Defense helps morale

From ESPN.com:

More so than engaging the gang, the Lakers' defense has brought the group together at a time when team chemistry cannot be overstated in its value to winning.

"It's kind of like this bond that starts to happen," Lamar Odom said. "Intensity picks up. Communication picks up. Eye contact amongst each other kind of picks up and collective energy and synergy picks up."

"When things work [on defense], it helps morale," Kobe Bryant said. "It helps generate momentum and the right kind of energy that you need to win games -- even more so than offensively."

Bulls' Deng relishes role

"I feel like as a team everyone has a role all year. Guys have done a good job of bringing something to the team every time. The position I'm in, a lot of times, I'm guarding the other team's best perimeter player. I know if I play with a lot of intensity, everyone's going to pick it up. I know our defense is the key. I've always been able to score and rebound. But defense is something I'm trying to add."

-Luol Deng, Bulls Forward

It Always Starts With Defense

"We have a lot of confidence. When our mindset is right on defense, we seem to work harder on offense. When we're not as focused on defense, it kind of leads to our offense. We just go through the motions. So it always starts with defense."

Bulls forward Luol Deng after the Bulls beat the Hawks last night

Duke's Thornton makes defense his priority

DURHAM (AP):

Duke freshman guard Tyler Thornton's passion for defense dates to his time in grade school, when he played center and called out directions to teammates from the low post.

"He takes pride on that end of the floor, where, 'I've got to own my man and not let him be a difference maker,'" said Steve Turner, who coached Thornton at Gonzaga College High School in Washington, D.C.

Turner was at Comcast Center on Wednesday night as defensive-minded Thornton made his first career start near his hometown in Duke's 80-62 defeat of Maryland.

Thornton isn't as gifted a scorer as some of his teammates, but he is providing a boost in other areas as No. 5 Duke (20-2, 7-1 ACC) prepares to host N.C. State (12-10, 2-6) at 6 p.m.

Thornton's ball handling ability allows ACC scoring leader Nolan Smith to catch the ball on offense in different places where he can be more effective. Thornton's on-the-ball pressure also adds a dimension to Duke's defense.

"I love playing defense," Thornton said. "So when the coaches were recruiting me, they noticed that was a strong point of my game, and they told me to bring that here."

At the beginning of the season, it appeared that Thornton's chances of playing a significant role for Duke were slim. Another freshman, Kyrie Irving, quickly demonstrated that he was one of the best guards in the nation.

Thornton also was behind sophomores Seth Curry and Andre Dawkins in the rotation. But after Irving injured his right big toe on Dec. 4, Thornton needed to play a larger role.

He made a big impact with four steals in Duke's first meeting with Maryland on Jan. 9. He provided help for a slightly gimpy Smith in 22 minutes against Wake Forest on Jan. 22 and played a season-high 28 minutes against the Terrapins on Wednesday.

He has nine steals since the Jan. 5 win over Alabama-Birmingham; only Smith and Curry have more during that time.

"When I got here, I knew what my role was going to be," Thornton said. "Once I committed to that role, I was going to find my way on the court, regardless of the circumstances."

Chandler's Defensive Mindset Gets Mavs Back on Track

Tyson Chandler, who is a NBA veteran in his first year with the Mavericks, has brought a defensive identity to a team that has struggled on that end of the floor in the past. Dallas has one of the best records in the NBA and is coming off a big win at Miami last night.

Here is Dirk Nowitzki on how Chandler's presence is felt throughout the team:

"I don't think Ray [Allen] or Paul Pierce were great defenders before K.G. got there," Nowitzki said. "But, K.G., with his energy, his defense, his mentality and his high-octane self, he kind of changed the whole momentum on the defense. I think that's what Tyson did here."

"It's just his overall willingness to defend," Nowitzki said. "He talks out there. He's always a loud communicator, pushing everybody in the right spots. I think that's what Tyson brings to our team."

