Judson Wallace had always enjoyed cheering for the underdog. So when he watched the Princeton men’s basketball team crawl its way past defending national champion UCLA in the 1996 NCAA Tournament, 43-41, he was rooting for the Tigers.

‘I was interested in them,’ Wallace said. ‘I enjoyed watching that game.’

Now, Wallace can play for them.

Wallace is the leading returning scorer from a Princeton team that went 20-8 last year and won the Ivy League. Today, the Tigers kick off their 2004-05 season against Bucknell in the opening game of the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic in the Carrier Dome at 5:30 p.m.

Princeton won the Classic in 1997.

‘We’re feeling good,’ Wallace said. ‘Everybody is confident. If we go 20-8 again, it’ll be a disappointment.’

That’s because the Tigers return four starters – and add a new coach.

Joe Scott led Air Force to a 22-7 record last year using a smart, backdoor-cuts offense. After John Thompson III left Princeton this offseason to take the head coaching job at Georgetown, Scott got the offer.

Now he brings the slow, precise, backdoor-cuts system back to the school that used it to upset the Bruins.

‘It takes a tremendous amount of discipline (to run that offense),’ Wallace said. ‘It’s something that has been instilled upon us. Air Force ran it well last year. They kept it very precise. That’s how it’s been like this year.’

Princeton shouldn’t have any trouble. Wallace averaged 15.3 points and 6.4 rebounds last season. And guards Will Venable and Ed Persia averaged 10.9 and 8.3 points per game, respectively.

With so much experience back, Princeton should make the transition easy for Scott.

‘The intensity is way up,’ Wallace said. ‘There will still be an opportunity to drive. But we’re gonna revert back to that old, disciplined backdoor passing, looking for the open man.’

Against Bucknell, though, it won’t be easy. The Bison have all five starters back, too. And, like Princeton, Bucknell is picked to win its conference – the Patriot League.

‘We’re happy to be in the tournament,’ Scott said. ‘It’s a great opportunity. It’s a good game this early in the year that’s going to be hard fought.’

Hard fought, perhaps. But certainly slow.

‘We’ve established a winning tradition,’ Wallace said. ‘It’s what we expect. We don’t just want to be known as a good Ivy League team. We want to be known as a team on a national scale.’

Published on November 10, 2004 at 12:00 pm