7 Core Actions of the Princeton Offense

The Princeton Offense is not a collection of set plays you memorize off a clipboard. It is a system built on 7 core actions that your players read and react to in real time. Every possession flows through one of these actions, and every action connects to the others through a handful of simple keys.

After 25 years of coaching this system — from middle school gyms to varsity programs — I can tell you the single biggest mistake coaches make is trying to install it all at once. The Princeton Offense works because players learn to read the defense, not because they memorize a hundred diagrams. Each action is a read-and-react sequence, not a memorized pattern.

This page is your map to the entire system. I will walk you through all 7 actions, explain why each one matters, and point you to the full breakdowns where I go deeper on entries, reads, and counters. If you are new to the offense, start here. If you have been running it for years, use this as a reference to fill in gaps. For a complete overview of the philosophy behind the system, check out the Princeton Offense Complete Guide.

1 The Chin Series

Chin is where most teams start, and for good reason. It is the backbone of the Princeton Offense — the action that teaches your players the spacing, the screening angles, and the read-and-react mentality that every other action builds on. Also known as the Chin Action in some coaching circles, this series creates layups and open threes through a simple but devastating combination of backscreens and flare screens.

The entry is a dribble weave on the strong side between the point guard and the wing. The wing takes the handoff and dribbles back to the guard position while the weakside guard and forward exchange. The post fills the strong side elbow. What happens next is the money: the post sets a backscreen for the cutter going to the rim, then immediately turns and sets a flare screen for the opposite forward. The wing with the ball reads which defender gets caught and makes the pass.

The beauty of Chin is the continuity. If no shot materializes, players rotate and the same screening action runs to the other side. The offense keeps flowing until someone makes a mistake on defense. When the defense overplays the flare, the cutter finishes at the rim. When they help on the backscreen, the flare is wide open for three. It is a 6-on-5 advantage because the post is involved in both the backscreen action and the flare screen action simultaneously.

The Chin series also includes Chin High, a quick-hit variation where the post reverse pivots to deliver a backdoor pass, and Strongside, which is keyed by passing to the wing instead of reversing the ball. Both create scoring opportunities within the first few seconds of the possession.

Read the full Chin Series breakdown with diagrams and coaching points →

2 The Low Series

The Low series begins every time the ball is entered into the low post. That is the key — ball goes to the post, you are in Low. It does not matter which action got you there. Whether you came from Chin, Five Out, or the Point series, the moment the post catches it on the block, the Low options kick in.

The primary read is the high post split. The forward at the elbow sets a screen for the player at the top, who reads the defense and either curls to the rim for a dump pass or backcuts hard if the defender jumps high. The post looks for the cutter first, then kicks it back out if nothing is there. There is also the Laker Cut option, made famous by Tex Winter's Triangle, where the passer cuts hard backdoor immediately after the entry pass.

What makes Low so effective is that it punishes defenses for helping. Every time a defender sags to double the post, someone is open. The coach's job is to choose one option and drill it until the players execute it without thinking before adding a second option. Choose one read. Get your players to execute that read. Then give them choices.

The Low series also feeds back into the other actions naturally. On the pass out from the post, the 5 fills the elbow, and you are right back into your wing options: pass up keys Point, dribble up keys Chin, pass to the post keys Low again. It is a closed loop.

Read the full Low Series breakdown with diagrams and coaching points →

3 Point Over (ROD-1)

The Point series is the heart of the Princeton Offense, and it is keyed by a single action: the pass to the high post. Once the ball goes to the 5 at the elbow, the passer's cut determines which of three reads the offense runs — Over, Away, or Under. Also known as ROD-1 or Rod 1 Action in some coaching systems, Point Over is the most common and versatile of the three.

In Point Over, the passer cuts over the top of the ball and sets a fake screen for the weakside forward. That forward reads the screen and cuts hard backdoor for a pass from the high post. If the backdoor is not there, the passer pops back out for the return pass and attacks off a side ball screen from the 5. The 5 does not roll to the basket on this screen — instead, the 5 follows the ball handler, creating a second screening action.

The counters are what make Point Over lethal. If the defense traps the ball screen, the weakside player sprints to the top of the key for the high-low pass to the rolling 5. If no trap comes but the lane is packed, you hit the forward coming off a down screen at the top. And when the ball gets to the wing, you have the Post/Flare option — the same devastating action from Chin where the post screens in and then flares out, creating two impossible decisions for the defense.

Every breakdown in Point Over flows back into the system. If nothing is open, you dribble up to the guard spot and you are in Chin. The offense never stops.

Read the full Point Over breakdown (coming soon) →

4 Point Away (ROD-2)

Point Away is the second read in the Point series, and it punishes lazy weakside defense better than any action I have ever coached. Also known as ROD-2 or Rod 2 Action, it is keyed when the passer cuts away from the ball after passing to the high post.

Here is how it works. The ball goes to the 5 at the elbow. The passer cuts away and sets a fake screen for the weakside wing. The 5 passes back to the passer after the fake screen action, and now you have a side ball screen with the 5 following. But the real damage is happening on the weak side. The wing who received the fake screen backcuts hard to the basket. If the defense is ball-watching — and they usually are — that cut is a layup.