Here is Chandler after last night's victory in Miami:

"We got away from that," said Tyson Chandler, who had eight points and 10 rebounds and helped limit the Heat to 26 points in the paint. "It seemed like the longer our winning streak was going, we started to take a step back and relax on the defensive end. It took that loss [to the Milwaukee Bucks on Dec. 13] to wake everybody back up, and now we're communicating out there and we're actually following Coach's game plan again.

"This has to be our identity. If we want to have a special year, we've got to think defense first."

Putting the D back in Dallas

Good article on 'ESPN.com Dallas' about the Mavericks defense leading to a victory over the previously undefeated New Orleans Hornets.

DALLAS -- Is it possible that the Dallas Mavericks actually enjoy playing defense, and even find themselves challenging one another to rise up when games get down and dirty in crunch time?

"I think it would be better to ask the players that question because we identify defense as the No. 1 variable to us being a true contending team," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said. "If the answer is yes, then we're making some real progress. If the answer is something else, then we've got to take a hard look at where we're at."

"But," Carlisle continued, "I think our guys realize that hard, consistent defense and staying with a system is the most important part of our success and it's the most important part of continuing the success that we're having."

Monday night was another example that the answer just might be a resounding, "Yes." The Mavs trailed the previously unbeaten New Orleans Hornets by 10 points with 7:44 left in the game. From that point, Dallas' defense, which entered the game ranked third in the league in points per possession, allowed eight points on 3-of-16 shooting and turned stops into a 3-point barrage at the other end to pull out a dramatic 98-95 victory.

The fourth quarter was reminiscent of one week ago against Boston. The Celtics seized momentum, led 80-74 with 7:25 to go and then scored seven points the rest of the way.

These aren't Don Nelson's Mavericks.

"Yeah, well, we understand what it takes," point guard Jason Kidd said. 'We've seen, come June, the team that holds that trophy is one of the best defensive teams, so at some point you've got to believe that playing defense will win you a championship. I think everybody's in agreement that we have to play defense. Again, six minutes left in the game, you've got to find a way to get stops."

Against New Orleans, Dallas found a way with a mix of tough man-to-man defense and zone to combat point guard Chris Paul, who was hounded by J.J. Barea and held without a point and just three assists in the fourth quarter.

The Mavs didn't force a turnover in the final quarter, but they frustrated the Hornets into 7-of-23 shooting (30.4 percent), and Dallas commanded the boards 15-7. It led to a free-flow offense and a treasure chest of open 3-pointers that, after a long night of firing long-range blanks, finally produced rainbows.

New Orleans (8-1) scored 19 points in the final 12 minutes, which is nothing unusual for Dallas opponents in the first nine games. The Mavericks (7-2) are stingiest in the fourth quarter, allowing on average of 19.7 points a game. They haven't surrendered more than 24 points in a fourth quarter and Monday notched their fifth sub-20-point final period.

"I love it," Barea said. "And with a guy like Tyson [Chandler], you get a stop and he starts screaming and going wild. It's awesome. And then we know when we get stops, hey, we're going to score on the other end fast. That's what we've got to do. If we get stops, we're going to be a great team."

But, that's the same line as every player used almost daily last year: Get stops and we win. Carlisle came to Dallas three years ago preaching defensive demeanor. It didn't stick. The Mavs opened last season 19-7 and talked of yet another recommitment to defense. After a 131-96 beatdown in Los Angeles by the Lakers on Jan. 3, the Mavs' defense might as well have been in Maui.

"I think we're starting to take pride in [defense] because that's the next step to being a championship-level team," said 7-foot tag-team center Brendan Haywood, who was acquired in a February trade. "Look at the teams that have won championships in the last couple of years. They've all been teams that at some point could play very good defense. Look at Boston, the Spurs, Detroit. That's not by accident. That's what has to happen. You have to be a good defensive team to win. That's something coach has stressed from the preseason until now and we're going to keep getting better defensively."

When Trevor Ariza knocked down a 3-pointer to tie it at 95-95 with 40.8 seconds left, Carlisle called timeout.

"We just said we've got to stop these guys," Terry said. "The team with the most stops was going to prevail in this game. New Orleans is the second-best defensive team in the league right now and we're No 3. So, defense definitely wins games."

