A Detailed Explanation of the Perfect Offensive Scheme For The Rockets

Over the past year or so, I have been devising several plays which would bsest maximize the offensive capabilities of the Rockets, focusing on Steve and Yao, with Mobes as 3rd option. I was going to post a follow up to last year's 5 Simple Plays when it occured to me that A) My plays were more and more starting to resemble Pete Cerril's offense, although I had variations, and B) Pete Carril forgot more about basketball in a week then I'll ever know. I would still advise some alterations to stress Steve more in the basic Princeton Offense, and will do so later, but I thought it might benefit many in here to see the offense for what it is, especially in that it offers one of the best ways for beating a 5 front zone. Too often many of us in here speak as if these concepts are understood, and for those who never coached or broke plays down in detail, that must be maddening.

So, here it is, for those of you who love Xs and Os, it doesn;t get much better than this. Many of you will, like myself, see the immediate benefits this system offers to the Rockets personel as is, and others will want to tinker.


Low Post:http://espn.go.com/ncb/2003/0304/1517990.html

High Post: http://espn.go.com/ncb/2003/0312/1522592.html


Note: I would like to beg a favor here: I went to post this via copy/paste, but the vital chalkboard illustrations didn't come up. Could someone please copy out both of these articles with the illustrations intact? It would be invaluable as a strating point. Or else explain to me how to do it. Either way, thanks in advance.

 

Rob: Thanks a million. I patched the LP together with the images you provided, will now do likewise with HP. COuld you get the backdoor cut immustration for me? Thaks again.

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.


1




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.



IMG]http://www.espn.go.com/media/ncb/2003/0303/photo/play2.jpg[/IMG]
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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.



3


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.



4


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.



5


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.


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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.


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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.


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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.



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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.



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Part II: The High Post Offense


The alignment and first cut of the high post offense in the Princeston 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.



1


Pass and Slip Split
On 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.

IMG]http://espn.go.com/media/ncb/2003/0312/photo/play2.jpg[/IMG]
2


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.


3


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).


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.


5


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.


6




Pass and Post Split
On 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.


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


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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."


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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.


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High Post (cont'd)...


The Spin Dribble
Once 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 foward (4). If the 4's man "cheats up" as 4 steps to the ball, the poward forward will back-door cut as 2 throws the one-handed bounce pass by the defender.


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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.



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



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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".


Again, sorry it's chopped up like this, and thanks a million to rob.

 

For some reason the 2nd illustration from each article didn't copy right when I merged it with the article..Should I try again, or can people skim up to Rob's posts?

 

sd...


I've considered the triangle for the Rocks, but frankly I think it would take away from some of our strengths and while the Bulls were able to make up for having a 4 that can't hit the 15 footer, that's still a problem; you could plug the lane by pulling off of Cato, and stall it. It also might increase certain player's tendancies to hold the ball too long.

Re; Cerril's motion, I do have variations for the Rox, but I wanted people to get comfortable with this as a bse before I confused them by altering it. But most of my changes have to do with exploiting SF's individual abilities, and whether or not Yao's passing is as good as Walton claims ( I think it is, when he's set and confident), it is certainly good enough to run the P.O.

 

I think Yao's to problems have a few causes, but most will be solved when he decides to go one way or the other in the post, and uses his elbows to clear space. Right now he 'middles', and thus brings the ball down too much without covering it with his body, or keeping people away with a low, spread leg base.

I am back and forth on his hands; sometimes he seems to have soft mitts, other times he has hands of stone. I think that the obvoe will help with a lot of that, and still, in the basic 2-2-1, or spread 1-2-2 that the P.O. uses, it makes defenses pay for smalls cheating in on the 5, which is where most of Yao's to's come from.

 

I have variations specific to the Rocks individual talents, but I think that, as a base, this is the concept we should be using.