They have yet to prove they can close out games on the road. They’re literally winless away from home.
We’ll see if they can make any progress in that regard this season. I do have confidence this team is primed for a great season next year.
Long way to go this year.
There are limitations to Davis’s ability at end of games. He forced things at Harvard even while it was painfully obvious he was not healthy. Even if all you have ever done is coach youth basketball, you know that you don’t want to be known as the team that struggles inbounding the ball or beating the press. Happy to see that they have put in some options but really is the greatest opportunity for growth as it is all about strategy and collectively being on the same page. My HS coach used to put 8-9 guys on defense and not allow the offense to dribble the ball to practice beating a press.
Not getting consistent production out of Happy is really hurting things. Clark and Hicke are both 10/24 (42%) in Ivy League play from 3 and Davis is 10/21 (48%). That is an effective shooting percentage of 65%. Stanton is shooting 30% (9/30) and Happy is shooting 29% (5/17).
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I think Stanton is drawing defensive attention and is not getting the clean looks he would like. Happy’s looks are good; I think he’s a little tight.
Each of them will need to improve for the team to do well.
I’ve noticed Happy stepping up his defense too. In particular, he’s doing a great job boxing out opposing centers, allowing guys like Stanton and Hicke to grab the loose ball. The Brook Lopez school of rebounding.
Agree - - Happy and Huggins are providing incredible defense, rim protection, and taking bodies to allow get Princeton to 3rd in conference play on defensive rebounding.
On the press break, I remember back when Dave Blatt was the PG that Carril had a heart-stopping play that almost always worked. If the ball was being inbounded from the right baseline (often by Neil Christel) Blatt would start near the left baseline with his defender overplaying him on his right and would turn vertically downcourt with about 4-5 feet of distance to the left sideline. The inbounder would throw the ball over his left (outside) shoulder while he was in full stride with the defender behind him on his right hip. It looked insane and risky, but they must have practiced it a lot because the ball almost never missed or bounced off of Blatt out of bounds.
In return for the high degree of difficulty, it was almost unguardable by a defender who was initially responsible for cutting off the easy inbounds in the backcourt. But I held my breath every time they did it.
I’ll see your Dave Blatt and raise you with Billy Omeltchenko!
Greatest Princeton victory I ever saw at Jadwin, back when they had the much larger end zone stands and the gym could hold 8,000 fans. The Tigers threw over the top of Notre Dame’s full court press so many times that night that it made Digger Phelps’ head spin!
A great memory. I believe ND had lost its’ prior game, but new ratings were not out yet and they had been Number 1.
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What an amazing atmosphere at Jadwin for that game! That along with the upset of the UNC team with Bob McAdoo and Bobby Jones in the early 70s are etched into my memory.
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I also remember the Tigers knocking off a Louie Carneseca top ten St John’s team in a Saturday afternoon game at Jadwin that was an ECAC Game of the Week.
Armand Hill had a huge game, and Bill Omeltchenko came off the bench
to contain Frank Alaigq.
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Not to be a buzzkill, but my first big disappointment, viewed on television, was Princeton losing to St. John in Raleigh NC March 1969 first round of NCAA tournament. Hummer, Petrie, and Thomforde 