Sideline and After Timeout play
SLOB Box: Hammer for the Corner Three
- Court
- Half court
- Length
- 15 steps
About this play
The hammer from the sideline box, the Spurs' weak-side action that the Coaching Toolbox and Hoop Coach both carry as a sideline finish: the entry goes to the handler on the wing, he drives the baseline, and as the help turns to the ball, the weak-side post sets a back screen on the shooter's defender so the shooter drops to the weak corner for the three off the baseline skip. Why the hammer: a baseline drive pulls every defender's eyes to the ball, and the one defender who cannot see the screen coming is the one guarding the shooter in the corner. The read is the help: when X4 steps across to stop the drive, the hammer screen is set. The counter is for the defense that stays home and does not help on the drive: the driver has the baseline to the rim, and the shooter's defender who stayed on the hammer has left the post alone for the dump-off. Common mistakes: the hammer screen set before the drive turns the corner, the skip thrown over the top instead of along the baseline, and the driver stopping short of the baseline so the help never commits. I learned the hammer from Zak Boisvert's 4 Hammer breakdown and Hoop Coach's write-up of the Texas sideout that beat UConn, with the Coaching Toolbox carrying the Spurs original; look them up.
