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Men's Basketball
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
- Email:
- settin@princeton.edu
- Phone:
- 609-258-8669
Skyelar Ettin, a Princeton native and an alumnus of The College of New Jersey, became an assistant coach in June 2016 after serving for one season as the program's Director of Basketball Operations.
Since Ettin joined the staff in 2015-16, Princeton has made a return to the NCAA Tournament, advancing to the Sweet Sixteen in 2023, coming within two points of Notre Dame in 2017, and to the NIT for the first time since 2002, taking Virginia Tech to overtime in Blacksburg in 2016 before taking on VCU in 2022.
Ettin helped Princeton reach Sweet Sixteen in 2022-23, just the fourth No. 15 seed in history to do so, along with the Ivy Tournament and Ivy Regular Season Championships. The Tigers defeated a pair of nationally-ranked opponents (No. 8 Arizona & No. 25 Missouri), became the 11th No. 15 seed to beat a No. 2 seed after taking down Arizona 58-55 in the NCAA Tournament Round of 64, and earned the largest ever margin of victory for a No. 15 seed thanks to a 78-63 victory over Mizzou in the Round of 32. Princeton also set a new program record for most points (2,416), won the London Basketball Classic, ranked fourth in the nation in rebounds per game (28.84), 15th in rebound margin (6.0) and 16th in rebounds per game (39.00).
The 2017 season saw Princeton go 14-0 in the Ivy League for the first time since 1998 and for the first time for any Ivy team since 2008, as well as win the inaugural Ivy League Tournament. The 2017 season saw Princeton go on a 19-game winning streak, and lead the Ivy League in coring defense, scoring margin, 3-point field goal percentage, turnover margin, assist-to-turnover ratio, defensive rebounding percentage and 3-pointers made per game.
The Tigers finished the 2022 regular season 22-5 and 12-2 in conference on their way to securing the Ivy League Championship. Ettin also helped guide the Tigers to four new team records; most points in a season (2395), most points per game in a season (79.8), most field goals made in a season (910), and most three-point field goals made in a season (327). Additionally, the Tigers ranked fourth in the nation in Effective field goal percentage (56.7%), fifth in three-point field goals per game (10.9), fifth in three-point field goal percentage (38.7%), ninth in assist/turnover ratio (1.53), 11th in scoring offense (79.8), and 14th in total three-point field goals made (327).
The 2022 season also earned the Tigers numerous individual accolades: Junior forward Tosan Evbuomwan was named Ivy League Player of the Year, 1st Team All-Ivy, and to the Ivy League All-Tournament Team. Senior Jaelin Llewellyn was named 1st Team All-Ivy, Senior Ethan Wright was named 2nd Team All-Ivy, and Senior Drew Friberg was named to the All-Ivy Academic Team. Ettin played a major role in the development of each of these student-athletes.
After the 2016-17 season, Ettin was named an NABC 30 under 30 honoree a compilation of coaching staff members under the age of 30 from across all NCAA divisions. This award recognizes the top young college basketball coaches in the country each year.
In May 2020, Ettin was named one of the 50 most Impactful Mid Major Assistants in the country by Silver Waves Media. Ettin was one of the few assistants in the Ivy League named to this list as well as one of the youngest to receive this recognition.
"Skye makes others around him better," Mitch Henderson, the Franklin C.Cappon-Edward G. Green '40 head coach of Princeton men's basketball, said. "He cares deeply about the team and how he in turn can help in the development of each player in our program. I'm very pleased that he is receiving national recognition for his dedication to making Princeton basketball the best it can be."
During Ettin's time working with the team, eight Tigers have gone on to play professionally, including Devin Cannady '20 who played eight games with the Orlando Magic in the 2020-21 season and was NBA G League Finals MVP, Spencer Weisz '17 who was Ivy League Player of the Year and now plays in the Israeli Winner League along with Amir Bell '18, Myles Stephens '19, Richmond Aririguzoh '20 and Steven Cook '17.
Since Ettin joined the Tigers' staff in 2015-16, the team has gone 88-55 overall and 50-23 in Ivy League play. A big part of that success has been due to Princeton's prowess on the defensive end, as it the Ivy League's best defense per KenPom in 2017 and 2019.
Ettin, who handles the program's West Coast recruiting efforts, focuses on skill development with the team. In 2016-17, he worked with three first-team All-Ivy League honorees, including Ivy League Player of the Year Spencer Weisz, Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year Myles Stephens, and fellow first-teamer Steven Cook. It was the first time since 1968 that Princeton had three first-team All-Ivy League players, and Stephens' Defensive Player of the Year honor was Princeton's second since the award began in 2009. Ettin was also part of a staff that saw Henderson recognized as both the Ivy League Coach of the Year for the first time in the three-year history of that award and the NABC District 13 Coach of the Year for the first time in Henderson's tenure. The 2018 season saw Bell earn Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year honors with Stephens and Devin Cannady earning second-team All-Ivy recognition.
Ettin who graduated from The College of New Jersey was a three-year captain and started 63 of his 97 games played during his four-year career. During his senior year, he helped lead TCNJ to the New Jersey Athletic Conference tournament for the first time since 2009 and to its most wins in a season since 2006.
| Year | School | Overall | Conference |
| 2015-16 | Princeton | 22-7 | 12-2/2nd Ivy |
| 2016-17 | Princeton | 23-7 | 14-0/1st Ivy |
| 2017-18 | Princeton | 13-16 | 5-9/5th Ivy |
| 2018-19 | Princeton | 16-12 | 8-6/3rd Ivy |
| 2019-20 | Princeton | 14-13 | 9-5/3rd Ivy |
| 2021-22 | Princeton | 23-7 | 12-2/1st Ivy |
| 2022-23 | Princeton | 23-9 | 10-4/1st Ivy |
| Total at Princeton | 134-71 | 70-28 |
