Stephens helps Tigers in win over Lafayette
By: Justin Feil
With nine minutes of action in Princeton University’s 89-75 win over the Lafayette men’s basketball team Saturday, Mike Stephens has played 52 minutes in the Tigers’ first five games. That total surpasses his total of 43 minutes played all of last year.
Stephens has filled in the post position for Konrad Wysocki, who’s out with a stress fracture, and picked up some minutes with Andre Logan missing his second straight game with pain in the same left knee that cost him the Ivy League season last year.
"I hope to get whatever I can," said Stephens, a sophomore center. "I take what I can get. With Konrad being out and ‘Dre too, some other people have to step up."
Stephens isn’t putting up huge numbers, but he’s contributing steadily. He recorded his first two assists of the season, had one basket on one attempt and a blocked shot in the Tigers’ convincing win Saturday. He hasn’t missed a shot yet this season.
"He’s much like everyone in every class," said PU head coach John Thompson, whose squad hosts Rutgers 7 p.m. Saturday. "He worked hard in the offseason and made improvements. Whether he gets two or 15 minutes, we can get quality minutes without a drop-off.
"One thing he has a knack for, is if we throw it down there, he can score. He’s contributing and helping the progress of the team."
Going into the match-up with the Scarlet Knights, the 3-2 Tigers are still a work in progress, but they made some strides in the win over Lafayette.
"We’ve had two and a half or three games where opposition has played a lot of zone," Thompson said. "We haven’t had a chance to run much of our man. We saw man a lot because we banged some shots early, so that was nice."
Princeton shot almost 65 percent from the field, held a 34-19 rebounding edge including a 10-5 offensive rebounding advantage and cut its season-average of nearly 17 turnovers per game to 13 Saturday.
"Without a doubt, we played better offensively," Thompson said. "It was many different people from many different angles. We have to continue to grow. There is so much that we haven’t put in yet. So many things we’re starting to put in that will help us.
"It’s good that our guys get a little rest and get some time off before Rutgers. We need a lot of time to prepare. They’re a tremendous defensive team. They’re going to pose some problems for us."
Last year, Rutgers topped Princeton, 70-62, though Stephens enjoyed his best game yet in the Orange-and-Black. In 19 minutes, he had 14 points, seven rebounds and six assists.
"They had two big post players," Stephens recalled. "Watching them against North Carolina (in the Preseason NIT), they’re very quick and athletic. We need to stop their transition game and get back on defense and make them run their half-court offense against us."
Despite his strong performance last year, Stephens feels better equipped now in his sophomore season to handle this level on a night by night basis after his offseason work.
"I wanted to be prepared more physically," said the Napa, Calif. resident who has 240 pounds on his 6-foot-10 frame. "The college game is a lot different. I put on some weight. I worked on my low-post game and tried to work on the hook that Princeton centers are known for. I continued to work on my outside shooting and fundamentals too.
"That was one of the big things," he added of the physical nature he was introduced to last season. "That was a big change along with the athleticism and quickness and speed of all the players. I feel a lot more comfortable being put in the game now."
And with each game, Thompson is growing more confident in going deeper into his bench. While regular starters Will Venable (23 points), Spencer Gloger (22) and Ray Robins (18) all enjoyed big nights, Saturday’s win allowed Thompson to play almost everyone who suited up.
"Whether you’re in 40 seconds or 40 minutes we’ve been saying, they can help," Thompson said. "We have some guys who can get in there and help. We’ve gotten good minutes from Mike Stephens. I look at my first six or seven guys as starters. And then we’ve been getting some successful minutes from other guys who’ve had to step in.
"We miss Andre and Konrad in our frontcourt. If and when we get those guys back, we have guys who’ve shown they can step up and help."
And if everyone is like Stephens, they’re finding their roles for the Tigers quickly.
"I’m just there to run our offense," he said. "I just want to keep our offense going, get rebounds and defensive stops. If I get the ball, I look to score. But I just try to help my teammates out and create open shots. Doing that, I can get my own opportunity to score."
Scoring figures to be tougher against the Scarlet Knights than it was against Lafayette. Rutgers held a lead on eventual Preseason NIT champion North Carolina, at North Carolina, until the last five minutes of the game.
"They have an outstanding defensive team," Thompson said. "They’re so good that they could probably play a good zone, but we expect they’ll play man more than anything else."
And that suits Stephens and the Tigers just fine coming off their best offensive showing of the season.
"We prefer to see the man because we run the offense a lot better," he said. "We’re able to spread the offense out a lot more against man. We’re able to get back-door cuts and layups which we pride ourselves on."
Mike Stephens is happy that he’s getting more and more opportunities to be one of the five Tigers on the court, and he’s proving that he belongs there with some quiet contributions.