Princeton basketball's No. 1 fan: The great Bill Bradley loves what he's seeing

After Princeton’s men's basketball team picked apart Missouri in the NCAA Tournament’s Round of 32, becoming just the fourth No. 15 seed ever to advance to the Sweet 16, the Tigers drew accolades from across the hardwood universe.

But there is one fan’s praise that probably means the most.

"I’m very pleased with how they’re doing," Bill Bradley said via phone Monday morning. "They boxed out on rebounds, hit open shots, spaced the floor very well, played good defense. They played with a purpose."

Bradley is the gold standard for New Jersey college basketball – a three-time All-American who in 1965 led Princeton to the Final Four and was named national player of the year. He also led the United States to the gold medal in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics and went on to help the New York Knicks win NBA titles in 1970 and 1973 before becoming a three-term U.S. senator representing the Garden State.

So yeah, that’s some serious high praise, especially since Bradley was known for his impeccable fundamentals. He wrote an entire book about teamwork on the court, "Values of the Game," that became a bestseller.

"They made sure they were helping their teammates," he said of Princeton’s current players, "and I think that’s great."

Upon hearing Bradley's assessment, Princeton coach Mitch Henderson beamed.

"I take a lot of pride in that," Henderson said, "because I think those are the things that matter."

WOLKEN: This men's NCAA Tournament is up for grabs like never before | Opinion

SPORTS NEWSLETTER: Sign up to get the latest news and features sent to your inbox

The art of peaking

Bradley is 79 years old now, lives in New York City and is managing director of Allen & Company LLC, a private investment bank. He returned to Princeton in September for a the unveiling of portrait of him that will hang in the university’s Frist Campus Center.

He keeps tabs on his old college team from afar and is thrilled that a fellow program alum in Henderson has steered the program to heights not seen since the 1960s (this is Princeton’s first Sweet 16 since 1967).

"I’m a big fan of Mitch Henderson’s," Bradley said. "He has carried on the tradition and added his own zest to it and his own contributions. He’s a great teacher and a great coach. I’m really happy for him and for the program and Princeton."

He’s a fan of Tigers senior Tosan Evbuomwan, a point forward with a prodigious passing touch.

"He’s always in the right place," Bradley said. "He boxes out, passes and goes to the basket well."

Bradley also observed how the Tigers (23-8) are peaking at the right time ahead of the South Regional semifinal with sixth-seeded Creighton (23-12) on Friday at 9 p.m. ET.

"You have a team that reaches kind of a critical point, where they elevate themselves and they do the things they wouldn’t have done three months earlier or two months earlier," he said. "Because the coaching is there and all the basic fundamentals are there, the players know what they’re doing out there."

'A big moment in their lives'

Bradley knows a thing or two about rising at crunch time. His performance in the 1965 Final Four is the stuff of legend. After scoring 29 points in a semifinal loss to Michigan, he erupted in the third-place game – yes, there was such a thing back then – for 58 points in a win over Wichita State.

When asked what he remembers most about that weekend in Portland, Bradley responded like you knew he would.

"I still think of that loss to Michigan," he said. "We thought we would win that rematch (Michigan had edged them in the regular season), but of course we didn’t. That’s life."

Bradley’s 58 points in the third-place game, achieved on 22-of-29 shooting from the field and 14-of-15 from the free-throw line (he also grabbed 17 rebounds) earned him Final Four Most Outstanding Player honors and remains the scoring record for a Final Four contest.

"Am I surprised that’s still the record? A little bit," he said when asked. "But that’s a lot of points. I saw a film about that game, about a year or two ago. I had a pretty good night."

The magnitude of playing deep into the NCAA Tournament, Bradley said, will stay with Princeton’s current players forever.

"This will be a big moment in their lives – it already is," he said. "Playing basketball in college, the guys you play with, you stay with the rest of your life."

Bradley also is glad to see the Ivy League advance a team to the Sweet 16 for the first time since Cornell in 2010.

"I heard somebody on TV say, ‘You know this Princeton team was only 10-4 in the Ivy League, that means the Ivy League has really improved,'" he said. "I thought, 'God, I never thought I’d hear that – somebody praising the Ivy League.'"

Although Bradley hails from Missouri, make no mistake about his allegiance as Princeton dissected Missouri on Saturday. He’s Old Nassau for life.

"I haven’t watched a lot of college basketball (recently), but I’m watching now," he said. "You better believe it. They couldn’t get me away from the television set."

Contact Jerry Carino at jcarino@gannettnj.com.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Princeton's No. 1 fan, Bill Bradley, enjoying NCAA Tournament run