FLYING HIGH: Princeton Day School boys’ basketball player David “Diggy” Coit flies in for a lay-up in a game this season. Last Saturday, junior star and captain Coit tallied 27 points to help PDS defeat Doane Academy 74-71 in overtime. The Panthers, who improved to 5-7 with the win, host the Solebury School (Pa.) on January 18 and Allentown on January 20 before playing at Hamilton West on January 22. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

With the graduation of senior stars and 1,000-point scorers Chase Lewis and John McArthur last June, David “Diggy” Coit was primed to be the man this winter for the Princeton Day School boys’ basketball team.

“This is what I wanted,” said Coit. “I wanted to be the leader, I wanted all eyes to be on me, so it is just about adjusting and making it happen.”

Last Thursday against visiting Pennsauken Tech, things weren’t happening for PDS as it trailed 24-12 at halftime.

“The biggest thing for us, especially me, was not knocking down our shots,” said Coit, who recently eclipsed the 1,000-point mark in his PDS career.

“It was tough focusing. Yesterday I was out sick so I was just trying to get back into it.”

It didn’t take long for Coit to get back into it as he drained a three-pointer from the corner to start the third quarter and proceeded to score the next eight points for PDS, helping it narrow the gap to 30-25.

“I just wanted to be aggressive; I knew I had to make up for the first half,” said Coit, reflecting on his second half surge which saw him total 14 of PDS’s 16 points in the third quarter. “Being aggressive is the biggest thing and that is what my team needed.”

The Panthers, though, couldn’t get over the hump as Pennsauken pulled away to a 56-41 triumph.

“We were gambling and they got fast breaks and uncontested lay-ups,” said Coit, who ended up with 18 points in the setback.

“We just stopped being aggressive and stopped being smart. We started rushing and panicking and it caused us to turn over the ball and then we gave up free layups.”

As the team’s sole captain, Coit is looking to turn it on every night.

“We have a young team and people look up to me; people need me to produce every night,” said Coit, who tallied 27 points to help PDS defeat Doane Academy 74-71 in overtime last Saturday as the Panthers improved to 5-7.

PDS head coach Kerry Foderingham liked the way Coit stepped up against Pennsauken.

“The guys got him the ball in good spots and he hit some shots in that one period,” said Foderingham.

While Foderingham was proud of how his players fought back, he acknowledged that the Panthers were out of synch offensively for most of the contest.

“We were right there; we fell behind early and it wasn’t a great scoring night for us obviously,” said Foderingham.

“We had 12 points at the half, that is the lowest we have scored. We average 12-15 a quarter or more. It was one of the lower scoring games we have had, it was one of those nights.”

PDS has been getting some great play from freshman guards Freddie Young Jr. and Dameon Samuels.

“Freddie Young is a starter. He plays a ton of minutes for a freshman and I think he is doing a hell of a job for us,” said Foderingham of Young, who chipped in 13 points against Pennsauken.

“Samuels gives us a spark every time he comes in. His defensive presence is special. He is that guy we can count on to be a lock up defender to get us some steals. He is averaging two or three steals per game.”

In Foderingham’s view, PDS has the potential to do some special things down the stretch.

“We just have to get healthy; it is that time of the year where everyone is dealing with those little injuries,” said Foderingham, whose team hosts the Solebury School (Pa.) on January 18 and Allentown on January 20 before playing at Hamilton West on January 22.

“The No. 2 thing is to keep a good mindset and don’t get down. Obviously with this loss you get down, but we need to keep a positive mindset. We have got to work to get better for the next game and that is it. If we do that, we will grow.”

Coit, for his part, vows that the loss will only sharpen his focus.

“I hate losing. I am not a loser, I can’t sleep at night when we lose,” said Coit. “We have enough pieces. We have got good guards and we are getting help from our bigs, which is key. It is about putting the pieces together and trusting each other.”