---
title: "BLOB Box Set: Baseline Out of Bounds Plays That Score"
description: "Score from baseline out of bounds with the box set: screen-the-screener for a layup, a shooter option, a zone counter and a safety valve when everything is denied."
url: "https://coachboard.app/library/basketball/blob-box-set-plays"
sport: "Basketball"
category: "Tactic"
level: "all-levels"
dateModified: "2026-07-08"
---

# BLOB Box Set Plays — Basketball Tactic

Baseline out of bounds is the closest thing basketball has to a free possession at the rim — the ball starts four feet from the basket and the defense can't pressure the inbounder. The box set is the classic BLOB alignment: two players on the blocks, two at the elbows, forming a box in the lane. From that one picture you can screen for a layup, a three, or a safe entry without the defense knowing which is coming.

The signature box action is screen-the-screener: a cross screen frees a big under the rim, and the player who set that screen immediately receives a down screen and pops to the ball. Defenses that survive the first screen rarely communicate through the second, which is why the sequence still scores at every level.

## 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

- **Area:** Half court, ball out of bounds on the baseline
- **Players:** 5 offensive players; add 5 defenders once the pattern is clean
- **Equipment:** 1 ball
- **Duration:** 10–12 minutes per install block
- **Level:** all-levels (U12+)

## How it works

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. **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. **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. **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. **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

- **Box flat counter** — Start in the box, then drop all four players to a flat line along the baseline before the slap. The late shape change scrambles pre-switched assignments and opens the elbow for a back screen lob.
- **Same set, three calls** — Number the options — 'Box 1', 'Box 2', 'Box 3' — and run all three from an identical start; scouting becomes useless when every call opens the same way.

## Build it in Coach Board

Draw the box once in Coach Board, then duplicate the board for each numbered call and animate them separately — cross screen first, down screen a beat later. Slow the playback to half speed so players see why the second screen gets open, then share the set as a link before game day.

## FAQ

### What does BLOB mean in basketball?

BLOB stands for baseline out of bounds — a possession that restarts with a throw-in from under your own basket. Because the ball starts so close to the rim, well-drilled BLOB plays are among the most efficient scoring possessions in the game.

### Why use a box alignment for BLOB plays?

The box puts two players on the blocks and two at the elbows, so every screening angle — cross screens, down screens, back screens — is available from one starting picture. Several different calls look identical for the first two seconds, which makes the set hard to scout.

## Related

- https://coachboard.app/library/basketball/slob-plays.md
- https://coachboard.app/library/basketball/horns-set-plays.md

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Animate and share this tactic with your team: https://my.coachboard.app