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Princeton University Athletics
Princeton Mourns The Passing Of "Big Game James" Mastaglio ’98
July 26, 2023 | Men's Basketball
James Mastaglio '98, a cornerstone of the Princeton men's basketball team's rise through the national rankings in the mid-1990s, has passed away at the age of 47 after a brief battle with an aggressive cancer.
A beloved member of one of the greatest classes Tiger basketball has ever seen, Mastaglio defined what a Princeton player should be, with his ability to shoot, pass, dribble and defend, as well as a toughness, determination and team-first mentality that help fuel the entire program. His tragic loss has left everyone associated with the team stunned and heartbroken.
"He was the salt of the Earth," says Princeton head coach Mitch Henderson, a teammate, classmate and close friend of Mastaglio's. "He was an incredible human being. This is crushing for all of his teammates and anyone who knew him. I'm just in shock."
Mastaglio, who was nicknamed "Stags," came to Princeton from Garden City High School on Long Island and immediately moved into the starting lineup for Pete Carril's 1994-95 team, along with fellow freshmen Henderson and Steve Goodrich. Mastaglio scored 13 points in Princeton's season opener, which set a record for points by a Tiger freshman in his first game that would stand for 14 years. He'd play on Carril's final two Princeton teams, including the 1996 team that defeated UCLA in the NCAA tournament, and then on Bill Carmody's first two teams, both of which sailed through the Ivy League with perfect 14-0 records and had non-league wins over schools such as Marquette, UTEP, Texas, North Carolina State and Wake Forest.
After playing key minutes off the bench as a junior, Mastaglio started every game his senior season. He was a particularly effective defender, often using his length to disrupt the opponent's top scorer.
The 1998 team went 27-2 and finished the regular season ranked eighth nationally. The Tigers defeated UNLV in the first round of the NCAA tournament before falling to Michigan State in the second round. Princeton had trailed 11-0 in that game before rallying to tie it on a Mastaglio jump shot in the final minute; Michigan State started four players on that team who would win the NCAA title together two years later.
During Mastaglio's senior season, ESPN analyst Dick Vitale named him to his "All Glue-Guy Team," calling him "one of the most well-rounded players in the country."
Mastaglio finished his career with 684 points in 107 games, for an average of 6.4 per game, and he shot just over 50% from the field for his career (245 for 489), an incredibly efficient mark for a perimeter player. His contribution to the Tigers, though, was never measured solely through his scoring or his numbers. He was a winning player in every sense of the word, a quality that earned him the nickname "Big Game James" from his teammates.
Among his many career highlights was a late 1996 game against North Carolina in Jadwin Gym. He slipped into the starting lineup for the nationally televised game against the 12th-ranked Tar Heels, coached by Hall of Famer Dean Smith. In that game, Mastaglio led the Tigers with 18 points, shooting 7 for 9 from the field and 4 for 5 from three-point range, in a 69-60 loss in a game that was a three-point game with less than two minutes go. He also once played all 55 minutes of a triple-overtime win over Texas A&M.
"He made everyone around him better," Henderson says. "He did everything on the court well. Whatever we needed him to do, that was his role. He could defend. He could make shots. He could handle the ball. And he always played hard. You definitely wanted him on your team."
Mastaglio played briefly in Europe after graduation and also coached Garden City, taking the team from a 3-15 record to 15-3 overall and 12-0 in its league. He became a businessman on Long Island, and he and his father Peter were regular visitors to Jadwin Gym every season. He was in Jadwin this past February along with his teammates for a celebration of the teams from 1996-98.
He is also survived by his wife Bridgette and his children Olivia, 11, and Kellan, 8.
"We've lost a great teammate and a great friend," Henderson says. "I can't make sense of any of this. I'm just destroyed for his father and Bridgette and his whole family. It's completely heartbreaking."
A visitation will be held at Fairchild Sons Funeral Home in Garden City, NY on August 3, from 3:00-7:00 p.m. A funeral service will be held on August 4, at the Church of Saint Joseph in Garden City at 9:45 a.m.