Terry came out of the timeout and buried an 18-foot jumper for a 97-95 lead with 34.9 to go. Then a scrambling, trapping Mavs defense took over on a wild second-to-last possession for the Hornets. David West missed from short range and off the rebound Ariza missed two 3-pointers.

Dirk Nowitzki gave New Orleans one last chance after he missed the second free throw to make it a 98-95 lead with 0.7 seconds left. Emeka Okafor wound up with the ball and didn't come close with a last-gasp 3-pointer.

And through nine games, the Dallas Mavericks are buying into the concept of team defense.

"Haywood and Tyson help with that. Dirk is believing in it. Jet. J.J. Whoever is out on the floor," Kidd said. "We always feel we might not be quick or we might not be able to jump high, but just playing team defense is a big thing in this league and again, you look at San Antonio or Boston or L.A., they play great team defense.

"I think we're believing in that."

Lawrence Frank Defense Notes

*Always push and challenge players. They only get better by stretching them.

*From Jeff Van Gundy: Know what we are about, how we play, our core values, our culture.

*Last 10 years in NBA: Only 1 team did not make playoffs that were in top 5 % defense.

*13 of last 20 NBA Champions: Top 5 FG % Defense

*8 of last 9 champions: Top 10 both offense FG% and defensive FG%

*It's not what you do, but how you do it.

*Why no commitment to defense?
1. Offensive minded team
2. Lack size or basket protection
3. Lack of athleticism
4. Low IQ
5. No consequences for not playing defense

Non-Negotiable's on defense
1. Sprint back and get set on defense
2. Protect the paint
3. Closeout hard and contest shot
4. Play aggressive without fouling
5. All 5 block out and rebound

Defense is all about multiple efforts.

Suns Doing it with Defense

Some good quotes from Suns players on why they are starting to get on a roll in the Western Conference. This article from espn.com comes after their win over the Bulls on Tuesday night:

In the span of just a few weeks, the Suns have turned from a team that couldn't figure out which direction it wanted to go, to a team that no Western Conference opponent wants to see come playoff time.

So, what happened?

Suns head coach Alvin Gentry said it all boils down to closing out games, something his veteran-led team had a hard time doing earlier in the season. "That's what I think we've done, and we've had different people do it," he said after his team's latest win. "Steve (Nash) made a couple of big shots, but then Channing (Frye) came up and probably made the biggest shot of the game."

As Gentry is the first to tell you, though, closing out games doesn't just mean making a big play on the offensive end. "We've been able to come up with stops when we need them, too," he said. "I think that's the big thing right there because we got in the habit of exchanging baskets and that puts so much pressure on your offense that it can overwhelm you]."

Richardson believes that he and his teammates have formed an entirely new identity over the past couple of months. "We're a totally different team," he said. "Two months ago we were a team that had big leads that we'd end up giving back. We weren't focused on the defensive end. This half of the season now we're really focused on the defensive end and helping each other out. The way we're playing now is huge. We're going to need to play like this in the playoffs. With the game on the line you have to come up with stops to get wins."

That's exactly what Richardson & Co. did against the Bulls late in the game, and that's the biggest reason they are most likely headed to the playoffs and the Bulls most likely are not.

Stoudemire believes there is another key reason as well. "I think our intensity has been improved," he said. "I think we've gotten better defensively. We're scoring the ball at will. We're defending guys one-on-one and also collectively. Our rotations have been on point. We turned our focus up a notch. That also adds to determination. With all that being said, that's what allowing us to play better so far."

Confronted by Team, a Spartan Responds

Michigan State's Durrell Summers is one of the most athletic players on his team. Summers is playing his best basketball of his career in leading the Spartans into the Final Four. Before the tournament started, Summers' was dogged by his coaches and teammates for what they described as a poor effort. This article explains how a team meeting helped Summers turn the corner and in turn helped the Spartans reach yet another Final Four. From the Detroit Free Press:

They do not always do things delicately at Michigan State, whether rebounding in bruising fashion or calling out a teammate for playing without enough passion.

