.
C.J. Chapman missed an open 3-pointer with five seconds to play, and Walton failed to convert a follow-up chance from the corner as time expired.
"The last play of the game, you want to get the ball down low, you want to get it to your center," Carmody said. "The guy was only about 6-5 who was in there on him, and I thought he was pretty open. But we didn't throw it down.
"You don't want to take a 'three' at that point," he added. "I just thought we had to get the ball down there to Chris and get fouled or go to the basket."
After Gloger drilled his fifth 3-pointer of the contest to tie the score at 63 with 2:15 to play in regulation, neither team found the basket again.
There were 14 lead changes and 11 ties in the contest, which Princeton trailed by its largest margin, 56-48, with 9:02 left in regulation.
"I think (these games) helped
prepare us," Walton said about the upcoming Ivy League schedule. "I don't think we'll be thrown off by anybody. I think we got a good variety of games in and I think we'll be all right. You don't want to keep losing games like this. Hopefully, we'll be able to turn these around and start winning them."
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