Journey To Jadwin - Steve Goodrich
6/11/2020
112 games played, 112 games started. Along with starting every game for four years, Steve Goodrich ‘98 is remembered for delivering the game-winning pass in the Tigers' win over UCLA in the 1996 NCAA Tournament. Throughout his Journey To Jadwin he played against an elite level of talent, paving the way for a tremendous career at Princeton and the professional level.
Goodrich had passion and enthusiasm for the game of basketball from an early age and there was one occasion where that passion and enthusiasm got the best of him.
While Goodrich hails from the basketball hotbed of Philadelphia, it was a man who had been a thorn in the side of 76ers fans, Michael Jordan, who was his first basketball idol.
I used to watch those games and count his stats. My dad used to take me to the Spectrum once a year to watch when the Bulls came, so I was one of those kids who Michael Jordan would say ‘if you’re going to see me play, you’re going to see what I’m all about.'Steve Goodrich
Along with watching Jordan play at the Spectrum Center, Goodrich also has memories of watching Jordan play for the Dream Team at the 1992 Olympic Games.
“It was the first real summer basketball camp I went to and it was at La Salle University. Somebody set up a crappy TV,” said Goodrich. "We stayed in the dorm rooms, this was my freshman or sophomore year of high school, and we watched them play Angola. I had no vision that basketball was going to take me anywhere, it was just fun to play. That was a really exciting time to see all those guys together.”
As Goodrich drew inspiration from Jordan and the Dream Team, he began to take basketball more seriously and realized he had to test himself against a higher level of competition. His high school coach sent him to a recreation center in Philadelphia where he linked up with a skills trainer by the name of John Hartnett.
He (John Hartnett) started putting workouts together for a whole bunch of Philadelphia guys that came and worked out in the summer in this little rec league gym. I remember that being crucial for me and better competition than I’ve ever played against.Steve Goodrich
“He was super low key but demanding, made people play hard and the workouts were really hard,” said Goodrich. "John Hartnett had all the Temple guys working out with him; Aaron McKie, Eddie Jones and Mark Macon. He had the Philly guys who were around a year ahead of me, whether it was Rasheed Wallace, Marc Jackson, a bunch of NBA guys who were all studs that were in the Class of ‘93 in high school. I used to play against those guys and work out with those guys. That was where I learned the first time there was a tougher world out there of better basketball players.”
The combination of Hartnett’s tutelage and the higher level of competition would pay dividends.
“I was kind of gangly and uncoordinated, it was more about the competition, which is what Carril did too,” proclaimed Goodrich. “The reputation was that I was soft, so how do you play against guys who are tough and fighting pretty hard? Are you tough enough to do it? The workouts were intense, you’re playing against men. You’re 16 and you’re going against guys who are 25, it’s a huge age difference… At that time, it was kind of new information, usually if you’re the big guy you’re standing around the basket setting picks. There’s a lot more you have to do.”
Testing himself against the likes of Rasheed Wallace helped develop Goodrich’s game at a rapid pace.
Going against Rasheed Wallace was different than anyone I played against in high school, he was a different athlete.Steve Goodrich
“It’s always an interesting thing, the first time you play against a pro whose got all the tools, effort, and skills to dominate," said Goodrich. "That experience was eye-opening and exciting, it was fun to be in the city at the time when the talent level was so high.”
As Goodrich continued his work with Hartnett and the best players Philadelphia had to offer, his confidence started to grow and the results began to show.
“My sophomore year we played against Overbook High and their best player was a guy by the name of Malik Rose, who played for the Spurs for ten years,” explained Goodrich. “He was an undersized big, but he was a grown-up senior and I was a scraggly sophomore. I scored one point, I was terrified, had dots on my face the whole time. After that game I thought maybe this isn’t going to work out for me. The next game we played against Southern High School, South Philly High, and I played really well. We lost, but we competed well."
After going home from my first start in high school, which was against a guy who was going to be a ten-year NBA pro, thinking oh my god, I can’t even play high school basketball, to the high of having a good game in a tough environment and feeling better about what I was doing. That was a good swing and made me realize this was something I’d like to do.Steve Goodrich
More and more schools began to take notice of Goodrich; he spoke extensively with Stanford and Notre Dame, but ultimately decided on Princeton. Carril’s unique recruiting style stood out to Goodrich.
“Carril’s recruiting style was ‘you’re really good, but if you do this, this, and this you could realize your potential,'" explained Goodrich. “You don’t really dribble with your left hand, you’ve got to become a better rebounder.”
There’s something reinforcing about the type of guy who is attracted to his style and being understated, thinking about how to get you better and not giving empty compliments. He had this authenticity, 'I really like you and you could be great, but you’ve got a lot of work to do. I can help you.'Steve Goodrich
“Not only was that appealing to me, but it got a group of guys together who who were all attracted to that,” said Goodrich. "There was self-deprecation built into that. You needed to be confident, but there were no primadonnas.”
