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Princeton University Athletics
One on One with Judson Wallace '05
July 29, 2010 | Men's Basketball
What have you being doing since graduating from Princeton in 2005?
Since graduating, I have been playing basketball overseas. My first two years I played in Germany. After that, I moved to the Italian league for a year with Capo D'Orlando in Sicily. After a successful year there, I signed a two-year contract with Benetton Treviso in Italy's top division.
How did your most recent season go? What are your plans/goals for next season?
From a mental standpoint, this last season was difficult and long. Finding a winning chemistry was particularly hard. We still were able to make the playoffs but lost in the quarterfinals versus the No. 1 seed Montepaschi Siena [current head coach Sydney Johnson '97 played for Montepaschi Siena twice during his career in Italy]. My goals for the next season are to win a championship. I will be disappointed with anything less.
You were injured during the season. How is your health?
I had an injury that sidelined me for two months this season. I have worked to get healthy and am ready to be a part of a successful team. Next season, I want to prove to myself and to others that I can continue to improve individually. I finished the last year of my contract with Benetton Treviso so this summer will be very interesting as far as where my next season will be.
What would be your advice for players who want to follow the career path you have chosen?
Love basketball. Show up early. Leave late. The cliches that Coach Johnson and everyone else may preach aren't just cliches. Talent is a huge part of success, but the most successful players, particularly in Europe, are the guys who put in extra work on the court.
Also, be a part of a winning team. In the European basketball community, a guy scoring 11 points per game for a winning team is going to be far more valuable on the market than a guy on the worst team scoring 25 points per game. If you look at the Ivy League guys playing in Italy, we have me, Ibby Jaaber [two-time Ivy League Player of the Year for Penn] and Mason Rocca '00 [former All-Ivy player for Princeton and former teammate of head coach Sydney Johnson '97 and assistant coach Brian Earl '99]. None of us were statistical monsters but we all were on successful teams in college.
Have you kept track of Princeton Basketball since you graduated?
Absolutely. I remember talking to Coach Johnson when he was hired and telling him that I was ready to get all my old Princeton gear out and wear it around the European locker rooms. There is a lot of school pride among the Americans playing professionally overseas. Most of the guys I play with were high-major college players that don't give Princeton the respect it deserves, so I have to try and dominate them in practice and give them an earful when Princeton gets victories.
You recently returned to the Princeton for your fifth reunion. How was it being back on campus?
It was really great to see a lot of the friends that I don't get a chance to see during my season. I am upset that I missed the annual alumni basketball game at Jadwin but we were just finishing our play-off run in Italy. When I was an undergraduate, I worked reunions and remember the old players and coaches hanging out at the basketball reunion giving me some "constructive criticism" on how I could be a better player. Honestly, hearing those guys tell me what I had to do to become a great player was some of the most motivating and helpful advice I ever received. So naturally, as an alum myself I tried to round up some of my old teammates like Johnny Berger '05, Noah Savage '08 and Scotty Greenman '06 to pass along our advice to the current Tigers. I guess we will have to see if the advice works out.
Finish these two sentences:
At my 25th Reunion, I will be...
This one is tough. I haven't given a ton of thought to a career path after basketball. For me, to be successful in basketball the game needs to consume my thoughts and actions. Still, twenty years from now, I hope I will be bringing a happy, healthy family to a 25th reunion full of great lifelong friends.
Princeton Basketball is...
Another tough question. "On the brink" would be one answer. Not to undermine what was a great 2009-2010 season but I know that Coach Johnson and the guys won't be happy until Ivy League championships are won. Additionally, Princeton basketball is "a defining part of my life." Not only because basketball is a career for me but more importantly, the things I learned through Princeton Basketball apply to a lifetime of potential success. Things like learning how to commit to a greater good, understanding the benefit of being unselfish and an appreciation for details that separate the successful from the average. Those lessons and memories are what make Princeton Basketball special to me.