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Princeton University Athletics
Players Mentioned
The View From Room 310: Princeton At The EA Sports Maui Invitational
November 18, 2007 | Men's Basketball
Ok. So the photo on the front page isn't exactly the view from the balcony of Room 310 at the Hyatt Regency Maui. I had to take the elevator down one floor and walk past the pool to get to the beach. But you get the point. The Princeton men's basketball team really is in paradise.
(In case you were wondering, that's Kaanapali Beach on the West Coast of Maui, the Pacific Ocean and the Hawaiian island of Lanai in the distance).
The Tigers arrived in Lahaina Friday night after two five-hour flights from Philadelphia and a 45-minute drive from the Kahului Airport. After a team barbecue on the lawn by the Hyatt's main pool, the Tigers got a good night's sleep in preparation for two busy days before their first-round game against Duke Monday night (9 p.m. ET, ESPN2).
Saturday began with a team breakfast and then the team's first practice at the Lahaina Civic Center, the annual site of the EA Sports Maui Invitational. The 2,100-seat civic center is nothing like Jadwin Gym; it's more like Harvard's Lavietes Pavilion or Dartmouth's Leede Arena, albeit with a bit less charm inside and a lot better weather (and view) outside. In fact, the concourses into the gym are all open-air, as many public areas are in Hawaii. The civic center is on a hill less than 500 yards from the Pacific.
"It's the kind of place guys who really love to play basketball like to play," noted Princeton head coach Sydney Johnson '97. "Plus, when you step on that floor, you realize how many great players and teams have played in this tournament and on that court before."
ESPN announcers Sean McDonough, Bill Raftery and Jay Bilas visited Princeton's practice (they'll be doing Monday night's game for ESPN2). The Tigers also have a Sunday practice at a local high school in preparation for Monday's game.
Saturday night was a night for the players at the EA Sports Players' Meet & Greet Party, an outdoor barbecue at the Sheraton on the beach featuring all eight teams. The highlight of the night is the annual EA Sports March Madness video game tournament, where two players from each team participate in a tournament bracket format on flat screens set up at the barbecue.
With his team supporting him, Princeton junior Michael Strittmatter dominated Duke's DaMarcus Nelson in a first-round matchup, winning by more than 15 points. Tiger sophomore Lincoln Gunn didn't have as much luck in his game, but the loss came to Duke's Jon Scheyer, who ended up winning the tournament.
Strittmatter, a Phoenix resident, lost to an Arizona State player in the second round, but he did get the privilege of being interviewed by an ESPN crew during the night.
Sunday morning belonged to the coaches, as the Westin resort hosted a coaches' press conference and a charity free-throw shooting contest on the large veranda overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Each coach was joined by a local Maui school-aged child in the free-throw shooting contest.
Johnson took the lead for Princeton by making all three of his foul shots (his assigned student finished 0-for-3), but Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski would overtake the Princeton coach by making all three of his shots after his assigned student made one of three.
The coaches then took time for interviews and photo opportunities with the students before heading out to practices in preparation for Monday's games. The tournament begins Monday when host Chaminade meets nationally-ranked Marquette at 2:30 p.m. ET.
Check back on Monday or Tuesday for more information and photos from Princeton's historic trip to Maui.--
Submitted By: David Rosenfeld, 12:47 p.m. Hawaii time, Sun., Nov. 18