Princeton Tigers
2013-2014 Overall Rank: #126
Conference Rank: #4 Ivy League
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Princeton alum Mitch Henderson is back for his fourth season as the head coach of the Tigers program and has had a lot of success at his alma mater, leading the Tigers to a pair of postseason appearances. Henderson’s 2014-15 team will be led by the duo of Hans Brase and Spencer Weisz, a pair of frontcourt starters a year ago. Brase was the second leading scorer, 11.2 points per game, and the leading rebounder, 5.7 rebounds per game, last season, while Weisz, the Ivy League Rookie of the Year last season, averaged 8.7 points, while finishing second on the team in rebounding, 4.8 per game. Those two will be key to Princeton’s success this season, as a number of key contributors off last year’s team depart.
2013-14 Record: 21-9, 8-6
2013-14 Postseason: CBI Tournament (Lost to Fresno State in Quarterfinals)
Coach: Mitch Henderson
Coach Record: 58-32 at Princeton (58-32 Overall)
Who’s Out:
Princeton loses four players off last season’s team, including two of their top three scorers. Guard T.J. Bray led the team in both scoring, 18.0 points per game, and assists, 5.1 per game, while earning Fist Team All-Ivy League honors. Forward Will Barrett joined Bray in averaging double-figures, averaging 10.3 points per game as a senior. Princeton also loses a pair of guards who saw most of their time in reserve roles. Jimmy Sherburne appeared in 25 games, with 14 starts, and averaged 4.3 points per game, while Chris Clement saw action in 19 games, averaging 2.7 points per game.
Who’s In:
A five player recruiting class will enter the fold for the Tigers. Leading the way will be forward Alec Brennan and guard Amir Bell, both of whom are three star recruits. Brennan is a 6-foot-10 forward who turned down offers from the likes of Iowa State, Kansas State, Maryland, Purdue, Stanford, Vanderbilt and Wake Forrest, while the 6-foot-5 Bell is a local product who attended high school less than an hour away from campus. Jackson Forbes, a 6-foot-6 small forward from Plano, Texas heads to Princeton after earning Second-Team All State Honors by the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools, while Mike LeBlanc, another 6-foot-6 forward will add depth. The fifth player, 6-foot-1 point guard Aaron Young, could be in the mix for minutes in the backcourt.
Who to Watch:
The Tigers have three other players with starting experience returning that will look to team with Brase and Weisz in the starting lineup, led by seniors Denton Koon and Ben Hazel. Koon played in 18 games last season, starting three, and averaged 7.7 points and 3.7 rebounds from his frontcourt position. Hazel started 16 games and appeared in 27 overall in the backcourt and averaged 6.1 points per game. Sophomore Steven Cook received 13 starts while appearing in 22 games in his first season on campus, averaging 4.5 points per game. Princeton will look for added contributions from Clay Wilson and Pete Miller, who both saw action in at least 20 games last season. They averaged 4.5 and 2.5 points per game respectively while playing ten minutes per game. Six other players, seniors Daniel Edwards and Bobby Garbade, junior Mike Washington Jr. and sophomores Khyan Rayner, Hashim Moore and Henry Caruso, also return, but none of them played more than 51 minutes over the course of last season.
Final Projection:
Princeton finished tied for third in the Ivy League last season and will look to improve on their success from last season. With a number of returning players and some talented recruits, finishing in the top half of the Ivy League should be expected again. Brase and Weisz will be counted on heavily to produce this season as the team loses some key pieces off last year’s team. There are a lot of returning faces, but the freshman forward Brennan could have the biggest impact, sliding into a prominent role in the frontcourt.
Projected Postseason Tournament: CBI/CIT
Projected Starting Five:
Chris Wilson, Senior, Guard, 4.5 points per game
Ben Hazel, Senior, Guard, 6.1 last season
Spencer Weisz, Sophomore, Forward, 8.7 points per game
Hans Brase, Junior, Forward, 11.2 points per game
Alec Brennan, Freshman, Forward, DNP last season
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 70.6 (189th in nation, 3rd in conference)
Scoring Defense: 64.4 (45, 3)
Field-Goal Percentage: 44.2 (173, 5)
Field-Goal Defense: 42.9 (132, 5)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 9.3 (4, 1)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 35.9 (97, 5)
Free-Throw Percentage: 72.1 (92, 3)
Rebound Margin: 0.1 (186, 6)
Assists Per Game: 14.4 (62, 2)
Turnovers Per Game: 11.2 (67, 1)
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