#136 Princeton Men's Basketball 2012-13 Preview

It took Princeton a little while to get things rolling during Mitch Henderson’s first season as a head coach, but by conference play this was a Tigers squad that could compete with anybody. They knocked off a ranked Harvard team at home and only lost to the Crimson by three points a couple weeks later. The end result was a trip to the CBI where Princeton knocked off Evansville before falling at Pittsburgh. The Tigers spent a lot of time on the road last season, and despite the loss of two starters, this is a more experienced squad that is more comfortable under Coach Henderson and that should lead to even better things in 2012-2013.

2011-12 Record: 20-12, 10-4
2011-12 Postseason: CBI
Coach: Mitch Henderson
Coach Record: 20-12 at Princeton, 20-12 overall

Who’s Out:
The big loss in Princeton is Douglas Davis. The shooting guard was second on the team with 13.8 points per game and knocked down 41.9 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc. Davis spent most of his time outside of the paint, but he was a solid defender as well. Patrick Saunders was a big 6-8 forward who could knock down the long ball as well. His ability to step outside and stretch out the defense opened up the Princeton offense. With those two shooters gone, the Tigers will have to find some other options. Forward John Comfort, who himself was not opposed to heaving up some long balls, is also gone after seeing limited playing time during his senior season.

Who’s In:
If there is a shooter in this class it will need to be guard Mike Washington. The Tigers are very light in the backcourt, so the hope is Washington will be ready to at least contribute off of the bench right away. Hans Brase is probably the best overall player in this three man class. The 6-8 power forward has a solid all-around game and could, at least eventually, be a nice replacement for Saunders. Ed Lawrence will add some more size to the frontcourt. A seven-footer, Lawrence will likely need some time to develop before he makes a huge impact for the Tigers.

READ MORE: http://www.collegesportsmadness.com/article/4313