Princeton Offense—Part I--Reading (the defense) is fundamentalBy Fran FraschillaSpecial to ESPN.com

Pete Carril's last win as the coach at Princeton, a stunning upset over UCLA in the first round of the 1996 NCAA Tournament, will always be remembered for its final play: the "trademark" back-door lay-up.

Although the Yoda of college basketball has spent the last six years in relative obscurity as an assistant coach and consultant for the Sacramento Kings, his legacy continues to live on in the college and NBA game. Just look at teams like Princeton, North Carolina State, Northwestern, Air Force, Samford and the New Jersey Nets. Each employs Carril's system of offense with a good deal of success.

With a premium placed on passing, cutting and intelligent movement without the basketball, the offense is the epitome of what good team basketball should look like. There is an understanding that offense is a series of two- and three-man plays and that all five players cannot compete for the ball but, rather, share it.

We will cover, in the next two Basketball 101 "classes", the Princeton Offense, in two parts: the Low Post offense and the High post offense. Pay attention and don't turn your head or you'll get "back doored".

Part I: The Low Post Offense

Find the Center: The offensive thinking in the Princeton system is for the ball to go through the center so that he can be the playmaker. So, in both transition or in a half-court set the important thing is to "find the center" or the 5 man.

Alignment: The offense starts in a 2-2-1 alignment with the center (5) on the ball side. It is important to determine the places on the court from which your perimeter players can best drive to the middle. It really helps if all of

those players can dribble and pass from both sides of the court.

First cut: The 1 passes to 3 on the wing and cuts through to the opposite corner. Every single cut in the offense must be made at full speed and with authority. The 2 then fills in at the top of the key.

First Back Door: If 5 is fronted in the low post and the offense cannot be started through him, 3 dribbles hard at the elbow. If 2's man "tightens up" to overplay the pass to 2 or turns his head to look at the ball, 2 back doors hard to the basket. The 3 is taught make his bounce with one hand off the dribble -- it's a quicker pass than picking the ball up with two hands -- right off 2's defender's butt.

Post Feed: The 3 feeds 5 in the low post and drifts to the corner for the possible open 3-point shot if his man leaves to double team. If 3's man doesn't double team 5, the spacing on the perimeter is ideal for 5 to go 1-on-1.

The Next Look

Another Back Door Cut: After 5 catches the ball, 2 cuts through to the opposite corner as 4 fills in at top of key and 1 replaces 4. If 4's man looks for ball or tries to overplay 4, 4 back-door cuts to the basket looking for a bounce pass from 5. This is why it is crucial that the 5 is an excellent passer.

Slip Split: Another option in the offense when 5 has the ball is for 2 to screen away for 4. The 4 must always watch his defender. If the defender starts to cheat over 2's screen, 4 back-door cuts to basket and receives bounce pass from 5.

Pass Out and Dribble At: When the ball is passed out of the low post -- in this case to 2 -- 2 dribbles hard at the next player on the perimeter, the 4. Again, when 4's man turns his head, 4 back-door cuts to basket and looks for a 1-hand bounce pass from 2.

If 4 is not open, 1 replaces 4 and receives the pass from 2. The 4 posts up and 5 comes up to set the "flare screen'" for 2, who gets jump shot on pass from 1.

Another Pass Out and Dribble At: When 5 passes out of low post to 3, remember 2 has cut through and 4 starts to replace him at the top of the key. The 3 dribbles hard at the elbow and sets up back-door cut by 4. The 1 replaces 4 and, if 3 throws it to 1, 5 will "flare screen" for 3 for a jump shot.

Term of the DayBack-Door Cut: Anytime an offensive player on the perimeter is denied a chance to catch a pass, it is an excellent opportunity for him to use the defender's aggressiveness against him by changing direction and cutting to the basket.

Final WordAs you can see, this offense is based on good spacing of your offensive players on the court, the intelligence to "read" how the defenders are playing and, then, executing the fundamentals to make the correct play. It has proven, time and time again, to be a great way to neutralize another team's superior athletic ability -- especially in Princeton's case. So, we'll end Part I with a quote from Pete Carril, "In this life, the big, strong guys are always taking from the smaller, weak guys; but the smart take from the strong."

