Inbound play in basketball is very important for any team who wants to play a serious and competitive basketball. Inbound plays can be quick hitters in basketball games, or they can be a bit longer actions made to put your players in a good position to score the ball.

There is always a dilemma when we talk about youth basketball plays overall, not just the inbound plays: Is it better to let them run free or should we organize them in order to get things done a bit easier.

I think that we as coaches have to show them options that they can have, from a certain set of plays, but we must explain to them that every piece of the play is the opportunity to do something different. We must explain to them every action, not just inbound plays, step by step, all the things that they can do in every segment of the drawn action.

We all know that there are at least 10 actions that can come out of a single screen. It is just a matter of reading the defense and knowing your offense. 
This particular time we are going to talk about some simple inbound plays that are fit for youth basketball.

The first thing that we need to do before we even start to talk about the details is what we need to have in mind that we are talking about young basketball players, and kids, who are still looking at basketball as a pretty good game. Kids do not care about the detail and they certainly do not think about the basketball as we are. So, everything that we want to present to them needs to be simple, not demanding, and not long.

The goal of all of the 6 actions is to put the kids in a position for a wide-open shot or a shot that is relatively close to the basket.

Box formation is a very usable play because it is very easy in terms of the geometry and the assignments. This formation is usually used as a starting formation for the production of inbound plays in basketball.

Scorer play is another one of those inbound plays in basketball that starts in a box formation but with a different layout of the players.

As you can see from the starting position of the players, you want your number 4 to be a good screener, number 3 to be able to make a precise pass and you want your number 2 to have a good drive and layup ability.

Once again, we are starting with the box formation, and once again we have two screens coming for the players that are on the low-post positions. But now, we want our Point Guard to be close to the ball and we want our center (biggest and strongest) to be on the weak side of the box in that low position. This side-line inbound play can be recognized as a bit advanced stuff for the youth basketball, because it has more than 2 or 3 mini-plays in the whole set. Some of the other inbound plays in basketball are using the same screen but from the different starting positions.

As you can see, all of the side-line inbound plays are presented in this article are starting from the same geometry. This is because it is very simple to memorize, and the mini-plays (movement, screens, passing) is not complicated but in a way simple and intuitive, and this is everything that a youth basketball player needs. The other good thing about this box formation inbound basketball plays is that they can be used not just when the game stops. You can instruct players to stand in the box formation, and the player with the ball can dribble it toward the sideline.

If you want to learn more about inbound plays, go rent a DVD by clicking on the link below:

Middle split is the the baseline inbound play in basketball designed in a manner that the first mini action is used to deceive the opponents, and the second action is basically a quick hitter who is supposed to put our players into a good scoring opportunity. The play itself is a bit naive so it can really work only with youth basketball players.

1. 2 starts the action by going over 4 and running toward the strong side corner. 4 should set a SOFT screen for 2.

2. 4 goes over 5 and now 5 sets a soft screen for 4.

3. Secondary option:

• Both of the players that are supposed to run toward the corners, if they see that their defenders are stuck on the screens, can dive toward the basket for a layup

4. 1 (who needs to be the smallest player on the team) climbs toward the 5 to set him a blind back screen

5. 5 (who needs to be the biggest player on the team) dives toward the rim and has an easy layup opportunity

6. Secondary option:

• 1 gets open after the screen receives the pass

H line is the base-line inbound play for youth basketball designed to confuse the defense because all of the 4 players are going to start their movement at the same time. This can be concerned as a quick hitter action that can work only once in a game because the players are going to remember the chaos that it creates.

1. Numbers 1 and 4 start at the same time, and 2 and 5 start half a second later.

2. 1 goes over 2, and 4 cuts into the corner

3. 2 and 5 are going in the opposite direction. 2 has to go a bit deeper and 5 should take 2 or 3 steps away from the ball.

4. 2 turns toward the 5 and makes a blind screen

The whole point of the play is to make confusion and to set a good screen for the 5 who then have an easy layup situation.

5. Secondary option:

• 2 opens from the screen toward the ball

This inbound play is perfect for the youth basketball because it is fun to play. Every player has a role and there are 4 pass options. Yes, we want to have easy layups, but that is not going to be the case every time we play some action.

1. Player closest to the ball runs toward the center and opens for a pass. This pass is the most secure to get the ball out of bounds.

2. Player that is on the top of the line dives and cuts toward the basket.

3. Two players in the middle can change their roles. Sometimes they can cut toward the basket and other times they can open themselves inside the paint area.

Youth basketball, not just the inbound plays, is all about simplicity and making the right play every time. In my mind, we should tend to organize our young teams but not to strangle them into some X and O variations. We need to show them how can they take advantage of every situation that the play is putting them into.

If you want to learn more about youth basketball, go rent a DVD by clicking on the link below: