GLAD TO HELP: Princeton University men’s basketball player Will Gladson puts up a shot in a game this season. Sophomore forward Gladson ended an injury-plagued season on a personal high note as he scored a career-high 16 points in a 94-90 overtime loss at Yale in the season finale on March 3. Gladson figures to be a key performer in the future as the Tigers will look to bounce back from a tough 2017-18 campaign that saw them go 13-16 overall and 5-9 Ivy League. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

After the the Princeton University men’s basketball team pulled out a 79-73 overtime win against Yale on February 2, it appeared to be on track to challenge for another Ivy League title as it improved to 3-1 in conference play.

But the next night against Brown, Princeton squandered a four point lead with 36 seconds left in regulation on the way to a 102-100 loss in overtime. That defeat sent the Tigers into a tailspin as they lost their next six Ivy contests.

“I think the Brown game at home was a game that derailed us,” said Princeton head coach Mitch Henderson in assessing the  final weeks of the campaign.

“We were facing what ended up being the two best teams in the league, Penn and Harvard, back to back, one at home and one on the road. We weren’t in a position to overcome what was some adversity that was coming our way, and then all of a sudden you go to Dartmouth and you are losing a game on the road, and now your confidence has changed and there is a snowball effect.”

Once things started rolling the wrong way, Princeton struggled to regroup.

“I can’t explain it; all I can tell you is, looking back, sometimes the games that we won in the last two years were those close games,” said Henderson. “We were dropping them this year and I think we lost some confidence in there.”

Despite the slide, Princeton entered the final weekend of the regular season alive to to make the the top four in the final Ivy standings and qualify for the league’s postseason tourney. The Tigers topped brown 78-63 on March 2 but them fell 94-90 in overtime to Yale a night later to end the winter.

“We had a shot there the last weekend; I thought we played back to form on Friday against Brown,” said Henderson.

“We lost another heartbreaking game on Saturday night. We just found a lot of different ways to let things slip. As soon as that game was over, I told them even if we were in contention for the title, that would have been an incredible sweep. We didn’t get it and it felt like a real downer because of the way the season had gone but I was proud of them and how hard they played.”

Henderson was proud of how senior star and tri-captain Amir Bell held things together all the way to the final weekend.

“Amir was our lone senior who had played significant minutes in previous years,” said Henderson of Bell, who was named the Ivy Defensive Player of the Year. “He was terrific all year, his consistency and his approach towards practices.”

In the wake of this winter’s struggles, those around the program will need to reassess their approach to things.

“This was a tough year for everybody,” said Henderson. “Very simply, we have to respond, from the coaching staff all the way down to the last guy on the team. Anyone who is not a senior has an opportunity to correct things. Sometimes these kind of things that happen to a program can end up being a real positive. We have got to pay the price in the spring so we are looking forward to doing that together.”

With a number of solid players returning, Henderson is looking forward to the future.

“I am optimistic always; with the incoming class we addressed some needs that we had in recruiting,” said Henderson.

“I think with Will Gladson being healthy and Richmond Aririguzoh coming along, we have got some front court stability returning. Then you have Myles Stephens and Devin Cannady who have been in so many big games.”

The pair of junior stars and tri-captains, Stephens and Cannady, figure to exert a big influence in setting the tone.

“When things are hard, you lean heavily on the guys who have been there before,” said Henderson.

“They have got to do it for us, they have to show us the way. It is one through 15, we have to relentlessly support the team now.”

The Tigers will need to be relentless in their offseason conditioning and skill work.

“What you do now, how hard you run in a spring when nobody is watching, the little extra things you do, the way you don’t cut corners is so directly related to success in February and March,” said Henderson. “I hope our guys will know that fully.”

With Princeton boasting a history of success that includes 27 Ivy titles and 25 appearances in the NCAA tournament, Henderson doesn’t see any need to tear things down.

“We are in an unusual situation, this is not a place we have a lot of familiarity with, coming off a very difficult year,” said Henderson.

“I think the bad response would be to overcorrect. It is get back to basics, fundamentals, make shots, guard, compete, and fall in love with Princeton basketball again.”