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The Princeton Offense is an offensive basketball style that was developed at Princeton University by Pete Carril. The offense emphasizes constant motion, passing, back-door cuts, and disciplined teamwork. 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 inside 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 lay-up. 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 backdoors, 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).

Versions of the Princeton offense have been run by the New Orleans Hornets, New Jersey Nets, Sacramento Kings, and Washington Wizards in the NBA. 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. In addition, it requires a marked concentration on team play, and as a consequence it often results in a high number of assists on made baskets.

The eight college teams best known for utilizing the offense are Princeton, the Georgetown Hoyas (coach John Thompson III played under Carril at Princeton, and was later an assistant and head coach there), Air Force (where it was installed by former Carril player and protege and former Princeton head coach Joe Scott), Northwestern (installed by head coach Bill Carmody, another Carril protege and a former Princeton head coach), Richmond (under Chris Mooney-- a former Princeton player and assistant coach at Air Force), and Brown University, which installed the offense for the '06-'07 season when former Princeton player and Northwestern Assistant Coach Craig Robinson took over the squad. The offense is also played at Samford University, installed by head coach Jimmy Tillette, who has no direct ties to Princeton or Carril. USC also appears to be running the offense since the hiring of Tim Floyd. Herb Sendek is formerly of North Carolina State, but now is head men's basketball coach at Arizona State University. In 2006-7 Vanderbilt ran facets of the Princeton offense as well.

The use of this offense beyond Princeton is a relatively recent occurrence, as Carril was not interested in encouraging rival schools to lift Princeton's system and use it against them.

• "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, 3/28/3007
• "Race and the Princeton Offense" by Sean Gregory for Time Magazine, March 29, 2007
• "Carril Is Yoda to Notion of Perpetual Motion" New York Times, March 30, 2007