Tiger men stop Penn for Ivy League men’s basketball title
By: Justin Feil
It was almost as the though John Thompson had instructed the Princeton University fans to hold off.
"Wait until it’s really over."
"Don’t take anything for granted."
Just as he had told his Tiger men’s basketball team, the media and the fans before.
"We’ll evaluate at the end of the season and see if how it went."
The Tigers were already guaranteed a share of the Ivy League title heading into Tuesday’s matchup with two-time defending champion Pennsylvania at Jadwin Gym. And when Princeton took a 14-point lead with 8:14 to play, it looked as sure a bet as the original Olympic Dream Team vs. Indonesia.
Yet the crowd resisted. Even when PU captain Nate Walton walked off the Jadwin court with 1:47 left to a bear hug from Thompson that might have shattered the ribs of smaller men, there was nothing but applause. It wasn’t until a time out with just 68 seconds to play that the chant came down from the 7,133 partisan Princeton fans.
"Ivy champs! Ivy champs! Ivy champs!"
Just over a minute later, the Orange-and-Black crowd was spilling into center court, everyone trying to touch one of the newest Ivy League champs after the 68-52 win over Penn. It wouldn’t be long before Walton was wearing the net around his neck after Princeton claimed its first title since the 1997-98 season and the NCAA accompanying tournament automatic berth. The Tigers will find out Sunday where they are seeded in the postseason.
"I’ve never been so proud to be a part of any team in my entire life," said Walton, whose all-around game included nine points, eight rebounds, seven assists and six steals, the latter three categories all game highs. "Sports is so much about heart. This team played with more than any other I’ve seen all year long, one through 15. Guys on the end of the bench they never complained once. Everyone was there for every practice. I’ve never been more proud to be a member of a group. This is something I’ll never forget."
It was the final Jadwin appearance for Walton who became the first Princeton player to lead his team in scoring, assists, rebounds and steals for a season and fellow seniors C.J. Chapman and Terence Rozier-Byrd. They made it an unforgettable one as part of a typical 2000-01 Princeton team performance.
The Tigers, who improved to 16-10 overall, 11-3 in Ivy play, had five players score nine or more points and seven players helped contribute a total of 11 three-pointers to drown Penn on Tuesday. The final was nearly identical to the teams’ first meeting, a 67-53 Tiger win in Philadelphia. The Ivy title was the 23rd for Princeton, but the first for Thompson as a head coach.
It ended a tumultuous nine months for the Tigers. Assistant coach Joe Scott left to be head coach at Air Force, starting forward Ray Robins elected to take a year off, head coach Bill Carmody left to take over the Northwestern program, All-America center Chris Young signed a professional baseball contract that ended his Ivy career, Spencer Gloger transferred to UCLA and Chris Krug elected to take the year off. Eugene Baah left the team mid-season and starters and top three scorers Walton, Mike Bechtold and Ahmed El-Nokali all missed games due to injury. It made the Ivy title that much sweeter.
"It means a lot," Thompson said. "Not necessarily because it’s my first season. I tried not to talk about that all year. But this is Princeton. It’s Princeton basketball. A lot of people didn’t expect us to be here."
The Princeton program was not among those people. Thompson’s first task was making believers of the players and coaches. It didn’t take long before the confidence began to grow even through tough non-conference losses that raised more question marks from outsiders.
"A lot of people were doubting us," said El-Nokali, who led Princeton with 14 points Tuesday. "We had a team meeting and we decided to unite and we’re going to do this from within. We’re not going to care what anyone says. It was us against everyone. That’s the mentality we had. And it helped us when we played."
Both El-Nokali and Walton credited Thompson with pointing the team in the right direction. Without the leadership of the first-year coach, Tuesday’s celebration seemed unlikely.
"I told the guys from the beginning that we could be here," Thompson added. "Right from the beginning we had a plan. I laid it out the first day. We just worked day-to-day and tried not to look at the big picture.
"The cupboard wasn’t as bare as some of you thought it was. We had some hurdles to get over. I had confidence in the guys. They had confidence in me."
Thompson gave the Tigers Wednesday off to enjoy the Ivy title, but Thursday it was back to work in anticipation of a difficult first-round NCAA opponent. Princeton, with an RPI rating in the mid-100s, will likely receive a 15 seed. Even with the excitement, Thompson was quick to caution that the season is not over yet.
The Tigers will get a shot at a top ten team next week. Having already stunned the Ivy League and prognosticators everywhere, they’ll be looking for the strawberry to top off the whipped cream. And though it’s been two years since Princeton was in the NCAA tournament as Ivy champs, the big upset is certainly nothing new, which is just as Thompson would have it.
"I said when I was hired that I want Princeton basketball to stay Princeton basketball," he said. "I think we’ve done it so far."