How St. Peters Basketball used FLOW Continuity to Beat Purdue

I was in the arena for one of the best games I’ve ever seen: St. Peter’s vs. Purdue (March 25th, 2022). They made history by becoming the first 15-seed in the NCAA Tournament to make the Elite 8.

They used FLOW continuity ballscreen offense to neutralize Purdue’s size and athleticism.

BEFORE we get to the FLOW breakdown. As I watched the game, a couple of things stood out…

There is no substitute for a team that believes in themselves and that plays the game without fear
2. Poise and pace are the secret sauce to offensive basketball, St. Peter’s had both
St. Peter’s Competitiveness, pressure, and athleticism evened the game defensively against a bigger Purdue team. They pushed them out on all their sets
Shaheen Holloway used elements of FLOW, Princeton, and Mover-blocker, and Circle Motion to pick apart Purdue on offense
Every single St. Peter’s player played with their head up and saw the whole floor. They don’t miss open guys.
St. Peter’s have 10-15 deflections on defense. Their activity changed the game.
You know a connected team when you see it. Every dead ball and timeout St. Peter’s huddled up. Guys were actively coaching each other on the floor and during stoppages. They loved getting a teammate an open look.
There was a toughness about the team that was hard to explain. Not a fake tough, but a real toughness that was contagious. They made big shots, got stops, and grabbed rebounds when it mattered most.

How FLOW Helped St. Peter’s Make History

1. Buddy Ball Interior Passing

Purdue’s drop coverage was exposed all night long against the interior passing of the Peacocks. High level decisions from the bigs for 40 min. The interior automatics, cutting, and decision making of the Peacock bigs was at a high level and neutralized the size of Purdue for 40min.

2. Flare and Ping Screening Action

The position of your trigger men in FLOW makes defenses susceptible to blind screening action. St. Peter’s used their opposite big to set flares for shooters on the weakside of the floor. Also Shaheen Holloway with elite play sequencing. The ping action for shooters using off-ball screening action was a great change of pace to their normal FLOW. As the game went on St. Peter’s went to more off-ball counters after Purdue became worried about the primary PNR player making plays.

Flare Screens

3. Scoring out of ISOs

Although there weren’t a ton of designed ISOs, the pattern and spacing of FLOW gave St. Peter’s 4-man a ton of spacing to attack off the dribble in the middle third of the floor. St. Peters exposed Purdue’s PNR defense with their 4-man all night long. There was rarely a time when St. Peter’s attacked the rim and didn’t get a good shot. They neutralized Purdue’s size and athleticism with fundamentals and decision-making. So so impressive.

ISOS

4. Ball Screen Angles

Purdue tried to ICE St. Peter’s ballscreens by keeping them on one side of the floor. When FLOW did break down or the Peacocks needed to make a play at the end of the clock, St. Peter’s PNR fundamentals were on point. Effective ballscreen chemistry involves not only the ball-handler and the screener but the spacing of the other 3 players on the court. The entire team new was a well-oiled machine in the biggest moments of the game.

Ball Screen Angles

Learn More About: FLOW Ball Screen Continuity

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What you Get:

Best Selling Ball Screen Continuity Playbook (40+pages)
Hundreds of Live-Play Video Examples
Film Breakdown and Chalk Talk Sessions
Terminology and Teaching Progressions
Quick Hitters and Counters
Hours and hours of teaching videos
Case studies of successful college teams that run FLOW continuity
Breakdown drills
Skill development scoring progressions
A FREE BONUS PDF playbook on how to build AUTOMATICS into your offense

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Princeton Offense Backcuts

One of my favorite features of the Princeton Offense is the spacing that helps you score backcut buckets.

Here are 8 of my favorite backcut quick hitters from the Princeton Offense:

Click here to download the free PDF that outlines each of these sets.

Click here to download the sets

Set 1 – Chin Overload Backcut

A great ATO set that uses a common Princeton set out of Chin action to make an aggressive defender pay with a backcut. The entire side is cleared out for 4 to cut backdoor.

Set 2 – Rod 1 Backcut

A great counter for a defense who is used to guarding standard Princeton action then use this to catch them by surprise.

Set 3 – REEL Backcut

REEL action goes away from the 5 man and sets up a wing defender for a backcut.

Set 4 – 5-Out Backcut Opp

When 5 catches in the middle of the floor when he immediately turns away from the where the ball came from (towards the 2 man side), it is easy to catch the defender sleeping.

Set 5 – Five-Out Give and Go

This is a great set for a perimeter player who is getting a high level of ball pressure. As soon as 4 gives the ball to 5 he immediately cuts to the rim.

