Only a handful of college basketball coaches in the United States operate a true Princeton-style offense as the primary attack.
Richmond coach Chris Mooney is one. Samford coach Jimmy Tillette is another.
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga will play against Mooney's team today at 5 p.m. and face Samford at least twice later this year during the Southern Conference season and perhaps again in the SoCon tournament.
"Richmond is as similar to Samford as we'll ever play," UTC coach John Shulman said. "They are identical twins except that Richmond is bigger. They're big, strong, tough and they play similar on both ends.
"We've prepared for Richmond, but we'll have something to go back to when we play Samford."
The Princeton style -- developed by Hall of Fame coach Pete Carril -- is a slow yet intricate offense, dependent on constant movement, back-cuts and screens away from the ball. Preparing for it is akin to a football team preparing to face a wishbone offense.
Richmond (2-1) plays it with a faster tempo than Carril originated. The Spiders beat Lehigh and Virginia Military Institute to open this season before losing 78-71 to William & Mary on Thursday.
"I played at Princeton, and it's based on a lot of the things I learned there," Mooney said. "The fundamentals are born in the Princeton offense.
"More and more coaches are trying to take different things and work them into their offense."
UTC point guard Keegan Bell is more familiar with the system than most of his teammates. Bell ran a version of the Princeton offense all through high school and a little bit as a freshman at Vanderbilt.
"We went over three sets in practice the other day, and I could call out the names of the plays," Bell said. "It puts you in situations where you can't fall asleep, because its picks you apart if you do that.
"It's a fun offense to run and a hard offense to guard."
David Uchiyama is a sports writer at the Chattanooga Times Free Press who began his tenure here in May 2001. His primary beats are UTC athletics — specifically men’s basketball and athletic department administration — and golf, which includes coverage from the PGA Tour to youth events. He also covers other high school sports, outdoor adventures, and contributes to other sections of the newspaper when necessary. David grew up in Salinas, Calif., and began working ...
Or login with:
New Account