Which version the court shows
Hill’s Box 5 Split feeds the elbow after the throw-in. A handoff branch and the post keeping the ball are separate choices.
Source-backed summary; versions may differ.
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inbounds
SLOB box high-post split
For this sideline out-of-bounds (SLOB) entry, a guard cuts from near the baseline up around a screen to receive the ball—the action called a zipper cut. The guard then passes to a teammate at an elbow, where the free-throw line meets the side of the paint. The guard and inbounder move around that receiver for a cut, shot or handoff.
How it runs
Box 5 Split: elbow entry, handoff, then the double screen
Nate Hill’s published Box 5 Split starts with 1 using 5’s down screen. Here 3 inbounds. This drawing follows the handoff to 3 and the later pass to 1 coming off two screens. The added finish or frontcourt continuation is an original CoachAssist teaching choice, not a source-prescribed next play.
1–5 are players on offense. X1–X5 are defenders. Each number stays with the same player in every step; it does not lock that player into a position.
Diagram 1 of 12
1 cuts up after 5 is set
5 holds a legal screen. 1 leaves the baseline area and comes above the screen for the throw-in.
Diagram key
- Offense
- Defense
- Coach
- Neutral
- Ball
- Cone
- Cut
- Dribble
- Pass
- Screen
- Hand-off
- Shot
- Def. slide
Use Previous and Next beside the court, or choose a numbered step. Arrows on the court show where players or the ball move. CoachAssist drew this example; it does not show every way to run the scheme.
A selected throw-in example, not every play from this formation. Source mechanics are separated from original CoachAssist teaching tasks. Check the actual throw-in location and competition rules before practice.
In this guide · jump to a topic
Understand the starting jobs
Before putting defenders on the court
Trace the first receiver, elbow receiver, first cutter, and inbounder in that order. Those are consecutive jobs, not four people arriving at the elbow together. After the handoff, identify where the original guard will next become available. Practice in the actual sideline space so players do not assume a baseline passing angle.
CoachAssist suggestion—not the source’s exact practice.
Play through the catch
Know the job after the throw-in
Use the diagram to identify the first secure catch, then stop before advancing. Ask the receiver to locate the basket being attacked, the nearest defender, and a safe teammate. Ask the inbounder where to enter after releasing. A completed throw-in is not the same as an available shot.
- Walk the selected branch once, with each player naming the next job.
- Replay it with the first option covered.
- Continue after the catch into the team’s agreed offense; do not invent a forced final pass just to finish the drawing.
CoachAssist suggestion—not the source’s exact practice.
Read the defender
When the preferred option is unavailable
When: The defender moves early to take the handoff.
Do this: Protect the ball and recognize that the handoff is unavailable. Teach a keeper only as an agreed branch with its own clearance jobs.
Then: Do not draw a handoff and a keeper as if the post could do both on the same possession.
CoachAssist suggestion—not the source’s exact practice.
What to emphasize
- CoachAssist practice idea: walk through the inbound pass and player movements. Add defenders who block the first pass. Then play live, keeping another receiver available to get the ball in safely.
Correct the cause
A problem to watch for
Problem: The inbounder cuts into the elbow before the first cutter clears.
Try this correction: Rehearse the two approaches with the elbow passer holding the ball. Ask each cutter what starts that player’s turn.
Check: The passer can distinguish the two targets without spinning into traffic.
CoachAssist suggestion—not the source’s exact practice.
Compare versions without mixing them
What changes—and what does not
Changes: entry, read.
- The keeper and the handoff-double-screen branch share an entry but split at the elbow. A different player number does not change that decision; changing who holds the ball does.
When to use it: Name the formation, intended first catch, and next action when comparing another play. New player numbers or a mirrored court alone do not establish a new tactic. Variations mentioned only in text are not additional selectable diagrams.
Written variant · this option does not have its own walkthrough here.
CoachAssist suggestion—not the source’s exact practice.
How to teach it
Choose the level that matches what your players can do now. These steps work for boys and girls. Start simpler if players need more practice.
