The Princeton offense is an offensive

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

strategy which emphasizes constant

motion In physics, motion is when an object changes its position with respect to a reference point in a given time. Motion is mathematically described in terms of displacement, distance, velocity, acceleration, speed, and frame of reference to an o ...

, back-door cuts, picks on and off the ball, and disciplined teamwork. It was used and perfected at

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

by Pete Carril, though its roots may be traced back to Franklin “Cappy” Cappon, who coached Princeton in the late 1930s, and Bernard "Red" Sarachek, who coached at

Yeshiva University Yeshiva University is a Private university, private Modern Orthodox Judaism, Orthodox Jewish university with four campuses in New York City.

from 1938 to 1977.

Concept

The offense is designed for a unit of five players who can each pass, shoot, and dribble at an above-average level. These players hope to isolate and exploit a mismatch using these skills. Positions become less important and on offense there is no

point guard The point guard (PG), also called the one or the point, is one of the Basketball positions, five positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position and is usually the shortest player ...

shooting guard The shooting guard (SG), also known as the two, two guard or off guard,Shooting guards are 6'3"–6'7"BBC Sports academy URL last accessed 2006-09-09. is one of the five traditional basketball positions, positions in a regulation basketball game ...

small forward The small forward (SF), also known as the three, is one of the five Basketball position, positions in a regulation basketball game. Small forwards are typically shorter, quicker, and leaner than Power forward (basketball), power forwards and Cent ...

power forward The power forward (PF), also known as the four, is one of the five traditional Basketball positions, positions in a regulation basketball game. Traditionally, power forwards have played a role similar to center (basketball), centers and are typi ...

. However, there are certain rules that players running this offense are expected to follow. 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 a player without the ball cuts toward the unoccupied area under and around the basket, and receives the ball for a

layup A layup in basketball is a two-point shot attempt made by leaping from below, "laying" the ball up near the basket, and using one hand to bounce it off the backboard and into the basket. The motion and one-handed reach distinguish it from a Jump ...

. The post player is a very important player in the offense. He or she sets up in the high post and draws attention to their positioning. When the ball is received in to the post the players main objective is to find back door cutters or defenders who have fallen asleep on the weak side. The hallmark of the offense is the backdoor cut, where a player on the

wing A wing is a type of fin that produces both Lift (force), lift and drag while moving through air. Wings are defined by two shape characteristics, an airfoil section and a planform (aeronautics), planform. Wing efficiency is expressed as lift-to-d ...

suddenly moves in towards the basket behind a defender, receives a bounce pass from a guard on the perimeter, and (if done correctly) finds himself with no defenders between him and a

. Alternatively, when the defensive team attempts to pack the

paint Paint is a material or mixture that, when applied to a solid material and allowed to dry, adds a film-like layer. As art, this is used to create an image or images known as a painting. Paint can be made in many colors and types. Most paints are ...

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, and not allowing the defense to leave any player unattended. The offense is often a very slowly developing one, relying on a high number of passes, and is often used in

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

by teams facing opponents with superior athletic talent in order 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 in every year from 1989 to 2000.

Use at Princeton

During his tenure as head coach of

(1967–1996), Pete Carril compiled a 514–261 record, a .658 winning percentage. His teams won 13

Ivy League The Ivy League is an American collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference of eight Private university, private Research university, research universities in the Northeastern United States. It participates in the National Collegia ...

championships during his 29-year tenure with the Tigers, and received 11 NCAA Tournament bids and two National Invitation Tournament berths. Princeton captured the NIT title in 1975. Perhaps Carril's greatest win was his final upset victory, a 43 - 41 win over defending national champion UCLA on a backdoor cut at the end of a first-round game in the 1996 NCAA Tournament. The win extended Carril's retirement by one game and is ranked as one of the best NCAA upsets of all time. Former Princeton coach Sydney Johnson and his predecessors Bill Carmody, John Thompson III, and Joe Scott have all employed the Princeton offense.

Other examples of use

National Basketball Association

After his retirement from Princeton in 1996, Pete Carril served as an assistant coach for the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

Sacramento Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Confere ...

until 2006. During his time with Sacramento, Carril helped

Rick Adelman Richard Leonard Adelman (born June 16, 1946) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. He coached 23 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Adelman served as head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers, Golden S ...

, who became the Kings' head coach in 1998, implement the Princeton offense. Carril returned to the Kings during the 2008–2009 season as a consultant. The

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers, often referred to as the Cavs, are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Divis ...

, Los Angeles Lakers, New Orleans Hornets, New Jersey Nets, and Washington Wizards also have run versions of the Princeton offense.

introduced a modified version of Pete Carril's system to the

Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA) ...

during the 2007–2008 season. Coach Alvin Gentry also implemented an altered version of it that shows similarities to the triangle offense during the Phoenix Suns′s 2012–13 season. Eddie Jordan implemented the Princeton offense as coach of the Washington Wizards from 2003 to 2008) and of the Philadelphia 76ers from 2009 to 2010.

College basketball

NCAA Division I

Besides Princeton, some of the

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest division of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athlet ...

teams best known for using the offense are: *

Air Force An air force in the broadest sense is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an army aviati ...

under Joe Scott, a former Carril player and protégé and former Princeton head coach * American under Mike Brennan, a former Princeton player and assistant coach *

Brown Brown is a color. It can be considered a composite color, but it is mainly a darker shade of orange. In the CMYK color model used in printing and painting, brown is usually made by combining the colors Orange (colour), orange and black. In the ...

under Craig Robinson, a former Princeton player and Northwestern assistant coach *

University of Colorado The University of Colorado (CU) is a system of public universities in Colorado. It consists of four institutions: the University of Colorado Boulder, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, the University of Colorado Denver, and the U ...

