Columnist Steve Carp: 'Never-say-die' attitude a trademark at Princeton

Steve Carp's college basketball notebook appears Friday. Reach him at [email protected] or 259-4087.

It was less than 24 hours after his team had staged the most dramatic comeback of this, or any, college basketball season and Princeton coach Bill Carmody was still trying to sort things out in his mind.

How could his team rally from a 29-3 first-half deficit and a 40-13 second-half score to defeat Pennsylvania, 50-49, Tuesday? And at the Palestra no less?

"It was so surreal," Carmody said. "You hit the first three, then it's 29-0. It's humiliating. It's frustrating. You run your offense and you're missing shots."

Trailing 33-9 at halftime, what could Carmody possibly say to get his team pointed in the right direction?

"I just told them, 'Fellas, this is one where someone has to have the courage to make a shot.' "

The Tigers listened and started hitting. Freshman center Chris Young was throwing in hook shots. Mason Rocca was hitting from 3-point land. Brian Earl began to find the range.

It was like a snowball effect.

"Probably seven minutes into the second half, you could feel it change," Carmody said of the momentum. "Shots were going in and it kept going and going."

With Princeton making shots, the Tigers could now start to press. Penn began turning it over and suddenly that big lead was all but gone. Rocca scored. Earl drove the baseline for a layup. Young then scored on a hook shot from the right side with 2:14 to go and the unbelievable had happened.

Princeton 50, Penn 49.

Penn did get one last shot to pull it out, but Matt Langel's 10-foot jumper hit back iron and college basketball's game of the year was complete.

"I guess all those things you hear coaches talk about never quitting, never giving up, staying with it, are true," Carmody said, trying to find some justification for what he had witnessed.

Believe it or not, there's a rematch scheduled for March 2 at Jadwin Gym. How they'll top what took place Tuesday is anyone's guess. But in a year that has seen some great games and fabulous finishes, including Cincinnati beating Duke, Temple beating Michigan State and USC scoring five points in the final 2.8 seconds to beat Oregon, Princeton's comeback win over Penn sits at the top for Game of the Year.

* NO LONGER IN LIMBO: Apparently, New Mexico coach Dave Bliss felt Damion Walker had learned his lesson. Two days after Bliss said he had no plans to meet with the suspended junior forward, guess who was back in uniform Thursday against San Jose State?

"Damion is part of our basketball team again because he understands that behavior that is detrimental to the team is not what Damion Walker is all about," Bliss said after the Lobos thrashed San Jose State, 82-46 at The Pit. "He made some mistakes, he had some bad judgement and he paid his fine. We move on."

Walker had been suspended Feb. 3 for violation of team rules, and while it was never specifically clarified what he did, all indications were his attitude was poor as he had been grousing about playing time and his role on the team. The former TCU star did not play during UNM's recent road trip to Hawaii and San Diego State.

Walker played the final 2:40 against the shorthanded Spartans, who were without leading scorer Ben Sanders, the former UNLV guard who broke his arm Jan. 30 and is out for the season. Walker scored two points, grabbed one rebound and had two fouls in his brief stint.

Walker was not permitted to talk to reporters after the game. But Bliss said it's time to move on.

"Damion Walker has a wonderful heart and we don't pass judgement on the sin without considering the heart," Bliss said. "People make mistakes. But if the heart is good, we like to think you need to be on our team."

* TRENKLE TWISTS IN WIND: It appears Fred Trenkle's five-year run at San Diego State is coming to an end. And it sure is being handled awkwardly.

What was supposed to be a private meeting between Trenkle and athletic director Rick Bay Tuesday was made public by ESPN's announcers during Monday's SDSU-New Mexico game. That left both coach and A.D. fuming afterward. And while the Tuesday meeting didn't produce a decision, word is Trenkle, who has one year remaining on his contract, will be gone at season's end.

The question is how to break the news? Bay made a statement Tuesday saying the two met and agreed to talk again next week. But with Trenkle's 2-20 team in Utah this weekend and away from the glare of the San Diego media, today or Saturday might be the opportune time for Trenkle to announce he's stepping down.

Bay should take a page from UNLV's book and wait until 3:30 today and bust out a short press release. That will have the least impact on what has become a sad and messy situation.

Bay did not hire Trenkle. Former A.D. Fred Miller did. But San Diego State's future success is linked to a successful basketball team, one that can at least attempt to make money.

Which is why you'll see Rick Majerus' name at the top of Bay's wish list.

But don't look for the Utah coach to move to California, although Majerus, as he has said many times in the past, will agree to sit down with Bay and listen to what he has to say.

As for someone who would actually consider the job, Rhode Island's Jim Harrick, Purdue's Gene Keady and Kansas State's Tom Asbury are three coaches with whom Bay figures to talk, along with Duke assistant Quinn Snyder, who hails from California.

However, Snyder will likely need head coach Mike Krzyzewski's blessing. Coach K might think Snyder could do better than San Diego State and ask him to hold off for a more high-profile job, a la Tommy Amaker at Seton Hall.

* THE FRAUD FIVE: So, Bruiser Flint sent Ajmal Basit packing? That'll turn things around, won't it? Maybe it will, but not enough for the Minutemen to escape the Fraud Five. It's sweet revenge for the Midwood High School alumni, who saw the school's best player in years bolt to St. Anthony's in Jersey City during his junior year.

1. New Mexico (19-6) -- Beating San Diego State doesn't get Lobos off the hook.

2. Massachusetts (10-12) -- Playing out the string in Amherst shorthanded.

3. Syracuse (16-8) -- Dome Sweet Dome no more for Orangemen.

4. TCU (16-6) -- Tubbs' Frogs are croak, er, choking.

5. Kansas (16-7) -- Swept by the Nebraska Bugeaters. What's up with that?

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