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audio - coach sydney johnson & lincoln gunn
A 31-4 game-opening Duke run soured Princeton's debut in the EA Sports 2007 Maui Invitational. The Blue Devils coasted to an impressive 83-61 victory behind 21 points and 12 rebounds from freshman forward Kyle Singler. Singler scored Duke's first eight points as the three-time Maui Invitational champions raced by the entrants from the Ivy League.
audio - maui press conference
audio - coach sydney johnson (sorry about all the wind)
The eight head coaches for the schools participating in the 2007 Maui Invitational met the media just after sunrise on Saturday morning. Following brief statements and some group photos, the coaches paired with local grade school kids for a free throw shooting contest.
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audio - coach sydney johnson, matt sargeant & lincoln gunn
Ask Princeton head coach Sydney Johnson about the Tigers and he'll explain it as simply as possible - "We pass, dribble, shoot. That's what we do."
With the shot clock ticking down, seventy seconds to play and Princeton clinging to a 59-55 lead, a tightly guarded Lincoln Gunn didn't have much time to choose from those options.
box score : audio - coach sydney johnson
audio - kyle koncz & zach finley
Princeton was able to overcome a horrendous first half shooting performance, carried to victory on the broad shoulders of sophomore center Zach Finley. Finley scored 18 of his career-high 22 points in the game's final twenty minutes as the Tigers held off visiting Central Connecticut State 59-57. Joe Seymore tallied 14 points on four three point shots for the Blue Devils.
audio - coach sydney johnson and coach steve wojciechowski
Princeton head coach Sydney Johnson and Duke assistant coach Steve Wojciechowski spoke to the media this afternoon via teleconference in advance of their respective teams' first round matchup at the 2007 Maui Invitational. Audio from this conversation is above.
audio - coach sydney johnson
audio - marcus schroeder
audio - zach finley
audio - noah savage
audio - kareem maddox
audio - kyle koncz
Princeton held its 2007 Media Day on Tuesday afternoon. Coach Sydney Johnson and a broad cross-section of Tigers spoke to princetonbasketball.com about the upcoming season. These interviews are exclusive to our site. If you're interested in inside access like this all season long, please consider becoming a donor.
Photos from media day, including snapshots of many new Tigers are below.
A cold night had a bitter end.
Luis Castillo's single up the middle capped a two run Mets rally off of San Diego Padres closer Trevor Hoffman in the bottom of the ninth inning, giving New York their fourth straight victory, 7-6.
Hoffman threw just 11 pitches and retired only one batter he faced - Mike DiFelice - who sacrificed Lasting Milledge to second base after the Mets' right fielder led off the final frame with a single to left.
San Diego had scored a run of their own in the top of the inning off Mets closer Billy Wagner, providing the Padres with a short-lived 6-5 lead.
Before these dramatics, former Princeton basketball center Chris Young pitched five difficult innings, battling the elements, a previously undisclosed injury and a red-hot Carlos Beltran.
On a misty, wet August night with temperatures nose-diving into the 50s, in front of a one-third full Shea Stadium, Young struggled to find the strike zone early. Luis Castillo walked on five pitches with one out in the first, advanced to second on a wild pitch and moved over to third on a balk when Young lost the ball out of his throwing hand as he began his windup.
Carlos Beltran sliced Young's 1-0 offering the opposite way and over the left field wall for Beltran's third home run in as many consecutive at-bats. The 375-foot shot was the fifth home run Young has allowed this year and the 26th round tripper of Beltran's season.
In his first at bat, leading off the top of the third, Young watched three pitches go past without taking his bat off his shoulder before singling hard to left center. Young came around to score on Milton Bradley's single to right. The Padres would leave the bases loaded and San Diego trailed 2-1 heading into the bottom of the third.
Mets starter John Maine equaled Young's plate appearance, singling softly to left past short on a 0-2 pitch. Maine moved to second when Young walked Luis Castillo on four pitches and Beltran struck for a second time with two outs, a laser beam of a double to right which made the score 4-1 Mets.
While his speed wasn't where he wanted it to be, Young's control improved as the game wore on.
Moises Alou hit a broken bat single to left leading off the fourth, but Young retired the next three Mets, striking out Mike DiFelice and John Maine to end the inning.
To start bottom of the fifth, Jose Reyes was fooled by an 0-2 curveball for a strikeout. Castillo popped out to short and David Wright flew out to right fielder Brian Giles in foul territory. Young was through five innings using just 64 pitches.
With the steady drizzle that had fallen since morning finally over, San Diego put up two runs in the top of the sixth. Mike Cameron lead off with a loud home run to left, his 16th of the year. Josh Bard doubled into the right field corner with two outs and Marcus Giles, pinch hitting for Chris Young, tripled Bard home when Alou misjudged a sinking line drive in left. This sent John Maine to the showers, 118 pitches after his night began.
