It's Simply A Question Of Style

After Princeton had beaten Harvard Saturday night for the 22nd time in the last 23 meetings, Tiger coach Pete Carril made me an offer.

I asked him if he planned to continue experimenting with his line-up, or if he was close to finding a combination that worked.

Cigar in hand and blood-shot eyes protruding from sleepy eyelids, Carril said, "The shuffling's gonna continue. And if you can find the right combination, you can have my job--right now."

I was flattered that he thought so much of my promise as an Ivy League coach; but then again, his dejected reply is to be expected. After 12 years with the Tigers and a 215-99 record, the man who's lived with winners is floundering with a weak, 7-5 Princeton squad. He doesn't like it.

Across the hall, in the quiet Harvard locker room, Frank McLaughlin, looking sharp in a houndstooth blazer, is encouraging prospective freshmen, selling then on the merits of Harvard--the school and the future basketball power.

Heading a team that is 3-12, currently in the middle of a ten-game losing streak, McLaughlin, the eternal optimist who could rival the best of used car dealers, had only praise for his team.

"Hey, I'm not down and I'm not discouraged. I just feel bad for these kids. They're not dogging it or anything. We're just exhausted from the trip," he said. "But once we start winning, we're gonna keep winning. We just need some rest."

His frame of mind marks a direct contrast to Carril's. But then again, these are men from different ends of the coaching world. Carril has lived with winners; he simply hates losers. McLaughlin knows all about winners, too--he coached for Notre Dame. But he never has a harsh word. Sugar coating often masks the realistic observations in his remarks.

"We're young, We're making freshman mistakes. But this thing's gonna turn around quickly. Look we're only 1-2 [in the Ivies]. That's as good as Kentucky. They've lost two in the Southeast League."

Carril, on the other hand, is the incarnation of dejection.

Problems

"This year we oughta be happy with any win we can get," he quipped after the Harvard win. "We've got problems in certain areas that I don't know if I can solve."

Carril's keen assessment of the Princeton troubles disintegrates into a general condemnation of the situation. When asked what his line-up was missing, Carril calmly said, "Good players."

Perhaps Carril's hard-nosed, no-fluff attitude seems more realistic that McLaughlin's "wait-for-the-next-one," hoping praise. But you have to feel that McLaughlin's positive outlook benefits a young, inexperienced team like Harvard or Princeton.

True, Harvard's record doesn't reflect much to shout about; but without question, the Crimson is playing a better brand of ball since McLaughlin arrived 18 months ago. The schedule is also a great deal tougher.

Judgment on McLaughlin's method has to be reserved until later in the season, when Harvard plays its Ivy League schedule. This year's team, though young, has talent and should do well. They need McLaughlin to boost their spirits now while the going's tough.

The struggling Princeton players could use a morale boost now, too. But they're unlikely to get one from Carril. Past Princeton squads--big winners--didn't need so much encouragement, but Carril's pressure to win may break this year's young squad.

Basically, it's a difference in coaching philosophy; come March, the results wull speak for the success of the two different methods.