Pete Carril
Encyclopedia
Peter J. "Pete" Carril is a former collegiate head coach and former NBA
assistant with the Sacramento Kings
.
in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
, where he was an all-state selection for Pennsylvania
in the 1947-48 season. He played collegiate basketball at Lafayette College
under Butch Van Breda Kolff. Following graduation from college he was a teacher and coached high school basketball for 12 seasons at Easton (PA) High School and Reading (PA) High School
, where Gary Walters
, the current Princeton Athletic Director, and former Princeton point guard, played basketball under him in high school.
, Carril moved to Princeton University
. In 29 years, he compiled a 514-261 (.658 winning percentage) record, the best of any coach in Ivy League
basketball history. He is also the only coach to win 500 games without the benefit of athletic scholarships for his players.http://www.nba.com/coachfile/pete_carril/index.html?nav=page He won 13 Ivy League championships and received 11 NCAA berths and 2 NIT
bids. The Tigers won the NIT championship in 1975. Carril was noted for a tenacious defense, as his teams were first in the nation in scoring defense for fourteen of his final 21 seasons, including eight in a row, from 1988-1996. In part due to this, his Tigers were known as a very dangerous early-round NCAA opponent.
His final collegiate victory was an upset of defending national champions UCLA in the first round of the NCAA tournament in 1996 by a score of 43-41, in what is considered one of the greatest upsets of all time. In 1989, they took second-ranked Georgetown down to the wire before losing 50-49. Had the Tigers won, they would have been the first #16 seed to defeat a #1 seed since the NCAA began seeding the tournament field in 1979.
The most lasting element of his college coaching legacy is likely to be the increasingly popular "Princeton offense
", a slow, low-scoring method consisting of passes, movement without the ball and back-door cuts which he developed. John Thompson III
, a former assistant to Carril, has successfully adopted the "Princeton offense" at Georgetown
and coached the Hoyas to the 2007 Final Four
.
of the National Basketball Association
for 10 years until his retirement in 2006. When Rick Adelman
became Sacramento's head coach before the 1998-1999 season, Carril helped Adelman install the Princeton offense and oversaw the Kings' development into one of the NBA's best, most talented, and most potent offensive teams. With the help of such stars as Vlade Divac
, Chris Webber
, Peja Stojakovic
, Doug Christie
, and Mike Bibby
, (2001–2006), Carril showed that the Princeton offense could function in the NBA. In 2007 he volunteered as a coach to the Washington Wizards
. He has since rejoined the Kings as an assistant for the 2009 season.
and the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame
in 1997, following his retirement from Princeton.
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
assistant with the Sacramento Kings
Sacramento Kings
The Sacramento Kings are a professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California, United States. They are currently members of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association...
.
Early years
Son of Spanish immigrants in the USA, Carril is a graduate of Liberty High SchoolLiberty High School (Bethlehem, Pennsylvania)
For schools with similar names, see Liberty High School.Liberty High School is a public high school located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in the United States....
in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Bethlehem is a city in Lehigh and Northampton Counties in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 74,982, making it the seventh largest city in Pennsylvania, after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, Erie,...
, where he was an all-state selection for Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
in the 1947-48 season. He played collegiate basketball at Lafayette College
Lafayette College
Lafayette College is a private coeducational liberal arts and engineering college located in Easton, Pennsylvania, USA. The school, founded in 1826 by James Madison Porter,son of General Andrew Porter of Norristown and citizens of Easton, first began holding classes in 1832...
under Butch Van Breda Kolff. Following graduation from college he was a teacher and coached high school basketball for 12 seasons at Easton (PA) High School and Reading (PA) High School
Reading High School (Reading, Pennsylvania)
Affectionately known as "The Castle on the Hill," Reading High School in Reading, Pennsylvania, United States is home to nearly 3,000 students and several hundred teachers. The school houses 11th through 12th grade students from within the city limits in one of the largest school buildings on the...