Learn it at your group’s level
Pass to a receiver beside the lane
Set it up: Adult-led three-player passing triangle with no screening.
- Pass to a stationary inside target.
- First passer moves to a new open spot.
- Return the ball only after eye contact.
Add more when: Players move after passing without crowding the receiver.
Check it in play
- Controlled catches.
- Separate paths.
CoachAssist suggestion—not the source’s exact practice.
CoachAssist wrote these teaching steps. They are not an exact copy of any coach’s practice plan.
What can go wrong and how to adjust
- Nate Hill's public example is one continuation after this sideline entry, not a rule for every play using a zipper cut.
Coaches and teams that use it
We have not confirmed a specific coach or team using this version. Teams may use the same name for different plays.
Drills for this scheme · steps and diagrams
The level selector changes the teaching steps above. It does not change these drills. Check the number of players, equipment and difficulty before using a drill.
SLOB High-Post Split Read
Court diagram · view the drill first
Practices this scheme: The reviewed sideline out-of-bounds progression passes to a guard, then a receiver at a free-throw-line corner before teammates cut, use a handoff, or the receiver attacks; keep a safe alternate receiver.
Connect a sideline out-of-bounds pass to teammates cutting or using a handoff around a receiver near the free-throw line.
5–15 players · 5–12 minutes · basketballs
Purpose
Connect a sideline out-of-bounds pass to teammates cutting or using a handoff around a receiver near the free-throw line.
Set it up
Inbound beside the wing. A guard moves up from beside the paint near the basket; another receiver waits near the free-throw line, with teammates on the opposite side. Spare balls and waiting players stay outside the active routes.
Run the drill
- Agree on a short timed interval and begin at walkthrough pace. Use one active ball and one group in the playing area; add controlled opposition only when players understand the routes and can stop safely.
- Inbound to the guard, who passes to the receiver near the free-throw line.
- The guard and inbounder make the coach’s chosen cuts or use a handoff around that receiver; specify who screens and who cuts before starting.
- The receiver near the free-throw line reads the defense: complete the handoff, shoot, or fake the handoff and attack.
- End the repetition on a controlled finish, dead ball or coach stop. Clear the ball and landing area before restarting; rotate roles and rest within the planned interval, without extending it to reach a target.
Scoring
Optional: within a short coach-chosen timed interval, count sound decisions, controlled catches or completed defensive possessions. Stop at the planned time or sooner; no required makes, winning streak or exercise penalty. Rotate roles and allow rest regardless of the score.
Coach the details
- Before starting, name who screens and who cuts.
- Inbounder begins outside the sideline.
- Keep a safe alternate receiver when the first action is denied.
- Use comfortable passing and shooting distances and an appropriate ball. Progress by demonstrated control, not speed: keep eyes on the play, leave stopping/landing space, and stop if a route or loose ball creates a collision risk.
- Screens begin without contact. Establish a balanced, stationary position with the time and space required by the competition rules; keep arms in and do not lean, hold, shove or step into an approaching defender. Decline the action when legal clearance is unavailable.
Ways to adapt the drill
- Original CoachAssist display adaptation: these edited steps, workload limits and optional scoring are coaching adaptations, not a claim that the cited author prescribed this exact version.
- The teaching-level selector does not automatically adapt these drills for age or ability. A coach must choose suitable roles, equipment, contact, space and progressions; simplify or defer anything the group is not ready to perform.
- Provenance (source-based): Core teaching idea is supported by the linked public source. Coordinates, timings and rotation logistics are original SportsPlay teaching aids, not reproduced source diagrams. Coach review is required.
Sources and what we could confirm
The sources support the system guide. CoachAssist created the practice steps and checks; they are suggestions, not tested programs or a coach’s full playbook. The linked drills practice parts of the system.
Coaches run this in different ways. The sources below describe the versions covered here. These sources do not cover every possible version.
- Sideline Out of Bounds Plays
Brian Williams; plays submitted by Nate Hill · Coaching Toolbox · 2019-10-10
Two publicly described examples only; advertised encyclopedia not accessed.