.png&width=24&type=webp)
Princeton University Athletics
Auld Lang Syne
December 29, 1999 | Men's Basketball
Dec. 29, 1999
The site Jadwin Gym • Princeton, N.J.
The date Friday, Dec. 31, 1999 •?2:07 p.m.
The records Princeton: 6-6 Holy Cross: 4-6
The coaches Princeton: Bill Carmody (fourth season, 79-20) Holy Cross: Ralph Willard (10th season, 148-130)
The series Princeton leads 2-1
Last meeting Holy Cross defeated Princeton 61-59 • Dec. 29, 1977
The storyline Princeton plays its final game of the 1900s—and its first since Mason Rocca underwent ankle surgery
Probable Starters
HOLY CROSS
10 Brian Wilson 9.0 ppg, 2.4 rpg Fr., 6-2, 185, Plainfield, N.J.
35 Tim Szatko 10.7 ppg, 4.9 rpg Fr., 6-8, 220, Naperville, Ill.
40 Josh Sankes 15.4 ppg, 10.5 rpg Jr., 7-1, 255, Buffalo, N.Y.
20 Guillermo Sanchez 4.1 ppg, 2.9 rpg So., 6-0, 170, Washington Heights, N.Y. 22 Mark Jerz 1.9 ppg, 1.6 rpg Fr., 6-0, 180, Oradell, N.J.
PRINCETON
21 Eugene Baah 5.1 ppg, 2.4 rpg So., 6-5, 195, New York, N.Y.
33 Nate Walton 4.5 ppg, 4.3 rpg Jr., 6-7, 215, San Diego, Calif.
55 Chris Young 13.0 ppg, 5.8 rpg So., 6-11, 255, Dallas, Texas
15 Ahmed El-Nokali 5.2 ppg, 2.4 rpg So., 6-4, 180, Pittsburgh, Pa.
4 Spencer Gloger 12.5 ppg, 3.8 rpg Fr., 6-6, 195, Santa Margarita, Calif.
Tonight's Note of the Night
Mason-ry — Mason Rocca, the lone Princeton senior, underwent surgery to remove bone chips from his ankle on Wednesday, Dec. 29 and is expected to miss six weeks. Should he be out exactly six weeks, he would miss seven games and return in time for Princeton's home games against Dartmouth, Harvard and Pennsylvania.
Five more notes no media person should be without
More Mason-ry — Princeton is 1-4 without Mason Rocca and 5-2 with him.
Still more Mason-ry — Princeton is averaging 48.4 points per game in the five games that Mason Rocca has missed due to injury and 64.6 points per game in the seven games he's played.
Century city — The Holy Cross game is Bill Carmody's 100th as head coach of the Tigers, and he enters with 79 wins. Pete Carril won 58 of his first 100 games as Tiger head coach, Butch van Breda Kolff won 76 of his first 100 games as Tiger head coach.
Auld lang syne — Princeton is playing its final game of the 1900s. Princeton has a record of 1,414-857 this century.
More syne — Princeton has not played a game on New Year's Eve since 1982, when the Tigers lost 52-31 at Brigham Young.
Others receiving votes
Decade-nce — Princeton has won 208 games in the 1990s, the most of any decade in the history of the program.
Minute man— Nate Walton has averaged 38.0 minutes per game in the five games Mason Rocca has missed and 23.1 minutes per game in the seven games Mason Rocca has played.
More minutes — When Spencer Gloger was limited to 22 minutes by foul trouble in the game against Xavier, it marked the first time this season he had played fewer than 31 minutes.
Happy holidays — Three of the four Princeton-Holy Cross games (including this one) have been in the week between Christmas and New Year's. The other was in the 1975 NIT.
Strength of schedule — Holy Cross is Princeton's first opponent to enter the game with more than two losses.
Let's groove tonight — Spencer Gloger is shooting 66% (31 for 47) from three-point range in the six games where he has at least six attempts, he is shooting 22% (5 for 23) in the six games in which he has five attempts or fewer.
Career oriented — Mike Bechtold had a career-high 11 points at Xavier.
Three for all — Spencer Gloger and Mike Bechtold were a combined 8 for 13 from three-point range against Xavier, the rest of the Tigers were a combined 0 for 12.
Windex — Princeton has three fewer defensive rebounds than its opponents (271-268) and 73 fewer offensive rebounds (152-79).
More windex — Princeton has four offensive rebounds in its last two games, Kansas and Xavier combined for 35 offensive rebounds in those two games.
Long range thinking — Princeton tied the school record with 17 three-pointers against UAB.
Still more long — Spencer Gloger has a higher shooting percentage on three-point shots than he does on two-point shots.
Ol' reliable Nathan — Nate Walton has had at least five assists eight times in 12 games.
More Nathan — Nate Walton has 56 assists and 19 turnovers.
Last Nathan — Nate Walton is on pace for 135 assists, which would be third-best all-time at Princeton.
Ah, Ahmed — Ahmed El-Nokali had a career-high 11 points against Kansas.
Foul ball — Princeton has attempted 125 foul shots. Princeton's opponents have made 160 foul shots.
More fouls — Princeton's opponents have shot at least 80% from the foul line six times in 12 games and at least 75% from the foul line 10 times in 12 games.
Still more fouls — Ahmed El-Nokali has played 394 minutes and attempted two foul shots.
Spencer for hire — Spencer Gloger tied the Ivy League record with 10 three-pointers against UAB.
More Spencer — Spencer Gloger is on pace for 87 three-pointers. Sean Jackson holds the school record with 95, Brian Earl holds the freshman record with 55.
Block party — Chris Young has 34 of Princeton's 62 blocked shots.
More blocks — Chris Young has 34 blocked shots, Princeton's opponents have 28 blocked shots.
Still more blocks — Chris Young had seven blocked shots against Xavier.
Even more blocks — Chris Young set a school record with nine blocked shots against Ohio.
Last blocks — Chris Young has 89 blocked shots in 42 career games. He is currently in fourth place all-time at Princeton in blocked shots.
Half grand — Chris Young has 543 career points. Bill Bradley, Brian Taylor and Kit Mueller are the only three Princeton players ever to reach 1,000 points as juniors.
Fresh face — Spencer Gloger is the third Princeton freshman ever to score at least 100 points in his first 10 games (Brian Earl, Rick Hielscher).
Batter up — Chris Young has a higher assists per game average (3.0), blocks per game average (2.8) and rebounds per game average (5.8) than he had earned run average (2.37) last spring.
Young gun — At his current pace, Chris Young would finish his career first all-time at Princeton in blocked shots, second in points and steals, fourth in assists and sixth in rebounding.
Centers of attention — Princeton has had five starting centers since the start of the 1987-88 season (Kit Mueller, Rick Hielscher, Jesse Rosenfeld, Steve Goodrich, Chris Young).
Sold on Bechtold — Mike Bechtold is shooting 58.8% from three-point range (10 for 17) and has shot at least 50% in every game he's played except for one.
Oh say can you C.J. — C.J. Chapman had more two-point baskets than three-point baskets against Xavier. It was the first time this season that he has done so.
Just win, baby — Princeton will finish with the ninth best winning percentage in Division I in the 1990s.
More win — Princeton has won seven Ivy League titles in the last 11 years.
No place like home — Of Bill Carmody's first 100 games as Princeton coach, 40 have been at home and 60 have been on the road.