After the ball screen action, if the ball handler drives the lane line and draws help, the corner man is open for three. If the post entry is available, the forward who set the screen often pivots hard into position for the catch. The first option is to score, but the forward should also look for the cutter finishing hard to the rim for the drop pass. This is open any time the defender on the passer pressures or plays over the top.

I generally recommend going into Point Away after running Point Over once or twice. The weakside defense gets comfortable, and the backcut catches them flat-footed. It is the perfect complement.

Read the full Point Away breakdown (coming soon) →

5 Five Out

Five Out is the transition phase of the Princeton Offense — the reset button that connects every other action. Also known as the Reel Action in some systems, Five Out is keyed whenever the post steps out to the top of the key to receive the basketball. The moment the 5 catches it above the arc, the offense is in a five-out alignment and the reads change.

The 5 can dribble to either wing. The wing on that side reads and either cuts over the top for a shot or goes backdoor for a layup as the opposite guard fills the vacated wing position. The key spacing rule is that the 5 does not dribble far outside of the lane lines extended. Keep the spacing honest and the reads become automatic.

Five Out is also where your high school and Air Force versions of the offense diverge. In the high school version, the 5 passes to the wing and then UCLA cuts off the forward back to the block, getting the post player back into familiar position. In the Air Force version, the wing who cuts backdoor becomes the new post player and the 5 becomes a perimeter player. Every player learns every position.

From Five Out, two transitions happen. If the ball handler dribbles up to the top, you are in Chin. If the ball handler passes up to the top, you are in Point with all three OUA options available. It is the bridge that keeps the offense flowing without dead possessions.

Read the full Five Out breakdown with diagrams and coaching points →

6 The Twirl Series

Twirl is the action that changes the tempo and rhythm of the offense. It starts with a pass from the guard to the forward on the wing, followed by a pass to the 5 who has filled the top of the key. Both guards then cut hard to the paint and come off down screens set by the forwards, circling back to the guard positions next to the 5.

The initial action is called Circle, and it looks simple. But the read that follows is what makes Twirl dangerous. After running Circle a few times, the defense starts cheating up and overplaying the guards returning to the top. When that happens, the guard backcuts hard to the rim for a pass from the 5 and an easy scoring opportunity. It is a classic Princeton read — make the defense defend something, then punish them for overcommitting.

From Twirl, you can flow into Low by having the 5 sprint to the block on the same side the ball is passed, then entering the ball to the wing. You can also flow into the full Point OUA series by having the post cut off the tail of the guard cutting through the elbow. And there are quick-hitter variations: Twirl Over uses a screen-the-screener action with a double down screen, while Twirl Reverse uses a dribble handoff into a double screen for a shooter coming off the weak side. The High Screen option is excellent against backcourt pressure or as a change of pace.

Twirl gives your offense unpredictability. It forces the defense to guard something completely different, then transitions right back into the actions they were already struggling with.

Read the full Twirl Series breakdown (coming soon) →

7 The X Series

The X series is a variation of the Point series run from a different angle with built-in counters. Also known as the Chest Action in some coaching systems, X creates the same Over, Away, and Under reads but with the forwards running the screens instead of the guards. That positional change creates new mismatches and forces the defense to adjust on the fly.

The entry is clean: the point guard hits the forward on the wing, and both guards fill the corners as the 5 fills the high post for a pass from the forward. From there, the passer reads Over the high post, Under to the rim, or Away for a screen on the corner player. Same reads, different personnel, different angles — and that is what makes X so difficult to scout.

In the Over option, the passer cuts over the ball and sets a fake screen for the opposite forward, who cuts hard backdoor. In Away, the passer screens for the corner player while another player screens in on the baseline. The key difference from the standard Point series is that the forwards are handling the screening actions instead of the guards, which means bigger bodies setting picks and more athletic players cutting to the basket.

X is the action I teach last because it requires your players to already understand the Point reads from the standard angle. Once they do, adding X takes one practice. They already know what to do — they are just doing it from a different spot on the floor.

Read the full X Series breakdown (coming soon) →

How to Install All 7 Actions

Do not try to install all 7 actions in a single week. That is a recipe for confused players and wasted practices. Here is the teaching progression I have used for 25 years:

• Week 1-2: Chin only. Teach the dribble weave entry, the backscreen-to-flare action, and the continuity. Your players need to understand spacing and reads before anything else. Run 3-on-3 and 4-on-4 breakdown drills before going 5-on-5.
• Week 3: Add Low. Introduce the post entry and the high post split. Players already understand the elbow position from Chin, so the transition is natural.
• Week 4: Add Five Out. Teach the 5-out reset and the two transitions — dribble up into Chin, pass up into Point. Now your players can flow between three actions without a dead possession.
• Week 5-6: Add Point (Over and Away). This is the biggest install. Start with Point Over, get the ball screen reads clean, then add Point Away. Drill the Post/Flare option until it is automatic.
• Week 7: Add Twirl. The Circle entry and the backcut read. Flow into Low and Point from Twirl.
• Week 8: Add X. Your players already know the Point reads. X is just a new entry angle. One practice to walk through it, one practice to rep it live.

By the end of eight weeks, your team has a complete offensive system with answers for every defensive look. The key is patience. Master one action before adding the next. For more on building your practice plan around these actions, check out the Princeton Offense Drill Library.

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