|
March 7, 2001: Sports Expectations change for Nate Walton '01: Tigers enjoy surprising success with their new center Men's lacrosse boasts talent, depth: Tough early schedule will be a barometer for championship hopes Sports Web Exclusives! Matt Golden's From the Cheap Seats column
Expectations
change for Nate Walton '01 Between August 31 and
the start of its season in November, the Princeton men’s basketball
team’s roster and coaching staff were ravaged by injuries and
defections. The losses caused concern among Tiger fans and vastly
changed captain Nate Walton’s expectations heading into his
senior season. Walton would begin his
final collegiate tour with a new head coach, a new position, and,
most significant, a pivotal role on the Tiger squad. Recruited as
a forward, Walton was moved to the center position, which, at Princeton,
is a position true to its name. The Tigers’ success historically
revolves around their big man in the middle. “I remember finding
out about Chris Young ’02 signing with the [Pittsburgh] Pirates
and coach Carmody leaving on the same day,” recalls Walton,
who at six feet, seven inches tall is noticeably shorter than most
opposing centers. “There was a sense of excitement that I would
be placed in such a key role, but it was disappointing losing Chris.
He was a very talented player, but we’ve tried to maintain
a positive outlook on the situation from day one.” He adds, “I remember
saying to my dad, ‘Well, dad, we’ve got a new coach, and
I’m going to be playing center. I guess I better go out and
start practicing my post moves.’ He told me not to make too
big of a deal out of it. He said it doesn’t matter what position
you play, a good basketball player is a good basketball player no
matter where he is on the floor.” Those words would be
typical of a proud father supporting his son, but when that father
is Bill Walton, winner of three collegiate national basketball championships
with UCLA, two NBA championships with the Portland Trail Blazers
and Boston Celtics, and a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame,
you give them some added credence. “Nate has been absolutely
outstanding for us,” said first-year head coach John Thompson
III ’88. “He does everything we ask him to, and he’s
been a tremendous asset. He may take some jump-hooks at times that
he shouldn’t, but you’ve got to keep in mind, he was recruited
as a forward. In my mind, he’s made a remarkable transition.” That transition has presented
an unusually difficult learning curve. The center plays a nontraditional
role in the highly disciplined Princeton offense. “You touch
the ball so frequently at the center position in our offense, it’s
difficult to know when you should look to shoot the ball and when
to pass the ball,” Walton explains. “In most offenses,
the center doesn’t get the ball very often. Basically, when
he gets it, he shoots it. That’s not the case in our offense.” With Walton anchoring
the middle and freshmen Andre Logan, Ed Persia, and Konrad Wysocki
rounding into steady contributors, the Tigers have already surpassed
the expectations of most. But for Walton, in the twilight of his
Ivy career, that only means it is time to raise the bar. He says,
“For us to . . . play in the postseason, we need to put forth
a consistent effort every night out. That is our only focus. If
we do that, we’ve got a chance to win every game we play. All
you can ask for is a chance to win every time out.” That effort
was evident in the Tigers’ first battle with Penn, when Princeton
rolled to a 67—53 win for a leg up in the Ivy title chase. Princeton fans would
agree that Walton and the Tigers have already delivered more than
anyone had a right to ask for when the season began. By Mark Gola Mark Gola is a frequent contributor to PAW.
Men's
lacrosse boasts talent, depth Last year, the Princeton
men’s lacrosse team pulled off one of its biggest upsets in
years, beating the University of Virginia, 12—11, in the NCAA
tournament semifinals. The Tigers’ 13—7 loss to Syracuse
in the Memorial Day title game barely dimmed the glow on a year
in which Princeton went 12—3, won a sixth straight Ivy League
title, and ran its streak of Ivy League wins to 31 straight. Princeton returns almost
all of its key players and adds several freshmen who could see significant
playing time in 2001. Once again, Princeton’s primary challenger
for the NCAA title will be Syracuse, which enters this season as
a favorite to repeat. The Tigers themselves hope for a return to
the title game. Ryan Mollett ’01, an honorable mention All-America
defenseman last year and one of Princeton’s four captains,
explains, “We think that we have the talent to be playing on
Memorial Day, but it’s spread out so evenly that every day
we’re pushing each other in practice to see who’s going
to be playing for us on that day.” Cocaptain Trevor Tierney
’01 proved his mettle in goal last year, earning honorable
mention All-America status. He’ll be protected by one of the
best, and deepest, defenses in the game. Along with Mollett, starters
Scott Farrell ’02, another honorable mention All-America, and
Damien Davis ’03 return. Brian Lieberman ’03, Joe Rosenbaum
’03, Ricky Schultz ’04, and John Walsh ’01 will compete
for the longstick midfield spot. Winship Ross ’01 returns as
a defensive midfielder, one who wields a short stick but plays only
when his team is on defense, and will be joined there by Chip Buzzeo
’01, another cocaptain. All of that experience will help Princeton
immensely. Head coach Bill Tierney says, “Last year, going
into the season we really didn’t have much of an idea of what
each other was doing. This year, we know that we have four or five
guys who can play defense at a really high level.” The Tigers have even
more depth on the attack, where they return all of their key contributors.
Cocaptain Matt Striebel ’01, another honorable mention All-America,
will again run the offense from behind the cage. B. J. Prager ’02
has recovered from the knee injury that ended his season last April
and should continue to rack up goals on the crease. Last year, Brendan
Tierney ’02, Sean Hartofilis ’03, and Josh White ’03
also saw substantial time at attack, though White will probably
play midfield this spring. Princeton also added two of the four
best attack recruits in the country: Ryan Boyle ’04 and Jason
Donegar ’04, who Tierney says have been “all we expected
and more.” Add to that list Will
MacColl ’03, who Tierney says is perhaps the most improved
player on the roster, and Princeton could have a high-scoring attack
where playing time will be hard to come by. “No one’s
going to play as much as he wants to play,” Tierney cautions,
adding that a successful campaign should salve any brooding about
who’s playing. White won’t be the only attackman to see
time at midfield, where Princeton suffered its only serious loss
to graduation — Josh Sims ’00 was twice the college midfielder
of the year and was Princeton’s best offensive player the last
two years. Tierney sees a partial replacement in Rob Torti ’01,
who ran on the first midfield as a freshman but was hit by a variety
of injuries in 1999 and 2000. “Rob Torti is by far the most
dominant midfielder we’ve had in the last few years outside
of Sims,” Tierney says. Matt Bailer ’01
has been the Tigers’ face-off man the past two years, but he
will be challenged by Drew Casino ’04, perhaps the most highly
touted face-off recruit Tierney has landed at Princeton. Douglas
Baugher ’02 and Greg Golaszewski ’03 will also take some
draws. Princeton opens its schedule
with four tough opponents. On March 3 the Tigers faced Johns Hopkins,
and on March 10 they host the University of Virginia, both of whom
were national semifinalists last year. The Tigers travel to Hofstra,
an NCAA quarterfinalist last year, on March 17, and to Syracuse
on March 24. The schedule eases after that, with games against Hobart,
Rutgers, and the Ivy League slate. Heading into the season,
Princeton and Syracuse are clearly the two top teams in the country.
Last year, the Orangemen were far superior to the Tigers, but that
talent gap has narrowed substantially. This year, the two teams
could square off at Rutgers on Memorial Day in a classic NCAA championship
showdown. By David Marcus ’92 David Marcus is a frequent contributor to PAW.
|
|||||||
