To get on the court, you have to defend

Twelve games into the season, Steve Fisher's 9-3 San Diego State team has one of the top scoring defenses in the country.

That's the result of Coach Fisher and his staff doing more than simply emphasizing defense.

They've linked defensive effort to playing time.

“The nice thing about our team is that if a person doesn't compete hard, we've got somebody else that we can put in. I don't want anybody playing out of fear or afraid to make a mistake, but I want them on edge to the point if where they don't play hard, there's going to be a reason they'll be playing fewer minutes.”

As this article puts it, "Fail to play defense and you can be rest assured of taking a seat."

According to sophomore guard D.J. Gay, one of the nation's leading scorers as a high school senior:

“Everybody has bought into what we're doing defensively and everybody wants to play. But to get on the court, you have to defend; if you don't, you're coming out. Guys are playing their hardest to stay on the court.”