In his office after the game, Manager Bud Black revealed Young left with "lower back tightness" after the fifth inning. This tightness is believed to be related to Young's sprained left oblique muscle that sent him to the disabled list in July. Young said his back began to give him problems after his start versus St. Louis on August 9th.
The Padres moved in front for the first time with two runs in the seventh. Mike Cameron doubled home Adrian Gonzalez to take Young off the hook for the loss and Khalil Greene put San Diego up 5-4 with a single to center.
Carlos Beltran tied the score in the bottom of the eighth with an opposite-field single off Heath Bell for his fifth RBI.
A frustrated Young spoke briefly following the game about this new injury and the effect it has had on his velocity. Young admitted that instead of throwing pitches in the 88-91 mph range, he has been only reaching 84-88 on the radar gun with his fastball and his pitches have been lacking life. "My body's not letting me go 100%," Young said.
Young's back will be reevaluated later this week. His status for Sunday's scheduled start in Philadelphia is undetermined.
Stephen Goldsmith/princetonbasketball.com
Sydney Johnson was officially introduced as the 28th head coach of the Princeton Tigers at a press conference earlier today. Full audio from both the formal press conference and a conversation with the media is available for subscribers.
Audio - Sydney Johnson press conference - 39:28
Audio - Sydney Johnson interview - 13:39
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audio - coach john thompson, jeff green, roy hibbert & jonathan wallace
audio - coach john thompson (second interview)
Throughout Georgetown's incredible run to the 2007 Final Four, there has been an oft-incomprehensible member of the HoyaTalk message board posting the same story again and again.
It is a parable told in all caps and awash in emoticons, but the tale goes something like this:
As a young man, legendary coach Al McGuire was at the beach with his grandmother.
Al was about to go out with his friends.
Al's grandmother offered him a banana to eat but McGuire said he was not hungry.
When McGuire returned famished later that day, the banana was gone.
The moral was - as his grandmother informed him - "Al, when you have the banana, eat the banana."
This fable had become the rallying cry for Hoya faithful during every comeback and each heart-pausing victory that beget another fantastic finish.
In the first semifinal of this evening's NCAA Final Four, it was Ohio State that ate the banana.
It had been another rally for the Hoyas, who had trailed by eight points in the first half. Georgetown drew even at 44 with 9:45 left on Jonathan Wallace's step-back three point shot.
Hoya center Roy Hibbert picked up his fourth personal foul, called for holding on a loose ball scramble as both teams tried to track down Ron Lewis' missed three pointer. Hibbert headed to the sidelines.
Saddled with three personal fouls of his own, Ohio State freshman center Greg Oden came back off the bench and started a 7-0 Buckeye run with a right-handed hook over the Hoyas' Jeff Green. Two transition layups for Ohio State, each following a missed Georgetown three point shot, gave the Buckeyes six points in a single minute. By the time Hibbert returned to the lineup three possessions separated the two teams.
When Jessie Saap drove to the basket for a layup with 3:21 left Georgetown was back to within four, 56-52. The Hoyas would get the ball as Oden missed from just outside his comfort range. Oden was whistled for his fourth foul as Green drove on him and was hacked.
Georgetown did a great job this season calling set plays out of time outs, but did not have similar success after the game's final media stoppage.
Inbounding in the frontcourt, Hibbert flashed to the rim, however ball did not come his way. Green made a move to the basket from the wing as the defense swarmed to the Hoyas' 7'2" big man, but one Buckeye defender got in Green's way to draw an offensive foul.
Down at the other side of the Georgia Dome, a short Oden jumper went back iron and in, and Ohio State could start to peel their spot in Monday's championship game.
Hibbert finished with 19 points and 6 rebounds. Oden had 13 points and 9 boards. Both manchildren were hampered by foul problems. Hibbert was whistled on the game's first possession. Oden picked up two fouls in the first three minutes. It took Hibbert 13 minutes to get called for his second foul, flagged on a bump after having just recorded consecutive slams.
Georgetown was the first of the 2007 Final Four participants to have an open practice this afternoon at the Georgia Dome. The team and select players met the media afterwards. The audio links are below.
audio - coach john thompson
audio - jeff green & jonathan wallace
Georgetown's starters were 3-22 from three point range the other time the Hoyas played in a dome this season (@ Syracuse, a 72-58 loss). Outside shooting will be something to watch closely tomorrow night. The cavenous Georgia Dome is full of odd angles, open spaces and funky sightlines.
These tricked-out Krispy Kreme donuts were a nice touch.
I had a chance to interview Senator Bill Bradley this evening in Princeton. Bradley was in town to discuss "The New American Story", his sixth book. Senator Bradley was gracious to give me 14 minutes of his time before signing copies of this book at the area Barnes & Noble.
You can listen to the interview here (.mp3). Unlike the majority of the interviews on princetonbasketball,com, this recording does not require a donor subscription. Enjoy!
Coach John Thompson III on "Mike & The Mad Dog" - mp3
Coach Pete Carril on "Joe Benigno & Evan Roberts" - mp3