Spartans guard Durrell Summers found out that second part after he had been acting as if he were overqualified to play defense.

Summers was benched in the second half of Michigan State’s loss to Minnesota in the Big Ten men’s basketball tournament. Asked if he was worried about Summers’s confidence, Coach Tom Izzo told Michigan State basketball beat reporters, “Confidence has nothing to do with guarding somebody.”

Michigan State’s players were no less blunt at a players-only meeting in which Summers faced a reckoning.

“We all said what we had to say to Durrell, and Durrell sat there and listened and took it like a man, if it was good or bad,” said Draymond Green, a sophomore forward.

Summers can be an explosive offensive player, but he yawned on defense and admitted that he only glanced at scouting reports and rarely absorbed them. He needed Izzo and his teammates to shake him up, and they did, for two days before the N.C.A.A. tournament started.

It was a reordering of Michigan State basketball, which has lost its leading scorer, Kalin Lucas, to injury but gained a star in Summers. A 6-foot-4 junior from Detroit, Summers made 8 of 10 shots and scored 21 points against Tennessee in a 70-69 victory in the Midwest Regional final Sunday to cap a splendid four-game stretch that helped carry Michigan State to the Final Four.

Summers was 1 for 5 in that Big Ten tournament game against Minnesota, but in four N.C.A.A. tournament games, he has made 30 of 54 shots from the field (55 percent) and averaged 20 points a game. He was named the most outstanding player in the Midwest Region.

Lucas, an all-Big Ten guard, ruptured an Achilles’ tendon in a second-round tournament game against Maryland, but now the Spartans are headed to the Final Four with a player who was helping to rupture the team in early March.

“Through the whole tournament, my defense was on a different level,” Summers said. “It actually has been able to translate to my offense; I am so focused in on defense that nothing can break my focus on offense.

“That was a matter of me having to look in a mirror seeing what Coach is asking of me. Coach was telling me you don’t realize how you rub off on other people.”

Izzo was determined not to let Summers skate through. The coach said he had had other players, gifted players, who got away from him without being pushed to their potential. Izzo had no choice, he said, but to push Summers to an uncomfortable edge.

“When you go through a couple of guys like that in the past and it didn’t work out for them, I kind of vowed I’ll never let that happen again,” Izzo said. “Sometimes, people take things casually. And I think a lot of players do. And I’ve probably been harder on him because I think he has more to give. You know, when you have more to give, people are going to push you even harder.”

After the Big Ten tournament, Summers said he started meeting with Izzo and going over ways to increase his value to the team. Naturally, it started with being more devoted to defense. What Summers discovered was that when he played harder on defense, his offense came easier.

On Sunday, he ruined Tennessee with his shooting. The Volunteers concentrated on bearing down on Lucas’s replacement, Korie Lucious, but the Spartans were able to swing the ball toward Summers, who stroked shot after shot. He made 4 of 6 3-pointers, the last one with 2 minutes 47 seconds remaining, giving the Spartans a 69-66 lead. It was Michigan State’s final field goal of the game, and Summers turned to the bench and saw Izzo wink at him as if the player and coach had arrived at the peak together.

“In the beginning, we didn’t understand each other as much,” Summers said. “We talked some things out. We had to. It was tournament time.

“He felt like there were some things I wasn’t doing up to my ability. I eventually saw that. We watched a lot of film together and discussed some things, and I acknowledged that and I have just been trying to be a different player, a different person.”

Duke is Digging in on D

Good article from espn.com on how Duke looked themselves in the mirror and saw a fairly soft team and couldn't win in a grind-it-out type game. What did they do? They changed their mindsets and practice habits:

These Blue Devils like to play defense. And they're really pretty good at it. Good enough, in fact, to just turn the tide on Purdue, the stingiest team in a Big Ten that prefers to score points only on the solstice.

Duke out-down-and-dirtied the Boilermakers, 70-57, to advance to the Elite Eight for the first time since 2004 -- a hiccup by most programs standards, but a Dust Bowl Era drought by Duke's.

Think that's a coincidence?