Plans were for Goodrich to play as a power forward at Princeton, but six weeks into his freshman year he was switched to center. When asked about it, Carril provided a quote for the ages that Sports Illustrated used as its Quote of the Week.
“Somebody said ‘you’re switching Goodrich to center, is it because he doesn’t have the shooting range?’ He goes ‘well yeah, he has the shooting range. What he doesn’t have is the making range.’ I was the ignominious quote of the week six weeks into my freshman season.”Steve Goodrich
Goodrich took the positional change in stride and appreciated the “tough love” provided by Carril, describing his “magic trick” as making his players feel they were so important.
“If you weren’t up to the challenge then maybe it meant you weren’t going to be up to any of the challenges in your life,” said Goodrich. "You were at an age of figuring out who you are and he’s testing you. It’s the crucible to say if you can handle this, you’ll make it. This is the most important thing here, you owe it to the guys here to do your best all the time.”
Carril’s lessons paid off. Goodrich was an AP Honorable Mention All-American and the Ivy League Player of the Year in 1998 and a three-time All-Ivy League First Team honoree. He played a key role in Princeton’s win over UCLA in the 1996 NCAA Tournament. Goodrich scored 1,207 points and his field goal percentage of .588 ranks fifth all-time in school history. He started every game for four years and his 112 career starts rank second all-time in Princeton history.
Goodrich's backdoor pass to Gabe Lewullis '99 that helped Princeton defeated defending national champion UCLA in the 1996 NCAA Tournament will forever live in Princeton folklore.
“To say we were playing with house money is the best way to think about it. We had beaten Penn, Carril was retiring and all the heat was off,” said Goodrich. “No one expected us to do anything. We were down 7-0 and I remember that first time out, we all were like come on, we weren’t going to go out like this. It wasn’t like we can’t compete. The team wasn’t some kind of unbelievable bunch of pros.”
With assistance from Goodrich, the Tigers would return to the NCAA Tournament in 1997 and 1998, with Princeton defeating UNLV in the first round of the tournament in '98 and rising as high as No. 8 in the national rankings during the season.
Post-graduation, the NBA was a realistic option for Goodrich.
Mitch and I skipped graduation to go to a pre-draft workout in Chicago.Steve Goodrich
“We went to the prom and everything for graduation weekend then went to Chicago and played with all the guys in the draft class. After the draft, that was it. We sat around all summer waiting for a job, went back to Princeton and worked out. I got a job in Spain, came home after the lockout ended and went to Nets camp with Calipari.”
Goodrich went on to play for Gironoa Gavis UB and La Palma in Spain, the Baltimore Bayrunners in the now-defunct International Basketball League (IBL) and Adecco Milano in Italy before finally getting to realize his NBA dream with the Chicago Bulls.
“I got a call in the spring, they wanted to see me get on the court and see what I could do,” said Goodrich
I had to get a release from my Italian team; I had a game, we had to beat this team from Verona to secure our position in the standings and if I did that, they’d grant me my release so I could come home. We won the game then my wife and I had 36 hours to get on a flight to Chicago. I played two days later.Steve Goodrich
Chicago would not be Goodrich’s final stop in the NBA as he would go on to play for the New Jersey Nets.
“I played well against the Nets and then the next year Eddie Jordan was an assistant coach there with Byron Scott, the first year Jason Kidd was there,” proclaimed Goodrich. “They were putting in stuff from the Princeton offense and he knew me, they signed me."
Following his stint in the NBA, Goodrich would go on to play several more professional seasons in Europe before finally retiring.
“I went to business school at UCLA then I met some guys who were founding a little community bank,” said Goodrich. “I helped them found the bank and stayed there for a few years.”
These days, Goodrich works for Beneficial State Bank in Los Angeles.
“I work in finance and community lending,” explained Goodrich. “I try to make loans to businesses and communities who are not served by traditional banks and financial institutions.”
Goodrich is appreciative of the role Princeton has played in his life.
“Princeton was the perfect marriage of the various threads that were important to me,” said Goodrich. “Relationships with teammates, I couldn’t have asked for a better group of guys to have played with."
The fact is that school has such an unbelievably rich academic tradition, it was an incredible place to spend four years. There’s magic to the university and what a great place it is.Steve Goodrich
“All of the talented and interesting people that were there as the student body," said Goodrich. “I feel like the basketball program has its own little subculture there of people who know how to do hard things and compete at a high level against sometimes bigger schools.”
We got to accomplish some great things for the program, and to do them with your best friends was a real blessing.Steve Goodrich
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