Coaching Youth Basketball - Chapter 26

Chapter 26 - "Stack em up - Move em out!"

OK folks, it's game time or your first game is rapidly approaching, so I guess it's time philosophize a little less and give you some meat and potatoes. We're going to talk about in-bounding the ball. That's where your team gets the ball and has to throw it inbounds. I'm going to start where you get the ball out of bounds under your own basket.

Before I give you the plays, we need to revisit SIMPLE IS GOOD! I am not concerned with giving you inbounds plays that give you quick baskets. I am more concerned with your being able to just get the ball inbounds. Here's a rule you need to know. Once the referee, ref, gives the ball to your player to throw it in, you have 5 seconds to throw it in or the other team gets the ball. With that said, here's a couple of plays that are so stupid, they work.

THE HUDDLE

This is the most fun inbounds play I know of for younger kids. As they get older, they will feel retarded doing it. As this is for the younger kids, don't worry about looking cool.

The ref will hand the ball to your player either slightly to the right of your basket, or slightly to the left. What ever side the ref picks is the side you have your kids do the huddle on.
Get a piece of paper and draw half of a basketball court, including the paint. Now put a circle out of bounds to the right or left of the basket. This represents your player who is going to throw the ball inbounds.
An inch or 2 from your "O" put 4 X's in a tight diamond shape, directly in front of your O. This represents your other 4 players who are about 8' inbounds directly in front your O, or your player throwing the ball in.
...................O
...............x
.............x...x
...............x

Once they are in this formation, have them form a huddle, just like a football team does. Have everyone wrap their arms around the shoulders of the players who are next to them. This is a huddle.
Let's assume that everyone is to the right of your basket. Once "O" gets the ball, they yell "Break." Make the player in the huddle who is furthest to the right of the basket, your shortest player. They sneak through the middle of the huddle, go under their teammates arms, and run to the basket looking for a pass.
Once the shortest player is through, everyone else turns, faces the player in-bounding the ball, and moves backward, looking for a pass. It looks like a flower that opens all of it's petals at once.
Now the more experienced coaches out there are reading this and laughing their collective butts off. That's ok! Once you have this perfected, it works like a charm. In the beginning, you will find that your player who sneaks out of the huddle will get some easy lay-ups. Once the other team catches on to this, you will find that your other players are now open. You see, the other team concentrates so much on your sneak attack, they forget about your other 3 players.

Does this look totally retarded to the older players? You bet it does! The reality is that the younger players think it's cool, AND THAT'S WHO THIS IS DESIGNED FOR. The major benefit to the huddle is that it works. My girls used it for 4 years, from 4th grade - 7th grade, and only failed to get the ball inbounds less that a half dozen times. Approach it with a fun attitude and watch it work.

THE DIAMOND

This inbounds play starts off the same way as the huddle, except your players face your inbounder this time, and they don't put their arms around each other.

Your players form a diamond about 3 feet apart from one another.
The player closest to your inbounder goes directly to the sideline, parallel to the baseline, away from the basket.
The player on the side of your diamond away from the basket, runs backward about 15 feet away from your inbounder, toward the other basket. This player should be your last resort, or your safety valve. They only get passed to if no one else gets open. Also, they are your only player to stop a fast break, should the other team steal the ball.
The player furthest away from your inbounder should break to the basket, looking for a pass.
Your last player is on the side of your diamond, closest to the basket. They don't move at all. A lot of times, because they don't move, the other team forgets about them. This leaves them open for a pass from the inbounder, and a 6 foot shot to the basket.
The diamond works and it's not too complicated. I could give you The Stack, The Box, and any number of inbounds plays with blase descriptive names, but instead you have the Huddle and the Diamond. Most teams will learn the Stack and Box, so the other teams already know what they are going to do before they do it. I guarantee you, most people have never heard of your inbounds plays. The cool thing is that they are simple to learn, and SIMPLE IS GOOD.

THE STACK

I guess you better know this, so here it is. Have all 4 of your players line up about 8' in front of your inbounder, and about a only a foot or so of space between the 4 of them. They look like soldiers marching in a straight line. Once the inbounder gets the ball, every other player runs to the right, the others run to the left.

Another variation is the first in line go right, the next 2 left, and the last one right. You can vary this anyway you want to, but the principle is to move to get open. This is the most commonly used inbounds play in the history of youth basketball. I never use it because everyone else knows what you are going to do, but that's just me.

____________O__________________________

...................X
...................X
...................X
...................X

THE BOX

This is where you have your 4 players that form a box in front of your inbounder. They stand about 10-12 feet apart. When they hear "Break," the players on the right run over and screen for the players on the left. The players on the left then move to get open. You can do this where right screens left, or left screens right, or front players screen for the rear players, or the rear players screen for the front players.

REVERSE STACK

I didn't know what to call this, so reverse stack sounded good.

1. Have your players line up parallel to the baseline, about 8' from the baseline. Have them all face the basket.

2. Now have your 2 players closest to the basket form a tight screen for your player furthest from the basket.

3. The player furthest from the basket runs around the screen and is hopefully open for the pass. Once the screen is set, everyone moves to get open.

You can vary any of these lineups and have fun with them. There is no one perfect way to inbound the ball. Your main goal is to inbound the ball within 5 seconds and not let the other team steal the ball. Any play works as long as people are moving to get open. Again your players have to move to get open.

in-bounding THE BALL UNDER THEIR BASKET

I'm going to make life real simple. In your first year, let your players know that everyone has to help get the ball down the court whenever the other team plays full court defense. AND, if you have them scrimmage without dribbling in your LS's, at this age you won't need inbound plays. Just have them pass it down the court.

If you find you can't get the ball inbounds at all. Then use the Huddle, Diamond, Stack, or any of them to get the ball in.

Stay tuned to this website for I've more chapters to post. As always, if you have any questions you can e-mail me at firepow55@aol.com If you find this useful, then e-mail the site you are on now and thank them for allowing me the time and space to post this for you.