Denton Koon will leave Princeton after graduating in the spring. (John Blaine Photo)

By Nick Peruffo

nperuffo@trentonian.com

Former Princeton forward Denton Koon, who officially elected to forgo the remainder of this season do to injury at the end of December, will graduate from the university this spring and look to use his final season of eligibility at another school, The Trentonian learned Monday.

“As I continue to fully recover I will begin pursuing opportunities elsewhere with support from the coaching staff here at Princeton,” Koon said via email. “I have enjoyed every second of my time as a member of the Princeton Basketball program and of course I will always consider myself a Tiger.”

Recurring knee injuries, which limited him to just 18 games last season, hampered Koon’s Princeton career. The Tigers were confident that he’d be able to come back this year, but he was reinjured during the preseason.

Ivy League rules prohibit redshirting, though student-athletes can apply for a medical hardship waiver to receive a fifth year of eligibility. The most recent example of this for Princeton was Will Barrett, who sat out the 2011-12 season with a foot injury.

To do so, however, Koon would likely have had to withdraw from the university, as Ivy League rules also limit players to eight academic semesters. He’ll be eligible to play immediately at another institution as a postgraduate.

Koon was a significant contributor for the Tigers in both his freshman and sophomore seasons. As a sophomore, he helped turn Princeton’s season around when he was inserted into the starting lineup after a 1-3 start. Though naturally a forward, the 6-foot-8 Missouri native played significant minutes in the backcourt for a team that finished 17-11 and 10-4 in the Ivy.

Denton Koon won't have to sit out a year once he chooses a new school. (John Blaine Photo)

That effort earned him an Honorable Mention All-Ivy League selection after the season.

He’ll leave Princeton with career averages at 7.6 points and 3.2 rebounds per game.
 

“We wish Denton the best going forward in his decision,” coach Mitch Henderson said.  “He made great contributions to the team and culture of the team when he was with us.”

Koon does not yet know where he might play next season.

“It's a little too early to say at this point, I have begun to put a list of schools together that seem to be a good fit for me and I will begin the contacting process in the near future,” he said.

 

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Sophomore forward Henry Caruso got some recognition for his recent scoring spree Monday, as he was named Ivy League Player of the Week.

Caruso, who had been largely out of the Tigers rotation, scored 14 points and grabbed 5 rebounds in just 14 minutes of action in Tuesday’s win over Norfolk State, then added 23 points and 6 boards in Saturday’s win over Penn.

“Haven’t you watched cartoons? He’s the Tasmanian Devil,” Henderson said after the game against the Quakers. “He played the same way in high school. I call him the Whirling Dervish, but if you opened him up I think you’d see his heart is a little bigger than most people.”