Princeton offense

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The Princeton offense is an offensive basketball strategy which emphasizes constant motion, passing, back-door cuts, 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 at Princeton in the late 1930s.[citation needed]

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 a very slow developing one, relying on a high number of passes, and is often used 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).[citation needed]

[edit] Examples of use

Versions of the Princeton offense have been run by the New Orleans Hornets, New Jersey Nets, Sacramento Kings, and Washington Wizards in the NBA[citation needed]. It was introduced by Rick Adelman to the Houston Rockets for the 2007-08 season[citation needed]. It is only rarely used in the NCAA — in part because it requires all five players on the floor to be adept at ball handling, dribbling, passing, and shooting.[citation needed]

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

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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

[edit] Use at Princeton

During his tenure at Princeton (1967-1996), Carril compiled a 514-261 (.658 winning percentage) record as the best record of any coach in Ivy League basketball history. His teams won 13 Ivy League championships during his 29-year tenure with the Tigers, and his teams received 11 NCAA Tournament berths and 2 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 and saw the Kings blossom into one of the best teams in the NBA.[citation needed]

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

[edit] Sources

 This article includes a list of references, related reading or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. Please improve this article by introducing more precise citations where appropriate. (February 2009)
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