The Cross Over Movement Blog

Memphis beat Georgetown yesterday in the battle of the two highest profile teams running versions of the famed Princeton offense. Neither looks like the old Princeton high post offense, but each uses some of the same philosophies. However, Princeton used the back door, high post offense to offset its disadvantages against bigger, quicker teams, while Georgetown and Memphis are among the biggest, most athletic teams in the country.

Georgetown uses the Princeton concepts with a bigger emphasis on low post play, since the Hoyas have Roy Hibbert inside. Memphis runs an up tempo version of the Princeton offense with his athletic guards and wings. Each teams uses dribble penetration and back door cuts to set up more dribble penetration and open three-pointers.

Memphis won the game, but its win resulted more from its defense than its offense. Memphis plays great defense and uses its length to make it hard for opponents to run their offense. Georgetown struggled to run its offense and never established Hibbert, who should have been the Hoyas’ biggest advantage, at least on paper, because of his size. Memphis’ quickness, and Joey Dorsey’s power, made it hard for Hibbert to play and utilize his strengths and skills.

The problem with both offenses is they get stagnant and rely on too many outside jump shots. Memphis has stretches of the game here it has no movement and players just pound the rock on the perimeter. Georgetown goes through spurts where it settles too much for outside shots and, especially against Memphis, struggled to get timely baskets. And, neither team shoots free throws well, which does not bode well for their championship aspirations.

I like the ideas behind the Princeton offense and the Memphis system, as my Blitz Basketball system draws on a similar philosophy. However I think the offense as I see it played at higher levels lacks consistency and can be easy to guard, especially if a team lacks outside shooters. So many high school teams are moving toward the offense, which I like for certain reasons, but I also question whether teams have the personnel to run the offense well, or if coaches are using it because it is the latest fad in coaching. I did not watch Memphis play G’Town and think that the Tigers’ offense was one I hope a lot of teams emulate. Instead, I saw a lot of what used to be termed “bad basketball” when I was playing.