Sports: February 9, 2000
Recruiting wins lead to team success
Admission standards, tuition costs can be obstacles
Head Tiger football coach Steve Tosches, who resigned last November,
enjoyed great success in the early 1990s, bringing one shared ('92) and
one outright ('95) Ivy League championship to Princeton. What he didn't
bring in recent years, however, were enough top recruits to maintain the
team's winning ways, and that failure in recruiting contributed to Tosches's
downfall. Yet some would say that the blame lies more with the university's
admission policies than with the deposed coach. In a recent issue of The
Daily Princetonian, former Princeton Football Association president Somers
Steelman '54 stated, "Our admission procedures [are] so antiquated
that it made it impossible to compete."
Certainly, when it comes to attracting student-athletes, Princeton faces
a unique challenge. While demanding superior academic achievement from its
entering freshmen (17 percent of whom are recruited athletes), Princeton
competes at a level matched by few in college athletics. In fact, Sports
Illustrated, in 1997, tabbed Princeton the 10th best "jock school"
in the nation. As athletic director Gary Walters '67 rather loftily puts
it, "Princeton represents the very best that higher education has to
offer, both academically and athletically, and we hope to attract student-athletes
at the top of the curve in both arenas."
Attracting-and landing-such paragons is the daunting task facing every
Tiger coach, a task made even more daunting by the $34,180 annual price
tag that accompanies a Princeton education. For a young athlete weighing
college choices, that cost can be a significant hurdle-especially when other
prestigious schools such as Stanford or Virginia or Duke are putting scholarship
offers on the table. "Every year in recruiting, we compete with ACC
schools and other schools offering scholarships," says Jim Barlow '91,
head coach of the Princeton men's soccer team. "Sometimes it comes
down to a financial issue, a scholarship offer versus what our financial
aid package might be." Tiger coaches find themselves trying to persuade
recruits that paying-at least in part-for a Princeton education will ultimately
be worth more than taking the free ride elsewhere. To do this, coaches take
the focus off scholarships and put it on Princeton as a whole. "Selling
the package," is what head field hockey coach Beth Bozman calls it.
"There are so many facets of Princeton University that attract student
athletes," says head baseball coach Scott Bradley. "Academic reputation
is obviously first, but the location, campus, students, and level of competition
are all attractive. To a great extent, Princeton recruits itself."
But, as Tosches learned, that doesn't mean it can't use a little help.
Football, in particular-which must field four to six times as many athletes
as other teams on campus-faces an uphill battle. And, while other Princeton
coaches have expanded their recruiting base, often looking overseas for
athletes (74 of Princeton's current student-athletes are from outside the
U.S.), football is not as popular globally as sports like soccer and track.
Roger Hughes, who replaces Tosches as head coach of the football team, believes
he can overcome an abbreviated recruiting period-the result of the extended
search for Tosches's replacement. "Princeton is going to attract a
tremendous quality of person and athlete. It's going to be a scramble initially,
but I think we can get caught up."
-Matthew Golden '94
Hughes named coach
On January 14, Princeton named Roger Hughes as its new head football
coach. Hughes, who was offensive coordinator at Dartmouth from 1992-99,
becomes Princeton's 21st head football coach. Hughes began his career in
1982 as an assistant coach at Doane College in Crete, Nebraska. He then
became a graduate assistant under legendary coach Tom Osborne at the University
of Nebraska, where Hughes earned a doctorate in exercise physiology. From
there, Hughes returned to Doane as offensive coordinator and made brief
stops at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and Cameron University in
Cameron, Oklahoma. Hughes's familiarity with the Ivy League, technical knowledge
of football, and commitment to education were cited by athletic director
Gary Walters '67 as reasons for his selection.
Women's hoopsters are doubly grand
Slow start is brightened by 1,000-point milestones
In January of 1997, Princeton's women's basketball team had a season
record that was depressingly lopsided in the loss column, at 1-11. But it
also had two nascent stars, Kate Thirolf '00 and Maggie Langlas '00. Cocaptains
of the team, Thirolf, a forward, and Langlas, a guard, have nothing to prove.
Last year they led the team to an Ivy title, and this season both crossed
the career thousand-point threshold.
The milestone came at a holiday tournament in Honolulu during a December
23 contest against Fairfield, and has been one of the rare bright spots
in Princeton's pre-league schedule. Appropriately, Langlas scored her 1,000th
point on a long-range shot-she currently stands third all time for career
three-pointers made, with 151. Late in the game, Thirolf matched her teammate's
accomplishment on a driving layup. Princeton lost the contest, 66-55, but
the pair still count the moment as a special one, particularly since they
experienced it together.
As the team now begins its Ivy slate in earnest, however, Thirolf and
Langlas say they are focused more on the task at hand: winning games-and
winning an Ivy title. In fact, Thirolf and Langlas now ironically find themselves
in a similar situation to their freshman year, facing a tough league run
after stumbling to a 2-11 record versus a slate of strong non-conference
opponents.
Although the Tigers lost their Ivy opener January 8, 92-82, at home
versus Penn, Langlas and Thirolf are convinced their team will contend.
"The loss to Penn certainly was disheartening, but only to the extent
that we despise losing to Penn," said Langlas. To turn the season around,
Princeton will have to shake its recent tendency to squander leads. The
Tigers have allowed their opponents to come from behind several times; Fairfield,
for one, eclipsed a 20-7 deficit en route to their victory.
In a very hopeful sign, the Tigers can probably count on outstanding
contributions from a new pair of stars, forward Maureen Lane '03 and guard
Allison Cahill '03. Coach Liz Feeley has been impressed with the ability
of her freshmen to compete "with ferocity," calling their play
"fearless." During the contest against Penn, Lane and Cahill scored
a combined 35 points to keep Princeton in the game. "They seem to suddenly
understand the magnitude of the Ivy season," says the coach.
