By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Pete Carril, the Hall of Fame coach who brought notoriety to the “Princeton Offense”, died Monday morning at the age of 92.
The announcement was made with the following message by his family: “The Carril family is sad to report that Coach Peter J. Carril passed away peacefully this morning. We kindly ask that you please respect our privacy at this time as we process our loss and handle necessary arrangements. More information will be forthcoming in the following days.”
A 1998 inductee into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, Carril coached the Tigers for 29 years where he guided the program to 514 wins, 13 Ivy League championships, and 11 NCAA Tournament appearances.
Utilizing an offense that relied on backdoor cuts and precision passing, Carril led Princeton to 13 regular-season Ivy League titles at a time when the conference did not have a postseason tournament. Princeton also won the NIT in 1975, defeating Providence 80-69 at Madison Square Garden.
However, his trademark offense and the games in March madness created his legacy, as Princeton wanted to outsmart superior opponents and created some memorable upsets.
Carril moved on to a career as an assistant coach in the NBA, serving three different stints with the Sacramento Kings before retiring in 2011.
Among others, he coached David Blatt who ended up being a coaching legend in Europe and led the Cavs to the NBA finals.