It's now or never

[RunPeruna]

The princeton offense and the motion offense are not the same. Both have a lot of movement in them but the ideas behind them are much different. In motion, you play basketball. Pass, cut, screen, read the defense and make a play (to overly simplify it). If I pass to the wing and my defender doesn't "jump to the ball" then I might run a give and go...if he does I might go screen, etc. The other players see what I do and then they act on it. The "Princeton offense" is actually not one thing. There are many different aspects to princeton. Some have a single high post, low post, etc...but the main thing is that they are plays. They aren't rigid plays where you start at point A and then go screen at point B, but there is a basic structure to it (not that there isn't with motion, but it would be based more on the defense than princeton). When running princeton, you might pass and then always make a certain cut or screen. You still make reads bases on the defenses screens but there is a structure. Most of the "princeton" stuff you see in the NBA is out of their "chin" series which requires a good passing and shooting high post (which is what causes hoopmanx and others (myself included) to be frustrated with the system and type of players being recruited since they don't all fit). Anyways, they typically are designed to spread the floor and make a defense defend for the entire shot clock. The offensive players are continually in motion which then allows you to eventually break them down. To run the system effectively, you have to be able to pass and shoot. And depending on which part of the princeton you are running, you would need it at all 5 positions. When you can do that, you see the defense defending out to (or beyond) the 3pt line and then the backcuts open up. Without the shooting threat, the backcuts disappear and it becomes very difficult to score. A team that is running princeton well moves so fast. The Air Force teams of 6-7 years ago (Joe Scott) would move so fast (and at all 5 positions) that it was clear there was a method to their madness. Anyways, just my take on the differences. Obviously that is overly simplified and much longer than anyone cared to read but I love this stuff and would love for SMU to be able to look truly comfortable running it, but only time will tell.