"The Game Honors Toughness"

Brad Stevens incorporates the philosophy "the game honors toughness" into his program. "You have to have a defensive mind-set when things aren't going your way," he said. "You can't just make that up on the fly. It has to be ingrained."

Toughness is not an action but consistency in how you play. We've all distributed Jay Bilas' 'Toughness' qualifiers. But it only matters when players embrace toughness possession by possession, action by action. 

I was assisting at a game today (my team was off) and taking some notes to share after the game because 'toughness' became an issue. Our team became frustrated when the game wasn't going their way. 

Toughness demands attention to detail and better listening to your coaches who add value to your play and your life. 

Toughness begins with fundamentals and continues with defensive awareness and each player assuming proper stance every possession on or off the ball. It continues with the rapid conversion from defense to offense or offense to defense.

Regardless of the score, your effort defines you as a player and as a team. You cannot control the conditions, the crowd, your opponent, or the officiating. But you control your attitude, choices, and effort. Control what you can control. Great offense follows multiple actions and great defense succeeds with multiple efforts.  

How you play defines who you are. "The game honors toughness."