Now, on to the Princeton high post sets—Part II

By Fran FraschillaSpecial to ESPN.com

In Part I of the Princeton Offense, we covered the low post offense within this system. Now we will cover the high post offense.

Remember, we emphasize how important the center is in this offense because he is the primary playmaker. Also, keep in mind that the other four players are interchangeable, so it would not be unusual to see three or four guards out on the court at the same time.

Part II: The High Post Offense

The alignment and first cut of the high post offense in the Princeton Offense begins when the point guard (1) passes to the off guard (2) and cuts through the elbow area, looking to brush the center's man as center (5) flashes to the elbow. You'll notice that there are three perimeter players on the opposite side of the court from the center.

Pass and Slip SplitOn the pass to the center, notice the backdoor opportunity for the small forward (3) if he is overplayed. After the off guard (2) passes to the center (5), he screens away for the power forward (4), who slips the screen and back-door cuts to basket if his man "cheats" to get over the off guard's screen.

As soon as the power forward (4) cuts, the off guard (2) pops back out for the pass from the center and the shot. Or, when the center (5) comes over to screen, the 2's man naturally "jumps" toward the screen. That allows the off guard (2) to "reject" the screen and drive to the basket.

Notice, also, that on the drive to the basket by the off guard, if the point guard's man leaves to help, the off guard is able to pass to the point. This is known as "penetrate and kick" or "draw and kick" ... as in, draw the defender and kick it to the open man.

Here's an example of the center (5) passing back to the off guard (2), who uses the center's screen as the small forward (3)

down screens for the power forward (4).

Another option if for the off guard (2) to pass to the power forward (4), as the center (5) sets a "flare screen" for him. If the off guard's defender goes under the screen, he has the jump shot.

Now, if the off guard's man follows him over the top of the screen, he has a great driving angle to the basket, and if the point guard's man helps again, we have the "draw and kick". By the way, this is what Dicky V. means when he says a player is a "3-D guy" -- drive, draw and dish.

Pass and Post SplitOn pass to the center (5), the off guard (2) screens for the small forward (3) in a "post split". The small forward "reads" his defender and if the defender plays off him, he will use the screen for the jump shot. The point guard (1) sets a "flare screen" on the other side of the court, primarily to keep the defenders occupied.

Post and Post Slip SplitIf X3 plays his man "tight", the small forward (3) will fake coming off the screen and back-door cut to the basket for a lay-up. Once the 3 back cuts, the off guard (2) pops out to the wing.

As the center (5) passes back to the off guard (2), he will come over to screen for him, and when 2 uses the screen, the center can "pop" out for the jumper, or "roll' to the basket. On the other side of the court, the small forward (3) uses the "staggered double screen."

If the off guard's man jumps toward the screen, 2 drives it baseline, as, hopefully, the "staggered double" will occupy three defenders on the opposite side of the court.

The Spin DribbleOnce the point guard (1) has cut through, and the center (5) flashes to the elbow and is denied a pass, the off guard (2) reads this and spin dribbles back to the power forward (4). If the 4's man "cheats up" as 4 steps to the ball, the power forward will back-door cut as 2 throws the one-handed bounce pass by the defender.

If the power forward (4) is not open, the off guard (2) passes to the point guard (1) as 4 posts up on the block. The off guard then uses 5's "flare screen" for the jump shot.

Or... The drive and the "draw and kick" with 3.

There are so many more options we can get into, but it would take all the college basketball season, the NBA season (remember to watch the New Jersey Nets run this offense) and into next football season. We have given you, however, the basic idea of what to look for in the "Princeton System".

Remember, it is an offense that has been around a very long time in the Ivy League. But, now, Carril's influence has extended to the ACC, the Big Ten, the Mountain West, and the NBA. As the saying goes, "Everything old becomes new again."