Matt Meltzer: For a new coach, look outside

Now that Joe Scott has left Princeton for the clear skies and lower expectations of Denver, athletic director Gary Walters and the Tigers are left with a monumental decision: Should Princeton maintain the coaching lineage of Pete Carril or should they focus solely on winning?

This is not to say that naming a coach from the prolific Carril legacy and winning are mutually exclusive, but Princeton's upcoming decision is not necessarily the best opportunity to find that combination.

There are only so many candidates who can claim a connection to Carril or the Princeton system. They include Craig Robinson of Brown and Chris Mooney of Richmond. That list also includes current Princeton assistants Mike Brennan and Howard Levy.

There also are assistants at Georgetown and Northwestern under former Princeton coaches John Thompson III and Bill Carmody, respectively. However, in my opinion, none of these candidates stand out as exemplary.

There is simply a dearth of candidates who are both descendants of Carril - deemed the 'Yoda' of college basketball by the New York Times - and experienced coaches.

Princeton's attraction to maintaining the basketball legacy started by Carril's 29-year reign at Old Nassau is obvious. The offensive system put Princeton on the athletic map and has driven the Tigers to tremendous success. Yet it is the success that Princeton must focus on, not the system.

Walters is undoubtedly attracted to that. After all, he was the point guard on the 1965 Bill Bradley team that went to the Final Four. Moreover, not only is there a proud winning tradition at Jadwin Gymnasium but, with 22 national championships since Walters was hired, across the Princeton athletic system as well. Walters is not about to let his flagship program crumble.

Given the importance of Princeton basketball to its own athletic program and its relevance to the Ivy League, it is imperative that Walters searches for and hires a coach who can win. Princeton needs to be healthy for the Ivy League as a whole to thrive.

Walters has now hired three basketball coaches: Carmody, Thompson and Scott. Carmody led Princeton a No. 7 national ranking and Thompson won three Ivy titles in four years.

Can Princeton still win with a Princeton-style coach?

Maybe. Can it win under a new system?

Certainly.

When Carril took over in 1967 there was no Princeton offense to speak of. (And as Carrill reminds us, it was less of a concrete system than a set of principles.)

I hope Walters has the same intestinal fortitude as he did when he denied Syracuse and Drexel at-large bids in the NCAA tournament when he hires the next hoops coach.

Because Princeton offense or not, that man will have a lot of work to do.

Matt Meltzer is a senior political science major from Glen Rock, N.J. His e-mail address is meltzerm@sas.upenn.edu.

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