I sometimes take it for granted that everyone is a fan of basketball and that everyone understands the “Princeton Offense” concept. After going into what has seemed like a weekly tirade about our inability to run it effectively, however, I was answered with only blank stares. In all fairness, there aren’t many NCAA teams that run the offense, but it is a big part of current Georgetown basketball and is therefore important for fans to understand.
Coach John Thompson III played under the legendary Pete Carrill at Princeton. Carrill created the offense, and Thompson became his protégé as a player and then as a coach at Princeton.
The key to the Princeton Offense is constant movement. Each offensive possession usually begins with four of the five players spread out along the arc with a lone post player (usually Roy Hibbert) inside. The ball is passed inside and out and along the perimeter in search of a mismatch or an opening through which to attack the basket. Meanwhile, the four players along the perimeter are constantly cutting through the lane and along the baseline. The offense is highlighted by quick cuts from the perimeter to the basket for easy lay-ups.
Why use the Princeton offense? The Princeton is most effective for a less athletic team to use against a faster, more athletic team. The slow, deliberate offensive sets take up a lot of clock and usually result in low-scoring games in which the team running the offense is in control. The offense also, in theory, allows for a high percentage of made shots, as the constant movement should create easier scoring opportunities.
Some people, myself included, have wondered how the Princeton offense fits with our current Georgetown lineup, which certainly isn’t lacking in size or athleticism. Tuesday night’s game may not have made me a total believer in the system, but it was certainly a rather convincing performance. The 89-53 rout showed how dominant size and athleticism can be very prominent exclamation point for the system.
The system worked perfectly against James Madison. They were held to under 60 points and the Hoyas were able to shoot a very high percentage from the field. Jessie Sapp and Jon Wallace were able to find Jeff Green and DaJuan Summers cutting to the basket several times throughout the night. It was almost textbook. The Georgetown players add their own flair that doesn’t necessarily conform to the textbook version. It’s supposed to run: cut, pass, lay-up; but why lay it in when you can dunk it? Everyone found themselves on the scoring side of a cut at one point on Tuesday, but the most memorable were Vernon Macklin’s spread-eagle dunk and Hibbert’s arena-shaking two-hander.
When we are at our best, we play our own exciting, instinctual version of the Princeton offense. I certainly had a blast watching it on Tuesday, but there is just one problem: it was against James Madison. If we can continue to execute the Princeton effectively against better opposition, then Coach Carrill, Coach Thompson and any other supporter of the offense have found themselves another firm believer.
