There's an unexpected report out there about Sydney Johnson and the open coaching position at Fairfield. When I first read about this possibility I was surprised, until I learned that the school's president is a Princeton alum. Will try and get more information today.
A poem about Will Venable in the style of Walt Whitman?
More quotes by Matt Henshon from Harvard Law School's Sports Law Symposium.
A day after speaking with Georgia Tech about their open coaching position, Chris Mooney signed a 10 year extension at Richmond that runs through the 2021 season.
The Yellow Jackets retained the services of Dayton coach Brian Gregory instead.
Elsewhere on the merry-go-round, Kent State's Geno Ford is the new head coach of the Bradley Braves.
Former Princeton player Matt Henshon is quoted in a piece on the legal problems posed by athletes' concussions.
A senior from southern Georgia claims to have an offer from Princeton among other schools.
Here's audio of Chris Young talking to reporters after his last start.
Kentucky defeated North Carolina in Newark earlier today to win the 2011 NCAA Tournament's East Regional.
This result made me curious, which is occasionally a good thing. Since the NCAA Tournament went to seeding in 1978, how has the team that knocked out Princeton fared the rest of the way?
Former Princeton players Nick Lake and Noah Savage are running a marathon this summer to raise money for a worthy cause. If you're interested in supporting their quest, please visit the duo's team page.
Not on board? Perhaps the following Q&A about their plan will convince you.
Tell me about what you two gentlemen are doing and why you're doing it.
We are running the San Diego Rock and Roll Marathon on June 5th, 2011 with Team in Training for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, raising money that goes to valuable research to develop targeted therapies not only for blood cancers, but for all cancers.
Who had the idea first? Was it hard to talk the other into taking part?
Noah: I had the idea because I work full time with the Team in Training program at The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, the LLS's most successful fundraising program. I was inspired by my coworkers in the office who have all completed multiple endurance events.
Nick: It wasn't hard to convince me to do this. I am an avid runner and when Noah asked me to run to raise money for cancer research it was an easy decision. Plus I wanted to see if Noah could run a whole marathon.
What's the longest stretch either of you have run without stopping?
Nick: 12 miles.
Noah: I think I ran from one baseline to the other once, but usually it was just to the three point line.
What was your inspiration for this run?
Nick: We are running in Christian "Crunch" Regulski's memory and honor. In the short time that I knew him he became a very good friend to me. He showed incredible courage and resilience in his fight against his disease. We wanted to play our part in the hopes that other children can avoid what Christian had to endure.
Do you have a favorite Crunch story?
Nick: At my Senior year banquet I was giving a speech and I called Crunch my "aspiration," instead of my inspiration. I quickly corrected myself but he wouldn't let me live it down. From then on, he always asked me if I was still his aspiration.
How is your training coming along?
Noah: We are sticking to the great training schedule provided to us by Team in Training and their expert coaches. What is really great about the program is that they provide all of the tools you need to be successful, all we have to do is show up and work hard.
Nick: I think what Noah means to say is that we have a new appreciation for how long 26.2 miles is.
How much was running part of the off-season regimen at Princeton? I recall hearing about needing to run a mile in under a certain time to make the team.
Noah: Well, we did a lot of basketball-specific training at Princeton, but one year we had to run three miles in under 19:30. It took me three attempts to make that time, and I eventually made it on a dead-sprint by one second - I've never felt worse physically in my life...so I figured 'why not run a marathon?'
Jamie Mastaglio '98 did the NYC Marathon in 2007 to raise money for the Dave Nee Foundation and took a lot of "side bet" pledges where people would donate more if Stags did specific things like a pushup in front of a donor's home or wore a certain item of clothing for a certain mile. You guys open to similar ideas?
Nick: Of course we are!
Noah: Specifically, I will be willing to do almost anything - dye my hair, shave my head, run in a speedo etc. We are also open to wearing any paraphernalia that people think would be a good idea - as long as those donations flow in!
Are donations tax deductible?
Yes! We can provide you with a receipt for tax purposes.
Does Team in Training offer matching gifts from donors' employers?
Yes! A Matching Gift form can be found here.
What is the biggest hurdle you think you'll face preparing between now and June 5th?
Nick: I think that the biggest hurdle will be Noah to not get injured considering his legs are carrying quite a heavy burden these days.
Noah: Yeah, just like Nick said I think that Nick staying healthy is very important - note that I missed zero games due to injury in my four years at Princeton...
Your team is named The Good, The Bad AND The Ugly. Which one are each of you and what does that leave?
Actually, our team is named The Good AND The Bad and Ugly and there are only two of us on the team. One guy is "The Good" and the other guy is "The Bad and Ugly."
Check out our fundraising page which explains that name a little more - and don't forget you can donate online instantly!
Best of luck to Nick and Noah. I hope you'll both keep everyone posted on how this goes!