, where Gary Walters
Gary Walters
Gary D. Walters is an American athlete, coach, athletic administrator and business man, best known for being a former point guard for Princeton in NCAA basketball, appearing on the cover of Sports Illustrated, chairing the NCAA's Division I Men's Basketball Committee in 2007, and operating...
, the current Princeton Athletic Director, and former Princeton point guard, played basketball under him in high school.
College coaching career
After a year at Lehigh UniversityLehigh University
Lehigh University is a private, co-educational university located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley region of the United States. It was established in 1865 by Asa Packer as a four-year technical school, but has grown to include studies in a wide variety of disciplines...
, Carril moved to Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
. In 29 years, he compiled a 514-261 (.658 winning percentage) record, the best of any coach in Ivy League
Ivy League
The Ivy League is an athletic conference comprising eight private institutions of higher education in the Northeastern United States. The conference name is also commonly used to refer to those eight schools as a group...
basketball history. He is also the only coach to win 500 games without the benefit of athletic scholarships for his players.http://www.nba.com/coachfile/pete_carril/index.html?nav=page He won 13 Ivy League championships and received 11 NCAA berths and 2 NIT
National Invitation Tournament
The National Invitation Tournament is a men's college basketball tournament operated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. There are two NIT events each season. The first, played in November and known as the Dick's Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off , was founded in 1985...
bids. The Tigers won the NIT championship in 1975. Carril was noted for a tenacious defense, as his teams were first in the nation in scoring defense for fourteen of his final 21 seasons, including eight in a row, from 1988-1996. In part due to this, his Tigers were known as a very dangerous early-round NCAA opponent.
His final collegiate victory was an upset of defending national champions UCLA in the first round of the NCAA tournament in 1996 by a score of 43-41, in what is considered one of the greatest upsets of all time. In 1989, they took second-ranked Georgetown down to the wire before losing 50-49. Had the Tigers won, they would have been the first #16 seed to defeat a #1 seed since the NCAA began seeding the tournament field in 1979.
The most lasting element of his college coaching legacy is likely to be the increasingly popular "Princeton offense
Princeton offense
The Princeton offense is an offensive basketball strategy which emphasizes constant motion, passing, back-door cuts, and disciplined teamwork. It was used and perfected at Princeton University by Pete Carril, though its roots may be traced back to Franklin “Cappy” Cappon, who coached Princeton...
", a slow, low-scoring method consisting of passes, movement without the ball and back-door cuts which he developed. John Thompson III
John Thompson III
John Thompson III is the current head coach of the men's basketball team at Georgetown University. He grew up in Washington, D.C. and was named first team All-Metro by The Washington Post while playing for Gonzaga College High School in 1984. Thompson was hired on April 20, 2004 to replace Craig...
, a former assistant to Carril, has successfully adopted the "Princeton offense" at Georgetown
Georgetown Hoyas
Georgetown's nickname is The Hoyas, but its mascot is "Jack the Bulldog." Various breeds of dogs have been used by the sports teams as mascots since the early 1900s. Several notable bull terriers like Sergeant Stubby and "Hoya" were used at football games in the 1920s, as was a Great Dane in the...
and coached the Hoyas to the 2007 Final Four
Final four
Final Four isa sports term that is commonly applied to the last four teams remaining in a playoff tournament, most notably NCAA Division I college basketball tournaments. The term usually refers to the four teams who compete in the two games of a single-elimination tournament's semi-final round...
.
Coaching in the NBA
Carril was an assistant coach for the Sacramento KingsSacramento Kings
The Sacramento Kings are a professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California, United States. They are currently members of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association...
of the National Basketball Association
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
for 10 years until his retirement in 2006. When Rick Adelman
Rick Adelman
Richard Leonard "Rick" Adelman is an American former basketball professional player and current basketball coach. He is the head coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves of the NBA. Confirmation of the hiring came from the Timberwolves on September 13, 2011...
became Sacramento's head coach before the 1998-1999 season, Carril helped Adelman install the Princeton offense and oversaw the Kings' development into one of the NBA's best, most talented, and most potent offensive teams. With the help of such stars as Vlade Divac
Vlade Divac
Vlade Divac is a retired Yugoslav and Serbian professional basketball player who spent most of his career in the NBA. At , he played center and was known for his passing skills...
