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By
Jon Teitel
jonteitel@hotmail.com
October, 2004
2004-05
Ivy League Preview
Princeton is everyone's favorite to win the Ivy League title, but the
rest of league is wide open. For complete team previews, click on the
links below. Also included is a special interview with Penn head
coach Fran Dunphy.
Projected
Standings
1.
Princeton
2.
Penn
3.
Yale
4.
Brown
5.
Cornell
6.
Columbia
7.
Harvard
Conference Player of the Year
Jason
Forte (Brown): Last year’s Ivy Player of the Year has an excellent
chance of retaining his title. He recorded the first triple-double in
school history en route to becoming the only player in Ivy League
history to lead the conference in points and assists during the same
season. The do-everything guard was also among the conference leaders
in steals, three-point shooting, and free throw shooting. With the
graduation of three teammates who all scored at least ten points/game
last season, Forte will be expected to carry his team as a senior, and
he just might be good enough to carry Brown to an Ivy League title.
1st-Team
All-Ivy Team
1. Jason
Forte (Brown): see above
2. Judson
Wallace (Princeton): The senior center was among the conference leaders
in scoring and rebounding last year, despite playing for the
defense-minded Tigers. A 1st-team All-Ivy performer last
season, the only factor that will keep him from being named Ivy Player
of the Year this year is his supporting cast. Wallace’s teammates are
far superior to Forte’s teammates, and they might steal some of his
thunder.
3. Tim
Begley (Penn): The senior guard needs 68 three-point field goals to set
the school’s all-time record. Penn’s leading returning scorer led the
conference in three-point field goal shooting last year, and will hope
to continue his superb touch from behind the arc.
4. Matt
Preston (Columbia): The scoring and rebounding numbers for the senior
forward mirrored those of Wallace last year, despite playing for a team
that finished with a far worse record than Princeton. A 2nd-team
All-Ivy performer last season, he is also one of the best free throw
shooters in the conference.
5. Matt
Stehle (Harvard): The two reasons that Stehle was only named Honorable
Mention All-Ivy last season despite his fantastic all-around skills were
his youth (he was just a sophomore) and the Crimson’s horrible record
(4-23 overall, 3-11 in the Ivy League). Now a junior, the forward is
among the best in the conference on the boards (a conference-high 16
rebounds against Cornell) as well as on defense (led the Ivy League with
1.59 BPG).
Coach of
the Year
Joe Scott
(Princeton): Scott has big shoes to fill as he replaces the departed
John Thompson III (who won three Ivy titles in the past four years).
However, Scott is no slouch himself, as he led Air Force to a 22-7
record last year, its best season in school history. Scott will have an
excellent group of veteran players to send out on the court this year,
and as a Princeton alumnus who learned at the feet of legendary
Princeton coach Pete Carril (both as a player and assistant coach),
Scott will have an advantage over a coach entering a completely
unfamiliar environment.
Learn
more about the author Jon Teitel and how to contact him here
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