jerseyshorejohnny
Well-known member
FWIW .....Noticed this article that cites that Princeton has 5 open dates and is having trouble filling them.
Basketball coach Mitch Henderson is struggling to fill out Tigers' schedule.
Princeton University basketball coach Mitch Henderson is spending his offseason scaling Mount Everest.
At least, that’s what it feels like trying to fill out the Tigers’ nonconference schedule for 2016-17.
“We’ve called every school within 100 miles,” Henderson said. “All of them. Several times. They mostly ignore us, but often we get told, ‘No way.’ ”
The Tigers still have five openings. St. Joseph’s is coming to Jadwin Gym. Henderson’s staff is hopeful something with Iona will materialize. They’ve also reached out to Monmouth, which seems like a perfect opponent; teams aren’t exactly lining up to play the talented Hawks home-and-home.
There is hope that Rutgers’ hiring of Steve Pikiell — who experienced similar difficulty lining up opponents at Stony Brook — will open the door for Princeton. Former Rutgers coach Eddie Jordan abandoned the Scarlet Knights’ century-old series with the Tigers two years ago.
For now, Henderson is waiting by the phone.
Welcome to the plight of the strong mid-major.
“The difficulty has been there forever,” Henderson said. “It just happens to be a little more difficult when you have success.”
A closer look at Princeton, however, reveals the leper treatment of the Tigers is based on fallacies and outdated notions.
The primary fallacy is that there is nothing to gain by playing Princeton, except a potential loss.
That won’t be true next year. Princeton finished this past season with an RPI of 38 and brings everyone back off of a 22-7 squad that was just a hair behind Yale in the Ivy League. The Tigers also welcome back standout big man Hans Brase from a knee injury. They are a borderline Top 25 team going into 2016-17.
In other words, Princeton is going to provide a strength-of-schedule bump to anyone it plays.
“The (NCAA Tournament) Selection Committee says you’ve got to schedule well,” Henderson said. “I would argue that playing Princeton is scheduling well. We are a very strong game for anyone in terms of RPI, strength of schedule, quality of opponent.”
Now to the outdated notion: that playing Princeton is a slow-motion pain because of the deliberate offense that bears its name. In fact, the Tigers just averaged 79 points per game over the course of the season. They pushed the ball and fired away, leading the Ivy League in scoring.
“This isn’t your father’s Princeton,” Henderson said. “With the shot clock getting shorter, we play fast. We’re an up-tempo team. We’re not holding the ball — we can’t.”
Cast aside the myths and you see the truth. Princeton-Seton Hall would be a blast and a boost to both programs. Ditto for Princeton-Monmouth.
“That makes a lot of sense for both teams,” Henderson said of the latter, “considering where they are and where we are. It would be an attractive local game.”
Basketball coach Mitch Henderson is struggling to fill out Tigers' schedule.
Princeton University basketball coach Mitch Henderson is spending his offseason scaling Mount Everest.
At least, that’s what it feels like trying to fill out the Tigers’ nonconference schedule for 2016-17.
“We’ve called every school within 100 miles,” Henderson said. “All of them. Several times. They mostly ignore us, but often we get told, ‘No way.’ ”
The Tigers still have five openings. St. Joseph’s is coming to Jadwin Gym. Henderson’s staff is hopeful something with Iona will materialize. They’ve also reached out to Monmouth, which seems like a perfect opponent; teams aren’t exactly lining up to play the talented Hawks home-and-home.
There is hope that Rutgers’ hiring of Steve Pikiell — who experienced similar difficulty lining up opponents at Stony Brook — will open the door for Princeton. Former Rutgers coach Eddie Jordan abandoned the Scarlet Knights’ century-old series with the Tigers two years ago.
For now, Henderson is waiting by the phone.
Welcome to the plight of the strong mid-major.
“The difficulty has been there forever,” Henderson said. “It just happens to be a little more difficult when you have success.”
A closer look at Princeton, however, reveals the leper treatment of the Tigers is based on fallacies and outdated notions.
The primary fallacy is that there is nothing to gain by playing Princeton, except a potential loss.
That won’t be true next year. Princeton finished this past season with an RPI of 38 and brings everyone back off of a 22-7 squad that was just a hair behind Yale in the Ivy League. The Tigers also welcome back standout big man Hans Brase from a knee injury. They are a borderline Top 25 team going into 2016-17.
In other words, Princeton is going to provide a strength-of-schedule bump to anyone it plays.
“The (NCAA Tournament) Selection Committee says you’ve got to schedule well,” Henderson said. “I would argue that playing Princeton is scheduling well. We are a very strong game for anyone in terms of RPI, strength of schedule, quality of opponent.”
Now to the outdated notion: that playing Princeton is a slow-motion pain because of the deliberate offense that bears its name. In fact, the Tigers just averaged 79 points per game over the course of the season. They pushed the ball and fired away, leading the Ivy League in scoring.
“This isn’t your father’s Princeton,” Henderson said. “With the shot clock getting shorter, we play fast. We’re an up-tempo team. We’re not holding the ball — we can’t.”
Cast aside the myths and you see the truth. Princeton-Seton Hall would be a blast and a boost to both programs. Ditto for Princeton-Monmouth.
“That makes a lot of sense for both teams,” Henderson said of the latter, “considering where they are and where we are. It would be an attractive local game.”
