The four corners offense, also known as the four corner stall or the four corners delay offense, is an offensive strategy for stalling in basketball, primarily used in college basketball and high school basketball before the shot clock was instituted. Four players stand in the corners of the offensive half-court while the fifth player dribbles the ball in the middle. The point guard usually stays in the middle, but the middle player may periodically switch, temporarily, with one of the corner players.
Dean Smith, head coach at North Carolina, popularized the four corners offense in the early 1960s.
A shot clock is a countdown timer used in a variety of games and sports, indicating a set amount of time that a team may possess the object of play before attempting to score a goal. Shot clocks are used in several sports including basketball, water polo, canoe polo, lacrosse, poker, ringette, korfball, tennis, ten-pin bowling, and various cue sports. It is analogous with the play clock used in American and Canadian football, and the pitch clock used in baseball. This article deals chiefly with the shot clock used in basketball.
Stall tactics to limit big man George Mikan (#99) led to the shot clock's creation by the NBA.
The Shot Clock Monument in Syracuse, New York.
Close-up of Syracuse's Shot Clock Monument.
Image: 20130103 Mitch Mc Gary shot clock game clock (1)