Mastaglio is the second member of those teams to pass away. Kevin Gillett, a backup center on those teams, passed away in 2021.
A beloved member of one of the greatest classes Tiger basketball has ever seen, Mastaglio defined what a Princeton player should be, with his ability to shoot, pass, dribble and defend, as well as a toughness, determination and team-first mentality that help fuel the entire program. His tragic loss has left everyone associated with the team stunned and heartbroken.
"He was the salt of the Earth," says Princeton head coach Mitch Henderson, a teammate, classmate and close friend of Mastaglio's. "He was an incredible human being. This is crushing for all of his teammates and anyone who knew him. I'm just in shock."
Mastaglio, who was nicknamed "Stags," came to Princeton from Garden City High School on Long Island and immediately moved into the starting lineup for Pete Carril's 1994-95 team, along with fellow freshmen Henderson and Steve Goodrich. Mastaglio scored 13 points in Princeton's season opener, which set a record for points by a Tiger freshman in his first game that would stand for 14 years. He'd play on Carril's final two Princeton teams, including the 1996 team that defeated UCLA in the NCAA tournament, and then on Bill Carmody's first two teams, both of which sailed through the Ivy League with perfect 14-0 records and had non-league wins over schools such as Marquette, UTEP, Texas, North Carolina State and Wake Forest.
After playing key minutes off the bench as a junior, Mastaglio started every game his senior season. He was a particularly effective defender, often using his length to disrupt the opponent's top scorer.
The 1998 team went 27-2 and finished the regular season ranked eighth nationally. The Tigers defeated UNLV in the first round of the NCAA tournament before falling to Michigan State in the second round. Princeton had trailed 11-0 in that game before rallying to tie it on a Mastaglio jump shot in the final minute; Michigan State started four players on that team who would win the NCAA title together two years later.
During Mastaglio's senior season, ESPN analyst Dick Vitale named him to his "All Glue-Guy Team," calling him "one of the most well-rounded players in the country."
Mastaglio finished his career with 684 points in 107 games, for an average of 6.4 per game, and he shot just over 50% from the field for his career (245 for 489), an incredibly efficient mark for a perimeter player. His contribution to the Tigers, though, was never measured solely through his scoring or his numbers. He was a winning player in every sense of the word, a quality that earned him the nickname "Big Game James" from his teammates.
Among his many career highlights was a late 1996 game against North Carolina in Jadwin Gym. He slipped into the starting lineup for the nationally televised game against the 12th-ranked Tar Heels, coached by Hall of Famer Dean Smith. In that game, Mastaglio led the Tigers with 18 points, shooting 7 for 9 from the field and 4 for 5 from three-point range, in a 69-60 loss in a game that was a three-point game with less than two minutes go. He also once played all 55 minutes of a triple-overtime win over Texas A&M.
"He made everyone around him better," Henderson says. "He did everything on the court well. Whatever we needed him to do, that was his role. He could defend. He could make shots. He could handle the ball. And he always played hard. You definitely wanted him on your team."
Mastaglio played briefly in Europe after graduation and also coached Garden City, taking the team from a 3-15 record to 15-3 overall and 12-0 in its league. He became a businessman on Long Island, and he and his father Peter were regular visitors to Jadwin Gym every season. He was in Jadwin this past February along with his teammates for a celebration of the teams from 1996-98.
He is also survived by his wife Bridgette and his children Olivia, 11, and Kellan, 8.
"We've lost a great teammate and a great friend," Henderson says. "I can't make sense of any of this. I'm just destroyed for his father and Bridgette and his whole family. It's completely heartbreaking."
A visitation will be held at Fairchild Sons Funeral Home in Garden City, NY on August 3, from 3:00-7:00 p.m. A funeral service will be held on August 4, at the Church of Saint Joseph in Garden City at 9:45 a.m.
Mastaglio is the second member of those teams to pass away. Kevin Gillett, a backup center on those teams, passed away in 2021.
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