Notebook: Princeton senior Asa Gartin glad to be back in action this season

Asa Gartin went through all the 2023 summer basketball season leading into his junior year at Princeton.

Tigers coach Jason Smith was counting on him to play a key role.

Then he didn’t go out, a decision Gartin regrets.

“Last year I missed it like crazy,” he said. “There was that emptiness in my heart. And then this year, to be back with the sophomore [class] and with Noah [LaPorte], the nostalgia just hit me, ‘I want to be part a part of that.’ Being a part of that family and atmosphere. Student section was great last year, but nothing compares to being in the game and contributing.

Gartin is making up for lost time, playing a key role in the Tigers' run to their fourth straight regional championship. He scored six points in Friday’s 59-53 regional championship win over Seneca, averaging about 6.5 points a game this season while shooting 79% from the charity stripe and playing stellar defense.

LaPorte, for one, is happy to have Gartin back in action.

“He’s just a spark on defense. He’s a defensive warrior. He’s a stud,” LaPorte said.

Smith said Gartin broke his heart last year when he didn’t come out.

“He is a strong, athletic kid that can jump and play ball, and he’s left-handed. He was going to help us last year,” Smith said. “He has the capability of taking over a game with his defense. He plays hard on both ends of the floor and has improved from Game 1 to now. I couldn’t be happier or prouder of that young man.”

Along with his basketball skills, he’s also a young man of strong faith.

“I want to give all my glory to God, making this possible. Everything I do in life is dedicated to Him,” he said.

Smith trifecta: The Smith families are enjoying the ride together. Head coach Jason Smith has brought in his son, Bryson, to help the Tigers staff this season while Tim Smith was moved up as head sophomore coach to varsity assistant this season along side his son, Luke, a senior, and his daughter, Emily, team manager.

“It means the world to me. Honestly, a dream come true,” Tim Smith said. “I think every coaching dad hopes for these opportunities. It will be an incredible lifelong memory.”

Battle tested: LaPorte said the Tigers are well prepared for anything that comes their way playing a schedule that includes games against eight Class 3A teams, in which they stand 4-4.

“Playing the schedule we have, playing the tough teams, we’ve been in these situations before. We know these games and know how it goes,” he said. “Just having that schedule and having that fight that throughout the whole season really prepares us for these moments.”

Luck of the Irish: Seneca coach Russ Witte knows that how hot shot Paxton Giertz, the Irish’s all-time leading scorer, goes, so go the Irish. He scored 26 points Friday night.

“Kind of said going in, if Pax gets 30, I think we win. If he scores in the 20s, I think it’s a 50-50 game,” Witte said. “And it pretty much was a 50-50 game. It really was.”

No shortcomings: Witte isn’t buying the height that Princeton’s LaPorte is listed at on the roster. He scored 27 points to lead the Tigers to victory over the Irish.

“They got him at 6-6. I say [baloney] on that. He’s taller than that. He’s more like 6-7,“ he said. ”We did as well as we could with him. Honestly, the game plan wasn’t to stop him. It was to limit the outside touches. We lost some guys on the perimeter. I think we gave them four or five 3s. In a game like this, that’s huge."

Jordan Reinhardt had a hat trick of 3-pointers in the second half for the Tigers, while Gavin Lanham made one in the fourth quarter.