Hoop Scoop's College Coach Rankings are in the latest issue of Basketball Times. Princeton head coach Sydney Johnson is #14 on the Top 20 Up-and-Coming Coaches list.
Other names of note...
Basketball brought me to 50 games this season, 31 of which Princeton participated in.
The schedule has been completed for slightly longer than a week and already some of the memories have started to fade as I finish final wraps around an indelible year. What took place from the opening tip to the final buzzer each time the Tigers were on the floor and I was watching from either press row or the stands has been properly captured in the articles I typed after each's conclusion.
Today I want to share a number of moments I don't want to forget. It may read back like free association but I've tried to keep them in sequential order.
Some happened in the bleachers. Some in transit. Some were so miniscule they evaporated seconds after they transpired. If you are so moved when you're done, I'd love to read about your favorite details from 2010-11.
Friday, March 25th
Southwest region – San Antonio, TX
(12) Richmond vs. (1) Kansas – 7:27 pm ET – TBS
NCAA Tournament
Chris Mooney and Richmond face Kansas in the Sweet 16 tonight.
Mooney was asked how Princeton shaped him during yesterday's press conference.
The Corpus Christi Caller-Times writes about the Ivy League credentials Mooney brings to the Spiders.
PhillyBurbs talked to several players Mooney coached at Lansdale Catholic. Sounds like Mooney copied Coach Carril's "rip off your t-shirt during practice" tactic back then!
A Michigan big man who took an official visit to Princeton back in the fall will instead go the Division II route.
The Princeton athletic department was kind enough to update 2010-11's plus/minus numbers through the end of the season. I've generated my own Ivy-only and DI-only plus/minus numbers in Excel out of that document.
The first chart shows the number of minutes played this season and the difference in points scored by Princeton while each player was on the floor versus points allowed by the Tigers during the same span.
The second chart shows the same information for non-conference games only, followed by non-conference versus DI opponents and finally data split for the first seven Ivy games and the last seven Ivy games, playoff and NCAA Tournament appearance.
I've also broken down +/- per 40 minutes for all players who have seen at least 100 minutes of action and added Net/40 numbers ("Roland Rate") with inspiration from Hoya Prospectus. This data has been split into non-conference and Ivy-only as well.
For individual game data, check the HD box score for a specific contest.
Friday, March 25th
Southwest region – San Antonio, TX
(12) Richmond vs. (1) Kansas – 7:27 pm ET – TBS
NCAA Tournament
Princeton freshman guard T.J. Bray is profiled in his hometown paper.
Northwestern (20-14) saw their season end with an exhausting three point overtime loss at Washington State in the NIT quarterfinals.
Sydney Johnson is a finalist for three honors: the Hugh Durham National Coach of the Year, the Ben Jobe Award and the Skip Prosser Man of the Year.
The Town Topics writes about the Tigers' trip to the NCAA Tournament as well as Coach Johnson's deep love for Princeton basketball.
Chris Mooney is taking Richmond on a sweet ride.
An inside-the-park home run and a triple were each part of Wednesday afternoon versus the Reds for Will Venable.
Steve Mills is the focus of a piece in the Daily Princetonian.
Wednesday, March 23rd
(4) Northwestern vs. (2) Washington State – 11:00 pm ET – ESPN2
NIT
Friday, March 25th
Southwest region – San Antonio, TX
(12) Richmond vs. (1) Kansas – 7:27 pm ET – TBS
NCAA Tournament
Northwestern and Washington State meet in Pullman with a trip to the NIT semifinals in New York City on the line. A three point shooting drill that originates with Pete Carril has helped the Wildcats become expert marksmen from the arc.
Success heads the resume of Chris Mooney. Richmond president Edward Ayers hopes Mooney will stay with the Spiders after this season is over.
The Princeton Packet writes about how a tough ending is just a beginning for the Tigers.
Princeton recruit Denton Koon was named to the MBCA Boys Class 5 All-State team.
Mason Rocca scored 13 in Armani Jeans Milano's home victory over Dinamo Sassari.
This question has come up several times over the last 10 days, and I don't have a great answer.
If Gabe Lewullis' 1996 NCAA Tournament layup versus defending champion UCLA is the biggest basket in the shot clock/three point shot/modern era of Princeton basketball (even though if Lewullis misses the game is almost certainly going to overtime) and Douglas Davis' jumper at the buzzer versus Harvard to win the 2011 Ivy League playoff is a close second, what's third?
Tigers head coach Sydney Johnson and princetonbasketball.com editor Jon Solomon sat down at Jadwin Gym this afternoon to tape their final weekly interview of the 2010-11 season.
The pair reviewed Princeton's remarkable Ivy League playoff win over Harvard and discussed the Tigers' trip to the NCAA Tournament versus Kentucky in great detail before wrapping up this year's campaign.
This Q&A is 27:00+ in length.
To listen to any of the season's 15 interviews, click here.
