NCDS: Rob Lanier, Asst. Coach - Florida ("Improved Defense")

We are now 10 games into conference play. You often hear the phrase: "It's a marathon, not a sprint" when coaches are referring to the grind of a college basketball season. It happens to be true and is never more evident than in conference play. We are beyond the halfway point in the SEC and while it appears time has flown by we still have so much basketball to play as we look ahead.

Our team has managed to show a high level of resiliency which is critical when you get into conference play. Its not only of importance throughout the course of the season but it is also vital during the course of each game. Scouting is so intense and the familiarity that teams have with one another is so high that each game is going to provide tremendous swings of momentum.

What our team has been able to do of late, for the most part, is respond in situations when it might seem that things are not working in our favor. We have won three tough overtime games (at Tennessee, at Georgia in Double OT and home vs Vanderbilt) in the SEC and managed to hold off a tough and talented Kentucky team last night (Sat Feb 5th) after they came back from down 13 to take the lead late in the second half.

For us, it has everything to do with our defense. we are not a great defensive just yet but we have been good and because our players have developed some pride in that area we have a chance to improve. Our players have really gotten better at understanding the importance of scouting and preparation going into games. In particular, our freshmen have really grown in that regard which has allowed them to contribute to varying degrees in some intense settings.

So a major emphasis for us in scouting has emerged as a result of our improved defense. We have put a heavy focus in the concept of attempting to eliminate our opponents "Execution Baskets". That simply means we have the goal each game of trying to prevent our opponents from scoring on their have court sets or out of bounds plays for that entire game. We feel like it is difficult enough to defend the talent we have to face each night that if you allow teams to score off their sets we really are putting ourselves at a disadvantage. It is a goal of every team, of course but for us it has become a point of emphasis that has registered with our players and has triggered a sense of pride in them. So, although it isn't a ground-breaking thought process it has connected with the team which always your aim as a coach.

We like the fact that if we do surrender an "Execution Basket" to an opponent that it will actually bother our players in much the same way it would disturb us coaches (not quite, but you know what I'm saying).

Anytime, your group truly embraces the correlation between good defense and winning you have an opportunity to play at a high level. We are certainly not a complete team at this point and don't happen to be great in any one area but with a lot of basketball left to play we have at least put ourselves in position to be successful.

Our upcoming schedule is tough. We just were fortunate to beat a South Carolina team that totally outplayed us on our homecourt several weeks ago, and now we come home to face Tennessee... then at LSU, Georgia, at Kentucky, Alabama and at Vanderbilt. We will need to continue to grow if we are to have the kind of success we want to have with that slate in front of us.

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