Princeton play
Princeton: Center Back Door (the 1996 UCLA Play)
- Court
- Half court
- Length
- 8 steps
About this play
The play Carril called in the timeout with seven seconds left against UCLA in the 1996 NCAA tournament, 41-41, his last win: center-forward back door. Steve Goodrich flashed from the block to the elbow, caught from a guard, and faced the wing; Gabe Lewullis cut once, and with Charles O'Bannon ready for it, drifted back out to the arc, then planted and cut again behind him for the bounce pass and the layup with 3.9 seconds left (Princeton Alumni Weekly, Ivy Hoops Online). Why it works: the same cut had scored at the end of the first half, so the defender was ready, and the second cut is the counter to a defender who is ready; a center at the elbow with the ball is the one player who can hold the pass, fake it, and throw it the instant the defender relaxes. Counter shown: the wing's first cut is covered, so he retreats to the arc, the defender takes one step toward the ball to watch the center's pass fake, and the re-cut goes behind him. The backup option that night was a double screen on the far side for the other guard; here the guards drift as decoys to keep the help home. Coach it as the center's read: pivot, see the cutter, fake, and throw the bounce pass into his stride. The account of the play comes from the Princeton Alumni Weekly and Ivy Hoops Online, and Carril's own words are on Coach's Clipboard; the full game is on the NCAA's March Madness channel if you want to watch it happen.