"Probably not,'' Brian Zoubek admitted. "The reason we're here is our defense.''

The most maligned top seed in this NCAA tournament now remains as just one of two No. 1s to survive to the Elite Eight. Maybe along the way they've even silenced a few critics.

"We're a lot better,'' Jon Scheyer said. "In the past a lot of people said, and it was accurate, that we would have a hard time because we were smaller and too much of an offensive team to win games, especially games like this one. This team now has a lot more toughness.''

The toughness comes in all forms: not blinking when they can't score, outrebounding Purdue by 21, and yes, setting screens that serve as brick walls, a la Zoubek on Chris Kramer.

But Duke has been clamping down on everybody this season. This isn't a flash in the pan cooked up for the tournament; this is a decisive change in scheme.

Mike Krzyzewski has been preaching defense at his teams forever. It just hasn't always sunk in. It didn't always have to. Duke long has been able to mask its defensive inefficiencies with its offensive prowess. This group looked in the mirror and saw a team that could score but wasn't necessarily prolific.

They looked around the locker room and instead of a sea of guards discovered a forest of big men.

More they saw the memories of their greatest achievements stretching further and further in the rearview mirror.

"Why the change? A lot of tough experiences, a lot of losses,'' Zoubek said. "Losses because of our defense. We knew we weren't tough enough on defense and we had to start doing all the little things, the dirty work to get better.''

So the Devils turned practices into rugby scrums. They put on their knee pads, thigh pads, mouth guards and dug deep for the tenacity they knew they were lacking. They played team defense and worked separately, big men at one end of the floor, guards at the other. Regardless of the setup, the attitude was the same -- 100 percent all in.

"We wouldn't have won this game last year, I don't think,'' Singler said. "Now, this is just who we are. We're a more complete team. We can find a way to win.''

Winning Time

“At certain times in the game we just kind of huddled up and said it’s winning time. Pretty much what winning time means for us is we’re going to get down and bite the floor on defense and everything’s going to go through our defense.”

-Durrell Summers, Michigan St.

That's Durant with a capital 'D'

CNNSI had a good article today on how Kevin Durant has stepped up his defense this year for the Oklahoma City Thunder, who are having their best season in years so far.

Says one Western Conference scout:

"Anyone with his length and wingspan can be an above-average defender by putting in the effort. This year I noticed he's more engaged. He's getting into his stance much sooner and not standing around, and getting back [in transition]. That's great because he's still very young -- he just turned 21. When you're that gifted offensively as a teenager, you just don't think about defense that much. I give a lot of credit to [Thunder coach] Scottie Brooks for getting him to buy in."

Says coach Scott Brooks:

"I spent time with Kevin watching the NBA playoff series and talking things over this summer," Brooks said. "There were so many great moments where great players were the ones defending -- Kobe, Carmelo, Paul Pierce -- and so many times the winning basketball play was on defense.

"Kevin always had the effort, but he didn't have the knowledge or the physicalness in his body to go through an entire NBA season playing defense. This summer he got his mind and his body right. He understood that if he was committed, we would be a much better team. We focused on defense from Day One, and when one of your better players is one of your better defenders, it makes coaching easier. I mean, he leads our team in rebounding, steals, blocks."

"Knowing when to stay with your man and when to help out is one of the hardest things for young players coming in," Brooks said, "because you think you're playing defense if you're guarding your man, but you also have to be aware of what might happen three passes away.

"We like to be as disruptive as possible, pushing people to the baseline, defending tight in the paint and closing out on shooters. We constantly talk about having a hand up in guys' faces -- you have to contest to make NBA players miss. And we like to force extra passes and get deflections. Kevin is a big part of all of that."

Hayes fever grips Rockets

Terrific article by Richard Justice in the Houston Chronicle this week about Rockets forward Chuck Hayes, who is a favorite in the Houston locker room:

Chuck Hayes is the most remarkable player on the NBA's most remarkable team. How's that for an opening sentence? Good one, huh?

Don't believe me? Let's check in at Toyota Center and run it past some people who should know.

