Better times ahead
By Bob Nuse, Sports Editor
A year ago, the Princeton Day School boys’ basketball team won three games all season. This year the Panthers are 12-8 and contenders for a state Prep B championship.
A year ago, the Princeton High boys’ basketball team finished 7-15, the Little Tigers’ sixth straight losing season. This year Princeton is 8-6 and has qualified for the Central Jersey Group III championship.
Last year, its second as a varsity program, the West Windsor-Plainsboro girls’ fencing team finished 1-7. This year, the Pirates are 6-0 after a win over rival WW-P North on Wednesday.
So take heart struggling teams, a change in fortune could be a year away.
The WW-P South wrestling team slipped to 0-15 with a loss to South Brunswick on Wednesday. But with 20 freshmen and sophomores and just one senior on the roster, it won’t be that long before the Pirates start seeing wins instead of losses.
The Princeton girls’ basketball team fell to 0-16 with a loss at Hamilton on Tuesday night. But the Little Tigers have three freshmen who play regularly and just one senior on the roster. So it seems safe to say that with a chance to work on their game over the summer, things could be different for the Little Tigers next year.
The Montgomery fencing teams both sport 1-8 records after losing to Hackettstown on Wednesday. But in just the second year as a varsity program, and with a ton of interest in the sport, it won’t be long before that record turns around for the Cougars.
Winning and losing at the high school level is often cyclical. Sometimes it’s little things that change the fortunes of a program. A couple new players or a coaching change. Maybe just some experience.
In a lot of cases, it’s just that a group of talented athletes happen to come along at the right time. Princeton boys’ basketball coach Jason Carter could see better days coming for the program while he was coaching at the freshman level. With back-to-back strong teams the last two years, Carter knew it was just a matter of time until those players won at the varsity level. He’s finding that out this year as juniors and sophomores make an impact for the Little Tigers.
If the Princeton girls’ team keeps its core together, there won’t be long losing streaks in the future. The same can be said for the WW-P South wrestling team, which just needs experience to be better.
Sometimes, as losses mount, it’s hard to look too far ahead into the future. But times will soon be changing for some of these struggling programs. In nearly every case, it’s just a matter of a young team that needs to gain experience.
Two years ago, a group of mostly sophomore players went 12-13 in Lisa Guarneri’s first season as WW-P South girls’ basketball coach. As juniors, the group went 19-6. This year, the Pirates are 14-2.
Patience is what is needed.
Players need to have it. Coaches need to have. Parents and fans need to have it. Eventually, things will get better.