Texas Tech's Darko Cohadarevic (31) shoots for a basket as East Central's (Okla.) Justin Wilkerson (33) and Tyler Thetford (15) defend during their Nov. 20 game at the United Spirit Arena. Texas Tech won 167-115. (Merissa Ferguson)

Ten months ago, John Roberson’s mom, Valerie, TiVoed her son’s nationally televised basketball game against Stanford. Roberson says Texas Tech’s defense in the 111-66 loss was so terrible he couldn’t bring himself to watch the game when he was home in Plano this summer and realized it was still saved.

“They weren’t even good in their conference, and we beat some teams that beat them,” Roberson said. “We weren’t focused at all. It was embarrassing.”

Tech men’s basketball has made improving its defense priority No. 1 this season, beginning when the team takes the court at 5 p.m. Friday for the official start of practice.

After averaging 78 points per game in 2008-09, head coach Pat Knight knows his team is capable of running the complex motion offense with precision. Guarding against the Big 12 Conference’s best is another matter. Tech’s opponents outscored the Red Raiders by just 0.9 points, yet the team finished the season 13-18 overall, including 3-13 in the conference and 0-11 on the road.

“We need to give up about 60, 62 points, so we’ve got to make a big change from a defensive standpoint,” Knight said. “Our offense can be run badly and we can still score from an offensive standpoint.”

Part of the problem, Knight said, was a lack of athleticism and depth. The Raiders had few go-to bench players, cornering the coach when starters began to slack on defense. That’s changed this season, with the addition of five newcomers, including three junior college transfers Knight expects to see in the starting lineup or as the first players off the bench.

Theron Jenkins has a soft touch and a strong shot. Brad Reese has a versatile inside-outside game. And David Tairu is already known as one of the hardest-working, toughest attackers on the team.

For returnees like sophomore Robert Lewandowski, who started 19 games in the post, it means if they don’t produce on both ends of the court, they’ll be sitting out. Last season, he said, players often brushed it off when opponents beat them to the basket, attributing the score to a great shot rather than poor hustle on Tech’s end.

“This year it’s a totally different mindset,” he said. “Coach has made it very clear if we don’t play defense, it’s our heads. That’s something everyone on this team can do, from the walk-ons to the top scholarship guys. Everyone can play defense.”

Now, Lewandowski said, players are focused on shutting down passes before they even happen. When someone does allow an uncontested shot, there will also be more accountability from not only the coaches, but the players as well.

Roberson said that starts with him and senior Mike Singletary, the undisputed leaders on the court and in the locker room. When Roberson breaks down what went wrong in games like that trip to Stanford, he said the primary problem was communication. As a sophomore last season, he didn’t quite know how to step up and motivate his teammates. He said there were points in the year when he simply had no words for the team. Now he and Singletary talk to each other and everyone else about each problem as soon as they see it.

“I don’t want to go through that again,” Roberson said. “This year I’ve made it a point to be on the same page with all the guys.”

Knight says the first step will be emphasizing defense in practice. He admits that last year he was so wrapped up in perfecting the offense, defense became a secondary concern.

Now he promises to focus on defense in practice, and to bench players who don’t focus on it in games.

“If you don’t have guys up against a wall from a playing standpoint, they know there’s nobody who can substitute for them and they’re going to get away with more mistakes,” he said. “Now they know if you screw up on defense, you’re coming out. We didn’t have that capability last year.”

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