📖 Full table of contents (16 sections)
BLOB. Baseline Out of Bounds
What: Inbound from under our own basket. Goal: layup or open three. Mid-range BLOB = wasted possession.
Core principles
- Get a layup or a 3. Never settle for a contested mid-range from a BLOB.
- Have at least 3 BLOBs ready every game: one vs man-switch, one vs man-no-switch, one vs zone.
- Inbounder is a weapon, not a placeholder. The inbounder steps in and becomes a screener or a cutter.
- Pre-call by score situation. Down 2 with 4.0 left has a different call than tied with 22 seconds.
- Box out before you cut. Many BLOB plays end in tip-ins. The first job after the inbound is rebound position.
Alignments
| Alignment | When to use | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Stack (4 in a line at FT) | Vs man-to-man | Easy to read coverage, lots of options off the stagger |
| Box | Vs zone | Forces zone to choose. High-low into ball-side post is gold |
| Line (4 across baseline) | Vs switching man | Inbounder picks the matchup he wants |
| 1-4 high | Special / clock situations | Hard to switch, easy to flow into half-court |
Trojan staples (build the playbook)
1. Stack — back-screen flare
Inbounder under. Stack of 4 at the FT line. 2 sets a back-screen for 4, 4 flares to the corner for the kick-out three. 5 rolls to the rim as the pressure release. Best vs hard-switching man.
2. Box — high-low
Box alignment. 5 flashes to elbow. Inbounder hits 5 at the elbow. 4 posts across, gets the high-low feed for a layup. Best vs 2-3 zone.
3. Inbounder cut
Inbounder passes off the stagger, then steps in and runs his own man into the stack for a re-screen. Great late-game wrinkle defenses haven't seen.
4. Hammer-back
Inbounder hits the corner. Wing in the corner drives baseline while a back-screen is set on the weak-side wing. Hammer 3 in the opposite corner.
5. Iverson-into-stack
3 Iverson cuts off the elbows for the catch-and-shoot. If covered, flows into a stack on the strong side and we run our base back-screen flare.
How to defend BLOB
- Identify their go-to in scout. Every team has 1-2.
- Pre-call coverage in the huddle, not on the floor.
- Switch every screen unless the scout says otherwise.
- Top-lock their best shooter. Make him the inbounder if it forces a worse handler.
- Box out hard the first 1.5 seconds.
Curated film & diagrams (deep list)
All links go to YouTube channel pages or YouTube searches that always resolve. Click in, scan, pick the clip you want. We avoid pinning specific video IDs because they expire.
General BLOB libraries
- YouTube search — best BLOB plays
- YouTube search — Brad Stevens BLOB film
- BBALLBREAKDOWN channel (Coach Nick)
- Coach Daniel channel
- Hoops Playbook — animations + diagrams
- Fastmodel Sports Playbank — BLOB sets
Vs man-to-man
Vs zone
Late-game / score-specific
Scout requirements
For every opponent, the scout must answer:
- What is their go-to BLOB late game?
- Who is their inbounder? Their safety valve?
- Do they prefer stack, box, or line?
- Best shooter on the floor — top-lock target.
See also
systems/special-situations/slob.mdsystems/special-situations/ato.mdsystems/special-situations/_principles.md(background reading)