GOOD START: Princeton University men’s basketball player Caden Pierce dribbles around the court during a recent practice. Last Friday, sophomore forward Pierce scored a career-high 26 points and grabbed 15 rebounds to help Princeton defeat Hofstra 74-67. He was later named Ivy League Player of the Week. The Tigers, now 2-0, will play at Duquesne on November 15 and at Monmouth on November 18. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)
By Bill Alden
While the Princeton University men’s basketball program lost some key players to the graduation of the team that made the NCAA Sweet 16 last March, the 2023-24 team appears having retained one of the main qualities that led to this success.
Opening the season Nov. 6 by beating Rutgers 68-61 in the Jersey Jam at CURE Insurance Arena in Trenton, the Tigers showed the resiliency that made them so difficult to beat last season until this past winter.
“I thought we played with a real understanding of what it would take to win, they made some runs but we were able to hold off them,” Princeton head coach Mitch Henderson said. “It was a great environment. We were able to play with a certain composure throughout the sequence. We have a group which, as you can see, is difficult.
According to Henderson, that toughness comes from his battle-tested veterans.
“It’s just a testament to the older guys in the group. There’s very little room in our practices for anything other than what you saw in the game,” Henderson said. “It starts with (Matt) Allocco and (Zach) Martini, but now (Caden) Pierce, (Blake) Peters and (Xaivian) Lee all understand that there is a standard that we play by. It’s a carryover from where we were last season. That to me is what we’ve always seen with Princeton basketball.
In the win against Rutgers, Allocco and Lee played very well. Senior guard and co-captain Allocco had 21 points with nine rebounds while sophomore guard Lee contributed 16 points and five assists.
“He’s everything you want in a senior in college basketball,” Henderson said of Allocco. “Xaivian is learning to take the right actions when necessary. He had a great summer. Xaivian is poised to have a great year in some ways. In another way, he showed us that he wanted to be coached and he wanted to improve.
Playing at Hofstra last Friday, the Tigers showed improvement in earning a 74-67 win over the Pride.
“It’s a game that has bitten us in recent years – they do a great job; they’re going to be good in a very tough conference,” Henderson said. “We see a lot of CAA (Coastal Athletic Association) teams this year and we know they are tough. We turned the ball over a lot in the first half but took care of the ball in the second half, just like we did against Rutgers. I think we had two, maybe three turnovers in the second half. What you like to see is toughness on the road from the start and the ability to understand what it will take to win. There is a maturity there.
Sophomore forward Pierce is emerging as a star, tallying a career-high 26 points to go along with 15 rebounds in the win over the Pride. He was later named Ivy League Player of the Week.
“I’ve never seen anyone do what he does, and yet it’s normal now here,” Henderson said of Pierce, who was later named Ivy League Player of the Week . “I see improvement from game to game and that’s all we asked for. He’s a great teammate; he has such a welcoming spirit but he plays like he’s mad at the ball. It’s a joy to watch.
The Tigers also got a good game against Hofstra from junior guard Peters, who had 15 points with two rebounds and an assist.
“Blake plays with such confidence; he’s a very clear-headed person and he thrives on knowing where he stands,” Henderson said. “He knows how we feel about the way he plays, he plays with himself but also with a lot of confidence. It’s dangerous because each guy has a little different skill set but starting with Mush (Allocco), the objective is pretty clear with this group. It’s all about whatever it takes to win.
Playing at Duquesne (3-0) on November 15 and Monmouth (1-1) on November 18, Princeton will need to play well to come away with victories in these contests.
“Duquesne is another quality, high-level opponent,” said Henderson, whose team will finish its road trip with a game at Old Dominion on Nov. 22. “They are very well trained, they turned people around. They just beat the College of Charleston by 18, which is a great victory. We are going to their house and it will be hard. Monmouth has improved, I love playing there. I love King (head coach King Rice) and he has his son on the team now. We still have three straight road games against very tough opponents.
