1.  Don’t give up easy shots if you want to win big.

2.  Two areas that are vital.

-         If a team gets up and down and doesn’t have to work – poor transition defense

-         Refuse to get beat by a great post player

3.  Always take a guy out if he loafs in a game.

4.  Transition defense – be in two places at once if you want to be successful.

5.  Transition defense

-         Recognition

-         Anticipation

-         Reaction

-         Communication

-         Rotation

-         Stance

-         Vision

6.  The way you defend the post dictates how you play everything else – most people don’t have a philosophy with post defense. 

-         ¾ to behind on the pass

-         No feed from the top

-         Don’t go for steals

-         No lobs

-         Behind

-         Front

7.  Good players have pass and shot fakes in their games

8.  Closeouts – Great teams know how to close out

-         Short choppy steps

-         High heads and then settle into your stance

-         No rhythm shots are allowed

-         Level off the dribble – get him going sideways

-         Take away the straight drive

-         Bother the shooter

9.  Off Ball Defense

-         Must be able to get the ball and pressure it.

-         Your positioning is your help!

-         Closed stance line of ball is vital.

10. When you are doing defensive drills you want the defense to score and be aggressive.  Make the defense gets stops – build toughness and discipline.

11. Rebounding

-         Bigs – Get to man, make and maintain contact

-         Guards – Go to man, make contact, and then go find the ball.

12. Great coaches do the same thing the 1^st day of practice and the last day of practice every year.

13. Screens – Chase the guy down

-         If you touch the guy at all times you will not get screened.

-         If you are guarding the screen you will help any and all guys you can but must stay attached – help in the direction the cutter is going!

14. The more you allow switching the more it will hurt your opponents early in the season but it will handicap your team late in the season.

-         You can only switch if you have a very mature team

15. Things that make you lose!

-         Can’t reach – if you reach you will lose.

-         Silence

-         Low hands

-         Over helping by the bigs

-         Help and stand – they don’t get back to their responsibilities

-         Lateness to trap or choke

-         Lack of floor burns

16.  Help comes from the guards on defense, not from the bigs.