The Princeton Offense

Basketball is made up of five basic elements: cutting, passing, dribbling screening, and shooting. The Princeton offense is one that attempts to use each of these components in the most effective way possible. In order for this to be accomplished, all five players must use each of the elements at the proper time, in an effective manner, as the game situation dictates.1

The Princeton offense was created in the 1960s by, then Princeton head coach, Pete Carril. He had the basic idea of spreading out the court with a high formation, allowing all five players to be in constant motion, reading and reacting to the defense. A major strength of the offense is that it can tire the defense out over the course of a game, allowing the offense to take advantage of the extra step that can be gained from the fatigue of the defense.

The Princeton offense may seem like an offense with no pattern but it actually has several rules that it follows. This offense always begins with a high set that includes all players above the free throw line extended to open up space to allow players to cut freely to the basket. It is essential to include a high post who is able to perform all assets of the game. They must be a great passer, dribbler, and shooter.  Some of the rules that dictate the offense include an offensive player being loosely guarded requires the player to cut towards the ball for a pass or hand-off.  If they are tightly guarded they are to back-cut. Proper spacing is a must for this offense as well as the quality of team chemistry. This allows the players to read and react off of each other to determine the best cut that will produce the best shot in each situation. One-handed bounce passes by the ball-handler allow for a quicker pass that the defense is a lot less likely to see coming.2

The success of the Princeton offense relies on the ability of the offense to successfully implement all facets of the game. All five players must be able to adequately cut, dribble, pass, screen, and shoot in order for the offense to be successful. It also relies heavily on the chemistry of the players as it is important for the players to read and react to the defense and cut accordingly. The Princeton offense is one that is hard to defend due to its unpredictability and is seen implemented successfully all throughout the game of basketball, including at the high school, college, and NBA levels.

References

1Gandolfi, G. (2009). NBA coaches playbook: Techniques, tactics, and teaching points. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics

2http://www.coachesclipboard.net/PrincetonOffense.html Retrieved February 7, 2016