Doug Davis led Princeton in scoring last season. (Icon SMI)

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By Ryan Feldman
rfeldman@thehoopsreport.com

Monday, July 05, 2010

Princeton Tigers
Last Season: 22-9 (11-3)
Key Losses: Pawel Buczak, Zach Finley, Marcus Schroeder
Head Coach: Sydney Johnson

Projected Starting Lineup
PG: Doug Davis 5-11 Jr.
SG: Dan Mavraides 6-3 Sr.
SF: Patrick Saunders 6-7 Jr.
PF: Ian Hummer 6-7 So.
C: Will Barrett 6-10 So.
Key Reserves: Kareem Maddox 6-8 Sr. SF, Brendan Connolly 6-9 So. C

Sydney Johnson took over the Princeton men's basketball program in 2007 with the idea of restoring the great tradition that he experienced when he played for the Tigers from 1993-1997.

The progress Johnson has made in three years at Princeton has been tremendous. In 2007-08, the Tigers won just six games. In 2008-09, they won 13 games. Last season, they went 22-9 and reached the semifinals of the College Basketball Invitational.

This year, the Tigers return their top five scorers and look to build on last season's success. They graduated three key players in Pawel Buczak, Zach Finley and Marcus Schroeder. Buczak will be a big loss because of the size he gave them down low. The 7-footer was a force in the Ivy League. Schroeder was the starting point guard, so his loss will also hurt, but Doug Davis and Dan Mavraides are plenty capable of handling the ball-handling duties. Finley gave them even more size down low off the bench. But returning Davis, Mavraides, Ian Hummer, Kareem Maddox and Patrick Saunders gives Princeton a solid returning cast.

Davis is a scoring guard who could easily play for a major conference team. He led the team in scoring last season with 12.7 points per game while shooting 43 percent from 3-point range. With Jeremy Lin (Harvard) and Ryan Wittman (Cornell) having graduated, Davis is surely the best scorer in the Ivy League. He can light it up from the perimeter or drive to the basket and finish at the rim.

Mavraides is a steady guard who works hard and helps run the offense. He is a leader and does everything he can to help his team win. Despite standing just 6-foot-3, Mavraides led the team in rebounding last season with 4.3 per game. He is also a very good outside shooter, as he shot 35.6 percent on 3-pointers last year.

Saunders is also a returning starter. He is a long, versatile forward who can score down low or handle the ball on the perimeter. Saunders may not be great at any one thing, but he is what one would call a "glue" guy. Last season, he shot 43 percent from 3-point range and 95 percent from the free throw line.

As a freshman last year, Hummer stepped right in and contributed nicely for the Tigers. He was third on the team in scoring with 6.9 points per game and shot 52 percent from the field.

Maddox is a guy who has always had a ton of potential but never panned out into the star Princeton fans hoped he would become. He is the most athletic player on the team and is versatile. He can score above the rim and is a capable outside shooter. There have been times in his career when he has started and been terrific, but there have also been times where he was at the end of the bench. He found some consistency last season by averaging 6.2 points in 17.9 minutes per game while playing in all but one game. The Tigers need him to be even better as a senior for the team to win the Ivy League.

Princeton's 22 wins last season was its most since 1999. Improving from six wins to 13 wins to 22 wins in three seasons is already a terrific feat for Johnson. If he can have similar improvement this season, the Tigers will most definitely be Ivy League champs and make their first appearance in the NCAA tournament since 2004.

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