Watch most high school games and note actions that separate winners (chess) from losers (checkers). Be specific and attend to details.
Coach Dave Smart identifies the major areas in which teams must excel.
Within the board game analogies, other technical elements separate team. Select the most relevant from your experience, such as:
- The ability to delay the advance of the ball in transition
- Look ahead passes
- Connected defense with both coverage and protection
- Knowing and executing PnR reads
- Shot quality and turnover differential
Drive home points of emphasis during practice such as:
Hoiberg speed drill.
Everything begins with communication. Switching has become far more common along with drop coverage, but "old school" beating the pick is still a possibility. Some teams will hedge or double as well. For side pick and rolls, 'ice' / pushing the ballhandler to the sideline is more common. Whatever you do, get everyone on the same page and execute it better.
"Chess teams" win half court possessions. Amp up your shell drill experience. I saw a recent game where one team led 19-16 after one period and shut out the other in the second period with more committed defense. Game over.
Because about a third of games (in competitive leagues) are decided by two possessions or less, teams that commit to WIN THIS POSSESSION by playing harder and longer have a huge advantage.
Lagniappe. In Game Changer Dr. Fergus Connolly breaks down possessions into spacing, player and ball movement, and scoring execution. Blowouts often occur because one team excels during scoring execution or the other lacks skill. Winning close games often distills to interrupting the player and ball movement, stopping penetration to degrade the scoring moment.