SLOB. Sideline Out of Bounds

What: Inbound from the sideline, usually frontcourt. Goal: scoring play OR safe entry, depending on the call.

Core principles

• Need both a scoring SLOB and a safe-entry SLOB. Sometimes the only goal is to inbound clean and run shot-clock.
• Hammer is the SLOB staple at every level. Back-screen for the corner shooter on a baseline drive.
• Ball-screens for the inbounder are usually best. The inbounder catches the ball with momentum heading downhill.
• Decoy first. First cut is rarely the live one. Decoy clears space for the second cut.
• Late game in the frontcourt is a 3.0-second window. Have a 5-second reset called on the bench.

Alignments

Trojan staples

1. Hammer

Inbounder on the wing. Ball entered to corner. Corner drives baseline. 4 sets a back-screen on the weakside wing. Wing flares to the opposite corner for the hammer 3. Spurs / Pop signature.

2. Stevens "Loop"

Inbounder elbow-extended. 2 loops from weakside corner around a double-stagger from 4 and 5, catches at the top with momentum into a side ball-screen.

3. Pinch-post DHO

5 at pinch post (elbow). Inbounder enters to 5. 5 flips DHO to the inbounder coming off. Ballhandler in space attacking downhill.

4. Stack-into-flare

2 / 3 / 4 stack at the elbow. 2 flares to the wing for the catch-and-shoot off a flare from 4. 3 drags out for the safe-entry option.

5. Safe-entry "5-out"

Five-out alignment, ballhandler drops to deep wing for entry, everyone clears to backcourt. Pure shot-clock play, no scoring intent.

How to defend SLOB

• Switch every screen unless we have a specific call.
• Pre-call hammer alert. Weakside wing defender on the corner-driver must yell HAMMER.
• Don't get caught watching the ball. Two screens off the ball usually do the work.
• Foul-to-give if down 2 and they have a clean look coming.

Scout requirements

1. Their go-to SLOB late game?
2. Do they hammer? Who is the screener? Who fades?
3. Best shooter — pre-rotation alert.
4. Inbounder + safety valve identity.

See also

• systems/special-situations/blob.md
• systems/special-situations/ato.md
• systems/actions/hammer.md