Robins' alley-oop slam ignites new aggressive offense for m. basketball

Defense may win games, but poor offense can certainly lose them. In its first four games out of the blocks this year, the men's basketball team went a sloppy 2-2, and struggled on the offensive end.

After shooting well in their two games at the Sooner Invitational, the Tigers went cold from the field, shooting just 40 percent over their next two games. The squad also relied heavily on the three-point shot, as the team collectively hoisted up 61 bombs over that two-game stretch.

Then last Saturday, a new team stepped onto the court. Quicker and sharper than it had played all year, Princeton shot 65 percent from the floor while taking just 16 threes in beating Lafayette 89-75. The team's previous high point total on the season was 65.

Senior forward Ray Robins, junior forward Spencer Gloger and sophomore guard Will Venable all capitalized on Lafayette's tight man-to-man defense to create easy shots for themselves and others. On one highlight-reel possession, junior guard Ed Persia fed Robins on a thundering reverse alley-oop that wowed the crowd at Kirby Sports Center.

"[Attacking more on offense] was both a conscious decision and a function of our opportunities," head coach John Thompson '88 said.

"Against FIU and Monmouth, we saw a lot of zone, and the nature of a zone leads to more three-pointers. In the Lafayette game, we saw man-to-man for the first time in a while.

"But we have to keep looking for more opportunities to get to the basket."

In the past, Princeton teams have gotten to the rim with good picking, cutting, and passing. But this year's team is more athletic than previous teams, and Thompson wants to take advantage of his players' abilities to create shots using the dribble.

"We have the personnel where we now have certain options we didn't always have," he said. "We have guys can look for their own stuff and create for their teammates at the same time."

Even with some tinkering and changing, the offense is still based on the same fundamental principles that have guided Princeton basketball since the beginning of the Carrill era. The team runs a fairly basic offense with a lot of cutting, passing and off-the-ball picking. More than any play, though, the offense runs off of feel, reading defenses and knowing teammates' tendencies.

"We have a very unselfish group," Thompson said. "The guys do a good job of looking for their teammates and trying to get everyone involved."

As can be expected early in the season, the team has committed an inordinate number of turnovers, many of them coming from miscommunication. In its last three games, the team has 45 giveaways. But even though the team's assist-to-turnover ratio was less then one over that span, its 42 assists show the unselfishness that Thompson preached.

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"It's early in the year," he said. "Obviously, as we play more games and get more experience playing as a team, the offense will get better."

Two unheralded players that could make a sizable impact on the offense as the season progresses are freshman point guard Scott Greenman and junior forward Konrad Wysocki.

Greenman has been impressive in his first several games and is the reigning Ivy League Rookie of the Week. Wysocki, the Ivy League Rookie of the Year two seasons ago, has been sidelined since Oklahoma with a foot injury. His return, which is expected before Ivy League play begins, will give the Tigers another big man with great passing skills.

While important for postseason implications, Thompson is looking at the non-conference schedule as a time to iron out the kinks before league play begins. After a sluggish start, the offense seems to be on the rise, if last Saturday's game was any indication.

This coming Saturday, the team will see how far it has come and how far it still has to go when the Tigers host instate rival Rutgers at Jadwin Gym.