Princeton returns to court with victory
PRINCETON >> Contending for the Ivy League title will be a daunting task if Princeton ends up being without Devin Cannady down the stretch. At this point, the Tigers must press onward as the University continues to gather all the facts related to the star senior guard’s arrest Jan. 18.
Cannady, who is suspended indefinitely while he faces multiple charges including aggravated assault, was on Princeton’s bench in street clothes as the Tigers returned from their winter break for final exams Sunday and cruised past Wesley at Jadwin Gym, 91-62.
Asked after the game if he expects Cannady back this season, head coach Mitch Henderson replied, “We’re hopeful.”
“We’re still reviewing everything and working closely with all the parties involved, including the University and everything,” Henderson added. “I wish I could comment further.”
There is no singular replacement for Cannady, who is 17 3-pointers shy of the school’s record, ranks fifth on the all-time scoring list and is currently second in the conference with 19.5 points per game.
So after 14 days away from competition, Princeton (9-5, 2-0) used its tuneup against a Division III opponent to expand the rotation to 15 players. Freshman Ethan Wright started in place of Cannady and played a season-high 26 minutes with 2-for-9 shooting from the field with five boards, three assists and no turnovers.
Sophomore guard Ryan Schwieger netted a careerbest 15 points on 6-of-6 shooting from the field. Henderson also extracted a quality 10 minutes apiece from guard Max Johns and forwards Sebastian Much and Elijah Barnes, who combined to shoot 10-for14 with 10 rebounds.
“I like where we’re at with this group,” Henderson said. “Ethan can really shoot it. He didn’t make shots today, but I like what he brings to the rotation that we have now … Jose, Sebastian … Ryan and Max, we’ve got a lot of good pieces that can come in in the league. I think it’s just so tough. Other than one game in the league, I think Harvard at Dartmouth, the league games have come down to a couple plays.”
Wright rounded out the starting five with guards Myles Stephens and Jaelin Llewellyn, forward Jerome Desrosiers and center Richmond Aririguzoh.
The Tigers have won five straight and will now be playing Ivy games every Friday and Saturday through March 9. The topfour teams will qualify for the conference tournament in New Haven, Conn., on March 16 and 17.
“Just playing as a team, guarding, defending,” Schwieger said of Princeton’s goals going forward. “Today we fouled a lot. We’ve got to cut that out. So that’s one of the biggest things, and just staying together on defense, and then on offense just playing aggressive.”
Princeton won the inaugural conference tournament in 2017 and then missed the field with a 5-9 record last year.
The Tigers started strong in the league earlier this month with an overtime win against Penn, then another victory against the Quakers at the Palestra the following weekend.
“Exhibit A is the togetherness of our team as opposed to last year,” Much said. “We were very kind of individualistic, and this year we always have each other’s backs and things like that. Everyone’s pushing each other to work harder, so people are in the gym extra and things like that, and it’s really showing I think.”
The Tigers begin a fourgame Ivy road trip Friday at Columbia. They’ll next play at Jadwin Gym on Feb. 15 against Harvard.
“Offensively the lid’s got to come off for us,” Henderson said. “I was pleased to see Jaelin make a couple layups. Jerome getting offensive rebounds now has been a big point of emphasis for our program. Since the Duke game really, I think I’ve seen steady progress with the guys understanding how to use Richmond. The ball’s going inside so much. So I think we’re going to be in — I’m hopeful — but I really do think we’ve got so much room to grow. This team, it’s unbelievable how much better we can get.”