When the Princeton men’s basketball team takes the court at Copper Box Arena in London, star forward Tosan Eubuomwan will see his friends and family in the stands for the first time as a college player.
The Newcastle, England native is back on home soil for a pair of games in the London Basketball Classic against Army on Thursday, followed by either Northeastern or Manhattan on Saturday.
“I’m very excited,” Eubuomwan said this week The Make Shots Podcast hosted by Derek Jones with the voice of the Tigers. “We can take what we have and take it to my family and close friends. I can’t wait. It’s an opportunity for them to see me play. Many of them have not been in person since I moved to Princeton.’
Eubumwan said he doesn’t have butterflies…at least not yet.
“I’m fine now,” he said. “Let’s take a closer look at the game.”
Eubumwan has certainly made a name for himself across the ocean in Old Nassau, where he enters the game as the reigning Ivy League Player of the Year. He is averaging 16.5 points, 7.3 rebounds and four assists through the first four games this year.
“It underscores how grateful I am to everyone around me for the position I’m in right now,” he said. “I just have to stop and think sometimes as I try to get better every day and see how far I’ve come.”
The games themselves will be held on Thursday and Saturday. They were originally scheduled for Thursday and Friday, but after the World Cup schedule came up – with a small game between England and the USA on Friday – there was a day off in between.
“(It’s) a great atmosphere when England play,” Evbuomwan said. “You can feel how much it means to the home fans. Go to a bar or a pub to watch England play.”
World Health Organization: Princeton (2-2) vs. Army (2-3)
WHEN: Thursday, 2.30pm, Copper Box Arena, London
television: Flo Hoops
LAST TIMEOUT: Princeton def. Maristau, 62-55; Army lost to Redford 90-75
HISTORY OF THE SERIES: draw 1-1. This is just the third matchup between the two programs, the previous two coming in the 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons. Army won the last of those, 56-52, on Nov. 21, 2009, in Yadwin.
KENPOM RANK: Princeton 137; Army 304
PRINCETON SCOUTING: The Tigers are back to .500 after holding on for a win at Marist last time out. Princeton went up by 17 in the first half before cutting that lead to one, but got a pair of big 3-pointers from Matt Allock and some timely free throws — he made seven of his last eight — to hang on. Now trainer Mitch Henderson and company are on the ground in London looking for a pair of wins. “Enter the Naval Academy, go to a foreign country, and then the main thing for me is that it affects us. Why did we learn from the people we ended up with?” Henderson said. After a slow shooting start, Princeton returned to 40% on 3s for the season after going 23-for-46 in wins over UMBC and Marist. The Tigers also cleaned the glass well, posting a plus-6 rebounding margin (35.8-29.5).
SCOUT TROOP: The Black Knights dropped a pair of William & Mary and Radford last weekend and are looking to snap a two-game mini skid. Under seventh-year coach Jimmy Allen, Army plays at a fast pace that Henderson compared to Cornell. The Black Knights are averaging 85 points per game and are trying to score around 26 points per game. There is a chance it was played at a trackmeet in the mid 80’s to 90’s. Four Black Knights are averaging double figures, led by 6-foot-6 Phillipsburg senior forward Chris Mann, who is averaging 17.2 points. Colton Benson (15.8), Jalen Rucker (15.0) and Ethan Roberts (10.0) were also in double figures. This is Princeton’s second service academy. He fell to Navy by one point in the Veterans Classic.
