CANNY MOVE: Princeton University men’s basketball player Devin Cannady heads up court last Wednesday in Princeton’s home opener against Brigham Young University. Junior guard Cannady scored a team-high 19 points in a losing cause as the Tigers fell 65-56. On Saturday, Cannady scored 22 points as Princeton lost 71-58 at St. Joseph’s. The Tigers, now 0-3, host Lafayette on November 22 before playing at Fairleigh Dickinson on November 26. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

Emotions were running high at Jadwin Gym when the Princeton University men’s basketball team hosted Brigham Young University in its home opener last Wednesday evening.

With 7:06 left in the second half, Princeton head coach Mitch Henderson got ejected from the contest after letting the refs have a piece of his mind. Tiger junior guard Devin Cannady headed over to the home stands and waved his arms, exhorting the fans to raise the volume in support of the Tigers.

After BYU cashed in four free throws on Henderson’s technical fouls to take a 52-43 lead, Cannady raced in for a layup to start an 11-4 run that narrowed the BYU lead to 56-54 and had the crowd in a uproar.

“I think that was the loudest I have heard Jadwin Gymnasium so the fans were involved,” said Cannady. “We were just together as a group and that helped us get there.

But Princeton couldn’t get over the hump as the Cougars pulled away to a 65-56 victory before a crowd of 1,842 at Jadwin.

While Henderson wasn’t a witness to the rally, he was proud of how his players fought back.

“I didn’t see it but it sounded good,” said Henderson. “I wish we could play like that through the course of a game. We have a lot of work to do but I really like my team. I really feel about the group and I think we have a chance to be very good.”

In Henderson’s view, the Tigers are headed in the right direction.

“We are improving, we are getting there,” added Henderson. “We are not there yet and we have got to keep working at it, and that starts with me. I have got to lead us in that sense.”

A main focus for Henderson right now is working out a consistent rotation to supplement his big three of Cannady, senior Amir Bell, and junior Myles Stephens.

“We don’t have Will Gladson yet, I do think Will provides some consistency for us,” said Henderson, who got another inconsistent performance on November 18 as the Tigers fell 71-58 at St. Joseph’s with the Tiger big three scoring 50 of the team’s points.

“We are looking for combinations that are going to make us win. I thought Devin was terrific tonight in terms of leading. He, Myles, and Amir have a challenge ahead of them to find that group and pull it up.”

Cannady liked the way the group battled against the Cougars. “We had some offensive rebounds that led to second chance points and defensively, we stayed as locked in as we could,” said Cannady.

In Cannady’s view, he needs to work on getting more scoring chances for his teammates.

“For me personally, I can get in there and find open guys,” added Cannady, who scored a team-high 19 points against BYU.

“Ryan Schweiger stepped up and made some big shots; Alec [Brennan] and Sebastian [Much] did as well. As a point guard, I can’t take those tough shots, I have to find my teammates.”

Henderson is looking for his team to find a groove at both ends of the court as it hosts Lafayette on November 22 before playing at Fairleigh Dickinson on November 26.

“We needed everyone to pitch in tonight, and I don’t think we played very well together as a team,” said Henderson.

“On Sunday (an 85-75 loss at Butler on November 4), I thought we played well enough to win on offense but we were bad defensively. Tonight we were very good defensively, except for the fouls, and we couldn’t get it done on offense. There is a good team in here somewhere.”