You guys may classify me as an idiot for posting this, but ive never known exactly what a Princeton offense was. I have heard of alot of college teams using this offense and even some NBA teams. Can any of you guys fill me in on how this offense works?
The Princeton offense is a very spread offense, with alot of movement. Their are alot of screens and backdoor cuts. Usually, their is four players outside of the arc, with one player at the top of the key. The offense really lets players use offensive ability to create shots. The offense is great if you have four guardsplaymakers on the floor who can take their man to the basket. The offense requires teamwork, and the ability to finish around the basket. NBA teams rarely ever use this offense, although the Nets had a somewhat similiar, modified Princeton offense a few years back.
Yeah great description right there. Also the offense allows for just about anybody with a shot to get some great playing time and scoring chances. ESPN2 (last year) showed a game of a D3 school Grinnell that used an accelerated Princeton offense, it was a sight to see. They have 5 man rotation at just about every dead ball, their defense is a trapping defense 1-2-2, basically allowing the opposing team (if they break the press) to get a layup, then taking the ball down and using high-tempo screens and passing, getting open looks and 3s. Its no doubt a sight to see. Heres a lil exerpt from a story about them <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"> Playing a hyper-aggressive 1-2-2 trapping press, Grinnell throws all of its resources into stealing the first or second pass of an opponent’s possession. If a steal is made, the Pioneers spread across the floor on the offense, as the point guard tries to either take the ball to the rim for a shot or pass to a teammate for a three-pointer. The Pioneers keep their possessions short, expecting the player who has the ball at the 12-second mark to take his best shot. If Grinnell is unsuccessful in forcing a turnover within the first couple of tries, the result is often an easy bucket for the other team. It’s a consequence that Arseneault doesn’t mind. “We’ve actually figured out that it’s better for us to get dunked in the first 10 seconds of a possession than it is for our opponent to hold the ball for 30 seconds without scoring,” he says. “That’s how important the pace of play is for us.” Built on numbers, it’s a two-for-you, three-for-us formula that helped the 2003-04 Pioneers set an NCAA record for offense, averaging 126 points per game. According to Arseneault, who authored The Running Game: A Formula for Success, and developed the DVD Running to Win!, a study conducted by Grinnell students revealed a set of statistical benchmarks that usually lead to a Pioneer victory. “We found that if we get off 94 shots per game, with half of those coming from behind the three-point line, rebound 33 percent of our misses, force the other team to turn the ball over 32 times, and force the other team’s big man to run up and down the court 150 times, the result is usually a victory,” says Arseneault. “At one point our record was 79-3 when we accomplished all of those goals.”</div> Source
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"> “We found that if we get off 94 shots per game, with half of those coming from behind the three-point line, rebound 33 percent of our misses, force the other team to turn the ball over 32 times, and force the other team’s big man to run up and down the court 150 times, the result is usually a victory,” says Arseneault. “At one point our record was 79-3 when we accomplished all of those goals.”</div> LOL
The biggest part of this offense that you're missing is the fact the one of your bigs makes the passes. In order to use this offense you need a good passing center who can knock down the shot from the elbow. The best example of this offense in the NBA was the Sacramento Kings with Chris Webber and Vlade Divac both leading the team in assists many nights. You leave the interior open, your team's big man pulls out their big man, and you pass behind their fwds on backdoor cuts. Or the big man has the open 15 footer. It is a very slow moving methodical offense and it works well for teams who can not athletically match up. But it is very fun to watch because it involves lots of good passes and lay ups. You would call it pure basketball, but there is little post game and the exact opposite of isolation.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting gocelts34:</div><div class="quote_post">Oh ok, I understand it now. Thanks guys!</div> If you can get your hands on the Sacramento Kings when they had Webber and Divac, they ran the Princeton offense perfectly. Also Princeton upsetting UCLA in the March Madness tournament was another great showcasing of that offense. I think that was in the late 90's.
Maybe this helps beak it down http://www.justbball.com/forums/showthread.php?t=44486 -------------- somebody asked the same question in the Nets forum early last year. And how it related to the Nets away..if you skeem thru my answer it will hopefully help you get a better feel for what the Princeton Offense is..
