Princeton offense

The Princeton offense is an offensive basketball strategy which emphasizes constant motion, passing, back-door cuts, picks on and off the ball, and disciplined teamwork. It was used and perfected at Princeton University by Pete Carril, though its roots may be traced back to Franklin “Cappy” Cappon, who coached Princeton in the late 1930s,^[1] and Bernard "Red" Sarachek, who coached at Yeshiva University from 1938 to 1977.^[2]

The offense is designed for a unit of 5 players who can each pass, shoot and dribble at an above average level. It attempts to isolate and exploit a mismatch using these skills.^[3] Positions become less important and on offense there is no point guard, shooting guard, small forward or power forward.^[4]

The offense usually starts out with four players outside the three-point arc with one player at the top of the key. The ball is kept in constant motion through passing until either a mismatch allows a player to cut to the basket or a player without the ball cuts toward the unoccupied area under and around the basket, and is passed the ball for a layup. Having a strong post player is important because this player is critical to passing to backdoor cutters, and can draw help defense to open outside shots.

The hallmark of the offense is the backdoor pass, where a player on the wing suddenly moves in towards the basket, receives a bounce pass from a guard on the perimeter, and (if done correctly) finds himself with no defenders between him and a layup. Alternatively, when the defensive team attempts to pack the paint to prevent backdoor cuts, the offense utilizes three point shots from the perimeter. All five players in the offense—including the center—should be competent at making a three point attempt, further spreading the floor.

The offense is often a very slow developing one, relying on a high number of passes, and is often used in college basketball by teams facing opponents with superior athletic talent, to maintain a low-scoring game (believing that a high-scoring game would favor the athletically superior opponent). As a result, Princeton has led the nation in scoring defense 19 times including every year from 1989–2000.^[5]

Examples of use

Versions of the Princeton offense have been run by the Cleveland Cavaliers, New Orleans Hornets, New Jersey Nets, Sacramento Kings, Washington Wizards, and Los Angeles Lakers^[6] in the NBA. A modified version based on Peter Carril's system was introduced by Rick Adelman to the Houston Rockets during the 2007-08 season.^[7] Coach Alvin Gentry also implemented an altered version of it, that shows similarities to the triangle offense, during the Phoenix Suns' 2012-13 NBA season. Coach Eddie Jordan implemented this offense while coach of both the Washington Wizards (2003–2008) and the Philadelphia 76ers (2009–2010).

Some of the college teams best known for utilizing the offense (besides Princeton) are:

Georgetown under John Thompson III, who played under Carril at Princeton and was later its head coach
Air Force under Joe Scott, a former Carril player and protégé and former Princeton head coach
Holy Cross under Bill Carmody, another Carril protégé and a former Princeton head coach
Richmond under Chris Mooney, a former Princeton player and assistant coach at Air Force
American University under Mike Brennan, a former Princeton player and assistant coach
Brown University and Oregon State University under Craig Robinson, a former Princeton player and Northwestern assistant coach
Samford University under Jimmy Tillette
University of Southern California under Tim Floyd
University of Denver under former Princeton coach Joe Scott
University of North Dakota under Brian Jones
University of Notre Dame under Muffet McGraw
University of Virginia under Tony Bennett, loosely based on the general principles of the Princeton Offense
University of Colorado, under head coach Jeff Bzdelik
University of Wisconsin, under coach Bo Ryan, runs the Swing Offense, which is loosely based on the Princeton.
College of William and Mary under Tony Shaver

At the NCAA II Level:

The University of Alabama in Huntsville under Lennie Acuff
Rollins College under Tom Klusman
Seattle Pacific University under Jeff Hironaka
Christian Brothers University under Mike Nienaber
Maryville University under Kevin Carroll

At the Division III Level: St. Thomas University, St. Paul, MN Under John Tauer PHD

At the High School Level:

Sir Winston Churchill Secondary School (Vancouver) under Kevin Sandher
Memorial High School (Texas) in Houston, Texas under David Lay
Holy Cross High School (New Jersey) in Delran, NJ under Barry Harper
Cardinal Leger Secondary School (Brampton) under Steve Pettit
Gibson Southern High School under Jerry O'Brien
Indian Springs School under Pete Arner

Use at Princeton

During his tenure at Princeton (1967–1996), Carril compiled a 514-261 (.658 winning percentage) record. His teams won 13 Ivy League championships during his 29-year tenure with the Tigers, and received 11 NCAA Tournament bids and two NIT berths. Princeton captured the NIT title in 1975.

After his retirement from Princeton, Carril served as an assistant coach for the NBA's Sacramento Kings until 2006. During his time with Sacramento, Carril helped Rick Adelman, who became the Kings' head coach in 1998, install the Princeton offense.

Pete Carril returned to the Sacramento Kings during the 2008-2009 season as a consultant.

Former Princeton Tigers men's basketball coach Sydney Johnson and his predecessors Bill Carmody, John Thompson III and Joe Scott have all employed the Princeton offense.^[3]

References

↑ "Cappon Succumbs To Heart Attack: 'Cappy' Dies After Practice At Princeton". Holland Evening Sentinel. 1961-11-30.
↑ "Red Sarachek Dies At 93, November 16, 2005". MacsLive. Retrieved March 22, 2010.
1 2 Plutnicki, Ken (2009-02-10). "The Quad Q.& A.: Princeton Coach Sydney Johnson". The New York Times. Retrieved 2011-03-13.
↑ Wallace, William N. (1995-02-25). "Carril Demands Versatility". The New York Times. Retrieved 2011-11-06.
↑ "Division I Records" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association. p. 48. Retrieved 2010-09-24.
↑ Shelburne, Ramona (November 2, 2012). "Kobe stresses patience with offense". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on November 2, 2012.
↑ Feigen, Jonathan (October 7, 2007). "Rockets wowed by Adelman's offense". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 6 August 2012.

Sources

"Princeton Offense Keeps Hoyas on the Move", Washington Post, Mike Wise, March 23, 2006; Page E12.
"On the Offensive: Inside the Wizards "Princeton Offense"", WashingtonWizards.com, Dave Johnson, December 28, 2006
"Reading (the defense) is fundamental", Fran Fraschilla; ESPN.
Block, Curt: "Secrets of the Princeton Offense," American Basketball Quarterly
"Hoyas arrive at Atlanta through back door" Randy Hill / Special to FOXSports.com, 3/28/2007
"Race and the Georgetown Offense" by Sean Gregory for Time Magazine, March 29, 2007
"Carril Is Yoda to Notion of Perpetual Motion" New York Times, March 30, 2007

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