Set 6 – ROD 2 Away Backcut

Similar to the ROD 1 Away backcut, this quick hitter goes away from the primary screening action at the elbow

Set 7 – ROD 2 Backcut

Rod 2 backcut reads the screening action between 1 and 2 at the elbow. 2 reads his man and cuts behind his defender’s head.

Set 8 – ROD 1 Wrap Cut

This takes a high level of skill and execution from your 5-man, but is a great option to catch X1 defender sleeping since they think 1 will simply go and screen for 3.

Here are video clips for all 8 of these backdoor sets.

Click here to download the sets

Unleash Your Offense TODAY

Enroll in my Best-Selling Course NOW

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What’s included in this course?

*Video Examples

*Whiteboard Sessions

*Chalk Talk Sessions

*Film Review

*Quick Hitters + Basic Actions

*Practice Breakdown and Shooting Drills

My experience playing in the Princeton style offense for 4 years at the Divison 1 level (at the College of William and Mary) helped a below average athlete score over 1600 points and shoot 40% from three while leading our team to one of the best season in school history.

I continued to study these offensive concepts as a professional in my four years playing overseas in Australia, Spain, Latvia, and the NBA G-League.

As a college basketball coach I’ve refined these concepts to build a lethal offensive system that will take your team’s scoring to the next level.

The Princeton System changed the course of my career forever and it can do the same for you and your team.

Click here to Buy the Course

7 Reasons You Should Consider Running the Princeton Offense

You might consider running the Princeton Offense if…

(1) You have skilled big men who can pass

The Princeton System lifts the 5 man away from the rim to open up space for cuts and drives to the basket. In the Princeton the 5 man operates from the elbows and top of the key. If you have a big with good size and passing ability there are plenty of opportunity for easy backdoor layups. From the elbows and the top of the key, the big can survey the floor and pick out open shooters on the perimeter and cutters at the rim.

(2) You have interchangeable players on the perimeter

The beauty of the Princeton Offense is that every perimeter player is truly “positionless”. Each action and perimeter position can be easily exchanged or interchanged depending on the matchup/personnel on the floor. You don’t need to waste time “getting the right spots” because each piece of the puzzle fits together on every single possession.

(3) You play against teams who are aggressive defensively

The Princeton is a true 4 around 1 system. The 5 man operates away from the basket which opens up the entire lane for pressure releases and cutting opportunities. If teams want to aggressively overplay passing lanes and deny perimeter catches, the Princeton Offense has built in spacing and counters to use a defense’s aggressiveness against them.

Buy the Best-Selling Playbook

(4) You have multiple shooters who can shoot a high percentage from three

The Princeton is built to take and make a lot of threes. The spacing of 4 perimeter players makes this the ideal offense for multiple floor spacers. Drive and kick opportunities are everywhere within this style of play. As offensive action from cuts to the paint, drives to the lane, or rolls to the rim (by the 5 man) forces the defense to collapse, your perimeter shooters will get wide open shots all night long.

(5) You are less athletic, but more skilled than your opponents

The Princeton Offense can be a great equalizer because of its unique patterns of cutting and movement. The speed and familiarity of this system will always benefit the offense since they know where to move before the defense has time to react. This is a unique style of play that is difficult to play against and nearly impossible to scout because of its complexity and unique pace of play.

(6) You have a 5 man who can pick and pop

This offense becomes impossible to stop when you have a 5 man who can step out to the perimeter and hit threes. One common strategy to stop the Princeton Offense is to use the 5 man’s defender to clog up the paint. Because of the floor spacing, covering a pick and pop 5 man is a nightmare for help defenders.

(7) You have an elite playmaker/passer in spread pick and roll

With the floor spread at all times, the Princeton can be used primarily as a pick and roll attack when you have an elite playmaker on the floor. For ball-handlers who have elite vision, they can pick apart defenses who are in poor position on the help-side. With skilled shooters on the perimeter, help defenders have nowhere to hide and a skilled PG can make them pay in a big way.

Learn the SECRETS of the Princeton Offense

Enroll in my Best-Selling Course

Click here to buy now

What’s included in this course?

*Video Examples

*Whiteboard Sessions

*Chalk Talk Sessions

*Film Review

*Quick Hitters + Basic Actions

*Practice Breakdown and Shooting Drills

I continued to study these offensive concepts as a professional in my four years playing overseas in Australia, Spain, Latvia, and the NBA G-League.

As a college basketball coach I’ve refined these concepts to build a lethal offensive system that will take your team’s scoring to the next level.

The Princeton System changed the course of my career forever and it can do the same for you and your team.

Click here to buy now

What OTHER Coaches are Saying…

Any coach serious about the Princeton offense should sign up for this course. It is really well done and extensive… a “must” for any coach using the Princeton offense.