, Chris Webber
Chris Webber
Mayce Edward Christopher "Chris" Webber, III , nicknamed C-Webb, is a retired American professional basketball player. He is a five-time NBA All-Star, a former All-NBA First Teamer, a former NBA Rookie of the Year, and a former #1 overall NBA Draftee...
, Peja Stojakovic
Peja Stojaković
Predrag Stojaković , also known by his nickname Peja , is a Serbian professional basketball player who last played for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association . Standing at 6 ft 10 , Stojaković plays the small forward position...
, Doug Christie
Doug Christie (basketball)
Douglas Dale Christie is a retired American basketball player.-Early life:Christie is the son of John Malone and Norma Christie...
, and Mike Bibby
Mike Bibby
Michael "Mike" Bibby is an American professional basketball player who most recently played for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association. He is a 6'2" point guard, and he attended Shadow Mountain High School in Phoenix, Arizona and played collegiately at the University of Arizona. In...
, (2001–2006), Carril showed that the Princeton offense could function in the NBA. In 2007 he volunteered as a coach to the Washington Wizards
Washington Wizards
The Washington Wizards are a professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C., previously known as Washington Bullets. They play in the National Basketball Association .-Early years:...
. He has since rejoined the Kings as an assistant for the 2009 season.
Legacy
His career collegiate coaching record, including one season at Lehigh, was 525-273. He was enshrined in both the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of FameNational Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame
The National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame, located in Kansas City, Missouri, is a hall of fame and museum dedicated to college basketball. The museum is an integral portion of the College Basketball Experience created by the National Association of Basketball Coaches , located at the Sprint...
and the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame
Basketball Hall of Fame
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, located in Springfield, Massachusetts, United States, honors exceptional basketball players, coaches, referees, executives, and other major contributors to the game of basketball worldwide...
in 1997, following his retirement from Princeton.
Personal life
Carril is married to Dolores L. ("Dilly") Halteman. They have a daughter, Lisa, and a son, Peter.Head coaching record
See also
- Princeton UniversityPrinceton UniversityPrinceton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
- Bill BradleyBill BradleyWilliam Warren "Bill" Bradley is an American hall of fame basketball player, Rhodes scholar, and former three-term Democratic U.S. Senator from New Jersey. He ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic Party's nomination for President in the 2000 election.Bradley was born and raised in a suburb of St....
- Geoff PetrieGeoff PetrieGeoffrey Michael Petrie is a former American basketball player and current basketball team executive. A native of Pennsylvania, he played professional basketball in the National Basketball Association for the Portland Trail Blazers where he won NBA Rookie of the Year in 1971...
- Gary WaltersGary WaltersGary D. Walters is an American athlete, coach, athletic administrator and business man, best known for being a former point guard for Princeton in NCAA basketball, appearing on the cover of Sports Illustrated, chairing the NCAA's Division I Men's Basketball Committee in 2007, and operating...
- 1989 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament1989 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball TournamentThe 1989 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 16, 1989, and ended with the championship game on April 3 in Seattle, Washington...
- 1996 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament1996 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball TournamentThe 1996 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 14, 1996, and ended with the championship game on April 1 at Continental Airlines Arena in...
External links
- Pete Carril at Basketball Hall of Fame profile.
- Article written by Jerry Price from Princeton Athletics Communications, 2007
- Coaching Profile on the official NBA website
- Professor Pete Carril, 1991 Video Interview on YouTube. By Dan Rydell and Casey McCall of Backdoor Productions.
Publications
- The Smart Take from the Strong: The Basketball Philosophy of Pete Carril, Pete Carril and Dan White, New York: Simon & Schuster (1997), ISBN 9780684835105.
- Play to Win: A Profile of Princeton Basketball Coach Pete Carril, Dan White, Prentice-Hall (1978), ISBN 9780136839040.