TWO GOOD: Princeton University men’s basketball players Caden Pierce, left, and Xaivian Lee got up for a rebound in a game last winter. The return of junior stars Pierce, the 2024 Ivy League Player of the Year, and Lee, a fellow first-team All-Ivy selection, has the Tigers primed for another big campaign. Princeton, which went 24-5 overall and 12-2 Ivy last winter in winning its third straight league regular season title, opens its 2024-25 campaign by hosting Iona on November 4. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

As the Princeton University men’s basketball team held its annual media day earlier this month in Jadwin Gym, junior stars Xaivian Lee and Caden Pierce mugged for the cameras when asked to pose together for photos.

The one-two punch could have been broken up as Lee entered the NBA Draft process before deciding to return to Princeton and Pierce was a potential target of the transfer portal.

For Pierce, the 2024 Ivy League Player of the Year, his connection with Lee, a fellow first-team All-Ivy selection, played a key role in him remaining with the Tigers.

“At the end of the day, you just saw this picture of me and Xaivian, we are pretty much best friends,” said star forward Pierce, who has started a podcast with Lee called “Pick & Pop.” “If you are looking elsewhere, one thing that brings you back is that you want to have friends for life. It is one thing this place does well. You grow up with your class. Your teammates eventually become best friends, you don’t want to leave that bond.”

Lee, for his part, reached a similar conclusion after testing the NBA waters.

“That is one of my best friends; me, Caden and Jack [Scott] all live together,” said standout guard Lee. “We are a team, off the court we are all very close. We do everything together. Caden and I have the same major, so we have a lot of classes together. On the court it translates, it is just another part of our life. It is not like basketball and our life are so separated, it is easy to flow like that.”
Princeton head coach Mitch Henderson’s life was made easier when he found out Pierce and Lee were sticking with the Tigers.

“On May 2 at 12:01 a.m., whatever time that was, I did a bunch of backflips,” said Henderson with a chuckle. “It is not lost on me the opportunities that these guys had and will continue to have. It is a different world but I love Princeton basketball the way it looks with this team. Our objective is to keep this going in a really good manner. I would think part of what drew them is that we are sold out, the togetherness of the group, the way that they feel comfortable playing here and that they have won a lot. That is not necessarily always a given if you go somewhere else.”

Those opportunities were evident at media day as six NBA scouts were on hand at Jadwin to watch practice.

“I would have killed for a day like this when I played,” said Henderson, a former Tiger standout whose team went 24-5 overall and 12-2 Ivy last winter in winning its third straight league regular season title and opens its 2024-25 campaign by hosting Iona on November 4. “This is a testament to the guys, not just these guys but the ones that are before them. I feel like we have been deserving of this. I also think that while there is talent, there is winning. What we have to understand is to not let a day like this get us too far out of whack. Winning has been the baseline, that is what is going to keep people coming back.”

As the Tigers come back for the 2024-25 season, the bitter taste of ending last winter by losing to Brown in the Ivy Tournament semis and then falling to UNLV in the first round of the NIT is fueling them.

“We have talked about it a lot, we want to use that as motivation going forward,” said Henderson. “We did win the league outright. We had three losses going into the tournament and I felt like we were in a good spot going to that point. We want to be playing our very best in March.”

Henderson believes that Pierce (16.6 points and 9.2 rebounds a game in 2023-24) and Lee (17.1 points, 5.7 rebounds) are primed to play very well this winter.

“They look a year older, a little more gray hair, they look good,” said Henderson. “They know more than anybody, they have played so much. When the ball gets thrown up and the lights come on, that is when it counts. They have got a mature viewpoint.”

Senior guard Blake Peters (7.8 points, 2.5 rebounds) brings a lot of maturity to the court for the Tigers.

“In the spring, we asked what are your goals and he said four titles and that was about the end of the conversation,” said Henderson. “If we get there, it will be because of Blake’s leadership and the group coming together around a unified goal. We have been really good being connected and being on the same page. We are not there yet. Blake will be a big part of the reason we get there.”

The development of sophomore guard Dalen Davis (6.6 points, 1.1 rebounds) could be a big plus for the Tigers this winter.

“His shotmaking ability is so high level,” said Henderson of Davis. “I thought that game where we lost against Brown, we saw him putting us on his back. He is very capable of doing that. He has zero fear. I think it is going to be a big year for him.”

A possible X factor for the Tigers is the return of sophomore guard Deven Austin, who was sidelined all of last year due to a knee injury after enjoying a promising freshman season in 2023-24.

“Deven looks really good, it has been a long time since Deven has played in a situation like this,” said Henderson. “Those kinds of injuries take time and so this is almost a year and a half or more since he has last played in this environment. He needs to give himself a little bit of forgiveness that it is not going to happen overnight. We are thrilled that he is here, he had some really special moments as a freshman.”

Looking at this year’s group of freshmen which include guard Peyton Seals, guard Jack Stanton, forward Malik Abdullahi, and forward CJ Happy, Henderson sees a lot of potential.

“They are all really helping us a lot,” said Henderson. “I think it is another good class that could help us.

The big question mark for the Tigers is where will they get production in the paint from players other than Pierce.

“The bigger guys in the program haven’t played a lot, if at all,” said Henderson, noting that Abdullahi, Happy, senior Phil Byriel (0.8 points, 0.8 rebounds) and sophomore Jacob Huggins (1.5 pints, 1.4 rebounds) should see action in the frontcourt. “What are we going to get there when the game gets tough and it is tied or it gets close.”

Lee, for his part, believes he will be bigger and better this winter. “I feel great about it, that has been my biggest goal in the offseason and just in life in general gaining weight and getting stronger,” said the 6’4, 180-pound Lee. “I think I did a really good job of that in the summer. I have got a long way to go obviously but I feel really good about where I am right now. Competing in practice has been great, getting back in that physical college basketball style. I am ready for the challenge.”

As the team’s point guard, Lee is diversifying his playing style a bit as well.

“As a player I think I have matured; last year I was trying to get to my spots,” said Lee. “I was really thinking about making plays and scoring the ball whereas this year, I have to think about running an offense. I am thinking about it holistically, maybe not necessarily make the winning play but being the hockey assist that sets someone else up to make a play. Doing that is going to help me a lot better in those situations.”

Pierce has worked to be better on the receiving end of Lee’s playmaking.

“I think just overall consistency offensively,” said Pierce, when asked about his offseason focus. “My defense and rebounding is my strong suit. I just try to address the stuff to get me to the next level. I think that is shooting overall and playmaking with the ball in my hands. It is just being more confident as an offensive player. I think I have done a pretty good job of that.”

Look ahead to the season, Pierce is confident that the Tigers can produce another strong campaign.

“I think we can be an unbelievable team if we all buy in,” said Pierce. “We have so much talent. It is all about putting pieces together — who fits where, who plays best together. At the end of the day, talent doesn’t mean anything, it is all in the defensive end of the floor. Defensively, that is all mental toughness. It is a work in progress. We have done it for two years so we know what we need to do to get there.”

Henderson, for his part, believes that the program’s tradition of fostering bonds and lifelong friendships could make the difference this winter.

“The thing that we point to that will be the success of the group is that they found a connecting thread,” said Henderson. “Just because we have won three titles in a row doesn’t mean that it is just going to happen. There is a lot of noise around the program, really good noise, and we love it. But rebounding, not turning the ball over are things that go well when a group is really connected.”