Four corners offense
Encyclopedia
The four corners offense is an offensive strategy for stalling in basketball
. Four of the players stand in the corners of the offensive half-court and the fifth dribbles the ball in the middle. Most of the time the point guard
stays in the middle, but the middle player would periodically switch, temporarily, with one of the corner players.
It was a strategy that was used in college basketball prior to the institution of the shot clock.
The team running the offense typically would seek to score, but only on extremely safe shots. The players in the corners might try to make back door cuts, or the point guard could drive the lane.
Even if the team wanted to hold the ball until the end of the game, some such strategy was necessary since the rules did not (and still don't) permit a player to hold the ball for more than five seconds while closely guarded. So some mechanism to facilitate safe passes would be needed, which the four corners provided. There were other slowdown strategies, but the four corners was the most well known.
It was most frequently used to retain a lead by holding on to the ball until the clock ran out. The trailing team would be forced to spread their defense in hopes of getting a steal, which often permitted easy drives to the basket. Sometimes it would be employed throughout the game to reduce the number of possessions in hopes of getting an upset against a stronger team.
The "five seconds closely guarded" rule was originally introduced partially to prevent stalling, and other rules changes were made to the college rules through the 1970s in hopes of eliminating stalling without using a shot clock
, as the NBA
had used since the 1954-55 season. (Thus the four corners has always been purely a strategy of high school and college basketball.) There was a perception that the NBA shot clock didn't permit time to work the ball to get a good shot, and that it would reduce the opportunity for varied styles of play.
The offense was created by head coach John McClendon, and popularized by long-time North Carolina
head coach Dean Smith
in the early 1960s. He used it to great effect under point guard Phil Ford; it was during his career that some writers referred to the offense as the "Ford Corners."
However, by the eighties, fans were fed up. In the nationally televised 1982 ACC championship game between the University of North Carolina
Tar Heels and the University of Virginia
Cavaliers, Carolina held the ball for roughly the last twelve minutes of the second half to nurse a small lead, eventually winning the game 47-45. This style of offense was so distinctive that a local restaurant-bar in Chapel Hill, NC, was called Four Corners in homage to Smith, a local hero.
The next year, the ACC and other conferences introduced a shot clock experimentally, along with a three-point line to force the defense to spread out. In 1985, the NCAA
adopted a shot clock nationally and then added the three-pointer a year later.
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
. Four of the players stand in the corners of the offensive half-court and the fifth dribbles the ball in the middle. Most of the time the point guard
Point guard
Point guard , also called the play maker or "the ball-handler", is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position – essentially, he is expected to run the team's offense by controlling the ball and making sure that...
stays in the middle, but the middle player would periodically switch, temporarily, with one of the corner players.
It was a strategy that was used in college basketball prior to the institution of the shot clock.
The team running the offense typically would seek to score, but only on extremely safe shots. The players in the corners might try to make back door cuts, or the point guard could drive the lane.
Even if the team wanted to hold the ball until the end of the game, some such strategy was necessary since the rules did not (and still don't) permit a player to hold the ball for more than five seconds while closely guarded. So some mechanism to facilitate safe passes would be needed, which the four corners provided. There were other slowdown strategies, but the four corners was the most well known.
It was most frequently used to retain a lead by holding on to the ball until the clock ran out. The trailing team would be forced to spread their defense in hopes of getting a steal, which often permitted easy drives to the basket. Sometimes it would be employed throughout the game to reduce the number of possessions in hopes of getting an upset against a stronger team.
The "five seconds closely guarded" rule was originally introduced partially to prevent stalling, and other rules changes were made to the college rules through the 1970s in hopes of eliminating stalling without using a shot clock
Shot clock
A shot clock is used in some sports to quicken the pace of the game. It is normally associated with basketball, but has also found use in sports such as snooker, professional lacrosse, water polo, and korfball....
, as the NBA
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
had used since the 1954-55 season. (Thus the four corners has always been purely a strategy of high school and college basketball.) There was a perception that the NBA shot clock didn't permit time to work the ball to get a good shot, and that it would reduce the opportunity for varied styles of play.
The offense was created by head coach John McClendon, and popularized by long-time North Carolina
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
head coach Dean Smith
Dean Smith
Dean Edwards Smith is a retired American head coach of men's college basketball. Originally from Emporia, Kansas, Smith has been called a “coaching legend” by the Basketball Hall of Fame. Smith is best known for his successful 36-year coaching tenure at the University of North Carolina at Chapel...
in the early 1960s. He used it to great effect under point guard Phil Ford; it was during his career that some writers referred to the offense as the "Ford Corners."
However, by the eighties, fans were fed up. In the nationally televised 1982 ACC championship game between the University of North Carolina
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
Tar Heels and the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
Cavaliers, Carolina held the ball for roughly the last twelve minutes of the second half to nurse a small lead, eventually winning the game 47-45. This style of offense was so distinctive that a local restaurant-bar in Chapel Hill, NC, was called Four Corners in homage to Smith, a local hero.
The next year, the ACC and other conferences introduced a shot clock experimentally, along with a three-point line to force the defense to spread out. In 1985, the NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
adopted a shot clock nationally and then added the three-pointer a year later.