Inactionable

Last night I was lucky enough to get a last minute ticket to sold-out Lavietes Field House up in Cambridge (a block from where I live!) to see Harvard battle my Princeton Tigers in men’s basketball.  I hadn’t seen the boys in person for a couple of years so it was especially nice to get an up close seat behind the bench and watch a great (and hard-fought) win.  Personally, it was awesome to see the seniors (freshmen when I finished my career) and shoot the shit with the Princeton basketball community after the game.  A few reflections on the team and the game below.

The captains are doing an incredible job of leading the team.

Whenever I go to a game, I like to watch the players’ eyes.  Who do they look to?  Does the coach centrally impose his authority and thus have his players always glancing at the bench?   When the coach isn’t talking to them, do the players talk to each other?  And when times get tough, do they glance around in a rushed way, or do they remain confident in themselves?

This team, more than anything, plays with a knowledge of who they are and a confidence in that.  They play hard.  They communicate.  They care.  On the court, it starts with Marcus Schroeder.  He pulls the guys together, gives them direction, and does all the little things that a leader uses to set the tone.  On the bench with his injured knee, Nick Lake provides the same guidance to the younger guys on the team.  Always retaining his focus, he doesn’t tell the bench how to act.  He shows them every play in so many little ways.

Last year, I went to a fair amount of Georgetown games (Go Hoyas!!!), and though they were talented, they were lacking that bit of leadership from the players.  Every single player looked at Coach Thompson in between every play.  At the beginnings of timeouts, the players would sit not talking and wait for coach.  (I have theories on why this was and maybe I’ll get into them some day, but this is not the post for that).  On the other hand, this Princeton team was talking the whole time.  Marcus would point out something he saw to the guys on the court.  Nick would stand behind and whisper something he had picked up while watching.  In their own ways, Marcus’ overt and Nick’s covert style make this team a team. It was wonderful to watch.

The two-headed monster is a nice fit for the block.

With Pavel playing 22-28 minutes/game and Zach Finley playing 12-18 minutes/game, Princeton has a locked down center position.  Pavel’s intelligent decisions and length on defense set the tone for a patient Tiger team to impose their will on the pace of the game.  At no point did he or the Tigers look rushed or tempted to get into an up-and-down game with Harvard.  Zach, likewise, played his role off the bench quite well.  Jumping up with enthusiasm and running on and off the court, he gave a burst of energy and a new look to the team.  Most impressively, both guys have embraced their roles and teach the young guys a lot about maturity.

These young guys are good!

Between Kareem’s abundant athleticism and Hummer’s raw strength, these guys have game.  Straight up.

The coaches have built a culture of caring.

The one word that comes to mind when watching these guys play is simple: “Care”.  Every single person on that bench cares about how the team does and that’s it.  On offense, cuts are hard (and golly if only they passed it to the of those cutters who are open late… tell ‘em you’re open, Saunders!) and passing is usually crisp.  On defense, every player is locked in (usually with their hands up) and ready to make everything difficult for the other team.  I’d venture to say that the mistakes that they make are actually mistakes of ‘caring too much’.  Helping out a little bit too much when someone’s beat leaves an open three pointer, diving for a loose ball and getting out of position… these are mistakes that any coach can live with.  They’re comfortable with who they are, they’re confident in what they do, and they care about what they’re doing.  The attitude of the coach permeates through the team.  It has happened.  These guys may not be the most talented team in the world, but I can guarantee you that they will go down fighting.

I’ll always remember that one of the most important lessons I learned during my college basketball career was to never make a mistake because I didn’t care enough.  It has nothing to do with the other team or anything else out there.  It has to do with you and how much of yourself you’re willing to put on the line.  These guys have learned that lesson.  It’s a joy to watch them play.