BIG MAC: Princeton Day School boys’ basketball player John McArthur dribbles upcourt in a game earlier this season. Junior transfer McArthur, a 6’5 forward, has emerged as the top inside threat for the Panthers. PDS, which posted a 56-27 win over Morrisville High (Pa.) last Monday to improve to 6-5, hosts Calvary Christian on January 15 and Newark Academy on January 16. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

For the Princeton Day School boys’ basketball team, its 76-63 loss to Rutgers Prep last Saturday was a microcosm of its up-and-down season.

“Our whole theme for the rest of the week after the Princeton High game (a 60-56 loss on January 4) was energy and intensity,” said PDS head coach Tim Williams.

“I think we really came out and matched Rutgers Prep from the start. We took a lead and led for a good portion of the first half and then had a couple of costly turnovers at the end of the half and the start of the third quarter. We got in a little foul trouble.”

With the Panthers off to a 6-5 start, Williams has been seeing plenty of good things.

“We are still learning a lot,” said William. “I have been really impressed with some of the things that we do; we are just not quite consistent enough with it yet. I think the kids have really bought in to what we are trying to get them to do. They have really worked hard and even some of the concepts we are asking them to put in that might not make sense to what they are used to, they have been trying. It’s building those habits.”

Junior transfer forward John McArthur has made a habit of dominating inside for PDS.

“He did really well against PHS, we have just got to get him some help on the glass,” said Williams of McArthur, who had 21 points in the loss to the Little Tigers.

“He had 20 rebounds in another game. He has really been a workhorse. We have suffered for size and some of our guards have stepped up to help out some.”

The team’s starting guards, junior Chase Lewis and freshman David Coit, have helped keep the Panthers competitive.

“They work well together,” said Williams. “They are brand new working together this year so I have really been happy with the way they have built some chemistry.”

Williams is also happy with the progress being made by junior guard Mark Washington.

“Mark has stepped up his game tremendously,” asserted Williams. “He has always been a really good shooter for us. He has improved on defense and he is rebounding a little bit more. We know we get good offense from him but the rest of his game has come a long way and that is really propelling him into more playing time. He has done a nice job.”

PDS is getting some nice work off the bench from junior Paul Franzoni and freshman Craig Wrenn.

“Paul does a lot of the things that don’t show up in the box score, he is more of a glue guy,” said Williams.

“If you need to get rebounds, he gets rebounds. When we were playing Rutgers Prep, they have a couple of really big guys and he was selling out and boxing the guys out even though he was giving up 4-6 inches. He is unsung. Craig is doing a nice job. He helps facilitate the offense quite a bit. He is averaging two assists in eight minutes a game. He is still adjusting to the speed of the game. I have been real impressed with what he has been doing for us.”

In Williams’ view, the Panthers just need to sharpen up their game to pick up more wins over the last month of the season.

“I would like to see us really lock down on defense a little bit better,” said Williams, whose team hosts Calvary Christian on January 15 and Newark Academy on January 16.

“We are scoring the ball pretty well but the defense goes in fits and spurts. At times we look really good. At other times we are like we are not sure what just happened there. We need to value the ball. I think we are averaging about 20 turnovers a game and that gives the other teams way too many chances.”