Running Inbounds Plays in Youth Basketball

• By Craig Haley

Doodling takes on a life of its own with a youth basketball coach. Any scrap of paper offers the opportunity to diagram set plays.

Running structured plays though, comes in baby steps with the younger ages. Inbound plays underneath an opponent’s basket are a great place to get started.

Considering most opponents will be playing man-to-man defense on the younger levels, the “stack” is a common way to introduce a structured play starting underneath the opponent’s basket.

At least one of the four players in the stack should get open for a bounce pass or chest pass from the inbounder, and probably more than that.

Stacktack

To run the “stack,” the four offensive players on the court should line up in a row along the outside of the foul lane and face the inbounds passer. Make sure the first player in line is not too close to the end line, perhaps lining up inside the lowest block marked on the court. The man-to-man defenders will likely line up inside the offensive players, but, if not, even better, because that exposes an open path in the paint, and getting a close shot is every youth team’s intention.

A basketball coach has myriad options with the stack. The players in line can separate in different directions to get free for an inbounds pass. The first two players can separate and the third player slowly sneaks down the lane for a pass. Perhaps the first player in line goes away from the inbounds passer and circles around the top of the stack and back into the paint for a pass.

Basically, it’s the coach’s decision on what to do with the stack.

Box>Box

During overtime, a coach can implement more inbounds plays. The best way to achieve success, and understanding among the players, is to run different inbound options from the same setup. For instance, a “box” brings excellent structure. In a “box,” four offensive players set up in that shape just outside the foul lane, with one player at each top corner (often called the “elbow”) and one player at each low block.

Make sure each player who is running off a screen doesn’t move until the teammate arrives to set it. Be sure to have one of the players who sets the screen, step out toward the baseline- corner near the inbounder to become a safety valve.

For the best success, use the same inbounds passer throughout an entire quarter or half. No matter what plays are run, the start is the same. The coach yells out, “Stack!”, “Box!" or whatever set-up is used. After the players set up and the referee hands the basketball to the inbounder, he or she then repeats the coach by yelling “Stack!” or “Box!” Then a simple command of “Break!” sets the four offensive teammates in motion.

Repetition is pivotal in youth basketball, so work on inbounds plays over a number of practices.