This is a play that every player has ran growing up playing basketball. It is a simple play. Some coaches will change some minor things about the play but the overall play is the same.
It is a stack of players lined up in front of the inbounder. Players in the front will separate and open up the space around the block for the center(5) to come down the lane for the entry pass and shot. This works really well at the younger grades especially when the center(5) of one team has a significant height advantage over the other team.
As the kids get older and play because more physical, this traditional stack play does not work as well. It still can work with a good screen but it needs other plays being ran similar to it than does not allow the defense to key on the center(5) coming down the lane.
This is the setup I like to run with the stack play. The forward(3) takes the ball out of bounds. The big(4) lines up first followed by the guard(2), point(1), and center(5) all the way in the back. The big(4) cuts to the opposite block. The guard(2) cuts to the corner. The point(1) turns and sets a screen for the center(5) who cuts down the lane towards the ball.
I like to have space in the stack, because it will force the defense to guard more area. So, the big(4) starts on the block, guard(2) in the mid-post, point(1) just under the elbow, and the center(5) out around the 3-point line.
This spacing gives the center(5) more space to make a cut into an open area. Depending on the defense, the center(5) may cut more towards the front of the rim or they could cut more towards the short corner if the defense is packing the lane with defenders. The spacing of the offense allows the center(5) to read the cuts and defenders and move into an open area making it more likely to get the entry pass.
This is a very simple play so it can be ran at the lowest grades with players just learning the game of basketball. It can be a good way to get a good post player the ball in a good position for a shooting chance immediately off an in-bounds pass.
A team with a bunch of guards or a team with no size advantage would struggle in trying to run this play. It is not a play that can be used across the board but with a good post player or a tall player then this play definitely should be in the playbook.
Adjustments
A couple of adjustments that can be made to change the look of the play without changing the play is the following. I am putting the two more common adjustments but there are many ways to install this play without it looking identical to what I have put here.
The first adjustment is switching the point(1) and center(5). This is something that I see a lot at the youth levels. While it works the same way as the diagram I have above, I like to add in a screen to help the center(5) get open.
The second big adjustment I see quite often is switching the point(1) and guard(2). Again this is not changing the play at all. The same actions are taking place as before but changing the positions of the point(1) and guard(2) could help set up an additional play or try to cause the defense to get screened by the formation and movement of the play. Again, I personally want a good screen for the center(5), so I want the point(1) to have the best possible chance to get a good screen set.
This is what I consider to be the traditional stack play. It is a quick hitting BLOB play that could get a team a bucket or two every game. A couple additional stack plays added with this traditional play could work to the offenses advantage in getting some more easy shots.
