Defense Wins Championships

All of us sports fans have heard it said that "Defense Wins Championships".  Though that axiom has a lot of legitimacy, it is hard to say whether it is 100% true.  Lots of things go into winning a championship. However, I must say that this year, it seemed that I noticed more winning coaches praising their team's defensive efforts as the main reason for their success.  This has gotten me to thinking about my team and whether or not we should emphasize defense even more next year. It probably can't hurt. Regardless, here are some of the examples that I am talking about when it comes to defense helping a team win a basketball championship.

Rob Edmisson, coach of the NAIA championship Oklahoma City University women's team, said "We defended so well, especially on their All-American (Lavanda Ross). We held her (Ross) to very few looks and really made it tough for her to be effective. Defense wins championships, we say that all the time and it proved itself tonight."

Rick Pitino may not have won a championship, but he did lead his unsung Louisville Cardinals to the NCAA's Final Four before bowing out to the eventual champions.  His team made a tourney run with, arguably, the best defense in the nation.

Kentucky's John Calipari obviously had the most talented team all year.  They were balanced on offense, exciting in transition and have futures at the next level.  However, in the biggest game on the biggest stage, they brought a suffocating defense.  "They won it on defense,'' said Calipari. "Unbelievable defense to get that 18-point lead in the first half."

Brittney Griner, the national defensive player of the year, was undoubtedly the most dominating force in women's basketball all year.  At 6'8", she seems to impact every possession of a game.  Combine this with her teammate's defensive tenacity and it is understandable how Baylor University and coach Kim Mulkey were able to take care of some unfinished business and win its' second National Championship this year.

Championship Lessons Learned at NAIA National Tournament

From March 10-20, I spent time serving on the NAIA National Tournament Committee.  It was a bittersweet experience.  Meeting all the coaches, watching all the games, observing many practices and helping the tournament run smoothly was great.  However, it was difficult watching the teams play knowing that we had been fairly close to qualifying ourselves.  If only we'd won 1-2 more games, we might have been one of the 32-teams that earned a bid.  I must say that Rob Edmission's Oklahoma City University team was extremely impressive throughout the entire tournament.  They beat Union University in the championship game, which is no small feat.  As I watched the games and thought about how to get my team to the tournament, I came up with some observations. In no particular order, I have listed them below.  

1. "Want to" is not the same as "committed to".  Everyone wants to win, but these teams were committed to winning.  They were committed to the process.  They were willing to do extra.  They invested a great deal into achieving their goals.
2. Your roster, talent or "potential" are not as important as the way you actually play.
3. You have to have a point guard that is legit.
4. Whether you have a team of stars or a star with special role players, they must be the hardest workers. The Final Four teams were some of the hardest working teams I have seen.  Prima-donnas and entitled players don't work at the national tournament.
5. You can't let distractions sidetrack you. Coach yelling at you...not getting enough shots...don't like playing at 8:30am.  Doesn't matter. Dysfunction doesn't work.  Drama doesn't win.  Distractions are not acceptable.
6. Many of the same teams go to nationals. It is not always because of politics. Rather, I think it has to do with culture. Those teams have a culture of winning. It permeates what they do year in and year out. They expect to win but they don't take it for granted. The go out and earn what they get.
7. All-Americans are legit. I saw talented players not named First-Team All-American. However, the players that were on the First-Team were very deserving. They impacted the games they were in. They earned what they got. They were not just talented, but they played like they were the best. They made a difference on nearly every play.
8. There is a fine line between winning and losing at the national tournament. Upsets are likely. Unlike the "Big Dance", there are only 32 teams in the NAIA tourney. 25 ranked teams and then 7 others. That means there are very few gimmees, if any. One bracket saw the 5-8 seeds beat the 1-4 seeds. Outside of the best two teams (Union and Oklahoma City), there was very little differences.
9. Scoring is important, but you NEED a strong defense to win. Defenses were varied, but no team with only an offense made it very far in the tournament. In fact, one of the #1 seeds (Freed Hardeman) had one of the top defenses in the nation coming into the tourney. For some reason, their defense (and their rebounding) was not in attendance in their first round double-overtime upset loss.
10. Pressure defense and trapping are very effective (even against skilled offensive players) provided, the players work hard, don't foul, are athletic and rotate quickly and effectively.