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Princeton University Athletics
Men's Basketball Hits the Road Looking to Stay Unbeaten
December 01, 2003 | Men's Basketball
Dec. 1, 2003
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The Princeton men's basketball team has shot better than 56 percent from the field this season on the way to two victories in the friendly confines of Jadwin Gym. Starting Tuesday night, the Tigers will look to continue those kinds of results away from home.
A trip to UMBC (7 p.m., WPRB 103.3 FM, GoPrincetonTigers.com) is the first of five straight games away from Princeton for the Tigers, who don't return home until Dec. 22 against Lafayette. Three of the five Tiger opponents in the upcoming stretch won 20 or more games last season. UMBC isn't one of those teams, but the Retrievers are 2-0 this season after defeating Loyola and Towson to win the Battle of Baltimore Tournament Nov. 21-22.
The most interesting individual story for the Tigers in the early season has been junior center Judson Wallace, who is unofficially second in the nation (29.5 ppg) in scoring after a 31-point performance against Holy Cross and a 28-point effort against Colgate. Wallace, who is shooting 75% from the field this season (21 for 28), is averaging better than 23 points per game over his last seven games dating back to Feb. 28 of last season.
The Tigers and UMBC met last season, with Princeton shooting better than 62 percent from the field on the way to a 76-43 win over the Retrievers at Jadwin Gym. The teams had met once previously to that game, a 67-55 Tiger win in the 1993 Spunkmeyer Classic at California. NOTE OF THE DAY
It's Still Early, But... - Judson Wallace is averaging 29.5 points through two games, the highest for a Princeton player since Brian Taylor was averaging 30 points after the first two games of the 1971-72 season.
EIGHT MORE THINGS YOU CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT
Again, It's Still Early, But... - No Princeton player besides Bill Bradley has averaged more than 25 points per game for a single season. Bradley did it three times.
Yes, It's Still Early, But... - Only five players (Bill Bradley, Brian Taylor, Geoff Petrie, Pete Campbell, Hal Haabestad) in Princeton basketball history have averaged 20 or more points per game for a single season.
OK, It's Still Early, But... - No Princeton player has averaged 20 points per game for a season since Brian Taylor averaged 25.0 ppg in 1971-72.
Wonderful Wallace - Judson Wallace is averaging 23.4 points per game in his last seven games dating back to Feb. 28 of last season. Wallace averaged 5.5 points per game in 42 career games before that.
More Wallace - Judson Wallace is shooting 57 for 94 (60.6%) from the field and 18 for 35 from three-point range (51.4%) in his last seven games dating back to Feb. 28 of last season.
Thirty-Something - Judson Wallace's 31 points against Holy Cross were the most by a Princeton player since Spencer Gloger scored 34 in a win over UAB Dec. 18, 1999.
Shooting Stars - Princeton is shooting 56.3% from the field over its first two games. The Tigers shot 62% in their first 60 minutes of action this season.
Looking for a Repeat - Princeton shot 30 for 48 (62.5%) from the field and 12 for 23 (52.1%) from three-point range in a 33-point victory over UMBC at Jadwin Gym last season.
MORE PRINCETON NOTES & ANECDOTES
Good Beginnings - Princeton is 2-0 for the first time since the 1997-98 season. The Tigers set a team record with 27 wins that year.
The Man in Charge - Friday's victory against Holy Cross was head coach John Thompson's 50th career win. Thompson is the seventh coach in 104 years of Princeton basketball to win 50 or more games.
Thanks for the Help - The Tigers had assists on 17 of their 22 baskets against Holy Cross and have assists on 34 of their 49 field goals (69.3%) through two games this season.
Travelin' Men - Princeton plays its next five games away from Jadwin Gym (four on the road, one neutral-site game) before hosting Lafayette Dec. 22.
Let's Play Two - Princeton will return to the Baltimore area in less than four weeks, facing Loyola Dec. 29.
The Injury Report - Andre Logan will miss the early part of the 2003-04 season after tearing tendons in his right hand in an on-campus incident Oct. 18. Logan should be available by mid-December.
The Streak Continues! - Princeton, along with Vanderbilt and UNLV, are the only teams to have made at least one three-point shot in every game since the rule came into effect for the 1986-87 season. The Tigers' streak currently stands at 468 games.
More From Way Downtown... - Ed Persia ranks ninth all-time at Princeton with 112 three-pointers. He needs nine three-point shots to pass Mike Bechtold and move into eighth place on the all-time list.
Miracle Man - Ed Persia hit an 80-foot desperation shot at the regulation buzzer to give Princeton a 60-57 victory over Monmouth on Dec. 3 of last season.
I'm Your Captain - Ed Persia is a Tiger co-captain this season along with junior Judson Wallace. Persia is one of just two Princeton players (along with fellow senior Konrad Wysocki) in his final year of eligibility.