Dr. James Gels (Owner – Coaches Clipboard)

Quinn’s expertise in understanding and teaching the Princeton Offensive System is unmatched. He helped me implement this offense at the high school level and it has been very effective at helping our team excel offensively! Any coach serious about growing their understanding of the offensive side of the basketball needs to take this course.

Paul Ferguson – Columbus North HS

Coach McDowell’s mastery of the Princeton offense is a must have for coaches of all levels. His materials included in this course are concise, in depth, and well organized.

Mike Connors – University of the Sciences (NCAA Division 2)

More Princeton Offense Resources

The 7 Basic Actions of the Princeton Offense

10 Princeton Quick Hitters

5 Reasons Why I LOVE the Princeton Offense

The 7 Basic Actions of the Princeton Offense

There are 7 basic actions that make up the majority of the Princeton Offense .

These 7 actions form the primary building blocks that comprise 90% of the framework of the Princeton System. These actions can be modified to create thousands of quick-hitters, variations, and wrinkles that will feature specific personnel and help you play to your strengths.

Each of these foundational actions can be used in conjunction with each other to feature possessions where your team flows seamlessly from one action to the next. The beauty of the Princeton Offense is that you’re never stuck running a set play that can be easily scouted and taken away by opposing defenses.

I will introduce each of these 7 key actions on the surface. To gain an in-depth understanding of how these actions fit together and the variations associated with each one, check out my best-selling course, Mastering the Princeton Offense.

Unleash Your Offense with Pace and Space

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Rod 1 Action

Rod 1 action occurs when two perimeter players screen for each other towards the corners when the ball is on the strong side elbow. There are ton of different actions that come before and after this, but the primary reads from the 5 man are: looking throw to the bottom cutter or pass and follow screen.

Here is an example of ROD 1 action.

Rod 2 Action

Rod 2 action occurs when two perimeter players screen for each other on the opposite elbow from where the ball is located. There are ton of different actions that come before and after this, but the primary reads from the 5 man are: looking throw to the bottom cutter or pass and follow screen.

Here is an example of ROD 2 action.

REEL Action

A REEL action is when the player with the ball up top dribbles away from the 5 man and towards the player on the wing. There are a few different options out of this alignment, but the primary option is for the wing player to go backdoor and the 5 man to set a flare screen for the passer.

Here is a REEL action with a handoff instead of a flare screen.

Wedge Action

A wedge action is when the 5 man comes to the top and dribbles to a handoff with the man in the corner while at the same time another guard sets a screen on their defender.

Here is an example of wedge action.

Chest Action

A chest action is when the 5 man catches the ball at the elbow with a perimeter player on the wing and in the corner. Those two perimeter players have many different actions they can run, but ultimately their goal is to use the 5 man at the elbow for a DHO or a pass and follow screen.

Here is an example of chest action.

Chin Action

The basic alignment for Chin action is 4 perimeter players spaced in the corners and up top with the 5 man screening towards the top of the key. Usually the 5 man will set a series of back screens and flare screens to initiate the action.

Here is one wrinkle out of chin alignment for a bump back three point shot.

5 out Action

5 out action starts with the 5 man in the center of the floor and 4 players spaced on the wings and in the corner. There are a number of actions that trigger various cuts and screens, but the action is initiated with a dribble at the player on the wing.

Here are some creative 5 out sets from Richmond:

Mastering the Princeton Offense

Give your team the tools they need to be an offensive machine. There are 7 key actions in the Princeton that will build your team into an unstoppable force.

I’ve just outlined them in brief detail here, to dive into everything this system has to offer buy my best-selling course “Mastering the Princeton Offense” today.

Here is a look at the table of contents from “Mastering the Princeton”

What’s included in this course?

*Hundreds of Video Examples

*Downloadable Clips

*Whiteboard Sessions

*Practice Breakdown and Shooting Drills

Buy Mastering the Princeton Now

ALSO…check out Playbook (without the video) here 👇👇👇

PACE and SPACE

Learn the 7 Key Actions to Make Your Offense Unstoppable

More Princeton resources:

5 Reasons Why I LOVE the Princeton Offense

10 Princeton Quick Hitters

7 Reasons You Should Consider Running the Princeton Offense

Here’s what a few people are saying:

This system is so lethal, any serious coach would be foolish not to add this to their toolbox.
Josh O.

If you want to unleash skilled players with a system that fits their abilities, this is a must have. Quinn does a great job breaking it down and making it easy to understand.
Jim T.

I can’t say enough about the simplicity and genius of this system of offense. This is the direction modern basketball is going by utilizing space, skill, and pick and rolls.
Omar F.

Buy Mastering the Princeton Now