Box Set (BLOB & SLOB)
The four-corner alignment behind every out-of-bounds play.
Box is the most common inbound formation in basketball because it works at every level. Four players at the corners of an imaginary box — two at the elbows, two at the blocks — give the inbounder maximum vision and create overlapping screen actions on every defender.
Common Box variants: Box-1 (one cutter, three screeners), Box-Stack (two players cross at the elbows to lose their defenders), Box-Flare (the inbounder’s target flares to the corner for a three after setting the initial screen), and Box-Loop (the target loops around all four screens for a layup at the rim).
Coaches run Box from baseline out-of-bounds (BLOB) and sideline out-of-bounds (SLOB) situations, often as their primary late-game scoring action. The formation works because it puts the defense in a chase position rather than a static stance — defenders have to choose which cut to follow, and the offense scores on whichever cut is unchosen.
Key principles
- Four players at the elbows and blocks; one inbounder
- Screens and cuts within the box create separation
- Misdirection and second-cuts beat coached coverage
- Quick-hitter — usually under 5 seconds from inbound to shot