Pete Carril, the crumpled, cigar-smoking basketball coach who led Princeton to 11 NCAA Tournament appearances, where his teams pissed off tough opponents and rocked March Madness with old-school fundamentals, died Monday . He was 92 years old.
Princeton released a statement from Carril’s family, which says he died “peacefully this morning.” He did not give a cause of death.
“We ask that you please respect our privacy at this time as we process our loss and make the necessary arrangements. More information will be communicated in the coming days,” the statement read.
Hall of Famer Carril trained his teams in a distinct, retrograde ball brand – the Princeton offense, a game marked by patience, intelligence, constant movement, quick passes and stolen cuts which often ended in layups.
It was an offense that could be played at any level of basketball. At Princeton, it was usually performed by players often shunned or overlooked by some of basketball’s national powerhouses. Come the NCAA Tournament, however, Princeton’s ruthless discipline might make up for the talent disparity on the field.
During Carril’s 29 seasons as Tigers coach, the system worked like a charm. His teams have won 13 Ivy League titles and posted a 514-261 record without the benefit of scholarship players. His deliberate approach draining the high octane from many opponents, Princeton has led the nation in scoring defense in 14 of his last 21 seasons, including the last eight in a run that ended in 1996.
He guided Princeton to the National Invitation Tournament championship in 1975 and was elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1997.
Basketball fans loved watching the headaches Carril’s teams caused in March. That was certainly the case in 1989 for John Thompson of Georgetown, the Hall of Fame coach sweating late in the game with his trademark towel draped over his shoulder.
Princeton gave a No. 1 Georgetown team of Alonzo Mourning and Charles Smith everything they could handle, and as the No. 16 seed, they were set for a monumental upset. The Tigers had two shots in the final seconds to send Thompson and his team home but were disallowed, losing 50-49.
Carril’s final season in 1996 was marked by an NCAA first-round victory over defending champion UCLA, a result that many consider one of the biggest upsets in tournament history.
Peter Joseph Carril was born on July 10, 1930 to Spanish immigrant parents in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. He played at Lafayette College under a venerable coach in Butch Van Breda Kolff. After a stint in the military, Carril coached at Pennsylvania high school in the 1950s and 1960s before earning a varsity head coaching job at Lehigh. He spent the 1966-67 season there, going 11-12, then was on his way to Princeton.
Carril was more than a basketball coach. Friends and former players say he was intelligent, philosophical, a great judge of character, honest and caring. He wasn’t the country-club type. He was down-to-earth, his attire simple: open-necked shirts, crumpled sweaters, his thinning hair never quite combed. Sometimes there was a sports jacket.
On the court, Carril was demanding. He worked his players hard and strived for perfection. It wouldn’t be unusual for him to sit on the bench with a 20-point lead and a pained look wrinkling his face following a bad pass, turnover or missed lay-up. It was the craft, the process that counted, not to mention the score.
If asked about it, he would remember what his father had told him growing up in Bethlehem, one of the country’s steel capitals.
“When you lower your standards, they can turn around and attack you,” Carril has often said.
Success on the pitch never changed Carril. He liked his cigars. He had drinks, coffee or just chatted with people at Andy’s Tavern in Princeton, until it became a sushi bar in the 1990s. Conte’s Pizza has remained one of his favorite haunts. He would occasionally stop by the Princeton basketball office to chat with Mitch Henderson, who became Princeton’s coach in 2011.
After leaving Princeton, Carril jumped into uncharted territory – the NBA. He spent 10 seasons as an assistant coach with the Sacramento Kings. He helped Rick Adelman’s Kings win two Pacific Division titles and a berth in the Western Conference Finals in 2002.
He joined the Washington Wizards team in 2007 and in 2009 he returned to the Kings, where in his first stint the Princeton offense found new life at the highest level of basketball.
Pete Carril, the crumpled, cigar-smoking basketball coach who led Princeton to 11 NCAA Tournament appearances, where his teams pissed off tough opponents and rocked March Madness with old-school fundamentals, died Monday . He was 92 years old.
Princeton released a statement from Carril’s family, which says he died “peacefully this morning.” He did not give a cause of death.
“We ask that you please respect our privacy at this time as we process our loss and make the necessary arrangements. More information will be communicated in the coming days,” the statement read.
Hall of Famer Carril trained his teams in a distinct, retrograde ball brand – the Princeton offense, a game marked by patience, intelligence, constant movement, quick passes and stolen cuts which often ended in layups.
It was an offense that could be played at any level of basketball. At Princeton, it was usually performed by players often shunned or overlooked by some of basketball’s national powerhouses. Come the NCAA Tournament, however, Princeton’s ruthless discipline might make up for the talent disparity on the field.
During Carril’s 29 seasons as Tigers coach, the system worked like a charm. His teams have won 13 Ivy League titles and posted a 514-261 record without the benefit of scholarship players. His deliberate approach draining the high octane from many opponents, Princeton has led the nation in scoring defense in 14 of his last 21 seasons, including the last eight in a run that ended in 1996.
He guided Princeton to the National Invitation Tournament championship in 1975 and was elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1997.
Basketball fans loved watching the headaches Carril’s teams caused in March. That was certainly the case in 1989 for John Thompson of Georgetown, the Hall of Fame coach sweating late in the game with his trademark towel draped over his shoulder.
Princeton gave a No. 1 Georgetown team of Alonzo Mourning and Charles Smith everything they could handle, and as the No. 16 seed, they were set for a monumental upset. The Tigers had two shots in the final seconds to send Thompson and his team home but were disallowed, losing 50-49.
Carril’s final season in 1996 was marked by an NCAA first-round victory over defending champion UCLA, a result that many consider one of the biggest upsets in tournament history.
Peter Joseph Carril was born on July 10, 1930 to Spanish immigrant parents in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. He played at Lafayette College under a venerable coach in Butch Van Breda Kolff. After a stint in the military, Carril coached at Pennsylvania high school in the 1950s and 1960s before earning a varsity head coaching job at Lehigh. He spent the 1966-67 season there, going 11-12, then was on his way to Princeton.
Carril was more than a basketball coach. Friends and former players say he was intelligent, philosophical, a great judge of character, honest and caring. He wasn’t the country-club type. He was down-to-earth, his attire simple: open-necked shirts, crumpled sweaters, his thinning hair never quite combed. Sometimes there was a sports jacket.
On the court, Carril was demanding. He worked his players hard and strived for perfection. It wouldn’t be unusual for him to sit on the bench with a 20-point lead and a pained look wrinkling his face following a bad pass, turnover or missed lay-up. It was the craft, the process that counted, not to mention the score.
If asked about it, he would remember what his father had told him growing up in Bethlehem, one of the country’s steel capitals.
“When you lower your standards, they can turn around and attack you,” Carril has often said.
Success on the pitch never changed Carril. He liked his cigars. He had drinks, coffee or just chatted with people at Andy’s Tavern in Princeton, until it became a sushi bar in the 1990s. Conte’s Pizza has remained one of his favorite haunts. He would occasionally stop by the Princeton basketball office to chat with Mitch Henderson, who became Princeton’s coach in 2011.
After leaving Princeton, Carril jumped into uncharted territory – the NBA. He spent 10 seasons as an assistant coach with the Sacramento Kings. He helped Rick Adelman’s Kings win two Pacific Division titles and a berth in the Western Conference Finals in 2002.
He joined the Washington Wizards team in 2007 and in 2009 he returned to the Kings, where in his first stint the Princeton offense found new life at the highest level of basketball.