“Luis Scola and I were talking in the weight room this morning,” Shane Battier said, “and we both agreed Chuck Hayes is our favorite player in the NBA.”

How so?

“It's pretty amazing what he does,” Battier said. “He's a huge reason we've been one of the best defensive teams in the league the last few years.”

How about you, Carl Landry? Do you love Hayes as much as the rest of us?

“He's the perfect player,” Landry said. “He rebounds, plays defense, takes charges, gets steals. He does the dirty work.”

Is that right, Scola?

“It's a pleasure to play with him,” Scola said. “He plays hard. He does everything a basketball player should do. He's a great teammate.”

Surely someone disagrees. Coach Rick Adelman, are you ready to get rid of the Chuck Wagon?

“He's incredible,” Adelman said. “You watch him play that game (against the Lakers on Wednesday) against a 7-1 guy (Andrew Bynum). That guy is a really good young player. He gets 17 points and 17 rebounds. Chuck ends up with 14 and 14.

“When he's on the court, we're so different. Right now, he's confident and making some plays for himself. He's playing with a lot of freedom. I marvel at what he gets done against certain people in this league.”

Once upon a time, Hayes was one of the NBA's best-kept secrets. Only the Rockets seemed to know how good he was. Jeff Van Gundy fell in love with him midway through about one practice, and then Adelman arrived and did the same thing.

Size doesn't matter

Hayes' teammates love him, too. He's likable, decent and funny. The Rockets love Hayes because of who he is and what he is.

He's an NBA center. He's also 6-6, 238 pounds.

“And that's being generous,” Battier said.

Almost every night, he's assigned to guard a guy at least 6 inches taller and 30 to 40 pounds heavier. He does it because of his heart, drive and smarts. He's maybe the NBA's strongest player, with strong hands and a strong base, and when he positions himself in the low block, no one moves him.

Opposing centers can shoot over Hayes or pull him away from the basket and get a shot off. But if they're hoping to make a living against him in the low post, they're going to have the fight of their lives.

These first few games of a new season have amounted to a coming-out party for Hayes. The Rockets no longer have Yao Ming and Dikembe Mutombo, and so Hayes is averaging 29 minutes a game.

That's around 10 more a game than he has gotten in the other four years of his career. No Rocket is doing more with his minutes. No Rocket is more indispensable.

Hayes is averaging 8.8 points and 7.8 rebounds. He's out there because of what he gives the Rockets defensively, but when teams ignore him on offense, his teammates have begun to look for him. His 64.7-percent shooting percentage is the NBA's fifth-best. He's seventh in the league with 2.4 steals a game.

He does not fly like Kobe Bryant. He does not have Dwight Howard's size. He doesn't have Tim Duncan's slick moves.

All Hayes proves is that guys who care and work hard can still do special things.

“He's a competitor,” Rockets assistant coach Elston Turner said. “It's the way he competes every night. It's the way he's coachable and knowledgeable. Those are things we love. When you can compete, sometimes it doesn't matter if you're undersized. Sometimes winning and losing is just a matter of who plays the hardest.”

Bingo. If someone had told you last summer the Rockets would open this shorthanded season by splitting a pair of games with Portland, by winning at Salt Lake City and Golden State and by taking the Lakers to overtime before losing, you probably wouldn't have believed it.

Becoming a believer

The Rockets might be the NBA's smallest team. They have zero All-Stars. They're just a bunch of guys who exemplify how much can be accomplished with teamwork and unselfishness.

General manager Daryl Morey has said that playing hard is a skill, too. He meant that plenty can be accomplished by teams that outwork the other guys.

Around the NBA, they've taken notice. Jerry Sloan and Phil Jackson both singled out Hayes and the Rockets for praise. Inside the home locker room at Toyota Center, there has been zero surprise factor.

“In our locker room, we believed,” Hayes said. “It's going to be a collective achievement throughout the whole team. Everybody has to do their part.”

Sefolosha Up for Any Challenge

Oklahoma City Thunder guard/forward Thabo Sefolosha routinely draws the assignment of the other teams best player. Last night it was Kobe Byrant, who he did a very good job on:

“Definitely going up against a guy like this is a challenge,” Sefolosha said of Bryant, “and I love that.”

