BOULDER – When Alina Hartmann touched down in Colorado last summer, she learned a couple of things very quickly about basketball in the USA: First, defense was required; second, so was communication.
As a rising young star on the European hoops scene, communicating on the court in her native German was never a problem. Playing defense was hardly a concern either, mainly because, in Hartmann’s words, “In Europe everyone can shoot, get to the basket and score. But no one can defend. Yeah, having to play defense was different.”
And playing ‘D’ well – as well as playing the game itself – requires talking with teammates.