Princeton play
Princeton: Chin
- Court
- Half court
- Length
- 9 steps
About this play
The base continuity and the first set most coaches install, run from the two-guard front whenever the post is already high. The ball goes guard to guard and then to the wing, and as it leaves the second guard's hands the post steps up and back screens the first passer, who chin cuts off the back side of the screen to the far side of the rim (Thomaidis, Hooper University, DeForest). Why the cut scores: the defender almost always goes ball side of a back screen, so the pass over the top is a layup. The post then moves across to the ball-side elbow and sets the drift screen for the other guard, angled with his back to the top of the key, and the guard reads the drift: if his defender goes under he fades to the top for the shot, if he goes over he curls to the rim. Counter shown: the scouted post defender drops to the rim to take the chin cutter, which frees the post to set the drift, and the guard's defender ducks under the drift to protect the rim, so the fade to the top is the shot the defense chose. Flow: if the fade has no shot, the guard drives opposite the screen or the offense flows into Corner; a wing who dribbles up to a guard spot resets Chin. NBA note: the Chin pick-and-roll (the big steps up to ball screen after the chin cut) is the same call in the league. Most of what I know about Chin comes from Lisa Thomaidis's Canadian National Team playbook, Hooper University's Chin breakdown, and Coach Lee DeForest's Chin set; give them a look if you want the full picture.
