Defend without fouling... Kings & Queens

1. Defend without fouling - it has to be taught, drilled, watched on film. You have to take the macho out of it and put brain power into it. Can you defend tough without committing a foul. 
2. Make them hate quitting - how quickly does your team quit? When they are done 10, 20, 30, 40. You have to teach the team not to quit, they have to hate quitting. It's not about hating to lose, but hating to quit. Consequences in practice should be more geared around guys quitting rather than losing. If they game is to 15 and they lose 15-4 after quitting vs losing by only a couple of points because they quit. Punishments are based on margins of loss. 
3. Toughness is King - men are kind of brute and aggressive and have toughness and grittiness, and that is crucial to success. "Toughness is being able to physically and emotionally perform your task through any condition." -"If things are going well in home game, do you get caught up in that, or do you keep playing the right way?" -"If things are going poorly and the other team is on a run, do you say 'I have a job to do and I'm going to do it, and i don't care that everyone is going nuts about a drunk by the other team' That is toughness. The hardest thing to do is stay in the moment and do your job.  
4. Passing is Queen - if toughness is king then passing is Queen. Passing takes a willingness to do what is best for everyone else, it shows intelligence, critical thinking. There is a selflessness to the passing, there is a strong and silent confidence to passing the ball. A game of chess requires the diversity of the Queen. 
5. Bluff 90% of the time, Help 10% - defense is about bluffing, acting like you are going to do something without the intention of every doing it. How can you bluff your way into a good defender. 
6. Jump to the ball - jump to the ball
7. No plays with strong hand - don't let them make plays going to their strong hand at 8 feet. make them go to their weakness. 
8. Rebound - Rebound first, then run