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Princeton University Athletics
Tigers Head to McCaffrey Classic to Face UC Irvine, Fresno State
December 03, 2003 | Men's Basketball
Dec. 3, 2003
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The Princeton men's basketball team is venturing to California for an in-season tournament for the third straight season and to Fresno State's December tournament for the second time in the last nine years. Back then, in Dec. 1995, Pete Carril's Tigers, featuring a young assistant coach named John Thompson, defeated Boise State and host Fresno State to win what was known as the Coors Light Classic.
The Tigers will again face two quality opponents this weekend at what is now known as the McCaffrey Classic. Both UC Irvine, Friday's opponent, and host Fresno State, Saturday's opponent, won 20 games last season and are picked to finish at or near the top of their conferences this season. Irvine, featuring seven-footer Adam Parada in the middle, was 2-2 overall heading into a game at Cal Wednesday night. Fresno, featuring star guard Shantay Legans, is 0-2 heading into the tournament but will be playing its first games at its brand-new on-campus arena, the Save Mart Center, which seats more than 16,000.
Those teams will have their hands full as well with a 3-0 Princeton team that is shooting 56.3% from the field in its first three games while holding opponents to 42 percent shooting. Four players scored in double figures for the Tigers in a 68-56 victory at UMBC Tuesday, proving that Princeton doesn't necessarily need star center Judson Wallace to reach his 25 ppg average to be successful. Division II Arkansas-Monticello is the fourth team at the McCaffrey Classic. Princeton and UC Irvine play at 8:30 EST Friday, with Fresno State and Arkansas-Monticello playing at 11 p.m. EST. On Saturday, Irvine and Monticello will play at 8:30 and the host Bulldogs will face the Tigers at 11 p.m.
NOTE OF THE DAY
Shooting Stars - Princeton is shooting 56.3% from the field this season. The team record for field-goal percentage in a season is 54.1%, set in 1986-87.
EIGHT MORE THINGS YOU CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT
More Shooting Stars - The Tigers have shot 61% from the field (40 for 66) in the first half in their three games this season.
Even More Shooting Stars - Princeton's top three scorers this season (Judson Wallace, Scott Greenman, Konrad Wysocki) are shooting a combined 48 for 75 (64%) from the field through three games.
Thanks for the Help - Princeton has assists on 50 of its 72 baskets (69%) this season.
It's Very Early, But... - Judson Wallace is averaging 25 points per game through three games this season. No Princeton player has averaged more than 20 points per game for a single season since Brian Taylor scored 25 points per game in 1971-72.
Yes, It's Still Early But... - Judson Wallace is averaging 9.7 rebounds through three games this season. No Princeton player has averaged that many for a season since Bill Bradley averaged 11.8 in 1964-65.
Great Beginnings - Princeton is 3-0 for the first time since the 1997-98 season. The Tigers won their first seven games that season and finished with a team-record 27 wins.
We Love Fresno - The Tigers defeated Boise State and host Fresno State to win this tournament in 1995 when it was known as the Coors Light Classic. Head coach John Thompson was an assistant coach on that team.
Happy Returns - Andre Logan played 10 minutes against UMBC Tuesday. Logan had missed 42 of Princeton's last 45 games due to a knee injury suffered in Jan. 2002 and a hand injury suffered this preseason.
MORE PRINCETON NOTES & ANECDOTES
Center of Attention - Judson Wallace is averaging 22.5 points per game over his last eight games dating back to Feb. 28 of last season. In his previous 42 games, he averaged 5.5 points per game.
They Call ?em Layups - Judson Wallace is shooting 24 for 30 (80%) on two-point shots this season.
I'm Honored - Judson Wallace was named the Ivy League Player of the Week for games ending Nov. 30. Wallace averaged 29.5 points and 10 rebounds in Princeton's first two games.
30-30 Vision - Judson Wallace's 31-point performance against Holy Cross was the highest-scoring game at Princeton since Spencer Gloger scored 34 against UAB Dec. 18, 1999.
I've Been Honored - Judson Wallace earned honorable mention All-Ivy honors in 2002-03. He is Princeton's lone returning All-Ivy player from last season.
California Dreamin' - More Princeton players (four) are from California than from any other state. Will Venable (San Rafael), Mike Stephens (Napa) and Patrick Ekeruo (Hayward) are from the Bay Area; Harrison Schaen (Huntington Beach) lives in Southern California.
Goin' Back to Cali - Princeton is playing in an in-season tournament in California for the third straight year. The Tigers played at Santa Clara's Cable Car Classic last year and at the BCA Classic at Cal the year before that.
Have I Met You Before? - Princeton and UC Irvine played in the same in-season tournament last season (Oklahoma's Sooner Invitational) but did not meet in that tournament.
All in the Family - Jeff Gloger is averaging 10.5 points for UC Irvine this season. His older brother, Spencer, was Princeton's leading scorer last season (15.7 ppg).
The Injury Report - Andre Logan returned to action ahead of schedule Tuesday after a hand injury sidelined him for the first two games. Freshman guard Edwin Buffmire is sidelined indefinitely by an ankle injury suffered in practice last weekend.
20-20 Vision - Three of Princeton's next four games are against teams that won at least 20 games last season (UC Irvine, Fresno State, Duke).
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 469 games.
The Man in Charge - Last Friday's Princeton victory against Holy Cross was John Thompson's 50th career win. Thompson is the seventh coach in 104 years of Princeton basketball to win 50 or more games.
From Way Downtown... - Ed Persia ranks ninth all-time at Princeton with 115 three-pointers. He needs six three-point shots to pass Mike Bechtold and move into eighth place on the all-time list.
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.
Where There's A Will... - Will Venable tied a career high with seven assists against Holy Cross last Friday. Venable leads the Tigers with 14 assists through three games.
What's In a Name? - Will Venable is the son of former Major League Baseball player Max Venable, who played 12 seasons in the majors for the Giants, Expos and Reds.
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.
Not Green Anymore - Sophomore Scott Greenman is second on the team in scoring (10.0 ppg). Greenman needs just 25 points to surpass his total number of points for his entire freshman season.
Bombs Away - Scott Greenman is shooting 16 for 37 (43.2%) from three-point range for his career. Greenman has finished 2 for 4 from three-point range in every Princeton game this year.
A 50-50 Proposition - Konrad Wysocki is shooting 161 for 315 from the field (51.1 percent) for his career.
MORE FROM THE HARDWOOD...
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.
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.
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 a field goal through three 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 saw his first action of the season at UMBC. 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 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.