When point guard recruit Jeff Peterson reneged on his commitment to Princeton, Joe Scott’s final recruiting class at Old Nassau took on a decidedly different look. Peterson eventually signed with Iowa, leaving new coach Sydney Johnson with a group of incoming freshmen without much in the way of recruiting accolades. None of the four members of the 2007 recruiting class were ranked in HoopScoop’s Top 1000 recruits, and the only freshman to be rated by any of the national scouting services never made it onto the Tiger roster. Still, at least one of these newcomers should get a chance to make an impact this season, and another likely will get the opportunity sooner or later.
SG Bobby Foley – 6-4, 195 lbs. (Richmond, VA – Godwin HS)
Foley was a late March addition to the class, though it’s not known what other schools pursued him or what offers he turned down for Princeton. The son of two basketball coaches, he has good size for an off guard and made his reputation as a shooter at Godwin High School in Richmond, where he was named Player of the Year in his district as a senior. Foley will face an uphill battle for playing time on the wing this season, an area where the Tigers have plenty of experienced talent.
SF Jason Liberman – 6-5, 200 lbs. (Roslyn Heights, NY – Roslyn HS)
Liberman is on campus as a student, but he did not appear on the team’s official roster. He put up gaudy numbers at Roslyn High School on Long Island and was praised for his versatility playing inside and on the perimeter. Liberman is the only Princeton freshman to have a profile on Scout.com (one star) or Scouts, Inc. (a 40 rating, which essentially means no evaluation took place).
F Kareem Maddox – 6-8, 200 lbs. (Oak Park, CA – Oak Park HS)
Judging from the recruits he brought in, Scott didn’t place a great deal of emphasis on athleticism, so Maddox is a departure from the Scott norm in that sense. The Oak Park star excelled in the spring as a high jumper, and he can do a lot of different things on the baseball court — scoring, rebounding, and blocking shots. After being listed as 6-6 for much of his senior year, Maddox appears as 6-8 on the official Princeton roster, which is very good news for a player whose natural position appears to be power forward. He’ll need to add strength and weight to avoid getting pushed around in the post. However, of all the Tiger freshmen, Maddox stands the best chance of immediate minutes at a forward spot, as he brings to the table a very unique set of skills.
SG Dan Mavraides – 6-3, 200 lbs. (San Mateo, CA – Phillips Exeter Academy)
Mavraides seems to have flown under the radar, despite leading Phillips Exeter in scoring — ahead of Stanford recruit Josh Owens — in his postgraduate year in New Hampshire. In high school, Mavraides played alongside Penn junior Tommy McMahon on a Serra team that won the Northern California title. His coaches at Exeter praised his basketball IQ, toughness, and his all-around skills and grasp of fundamentals. With the most college-ready physique of any of the freshmen and the maturity of the extra year at prep school, Mavraides could push his way into the rotation as a freshman this season.