Sefolosha knows that there isn't much he can do to stop a great player like Bryant, so he just tries to keep him in front of him:

“There’s not a lot you can take away from him but just make every shot he takes difficult with a hand near his face or close to his shooting hand,” Sefolosha said. “You know he’s going to go with different moves. He can do it all. He can penetrate and shoot the outside shot. You can’t really take it away, just stay in front of him.”

Thunder veteran guard Kevin Ollie has very high praise for Sefolosha, who was recently rewarded with a new four year contract:

“That’s all that defense comes down to: it’s heart,” Ollie said. “ It’s some technique but it’s heart and trying to stop your man because a lot of guys don’t want to play defense, they don’t want to challenge themselves because it’s not a glamorous spot where you’re going to be on SportsCenter or do anything like that. It’s just a man-on-man desire to stop your man and have that self fortitude and I think he has all of those characteristics.”

2009-10 GM Survey Results: Defense

Click on this link for a survey on who are the best individual & team defenders in the league. There is a common theme among the players listed: they are all leaders on their teams:

Scores and Stops

"There's not a team in the league that can't score the basketball," Wallace said. "But the good teams are the ones that can do both -- score and get stops. Some nights you really can't control whether that ball goes in the basket or not. You can get the best look, get the best shot, but sometimes it just don't go.

"You can always control your defensive energy. You can get up and pressure guys and make their job tough."

Championship Communication

Good stuff from Coach Eastman's website:

We all want our teams to talk on defense, but do we really get them to understand how important it is and what it does for us and to the opponent? Defensive communication is so important because it:

• Intimidates: especially when the opponent knows that you know everything they're running -- because your players are calling out the plays and coverages as soon as they hear the call!

• Gives your defense a head start: alerting a teammate of the action before it happens is critical to successful defense.

• Gives the man on the ball more confidence: if he knows he has help and protection behind him, he'll be much more confident and aggressive.

• Wakes up a disengaged defender: talking to a player who's not paying attention on defense can alert him to get back and re-engaged.

• Catches a mistake before it happens: so many times we have alerted a player to an offensive action before it caught him and that kept us from dealing with a mistake

• Energizes your teammates: talking teams always seem to play with more energy – it’s a fact of basketball!

Playing time based on defense

Last year, San Diego State head coach Steve Fisher made it a point for his staff to link defensive effort to playing time.

"The nice thing about our team is that if a person doesn't compete hard, we've got somebody else that we can put in. I don't want anybody playing out of fear or afraid to make a mistake, but I want them on edge to the point if where they don't play hard, there's going to be a reason they'll be playing fewer minutes."

Commitment to Defense

"Defense is not something you work on; it's something you commit to mentally. If you want to be the best player you can be, you have to be mentally crazy about basketball."

-Michael Pietrus, Orlando forward

South Carolina's Defensive Notes

Some notes from head caoch Darrin Horn of South Carolina:

*Two Defensive Keys:

1. What is our identity?

-It doesn't matter what it is necessarily, it just matters that you have one that you and your players firmly believe in. "What do we want to be about?" You have to ask yourself and it needs to be something that you and your players say "This is who we are. This is what we hang our hats on."

2. What are we willing to live with?

-Every defense has a fallback. We want to pressure you the length of the court and because of this, we will give up some easy layups. So, you must ask yourself "What are you willing to give up?"

*Two non-negotiables we have in our program:

1. Don't give up middle

2.Pressure (length and versatility are a must for us)

-At South Carolina they aren't very technical, it's more of a matter of "just get it done". Because

of this, as much of their drills is about creating a mentality than anything else.

-What we believe: play hard and play with trust that your teammate will be there to help you.

-The method we take in instilling our defensive philosophy is whole-part-whole. We'll show them everything, break it down and then build it back up.

-Every drill, everything we do defensively has to be loud. There needs to be a talking aspect to everything we do.

-The most important steps in conversion defense are the first 3. You must sprint these out.