New Princeton Coach Aims to Revive Tradition

PRINCETON, N.J., Nov. Thirteen — Sydney Samuel Johnson makes not like to look too far beyond his adjacent challenge, which is Wednesday against Iona. But Johnson, the first-year Princeton manager and former Tigers star, understands that he have to a batch more to make than win basketball game games. He is in complaint of bringing the mystique back to Princeton. Henry Louis Aaron Houston for The New House Of York Times

Princeton Coach Sydney Samuel Johnson was the lone three-time captain in squad history.

Under managers , Bill Carmody and Toilet Homer Thompson III, Princeton made 15 tourney visual aspects over a 36-year period. When Homer Thompson left for Georgetown, Joe Scott, the former Princeton participant and assistant, was hired, with outlooks that he would maintain the tradition of excellence intact. Instead, the Tigers sank to unfathomable lows. They bottomed out last season with a 2-12 record, which landed them in last place. George C. Scott left after the season to accept a head-coaching place at the University of Denver, taking his 38-45 record with him.

"It's been frustrating," the senior co-captain Kyle Koncz said. "We're very aware of the tradition Princeton had when we came in as freshmen. It was a great program. You're here for three seasons and don't make well, that's frustrating. You make your best, but you are disappointed because you cognize how difficult people worked to construct this programme up. To have got a season like we did, you experience like you're letting the programme down."

Johnson makes not desire his participants to dwell on the past. He cognizes that would not be helpful. Instead, he desires the focusing to be on working difficult every twenty-four hours in pattern and trying to better in every country of the game. He calculates those are the first stairway to bringing the programme back.

"It will be very difficult," Samuel Johnson said. "In speech production to Coach Homer Thompson and Coach Carril and other influences, those great managers didn't carry through things by thought about titles on a day-to-day basis. They maxed out the pattern or the game that was in presence of them. With every small detail, they tried to improve. That's our responsibility. I cognize it's a major challenge and that it will take time, but I believe the best manner to travel about it is to seek to be very good and very attentive on a day-to-day basis."

That low-key approach should come up as a welcome alteration to the Princeton players, who seemed to turn aweary of Scott's demeanor. George C. Scott was demanding and difficult, and Princeton participants talk carefully when asked to discourse him. But there is small uncertainty that Samuel Johnson have managed to tone of voice things down.

"The temper of the squad have changed," said the other co-captain, the senior Noah Savage. "We cognize that we can be serious and travel about our concern the right manner and be all about winning, but, at the same time, we can still have got a good time. You can have got merriment competing. There's a sense of optimism and people are chomping at the spot this season. They can't wait to acquire on the pattern floor."

Johnson said he learned "sincerity and grace" while preparation under Homer Thompson as an helper at Georgetown for three seasons. He is also well schooled in the Princeton tradition. Samuel Johnson is the lone three-time captain in Princeton history and was the Ivy League's participant of the twelvemonth in 1997. As a junior, he helped Princeton licking the defending national title-holder U.C.L.A. inch the first unit of ammunition of the N.C.A.A. tourney in 1996.

"He's a walking symbol of the glorification days," Savage said. "He's a symbol of winning and what Princeton basketball game is, the unselfishness and the competitiveness. He's got an aura around him. I cognize he's going to make a batch of particular things here."

Princeton won its opener, 59-57, over Central Nutmeg State State, thanks in big portion to the attempts of the sophomore centre Zach Finley, who had 22 points. An improved Finley will assist and so will a better season from Koncz, who played much of last season with a emphasis break and, from mid-January on, did not practice. Savage and the sophomore guards Abraham Lincoln Gunn and Marcus Schroeder are the other starters.

Facing an Iona squad that was 2-28 last season, Princeton could easily acquire off to a 2-0 start, something that never happened under Scott. A speedy start would be a nice first step, but hardly a mark that Princeton basketball game is back. Samuel Johnson have a batch of work to do.