Coaching Legacy of James Frizzell (CH 2K8)

[superjames1992]

James Frizzell enters the realm of college basketball coaching at the ripe, young age of only 25 and looks to take on a new set of challenges as he will take over the Princeton University Tigers of the Ivy League. Frizzell is an alum of West Virginia University and is an avid Mountaineer fan, but moved to North Carolina after graduating where he became a rather successful high school level. Though he did not win a state championship, he did do well for the low level of talent his teams possessed, as he used the three pointer to equalize the disparity of talent between he and the opponent.

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Reporter: Welcome Coach Frizzell!

Frizzell: Thanks for having me.

Reporter: Are you excited about taking over the head coaching job at Princeton at such a young age? This move will make you the youngest coach in Division 1 basketball.

Frizzell: Yes, I never thought I would get the chance to take over a program at the Division 1 level at such a young age. These are the types of moments you can only dream about. It is amazing to me that it actually became reality. I am especially grateful that I will be at an Ivy League institution with a fine academic institution like Princeton's.

Reporter: What sort of offense are you going to bring to the table? Many people compare your offense to Coach Beilein of Michigan and even the classic Princeton offense. Is that a fair comparison?

Frizzell: Well, I bring in an offense that loves to shoot the three pointer. I suppose you could draw comparisons to Coach John Beilein of Michigan and the classic Princeton offense, but it is a little bit different. I don't necessarily use backdoor cuts as much, but will if they are available. Basically, I want our guys to swing the ball around the perimeter and look for open threes. We will do some pick and roll to get guys open. Sometimes we will pass the ball down low, get the defense to collapse, and, in turn, have him pass the ball to an open player for an open trey. If a fastbreak opportunity presents itself, we will take that as well. This offense can be fast-paced or slow-paced. It all depends on how fast we can get an open shot. It's not about how long you can work the shot clock, it's about how many quality shots you can get.

Reporter: How many three pointers would your team put up on an ideal night?

Frizzell: Well, each individual game will be different, but considering this squad I am inheriting is already very skilled at shooting the three, I would expect anywhere from 30-40 three pointers to be taken any given night. Of course, things can change, but I would expect at least 30. I had a few games in high school where we put up 50 three pointers, so we shall see.

Reporter: Have you met with the players yet? If so, do you think you all have some good chemistry between each other?

Frizzell: Yes, I have met the players. I think they are a great group of kids with good character and a passion for excellence. I guess that's what you get in the Ivy League. All of these guys are here for academics first and athletics first and I intend to keep it that way. Sometimes we forget these kids are student-athletes, and I intend to emphasize the student part of that word as I want all my guys to excell in school first. Academics is more important than athletics, and if one of my guys thinks otherwise, he will be properly punished.

Reporter: What type of season are you expecting to have this year, Coach?

Frizzell: Well, I really don't like to get into predictions as I may be proven wrong. I think we will have a good season if we can gel together and play as a team. United we stand and divided we fall; that's the way I see it. We must put extra emphasis on conference play, as well, since the Ivy League hsa no conference tournament, the winner of the Ivy League regular season title goes to the Big Dance, so we must be careful this season to not get into any mid-season slumps.

Reporter: Thanks for coming, coach! We are looking forward to your coaching this fall.

Frizzell: Thanks for having me. I am anxious to begin coaching as well.

[superjames1992]

Press Conference

Today, Coach Frizzell introduced his two new assistant coaches to the local media. "Thank you all for coming," Coach Frizzell commented. "I would like to introduce you all to my two new assistant coaches who will be helping I and this team out for anything from recruiting to gameplanning to anything in between. First, I would like to introduce you to Coach Everett Dearmon. He is a very good teacher and can help us develop our young talent. Next up, I would like to introduce Coach Dragutin Torres to you. Sure, he may have a very unusual first name, but he has quite an eye for talent as he is a good scouter. He can do just about everything else, too, and should be a valuable asset to this team."

