The big question entering the 2022-23 season for the Princeton men’s basketball team was how coach Mitch Henderson was going to replace the contributions of an outstanding cadre of seniors who helped lead the Tigers to an Ivy League championship last season.
Nine games into the season, that question has partially been answered. A dynamic trio of freshmen is blending nicely with four returning upperclassmen to win big games for the Orange and Black.
After a disappointing 0-2 start to the season, the Tigers have come together to win their last seven games. ‘
Things began to come together for the Tigers in the second half of their second game, a road tilt against Navy in the Veterans Classic. The Tigers played a disorganized first half and fell behind by 20 points at the break. But in the second half, the Tigers came roaring back and nearly stole the game before falling to the Midshipmen, 74-73. Princeton was denied an epic comeback win when the referees failed to call an obvious foul committed against Matt Allocco as the junior guard attempted a desperation shot at the buzzer.
Building on the momentum of their second-half performance in the gut-wrenching loss to Navy, the Tigers took out their frustrations on UMBC, smashing the Retrievers in Baltimore by 30 points, 94-64.
The Tigers then traveled to Poughkeepsie, N.Y. and outlasted the Marist Red Foxes, 62-55, before flying across the pond to play in the inaugural London Basketball Classic. In a homecoming for Tosan Evbuomwan, a native of Newcastle, England, the Tigers downed a determined Army squad before gutting out a come-from-behind win over Northeastern to earn Princeton’s first holiday tournament championship since the 2000-01 season (when the Tigers won the First Merchants Classic in Muncie, Indiana).
What is the secret to Princeton’s recent success? Over the past several weeks, the Tigers’ unique blend of new and old players has meshed into a more connected unit on both offense and defense. The improvement in team chemistry has shown up most notably on defense, a facet of the game that has beguiled Princeton at times in recent years. During Princeton’s seven-game winning streak, the Tigers have allowed only one opponent (Northeastern) to shoot better than 40% from the field. The Tigers have also cleaned up on the boards, outrebounding their opponents by an average of more than nine rebounds per game, a margin second only to Yale in the Ivy League.
The core of Princeton’s team consists of four big, returning upperclassmen, including Evbuomwan, fellow seniors Ryan Langborg and Keeshawn Kellman, and junior guard Matt Allocco. It all starts with Tosan Evbuomwan, last year’s Ivy League Player of the Year and a legitimate NBA prospect. Evbuomwan, who won the MVP award at the London Basketball Classic, has been remarkably steady for Princeton, leading the team in scoring, rebounds and assists. He ranks among the top six in the Ivy League in all three categories.
Keeshawn Kellman, an athletic, 6-foot-6 forward from Allentown, Pa., missed most of last season due to injury, but he has returned to the lineup with a powerful inside game and has wowed Princeton fans with several thundering dunks already this season.
Ryan Langborg, a 6-foot-4 guard from San Diego, has taken on the role of principal sharpshooter (similar to Drew Friberg last season), combining a lethal outside shot with the ability to drive to the basket when the defenses over commit to defending the three-point line.
The fourth impactful upperclassman is Matt Allocco, a 6-foot-4 junior guard from Hilliard, Ohio, who has emerged as Princeton’s floor general. Allocco displayed a lot of pluck in his debut season last year, memorably canning a buzzer-beating heave in Princeton’s stunning, come-from-behind win at Cornell on January 8. In nine games this season, Allocco is averaging just north of 12 points a game, second best on the team, and more than six rebounds, which is eighth-best in the Ivy League. Allocco also has developed a knack for hitting clutch shots and lifting the Tigers when they need to break a scoring drought or get the offense back in gear.
As good as these fabulous four returners have been for the Tigers, the real buzz this season centers on the freshman class, which may be Henderson’s most promising group of recruits in his 12 years helming the program.
It’s hard to know where to start when describing Princeton’s group of newcomers. So far, three have gotten the most minutes, with Caden Pierce, a 6-foot-6 forward from Glyn Ellyn, Illinois, earning a starting role in every game. Pierce may be the least flashy of the group, quietly averaging nearly six points and hauling in more than six rebounds per game, good for second-highest on the team and sixth-best in the Ivy League.
But the real excitement centers on the dynamic duo of Xaivian Lee and Deven Austin. Lee is a 6-foot-3 guard from Toronto who isn’t afraid to slash into the paint and make plays. Although Lee can be a bit reckless at times, his fearlessness has sparked the Tigers at key moments, fueling an outburst of 12 points off the bench in the championship game of the London Basketball Classic against Northeastern.
Deven Austin, a 6-foot-6 lanky guard from Vernon, Conn., has only averaged about 12 minutes per game so far, but his upside may be the highest of any of the freshmen. Austin initially caught the basketball world’s attention with a highlight reel, tomahawk jam against Marist, but in two recent games against Cairn and Drexel, Austin has made sustained contributions, tallying eight and 10 points, respectively. With his length and smooth athleticism, Austin at times resembles a young Scottie Pippen.
Henderson has compared Austin’s defensive skills to those of former Tiger great Kareem Maddox, who won the Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year Award in 2011. If Deven Austin can stay healthy and continue to develop, he has a chance to become an elite player in the Ivy League. Ditto for Lee and Pierce.
But wait, there’s more to this freshman class.
Jake Scott, son of former Princeton players Joe and Leah Scott, has shown promise in limited minutes so far, along with fellow freshman Vernon Collins, a 6-foot-10 forward from Greensboro Day School in North Carolina.
When you put it all together, Henderson’s biggest problem may not be finding players who can fill the large shoes of last year’s senior class. Instead, his biggest challenge may be finding enough minutes of playing time to fully develop all of the budding stars on Princeton’s roster. It’s a good problem to have, both for the coaching staff and the Princeton fan base.