, under head coach Jeff Bzdelik *

Denver Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

under former Princeton coach Joe Scott * Georgetown under John Thompson III, who played under Carril at Princeton and was later Princeton′s head coach * Holy Cross under Bill Carmody, another Carril protégé and a former Princeton head coach *

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

under Charlie Coles *

North Dakota North Dakota ( ) is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota people, Dakota and Sioux peoples. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minneso ...

under

Brian Jones Lewis Brian Hopkin Jones (28 February 1942 – 3 July 1969) was an English musician and founder of the Rolling Stones. Initially a slide guitarist, he went on to sing backing vocals and played a wide variety of instruments on Rolling Stones r ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

under Steve Donahue, runs the "shuffle offense," loosely based on Princeton principles. * Notre Dame women's basketball under Muffet McGraw * Oregon State under Craig Robinson, a former Princeton player and Northwestern assistant coach * Richmond under Chris Mooney, a former Princeton player and assistant coach at Air Force * Samford under Jimmy Tillette *

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural List of regions of California, region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its densely populated coastal reg ...

under Tim Floyd *

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

under

Tony Bennett Anthony Dominick Benedetto (August 3, 1926 – July 21, 2023), known professionally as Tony Bennett, was an American jazz and traditional pop singer. He received many accolades, including 20 Grammy Awards, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, ...

, loosely based on the general principles of the Princeton offense *

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

, under coach Bo Ryan, ran the "swing offense," which was loosely based on the Princeton offense * William & Mary under Tony Shaver

NCAA Division II

NCAA Division II NCAA Division II (D-II) is the intermediate-level division of competition in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). It offers an alternative to both the larger and better-funded Division I and to the scholarship-free environment ...

colleges that have used the Princeton offense include: * Alabama-Huntsville under Lennie Acuff * Christian Brothers under Mike Nienaber * Rollins under Tom Klusman * Seattle Pacific under Jeff Hironaka

NCAA Division III

NCAA Division III NCAA Division III (D-III) is the lowest division of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States. D-III consists of athletic programs at colleges and universities that do not offer athletic scholarships to student- ...

colleges that have used the Princeton offense include: * Maryville under Kevin Carroll * St. Thomas, ( St. Paul,

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

) under John Tauer * Nebraska Wesleyan University under Dale Wellman * Maine Maritime Academy (2017-2024) under Dan McNeely

NAIA

NAIA colleges that have used the Princeton offense include: * Westmont under John Moore * Covenant under Lance Richardson NJCAA NJCAA colleges that have used the Princeton offense include: * Mercer County Community College under Howard Levy, a former Princeton player. * Bergen Community College (Paramus, New Jersey) under Will Caraballo.

High schools

High school basketball teams that have used the Princeton offense include: * Northridge High School (Johnstown, OH) 2008-2012 under John Wheeler * Oak Forest High School (Oak Forest, IL) 2008-2020 under Matt Manzke * Regent Prep (Tulsa, Oklahoma) under Kerwin Dees

Canada

* Cardinal Leger Secondary School (

Brampton Brampton is a city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario, and the regional seat of the Regional Municipality of Peel. It is part of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and is a List of municipalities in Ontario#L ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

) under Steve Pettit * Sir Winston Churchill Secondary School (

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

) under Kevin Sandher * Mark R. Isfeld Secondary School ( Courtenay, B.C.) under Tom Elwood *

United States

* Arkansas Christian Academy ( Bryant,

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...

)under Ben Thomas * Benton Central Junior-Senior High School (

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

) under David Baxter * Christian Brothers Academy ( Lincroft,

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

) under Ed Wicelinski * Gibson Southern High School ( Fort Branch, Indiana) under Jerry O'Brien * Holy Cross High School ( Delran, New Jersey) under Barry Harper * Indian Springs School ( Indian Springs Village,

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

) under Pete Arner * Lincoln County High School in West Hamlin,

West Virginia West Virginia is a mountainous U.S. state, state in the Southern United States, Southern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.The United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau and the Association of American ...

, under Rodney Plumley * Memorial High School (

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

) under David Lay and under Jyusef Larry * Haverford School ( Haverford, Pennsylvania) under Bernie Rogers * Lower Merion High School ( Ardmore, Pennsylvania) under Greg Downer * Blair Academy (

Blairstown, New Jersey Blairstown is a Township (New Jersey), township in Warren County, New Jersey, Warren County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 5,704, a decrease of 263 (−4.4%) from the 2010 Uni ...

) under Joe Mantegna * De La Salle High School (New Orleans) (

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

) under Paul Kelly a former Samford associate coach

AAU, YBOA, and USBA

Amateur Athletic Union The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is an amateur sports organization based in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs. It h ...

, Youth Basketball of America, and United States Basketball Association teams that have used the Princeton offense include: * 43 Express Basketball (

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

) under Chad Jackson, Sr. * KY Grind Basketball (

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

) under Lee DeForest

References

Footnotes

Sources

"Princeton Offense Keeps Hoyas on the Move"
''

Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'', 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.
DeForest, Lee: "Secrets of the Princeton Offense," Coach Princeton Basketball

"Hoyas arrive at Atlanta through back door" Randy Hill / Special to FOXSports.com, 3/28/2007
* ttps://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/30/sports/ncaabasketball/30carril.html?em&ex=1175400000&en=2e036118ebdaaab4&ei=5087%0A "Carril Is Yoda to Notion of Perpetual Motion" New York Times, March 30, 2007 {{DEFAULTSORT:Princeton Offense Basketball terminology Princeton Tigers men's basketball History of college basketball in the United States Basketball strategy