TUNING UP: Princeton University men’s basketball player Steven Cook gets around a defender in recent action. Last Sunday, junior forward Cook scored 14 points with three assists and three rebounds to help Princeton defeat Division III foe Bryn Athyn 100-44 as it returned from a 15-day exam hiatus. The Tigers, now 11-4 overall and 1-0 Ivy League, head into the thick of their league schedule as they play at Brown (5-11 overall, 0-2 Ivy) on January 29 and at Yale (11-5 overall, 2-0 Ivy) on January 30. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

Steven Cook didn’t show one bit of rust as the Princeton University men’s basketball team hosted Bryn Athyn last Sunday as it returned to action after a 15-day exam hiatus.

Princeton junior forward Cook went on a personal 7-0 run to start the game against the Division III foe, scoring on a dunk, a three-pointer, and a layup in the first two minutes of action.

“I was excited to get back out there, finals was a long period,” said the 6’5, 197-pound Cook, a native of Winnetka, Ill.

“I was anxious to get going, instead of watching the other teams play. We are anxious to get the Ivy League season going. I just wanted to get it started right.”

Building on the strong start, Princeton rolled to a 100-44 win over the Lions before 1,072 at Jadwin Gym as the Tigers improved to 11-4 overall.

“This game was more about us than the opponent we were playing; this game is getting us ready to play Brown and Yale next weekend,” said Cook, who ended up scoring 14 points with three assists and three rebounds.

“We are playing this team like we are facing off against the Ivy League teams we are about to match up with so it wasn’t really about who we were playing, it was more about us.”

Having started the Ivy campaign by pulling out a 73-71 win at Penn on January 9 in the league opener for both teams, Cook believes that resilience is a big part of what Princeton is.

“That was a game maybe we weren’t supposed to win based on how it was going,” said Cook. “We stayed tough; that win definitely meant a lot going into the Ivy season.”

With the Ivy grind beginning in earnest this weekend as Princeton plays at Brown (5-11 overall, 0-2 Ivy) on January 29 and at Yale (11-5 overall, 2-0 Ivy) on January 30, Cook knows that toughness at both ends of the court will be key.

“Going into the season, our focus really was defense and we are moving our feet and our hands where they need to be,” said Cook, who is averaging 9.3 points and 4.8 rebounds a game this season.

“We are playing so we are good to go on the defensive end in the Ivy season. We have a lot of scorers. We have guys who can step up and make shots.”

Princeton head coach Mitch Henderson is pleased with the way Cook has been stepping up.

“Steve is a very good player for us,” said Henderson. “What I like about what Steve is doing is that he is very vocal. We can be a little bit on the quiet side and that is something Steve can change for us.”

In Henderson’s view, Princeton took care of business with aplomb against Bryn Athyn.

“We have this huge snowstorm so this was really for us to put the uniforms on, that was the most important thing,” said Henderson, who got 14 points from junior Spencer Weisz in the rout with junior Henry Caruso adding 13.

“I like their approach. We finished up exams on Saturday morning and here we are.”

The Tigers used the game to fine-tune some things. “It was just the details defensively,” said Henderson. “I wanted to play Noah Bramlage and Alec Brennan together, Alec and Pete Miller together, Noah and Pete together. Then I wanted to play Mike LeBlanc, Aaron Young, and Jackson Forbes with the starters.”

In addition, Princeton used all 15 players with senior guard and co-captain Mike Washington, Jr. making the most of his time off the bench, scoring four points with two assists in 13 minutes of action.

“Mike is our lone senior and I thought he was all about making his teammates better,” said Henderson, who got points from 14 players in the win.

“Everything he was doing, he was totally invested in his teammates and the program. He made some great plays, but that is what I liked.”

Henderson knows the Tigers will have to make some great plays to come up with wins at Brown and Yale.

“We are right where we are supposed to be; we have a really tough weekend coming up,” said Henderson.

“I think Brown is very good. Tavon Blackmon is difficult to guard, you have to keep your body in front of him. The kid J.R. Hobbie and the kid Steven Spieth can make shots. Cedric Kuakumensah inside is a defensive presence and an offensive presence. I think Yale is playing as good basketball as anybody in the league I have seen in a long time. They are very sharp, they play four seniors. They defend and they are solid in many ways.”

In Cook’s view, Princeton is looking sharp itself as it girds for the Ivy battles ahead.

“We are seeing a lot of good things, we have got to maintain those things and still stay sharp on the scouts when we are going into these Ivy League weekends,” said Cook.

“We need to be making sure that we are keeping our bodies up and all that sort of stuff. We are definitely feeling good, we are in a good place.”