For four years, however, Princeton has relied on the leadership of its
"grand duo," Thirolf and Langlas, and this season will be no different.
"It was so appropriate for them to hit the thousand-point mark in the
same game," says Feeley. "They have been our one-two punch for
the past three years, and have helped establish the standards of excellence
in the program."
-Paul Hagar '91
Netminder bolsters men's hockey
Stathos anchors strong defense
In a season predicted to be a "rebuilding period" for the
men's hockey team, the players weren't sure what to expect once the puck
dropped on October 30. What they've learned is that solid goaltending and
a desire to succeed are more important than talent and experience.
After winning only one game in their first eight contests (1-4-3), the
Tigers reeled off five wins in eight games to head into the exam break with
a 6-7-3 mark. The accumulation of ice time by the team's young players has
contributed to the recent upswing. The biggest factor, however, has been
the emergence of standout goaltender Dave Stathos '02. Stathos has become
the backbone of an ever-improving defense, and has not allowed more than
two goals in a game during his last five starts.
"We certainly feel better about our game now than we did earlier
in the season," said Stathos, who has twice been named ECAC Goaltender
of the Week. "I think we were putting a little too much pressure on
ourselves. With that behind us, we've surprised a lot of people around the
league. Some teams may have more talent than us, but we're very aggressive.
We seem to find ways to win. Sometimes, that's more important than talent."
While the most important part of the schedule lies ahead, the young Tigers
are making strides game by game. If the quality of overall play continues
to progress, the squad will be firing on all cylinders as the postseason
approaches. Two upcoming ECAC weekends at Baker Rink versus Vermont and
Dartmouth (February 18-19), and Harvard and Brown (February 25-26) will
greatly influence the Tigers' fortunes.
"Generally, we're satisfied with the way we've played in the past
couple of weeks," said assistant coach Len Quesnelle. (At press time,
head coach Don Cahoon was recruiting in Canada.) "We got off to a slow
start, but have been playing better hockey of late. I think we're capable
of playing better hockey down the stretch."
While Cahoon's recruiting will fortify the Tigers for the future, Stathos's
recent dominance between the pipes is the result of vision that travels
no farther than his next save. That type of focus, padded with youthful
energy and some savvy veteran leadership, may catapult the program's rebuilding
process far ahead of schedule.
"This year, my approach is to control the game," Stathos said.
"If I make a big save, that can change the momentum of a game. With
the way we apply pressure, that may mean the difference between a win and
a loss. Like I said before, we find ways to win. When it comes to playoff
time, I certainly wouldn't want to face us in a three-game series."
-Mark Gola
Penn takes two-game lead in Ivy
race
Jordan leads Quakers to road win
The University of Pennsylvania men's basketball team walked into a hostile
Jadwin Gym on Tuesday night to the boisterous home crowd's chants of "overrated."
The Quakers walked out with a 55-46 victory that all but ended Princeton's
Ivy League championship hopes. The loss drops the Tigers two games behind
Penn with only seven remaining.
Both teams struggled offensively in the game's early going as Princeton
took an early 12-8 lead. At that point the Quaker defense tightened and
forced the Tigers into successive shot clock violations. Penn turned up
the pressure on Princeton's perimeter players and forced Tiger center Chris
Young '02 away from the comfort of the low post. With the Princeton offense
extended way beyond the three-point arc, and unable to muster a significant
inside threat, the tide began to turn. "I thought they played very
good defense," said Princeton head basketball coach Bill Carmody. "They
stopped us from doing what we wanted to do."
Penn's offense began to click when they started running standout guard
Michael Jordan off multiple screens in the low post area. Jordan was able
to separate from Tiger guard Spencer Gloger '03, and repeatedly penetrated
the teeth of the Princeton defense. On several occasions Jordan was able
to get open looks at the basket, which he usually converted. With 9:04
remaining in the first half, the diminutive Jordan drove to the basket,
lofted a shot over the 6'11" Young, and drew a foul. The ensuing free
throw gave Penn a 13-12 lead. When the Tigers tried to adjust and provide
help for Gloger, Jordan continued to victimize them, now with his passing.
The playmaker found open teammates as Tiger defenders rushed to cut-off
his penetration.
Despite a sloppy finish, the Quakers carried a 25-18 lead to the half.
Tiger stalwarts Mason Rocca '00 and Gloger were held scoreless by a Penn
defense that challenged every shot, forced seven turnovers, and held Princeton
to 27.3 percent shooting from the field.
As the second half got underway, Princeton started to assert itself on
the offensive end. Young was able to get position in the post and briefly
provided Princeton with an inside presence. The Tigers' play improved, and
Rocca finally got on the board with a three-point-play that seemed to sway
the momentum in the Tigers' favor. However, after only 5:00 of the second
half, Young was whistled for his fourth foul. With their center relegated
to the bench, Princeton was unable to hold down Penn's inside game. Jordan
continued to break down the Princeton defense, creating open shots for himself
and his teammates.
Buoyed by the relentless play of Rocca, who provided inside scoring in
Young's absence, the Tigers were able to stay close until the game's final
5:00. At that point an errant pass from C.J. Chapman '01 was stolen by the
Quakers and turned into a lay-up. The Tigers came up empty on their next
trip, after which Penn extended its lead. Matt Langel found Frank Brown
in the corner for a three-pointer that gave the Quakers a 47-38 margin and
ended the Tiger threat.
In a game that featured solid defensive efforts by both teams, it was
the ability of Quaker guard Michael Jordan to create offense that proved
to be the deciding factor.
-Matthew Golden'94
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