STEPPING UP: Princeton Day School boys’ basketball player David Coit races up the court in recent action. Last Saturday, sophomore guard Coit scored 13 points in a losing cause as PDS fell 58-54 at Montgomery in dropping to 9-5. The Panthers play at Pingry on January 20 before hosting Hamilton on January 23. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)
After getting off to a sizzling 9-1 start, the Princeton Day School boys’ basketball team has hit a rough patch, losing four of its last five games.
In reflecting on his team’s recent struggles, PDS head coach Tim Williams noted he has been forced to mix and match his players as the Panthers have dealt with health issues.
“We have had a couple of illnesses this week and a couple of guys returning from being injured,” said Williams.
“Chase Lewis is reentering the lineup. Craig Wrenn, who I projected to be a big contributor this year, is back. But then we had a couple of guys get sick and Jaylin Champion went out with a leg injury in our last game. We have a little hodgepodge going.”
The combination of juggling and tough competition has understandably resulted in some uneven performances.
“We played really solid teams; I think we just had inconsistent play,” said Williams.
“Part of that is due to reintegrating guys; we have had a revolving lineup. I have had a different starting lineup every single game in January. We just weren’t hitting on all cylinders, not to take anything away from the teams that we played because they played really well. I don’t think we played our best basketball.”
While PDS wasn’t at its best in a 58-54 loss to Montgomery last Saturday, Williams saw some positive signs as the team moved to 9-5.
“We are disappointed that we lost but at the same time there were a lot of good things that we did,” said Williams who got 17 points from senior forward John McArthur in the defeat, with senior guard Chase Lewis adding 16, and sophomore star David Coit chipping in 13.
“I thought we shared the ball, we showed more chemistry on the floor offensively than we had in any of our games in the New Year; that definitely boded well. We didn’t shoot the ball very well but we shared the ball really well. We had some really great defensive possessions and we had some defensive breakdowns but to only give up 58 points to a good squad like that is pretty good.”
The pair of McArthur and Coit has helped stabilize things for PDS as the team has played through illness and injury.
“John has been really consistent for us and so has David Coit,” said Williams.
“David has really stepped up when Chase had to go out. He had a much bigger role. He always handles the ball but he had to do it more and he had to step up his defense tremendously. He has also upped his scoring.”
In Williams’s view, PDS is poised to step up with tournament time around the corner.
“I don’t think we have played our best basketball yet, it is still ahead of us,” said Williams, whose team plays at Pingry on January 20 before hosting Hamilton on January 23.
“Our long term goal is to win the prep state championship again. We have got to keep our focus on that and getting better every game so we can win that. Even if we lose a couple of games along the road, we can’t let that derail us from what we want to do. That is what we are working for, so all of these games coming up are important but that is the most important. Once that is over, we will turn our sights to the Mercer County Tournament.”