LOUISVILLE, KY. (WDRB) -- The local college basketball powers are watching from the sidelines, but I won't let the repugnant story of the Alabama basketball program steal the joy from my favorite sports event: the NCAA men's basketball tournament.
Not when a program as uplifting as Princeton bounced into the KFC Yum! Center on Thursday afternoon and shared stories that are not focused on murder, guns and lack of responsibility.
Where do I begin?
Assuredly not with Alabama coach Nate Oats, who looked uncomfortably annoyed and poorly coached when he answered a question for his policy about players owning guns with a string of vague gibberish.
"We emphasize you have to follow university policy," Oats said. "There's university policy. As a student-athlete, you should be well above reproach on all university policies regarding any of that type of stuff."
Oats could have said my policy is no guns.
But we know that is not true, considering that in January a former Alabama player (Darius Miles) was one of two people charged with the murder of Jamea Jonea Harris and that two other Crimson Tide players, including leading scorer Brandon Miller, were at the scene of the incident.
But enough about Alabama, which has injected too much cringe into this tournament.
I prefer to talk to Princeton head coach Mitch Henderson, a native Hoosier (Vincennes) who played Lexington junior high basketball on the same team with Kevin Willard and G.G. Smith, two other guys who became Division I coaches.
Henderson discussed the joy of returning to a part of the country that loves basketball as much as he loves basketball, about his trip to the Louisville Slugger Museum to order an autographed bat and the delightful exchange his players had Thursday with Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) on FaceTime.
"It's a life-changing moment for our group," Henderson said. "This is a wonderful place to be."
Henderson's eyes danced with joy as he remembered a story about the time he attended Rick Pitino's basketball camp at the University of Kentucky. Henderson said Pitino had a yearly routine. Pitino volunteered to play one-on-one against any camper that raised his hand. If the camper made one basket before Pitino made three, the kid walked away with an "I Beat Pitino" T-shirt.
Henderson beat Pitino, likely the first sign that he had the skills to play at Princeton and then become the coach of the Tigers' team that will play Creighton on Friday night — after Alabama and San Diego State meet in the opener at 6:30 p.m.
Move along to the Princeton seniors, all five. Considering Henderson said the Tigers (23-8) were not a lock to make the Ivy League Tournament in mid-February, they're ecstatic to make this tournament run.
But considering Princeton is a 10-point underdog against Creighton and that the Tigers are ranked No. 91 in Ken Pomeroy's computer power formula, 58 spots behind Miami, the next lowest ranked team among the 16 remaining, the Princeton seniors recognize that reality awaits after the final TV timeout.
All five have a thesis due by mid-April. They're expected to be at least 40-50 pages and include a power-point presentation as they explain what their research has uncovered. Don't forget to prepare to defend your thesis from challenges by a group of professors.
Tosan Evbuomwan is Princeton's leading a scorer as well as a passing savant as the Tigers' 6-foot-8-inch, 219-pound point center. A native of England, Evbuomwan made his way to Princeton after one of his youth coaches sent the Tigers a recruiting video.
Although he did not move from soccer to basketball until he was 14, Evbuomwan averaged nearly 15 points, six rebounds and five assists for the Tigers.
In his spare time, Evbuomwan is working on his senior thesis about "How Diversity in Executive Management in the NBA Affects Team Performance."
"I think it's a really cool way to show all the knowledge you've accumulated over your four years instead of just having a piece of paper that says 'Princeton University,'" said Konrad Kiska, a senior guard from Newtown, Pennsylvania.
Kiska is a psychology major whose thesis will focus on the idea of having a "Hot Hand," — shooting a basketball, gambling on sports or any other endeavor where TV announcers break out the phrase "Hot Hand."
"It's a fallacy," Kiska said. "It creates false confidence. It's really just your ability to make the shot and not a mental thing."
I'd love to read it.
Do not forget Blake Peters, a 6-foot-1-inch guard who only averages six points off the bench. Peters is a sophomore, so his thesis is not forthcoming. But it is guaranteed to be fascinating. Peters speaks fluent Mandarin and plays Spanish classical guitar.
Nevermind Luka Doncic or Steph Curry. He'd rather have Condoleezza Rice on a text message chain. "He wants to be secretary of state," Henderson said last week.
There is a line of these stories in Henderson's locker room. This is a team that began its season losing to Hofstra and Navy but just opened the NCAA Tournament by defeating a 2-seed from the Pac-12 (Arizona) as well as a 7-seed from the Southeastern Conference (Missouri).
It was the first time a team from the Ivy League defeated a team from the SEC in the NCAA Tournament in 81 years as well as the largest second-round victory by a No. 15 seed in tournament history.
No, Princeton won't let Alabama steal my joy from this NCAA men's basketball tournament.
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