OPENING STATEMENT: Princeton University men’s basketball player Spencer Weisz prepares to put up a shot in a recent practice session. Last Friday, sophomore forward Weisz contributed a game-high 18 points as Princeton topped Rider 64-58 in the season opener for both teams. The Tigers, who fell 63-60 at George Mason on Sunday to drop to 1-1, play at Lafayette on November 19 before hosting Incarnate Word on November 22. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

Spencer Weisz gained some valuable lessons last winter in his freshman campaign with the Princeton University men’s basketball team.

Helping Princeton win eight of its last 10 Ivy League games after a 0-4 start in league play, Weisz averaged 8.7 points and 4.8 rebounds a game on the way to being named the Ivy Rookie of the Year.

Last Friday, when Princeton fell behind visiting Rider 39-30 in the season opener for both teams, Weisz applied some of that knowledge.

“We got down nine and I just felt with the experience that I had last year, it was time to step up and make some plays,” said Weisz.

Princeton proceeded to put together a 28-12 run with Weisz chipping in eight points during that stretch, seizing control of the contest on the way to a 64-58 victory before a crowd of 1,939 at Jadwin Gym.

In Weisz’s view, the comeback served as a valuable blueprint for the Tigers. “There was a long way to play and we needed to just settle in offensively and defensively,” said Weisz, who ended up with a game-high 18 points for the night along with six rebounds and two assists.

“Throughout the season there are going to be times when we are playing well but our shots aren’t falling. It is going to be scrapping and clawing for tough wins and fortunately we were able to come out with the win tonight.”

Princeton head coach Mitch Henderson liked the mental toughness displayed by his squad on opening night.

“The biggest thing that I would talk about and would take away from the game is the poise,” said Henderson.

“I thought that they didn’t get rattled when they got down by nine. It is a fairly young group but they have the ability to stay with things. We said at the 16 minute timeout that we can’t play much worse so have some poise and let’s see where this thing goes and I thought they stayed with it. I thought Hans [Brase] made a couple of huge 3s to close the gap for us. We got to the line a couple of times. We were really good at getting to the line tonight, we took 20 free throws, which I was happy about. I thought the guys didn’t lose their cool.”

Princeton’s defensive effort also made Henderson happy. “It is the first game of the season, you don’t have a lot of information and we did some things we had only worked on a little bit,” said Henderson.

“I thought we came up with some really big plays, that is a tough Rider team so we are happy to get it. You have to count on your defense to get you back into the game. We were able to score but if we weren’t stopping them in that stretch, it would not have mattered.”

With senior star Denton Koon currently sidelined with a knee injury, Henderson is counting on his team’s depth and character to show through.

“Denton went down with a knee injury and I thought the group really responded well,” said Henderson, whose team went down last Sunday, falling 63-60 at George Mason to move to 1-1.

“Whenever you lose a senior, it is tough. Denton has been, in particular, very helpful in encouraging his teammates.”

Henderson is also encouraged by his squad’s diligence. “I just really like this team, I like the way that they are thinking about things,” said Henderson.

“They are concentrating on getting better. We really have so much to work on. I like the young guys, I like the old guys. I like the way that they are all going about their business.”

In assessing areas for improvement, Henderson focused on sharper offensive execution.

“There were a lot of turnovers (15),” said Henderson, whose team plays at Lafayette on November 19 before hosting Incarnate Word on November 22.

“We have potential to be good with the ball, we are trying to eliminate the dumb ones. There were a lot of walks called, which we will have to look at because we have been teaching that move for a long time around here. We have to look at that because I thought those were some really nice moves in the post. Overall, it is just valuing the ball and executing. Amir [Bell] is going to be on the floor for us and has to get us into something that everybody recognizes.”

Freshman guard Bell, for his part, produced a nice debut, contributing seven points, four rebounds, and three assists in 30 minutes of action.

“At the start, you just want to get into the flow,” said Bell. “As a team we  played really well. I was trying to help us in the best way possible and contribute to the game and, with my teammates, get a great win.”

Weisz sees a lot more wins on the horizon for Princeton as long as it plays sharper at both ends of the court.

“We have to execute better defensively and I think that starts with our veterans,” said Weisz. “From there we will be able to have better offense and be better as a team as a whole.”