Men's basketball's offense still lives and dies by the three-pointer

Former head coach Pete Carril's offense of screens and backdoor cuts has been the staple of men's basketball since he arrived at campus in 1967.

The offense has been wildly successful for the Tigers and has now spread far beyond the confines of Jadwin Gym. The New Jersey Nets of the NBA have adopted a form of the offense.

In addition to the backdoor cuts, precision passing, and endless motion, the Carril offense relies heavily on the three-point shot. Just like every year, Princeton's hopes of a trip to the NCAA Tournament depend to a large extent on its ability to consistently knock down the trifecta.

However, so far this season Princeton (2-2 overall) has failed to do that, and this was most evident in its 68-65 loss to Florida International (4-0) in their home opener on Saturday night.

The Tigers started the game on fire as three shots from beyond the arc propelled the Tigers to a 14-6 lead.

FIU Coach Donnie Marsh then switched to a zone defense which frustrated the Tigers to 39 percent shooting overall and a dismal 32 percent from three.

"This was a poor showing ... there's really no other way to say it," head coach John Thompson '88 said. "Just very disappointing for a lot of different reasons. Initially, we got what we wanted, we just didn't put the ball in the basket."

As a team, going into the Monmouth game, the Tigers have connected on just under 38 percent of their three-point attempts. Junior forward Spencer Gloger, widely regarded as the best pure shooter on the team, was 4-10 heading into the FIU contest, but hit only 4-13 in that game to see his percentage drop to 35 percent.

Senior forward Ray Robins has been one of the Tigers to step up his game in the early part of the season, hitting five of his nine three-point attempts.

Sophomore guard Will Venable and junior guard Ed Persia are both .300 in that department.

The Tigers inconsistent three-point shooting is an early cause for concern, but as Thompson always stresses, "What's important is to prepare and get ready for league play. "That's what the whole preseason is about."

Stepping up

Every season in Thompson's tenure, the Tigers have been hit with a tough injury sometime during the season, and every year the Tigers have different guys who step up. This season has been no different.

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Two years ago, Nate Walton '01 went down during the season, but then freshman Konrad Wysocki stepped in admirably and performed a key role in the Tigers' run to the Ivy title.

The tables have turned this season, and it is now Wysocki who is likely out another two weeks with a fracture in his right foot. This time, it is sophomore forward Judson Wallace who is filling his shoes.

He is averaging 8.3 points per game, and more important for Thompson, he is hauling down 7.7 rebounds per game.

Wallace was selected to the all-tournament team at the Sooner Invitational, as he held his own in his first two collegiate starts.

The sophomore out of Atlanta has hit more than half of his shots from the field and has hit three of seven three-point attempts.

With his outside shooting touch, Wallace has been able to force the opposing team's center away from the basket and has helped to free up the middle of the court for cutters and drives.

"The good thing is, we've had guys come in for whoever gets hurt and do the job," Thompson said.

"That's exactly what Judson has done."

Also stepping in has been sophomore forward Mike Stephens, who has given Thompson valuable minutes off the bench.

Senior guard and captain Kyle Wente has also been slowed by injury, but he has played in all three games thus far for the Tigers.

While the Tigers struggled with injuries for each of the last two seasons, both of those squads persevered and claimed at least a share of the Ivy title. If this year's team can become more consistent in shooting the three, it can also win a title.