.png&width=24&type=webp)
Princeton University Athletics
California, Here We Come
November 13, 2001 | Men's Basketball
Nov. 13, 2001
PRINCETON at CALIFORNIA
The site Haas Pavilion * Berkeley, Calif.
The date Thursday, Nov. 15, 2001 *11:30 p.m. EST
Radio/TV WHWH AM 1350, www.goprincetontigers.com/none
The records Princeton: 0-0, California: 0-0
The coaches Princeton: John Thompson (second season, 16-11), California: Ben Braun (24th season overall, 408-285, sixth season at Cal, 95-61)
The series Tied 1-1
Last meeting California won 55-52 * March 13, 1997 * NCAA tournament * opening round * Winston-Salem, N.C.
A league of their own - Princeton has won eight Ivy League championships in the last 13 years.
It's madness - Princeton is one of 22 teams in Division I to play in the postseason each of the last six years.
Not bad, for starters - Princeton returns four starters from the 2000-01 season (Ahmed El-Nokali, Kyle Wente, Andre Logan, Ed Persia), one other starter from the 1999-2000 season (Ray Robins) and another starter from the 1998-99 season (Chris Krug). The fab four - John Thompson is Princeton's fourth head coach in the last 40 years. He has followed Butch van Breda Kolff, Pete Carril and Bill Carmody.
Field of dreams - The BCA Classic features three teams from last year's NCAA tournament (Princeton, St. Joe's, California) and a fourth (Eastern Washington) that advanced to the championship game of its conference tournament.
Open and shut - Princeton has lost its last three season openers by an average margin of 23.3 points (16 to Lafayette in 1998, 17 to Syracuse in 1999, 37 to Duke last year.
Size matters - Princeton's starting five averaged 6' 4.6" a year ago, and the 12 plyers on the team averaged 6' 5". The five incoming Princeton freshman average 6' 7.2" and the average height for the entire roster is 6' 6.7".
Pack your bags now - Four of Princeton's last five season-opening opponents have ended the season in the NCAA tournament.
Nice to see you again - Princeton and California last met in the 1997 NCAA tournament at Wake Forest. California, led by 16 points from Randy Duck and 13 points from Tony Gonzalez, won 55-52.
California dreamin' - Princeton has four players from California: Ray Robins (Paso Robales), Will Venable (San Rafael), Mike Stephens (Napa), Conor Neu (Danville).
Center of attention - Princeton centers have been named first-team All-Ivy League 11 times in the last 13 years, including last year, when Nate Walton was a unanimous first-team All-Ivy selection.
More center - Konrad Wysocki, the backup center last year, was the 2001 Ivy League Rookie of the Year. He became the third Princeton center in the last nine years to win the award.
Minute man - Senior co-captain Ahmed El-Nokali played all 40 minutes nine times last year and averaged 38.5 minutes per game in 14 Ivy League games.
I'm honored - Ahmed El-Nokali was a second-team All-Ivy League selection a year ago. Kyle Wente was an honorable mention selection.
Ouch - Senior co-captain Mike Bechtold has been slowed by leg injuries each of his three years at Princeton. His freshman and sophomore seasons ended with stress fractures, and he missed almost the entire Ivy League season last year with the same problem.
Century city - Princeton has the longest current streak in Division I of consecutive games without allowing 100 points (885 games, dating to 1968 vs. North Carolina).
Exhibitionists - Princeton defeated the EA Sports East all-stars 72-59 in an exhibition game Nov. 6. Mike Bechtold led Princeton with 17 points and seven rebounds.
More exhibitionists - Point guard Ahmed El-Nokali missed the exhibition game against EA Sports East all-stars with a minor muscle pull. He is healthy for the start of the regular season.
Three for all - Princeton has made at least one three-pointer in every game since the rule was enacted in 1986.
More threes - Princeton attempted more three-pointers than two-pointers (619-584) a year ago.
Still more threes - Princeton shot 13 for 27 from three-point range against EA Sports East all-stars.
Last threes - Princeton attempted 27 three-pointers and 22 two-pointers against EA Sports East all-stars.
Deuces wild - Princeton shot 16 for 22 (73%) on two-pointers against EA Sports East all-stars.
Say Wente - Princeton went 8-1 a year ago when Kyle Wente was in double figures.
Persian gulf - Ed Persia led Princeton with 16 points in the NCAA tournament game against North Carolina last year.
Logan's run - Andre Logan, who started the second half of his freshman year last year, has acted in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.
Welcome back - Ray Robins, who averaged 10.5 points per game as a starter in the 1999-2000 season, returns this season after taking last season off.
More welcome - Chris Krug, who started 27 games as a freshman in 1998-99, is back this season after taking the last two years off.
D minus - Princeton had its run of 13 straight seasons leading the country in scoring defense snapped last year, when the Tigers finished second nationally.
Swish - Konrad Wysocki shot 60% from the field in Ivy League games and 55% in all games a year ago.
Can you spare a dime? - John Thompson had 358 career assists as a player at Princeton, third-best all-time in the program's history. Every current Princeton player combined has 354 assists.
Foul ball - Ahmed El-Nokali was second in the Ivy League in free throw percentage a year ago (81.4%).
Triple play - Princeton freshman center Dominick Martin had 35 points, 29 rebounds and 11 blocked shots in one game in high school. No Princeton player has ever had a triple-double.
What might have been - Princeton has been without All-America center Chris Young last season and now this season. Young, who scored 801 points his first two seasons and was on pace to finish his career second all-time at Princeton in scoring and rebounding, signed a professional baseball contract as a 6' 11" pitcher with the Pittsburgh Pirates in September 2000. Under Ivy League rules, Young, who is still a Princeton undergraduate, was ineligible for all other sports when he became a professional in one.
Young and the rest - Chris Young had 801 points in two seasons at Princeton. Ahmed El-Nokali and Mike Bechtold, the two leading career scorers on the team, have 739 points between them.
Pomp and circumstance - Princeton graduated first-team All-Ivy League center Nate Walton and top reserve C.J. Chapman, sixth all-time on Princeotn's career three-pointers made list. Terence Rozier-Byrd, a backup center, also graduated.
History lesson - Princeton ranks 14th all-time in NCAA tournament appearances with 22.