Tigers tip off season by hosting Colgate tonight
By: Justin Feil
There is a bit of a sense of déjà vu for Princeton University’s John Thompson when he looks at the men’s basketball team. And he really hopes that’s the case.
It was only three years ago that he and the Tigers pulled a bit of surprise in winning the Ivy League championship in his first season as head coach. His fourth season at the helm of the Orange and Black officially tips off 7:30 p.m. tonight at Jadwin Gym when Princeton hosts Colgate. All tickets are only $2.
"In many regards, just in the feel of practices so far," Thompson said, "this team is similar at least in make up to my first year when you had Nate (Walton), C.J. (Chapman) and some older guys. And then you had a group of freshmen with Konrad (Wysocki), ‘Dre (Logan) and Eddie (Persia) that had to step in and contribute for us to win. The feel has been the same in how the older guys have been helpful, demanding, encouraging, supportive when they need to be with the younger guys."
It’s come almost full circle now. Persia is a senior team co-captain. Wysocki is also a senior, one who’s taken to his tutoring role well in practices and one who Thompson expects to do the dirty work when it comes to games. Logan could be a contributor as well if he can show he’s recovered from two knee surgeries and wrist surgery that by tonight will have cost him 41 of Princeton’s last 44 games and counting. The senior forward is due back in mid-December.
In the meantime, Thompson will go with a starting lineup of Persia, Wysocki provided his ankle is healed from a sprain suffered Tuesday, junior co-captain Judson Wallace, who is healed from a back injury that cost him 10 days of preseason practice, Will Venable who’s starting for the second straight season, and Scott Greenman, a sophomore guard who’s made the big jump expected of Tiger players from first to second year.
Center Mike Stephens will be one of the first off the bench, but the other four in the line for the most playing time are freshmen.
"They’ve brought a level of competitiveness to practices that we have not had for several years," Thompson said of the super seven Class of ’07. "There’s depth and competition at every position, so it’s been good."
Thompson has also been pleased with the way that the four classes of players have meshed together in the preseason. The team’s bond could be an intangible that carries the Tigers to their second Ivy League title in four years, and a return to the NCAA tournament after a two-year hiatus.
"I like it a lot," Thompson said of the chemistry. "The guys have worked very hard in the offseason. This was one of the few offseasons where guys were healthy and one of the few preseasons where guys were healthy enough to work and (let us) look at guys and spend time in the weight room.
"I think that there’s not just togetherness, but their expectations of each other are pretty high, and they seem pretty legitimate at this point. I like the feel of this team. I like the way they’re going about their business."
Princeton was 16-11 last season, a four-month period marked by inconsistency. A bad loss early to Florida International was followed by win by a miracle shot over a struggling Monmouth team, yet the Tigers fought top-five team Texas to the end. In the Ivy year, they lost critical games on the road at Penn and Brown, the two teams to finish ahead of them. Consistency was tough, however, with the rhythm of Mark Madsen in a post-championship Lakers celebration.
"Our team could never get a rhythm, starting with Eddie and Kyle (Wente), who really couldn’t work out in the preseason," Thompson said. "Kyle started right when the season was starting and as soon as he was healthy, Konrad goes down and misses six or seven games. Then we lose ‘Dre, he’s gone for the year. Then Spence’ (Gloger) leaves. Our team last year could never get a rhythm, and we’re hoping we don’t go through that yet again this year."
There is still one question mark this season. Even after Logan’s return, Gloger could be a late addition to the Tigers in time for the Ivy season.
"We don’t know," Thompson said of the senior who was declared ineligible at the start of the second semester last year. "I spoke with him a couple weeks ago and he’s still trying to decide. He’ll be able to return to school second semester, and at this point, I’m not sure if he’s coming back or not."
Either way, he’ll miss the preparation part of the season the pre-Ivy games. Other than Colgate, Princeton faces two of the other top Patriot League teams in Holy Cross and Lafayette. Princeton also plays on the road at Duke, Oklahoma, Minnesota, Fresno State and Rutgers.
"I think everything we do, starting with the first day of practice and the first individual workout of the fall, is to prepare us to win the league," said Thompson, who needs just two more wins to become the seventh Princeton coach with 50 career wins. "Looking at our league schedule, it ends with three games on the road.
"Every year, for the last 30-some years, it comes down to you have to win your last couple games. We have an extremely difficult pre-league schedule and it’s by design. You get the opportunity to play some great programs in some very difficult atmospheres in hopes that it will prepare us for league play."
And they hope it prepares them to feel something that only the seniors and Thompson have been a part of in the past three seasons an Ivy League championship and punched NCAA tournament ticket.

