"Sweat the details." Use boundaries to our advantage. Every possession matters.
In Stuff Good Players Should Know, Dick Devenzio advised players visualize an imaginary line (? nine inches) inside the court edges. That eliminates any chance of line violations on catches. Players who tempt fate back dribbling in the forecourt near the midcourt line drive coaches batty.
Teach players not to save the ball under their own basket. It sets up a natural advantage for opponents while you take yourself out of the play.
Some players experience "left-right" confusion or dyslexia. It may be as high as 17%. If we teach players to force players left or right, they literally can't. I've had several and ask them to force players to the sideline or to the bench side, whatever it takes.
Some courts have asymmetrical boundaries, one side close to one wall or bench and the other distant. Invariably, players catch the ball out of bounds on the wide side. Warn players about this. You often capture an extra possession or more.
Primary trap zones occur at points where two out-of-bounds areas converge. They form ideal trapping areas and coffin corners to avoid on offense.
After a basket, a team can station all five players out of bounds. This creates confusion for defenses analogous to football "bunch" formations.
This literally puts defenses on their heels.
"Run wide." Maximize use of the court in transition. The "Showtime" Lakers ran the wings downcourt to the sideline at midcourt. This stretches the defense and improves passing angles.
Baseline reverse double. Exploit the rules. "After made baskets, the inbound passer may run the baseline and move back and forth to make the pass. A second player on the inbouding team may step out of bounds in addition to the player inbounding the ball. It is legal to pass the ball to the second player."
