BLOB Box Set Plays — Basketball Tactic

Objective

Turn baseline out-of-bounds possessions into layups and open jumpers using one box alignment with layered screening options and a reliable safety.

Setup

How it works

1. 1

   Set the box

   Your best passer (usually 3) takes the ball out. 5 and 4 occupy the blocks, 1 and 2 the elbows, all facing the inbounder. Everyone holds until 3 slaps the ball — the universal trigger.

2. 2

   Option 1 — Screen the screener

   On the slap, 2 drops from the ball-side elbow and cross-screens for 5, who cuts low across the lane to the ball-side block for the layup pass. A beat later, 4 down-screens for 2, who pops to the top of the key. First look rim, second look the pop-out jumper.

3. 3

   Option 2 — Shooter special

   Same start, but 1 and 4 set a weak-side stagger for 2, who curls off both screens to the corner for a catch-and-shoot three. 5 flashes ball-side as the decoy that pins the help low.

4. 4

   Safety and re-entry

   If both options are denied at the five-second count, 1 sprints to the ball-side wing as the safety. 3 hits 1, steps inbounds to the weak-side corner, and the team flows into half-court offense — never burn a timeout to rescue a denied BLOB.

5. 5

   Vs zone defense

   Against a 2-3 zone, keep the box but overload: 5 screens the back line's middle defender while 2 slides to the short corner. 3 reads high-low — the short-corner catch forces the back line to commit, opening 5 sealing inside.

Coaching points

• ●

  The inbounder is your play-caller: choose a calm passer who can fake high and pass low off the same look.

• ●

  Cutters leave on the slap, not before — early movement lets defenders slide through the lane untouched.

• ●

  Screeners hold their block until contact; the screen-the-screener sequence dies when the first screener drifts early to chase his own shot.

• ●

  Teach the lob-height pass over the top when the defense fronts the block cut — it should drop in the four-foot window between rim and helper.

Variations