Coaches Overview
Head Coach: James Frizzell C (1st year)
Assistant: Everett Dearmon C (1st year)
Assistant: Dragutin Torres C (1st year)

[superjames1992]

Central Connecticut State (0-0) @ Princeton Tigers (0-0)

November 11th, 2007

               1st  2nd  OT  Final
Cent. Conn. St. 19   35  --    54
Princeton       27   40  --    67

              Away   Home
Field Goals  19/51  27/57
3 Pointers   11/25   5/18
Free Throws    5/8   8/13
Rebounds        27     34
Assists         14     13
Turnovers       11      5
Steals           4      8
Blocks           2      1

Princeton, NJ - Coach James Frizzell picked up the first win of his career tonight as the Princeton Tigers began the first game of their season with a 13 point win over Central Connecticut State. Princeton played some great defense in the first half as Central Connecticut State was held to just 19 points and a shooting percentage just over 20%. Princeton, likewise, did not fare very well offensively, but did better as they carried a 27-19 lead into the half. Both teams would turn it up a notch offensively in the 2nd half as Princeton would score 40 points while Central Connecticut State would score 35. Princeton would pick up the win 67-54 off a very fine defensive effort.

Coach Frizzell said, "I really liked the defensive intensity we played with out there. We were swarming to the ball, especially in the 1st half. We made them shoot from the outside as we held Central Connecticut State to just 8 points in the paint for the entire game. I played a pretty small lineup, so I though we would give up some points inside, but I was wrong, and I am certainly glad I was wrong. We did not shoot too many three pointers as I felt we were doing well inside the ark for the most part. We got some inside points, some points off mid-range jumpers, some points at the foul line, and some points off the three pointer. We had a very balanced offensive game.

The Princeton Tigers were led by Noah Savage, who scored 15 points in the win. Michael Strittmatter scored 14 points for the Tigers while Kyle Koncz tacked on 13 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 steals in the game.

The Princeton Tigers improve to 1-0 with the win.

Central Connecticut State
Points: T. Blackwood - 32
Rebounds: T. Johnson - 8
Assists: B. Wannamaker - 4

Princeton
Points: N. Savage - 15
Rebounds: Z. Woolridge - 8
Assists: K. Koncz - 5

[Steelersfan85]

Just got back from Florida. Nice win, that was a tough loss for the Mountaineers. I just couldn't believe Xavier was going to do what they did last year and blow the lead and lose the game. It was a great game and was very exciting.

[superjames1992]

Quote: Originally Posted by Steelersfan85

Just got back from Florida. Nice win, that was a tough loss for the Mountaineers. I just couldn't believe Xavier was going to do what they did last year and blow the lead and lose the game. It was a great game and was very exciting.

Yes, it was. By the way, I am about to play a game of MVP 2005, so maybe I will pick up that win you were hoping for over your vacation!

[superjames1992]

Iona (0-1) @ Princeton (1-0)

November 14th, 2007

               1st  2nd  OT  Final
Iona            16   31  --    47
Princeton       28   44  --    72

              Away   Home
Field Goals  21/50  27/49
3 Pointers    1/16   9/18
Free Throws    4/4   9/14
Rebounds        23     27
Assists         13     14
Turnovers       13      8
Steals           6     11
Blocks           1      1

Princeton, NJ - The Princeton Tigers remain undefeated under Coach Frizzell as they put on a clinic against the Iona Gaels, winning by a final score of 72-47, a 25 point win. Princeton was propelled by stellar three points shooting, in particular from Kyle Koncz. Koncz scored 31 points on 11/13 shooting. He hit 7/9 from three point range in the game as he was shooting lights out. "I was feeling it," admitted Kyle Koncz after the game. "I was draining everything out there. I really love those kind of nights!"

Coach Frizzell would like to see more of those nights if the Princeton Tigers are going to have any chance of beating the Duke Blue Devils next Monday. "We played a nice game," commented Coach Frizzell. "I hope we can continue our stellar play as we get into conference play in February. If so, we will be in good shape and may have a good shot at winning the Ivy League."

Noah Savage was the only other Princeton player who scored double figures in the game as he tallied 13 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists to compliment Kyle Koncz's 31 points.

The Princeton Tigers improve to 2-0 on the season. They will play the Duke Blue Devils (0-1) on Monday, November 19th, in their next game as part of the Hawaiian Invitational Tournament.

Iona
Points: D. Gray - 14
Rebounds: J. Kelly - 5
Assists: Tarver/Gray - 3

Princeton
Points: K. Koncz - 31
Rebounds: Z. Woolridge - 6
Assists: Savage/Steuerer - 3

[superjames1992]

Hawaiian Invitational 1st Round Matchups

#6 Marquette vs. Alabama A&M
LSU vs. Oklahoma State
Princeton vs. Duke
#23 Illinois vs. Arizona State

[doncoryell]

You certainly have the team off to a good start at ol' PU. Now the first real test comes as you take on the Blue Devils. I take it that you are the designated "away" team.