The ball talks in the Princeton Offense. A read-and-react style of play that looks to take advantage of any defender’s first move. The clip above is a compilation of clips from Christian Brothers University during the Mike Nienaber era. Now, the head coach with Delta State University Coach Nienaber has amassed over 500 victories in his career using Princeton principles.
Ball at the top of the key with two closest offensive players on the perimeter instructed to “Straddle the line.” With a foot in-and-out of the three-point arc offensive players in an athletic stance to read the defense to backdoor if overplayed, or execute a dribble handoff (DHO) when a defender sags.
If the backdoor is not open, the offense flows into the “Low” option looking for a post-up opportunity. The cutter looks to get as deep as possible for positioning, then flip-the-hips and seal the defender for a quick paint touch.
Depending on the matchup, or deciding a post-entry is uninviting; the cutter can sprint up the lane-line towards the elbow to set a UCLA screen for the original ball-handler that initiated the offense.
Coach's Climb 