30-30 Vision - Judson Wallace's 31-point performance against Holy Cross was the first 30-point game for a Princeton player since Chris Young had 30 at Harvard on Feb. 5, 2000.
I'm Honored - Judson Wallace earned honorable mention All-Ivy honors in 2002-03. He is Princeton's lone returning All-Ivy player from last season.
Wow, Wallace! - Judson Wallace scored 23 points against Yale last Feb. 28, had 24 points at Brown the next night, scored 23 points against Cornell March 7 and had 22 points against Penn in the season finale.
Where There's A Will... - Will Venable tied a career high with seven assists against Holy Cross Friday. Venable leads the Tigers with 10 assists through two games.
Perfect Performance - Will Venable shot a perfect 4 for 4 from the field and 4 for 4 from the line against Colgate. Venable also had three assists, a blocked shot and a steal.
From Court to Field - Will Venable also is an outfielder for the Ivy League champion Princeton baseball team. Venable played amateur baseball this past summer in California, hitting .460 for the Novato Knicks.
A 50-50 Proposition - Konrad Wysocki is shooting 157 for 309 from the field (50.8 percent) for his career. Wysocki shot 5 for 7 from the field against Colgate Nov. 21.
Special K - Konrad Wysocki was the Ivy League Rookie of the Year in 2000-01. Wysocki averaged 5.6 points and 3.7 rebounds per game that season in helping the Tigers to the NCAA tournament.
From Across the Pond - Konrad Wysocki was born in Poland, and his family lives in Germany. Wysocki attended high school in the USA for two years at Greensboro Country Day School in North Carolina.
All about Andre - Andre Logan played in just three games last year before ending his season prematurely due to knee problems. Logan had a second knee surgery and withdrew from school for the second semester, so he has two years of eligibility remaining entering this year.
MORE FROM THE HARDWOOD
Filling It Up - Andre Logan was leading Princeton in scoring in 2001-02 (9.3 ppg) before tearing a knee ligament in Princeton's Ivy League opener at Harvard on Jan. 11, 2002.
Tournament Tested - Andre Logan is one of three current Princeton players (along with Konrad Wysocki and Ed Persia) to have played in the NCAA tournament. Logan scored eight points as a freshman in Princeton's loss to North Carolina in the 2001 NCAA first round.
Bombs Away - Scott Greenman is shooting 14 for 33 (42.4%) from three-point range for his career. Greenman was 2 for 4 from beyond the arc against Holy Cross.
Not Green Anymore - Scott Greenman is second on the team in scoring (9.0 ppg). Greenman averaged 2.7 points per game in 20 appearances last year.
Rookie Report - Luke Owings scored 11 points against Holy Cross, hitting three of his four three-point attempts. Owings is the only Tiger freshman to have scored through two games this season.
Thanks for the Help - Mike Stephens had 10 assists against Ursinus in a 99-56 victory Jan. 27 of last season, the most by a Princeton player since Kit Mueller had 11 against Brown in 1991.
A Fine Vintage - Mike Stephens, a Napa, Calif., native, worked at the Domaine Carneros Winery for 25-30 hours a week as a high school student.
The Emperor Maximilian - Max Schafer had a team-high two steals against Holy Cross. Schafer averaged 21 points, seven assists and three steals as a senior at De Paul Catholic High School and earned first-team all-New Jersey and all-area honors.
Two-Way Player - Patrick Ekeruo (pronounced e-CARE-oh) played 15 minutes and had two rebounds against Colgate in his first collegiate game. Ekeruo was the salutatorian of his graduating class at Moreau Catholic High School in Hayward, Calif.
Super Schaen - Harrison Schaen won California state championships in 2003 and 2001 at Mater Dei High School and was a four-time all-league selection.
In the Buff - Edwin Buffmire was named the Maricopa County Player of the Year as as a high school senior after averaging 21 points, eight assists and seven rebounds per game.
The Reynolds Wrap - John Reynolds won a Journalism Award for Excellence in sportswriting from The Greenville News as a junior in high school.
The All-American Boy - Michael Rudoy earned honorable mention All-America honors from Street & Smith's Magazine as a senior in high school at the Latin School of Chicago.
By the Numbers - Three Princeton returning players from a year ago have switched numbers from last season. Konrad Wysocki now wears No. 1 after wearing No. 34 his first three years. Scott Greenman is wearing No. 3 this season after wearing No. 15 as a freshman. Jon Berger is No. 11 this year; he wore No. 32 in 2002-03.
Television Stars - Princeton will appear on either live or tape-delayed television 15 times this season. Two games (Duke, Oklahoma) will be televised nationally, while seven others will appear on regional cable networks.