Defense: the buy-in

It is a fairly universal rule that you will not play defense if you do not want to play defense. Defense does not make headlines, does not the big cheers, does not stuff the stat sheets, does not make All-Conference teams. And all that is what 20-year-old kids want. So why play defense? That is logical. Some coaches take the easy way out and cater to that natural inclination of youth, ignore defense, and build their programs on high-octane offenses with defense strictly as an afterthought. Others, however, tell players that if they do not play defense, they are not going to play - and then make them believe it. The kid has to buy stock in Defense, Inc., or sit on the bench. Any coach who goes that route (the right route) has to build a strong support system within the team for defense, because they likely will not get it from the crowd, unless it is an exceptionally well-educated basketball crowd, of which there are not very many.