October 9, 2019
The contact period ended yesterday, an action-packed four weeks that gave Aidan Harris a wild ride through the world of college basketball recruiting. By the time the dust cleared, Aidan had been turned down by a recruit who chose a conference rival instead, and pulled a scholarship offer from a player whose parents basically told their son to tell me Princeton wasn't the school for him, and, finally, landed his second commitment.
David Bergmann was the recruit Aidan missed on. The Connecticut native decided to stay very close to home, committing to Yale on October 2.
Lewis Martin's parents played a very active role in their son's recruitment. After Aidan visited the Martins a second time, Lewis emailed him to tell him his parents didn't think Princeton would be a good fit. I revoked my offer and began to look for another big man to recruit.
Joey Stevens (SF, 6'8", Connecticut, #611 nationally) had been on Aidan's radar for some time. Princeton had been gradually moving up his list for several weeks. Aidan offered Joey the newly-liberated scholarship, and Princeton moved into his top three.
The best news of the week came today, when
Aaron Klein emailed Aidan to tell him that he was committing to Princeton. My scouting report on him gives him an F for defense, which is a shame, because otherwise he's a very nifty guard. Perhaps it's my staff's scouting ability that's subpar, rather than Aaron's ability to play defense.
Again, I'll post Aaron's profile once he's signed his LOI.
Practice is underway, and it's time to take a look at our schedule for the 2019-20 season. First, our non-conference slate:
A trip to Omaha to take on Creighton, who made it to the 2019 Final Four, will be the toughest test. Otherwise, it's a very manageable schedule. I'm allowed to replace our non-conference opponents with other teams that have suitable openings in their schedule, and I made a few switches here and there.
And, here's our Ivy League schedule:
A home-and-home with each of our seven opponents, fourteen games in all.
And, on a more personal note, Aidan and Kate welcomed their first child to the world on September 21.
Matthew Parker Harris is already exhibiting outstanding dribbling skills. (I flipped a coin for the baby's gender, and my older daughter named him.
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