BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Kario Oquendo led Georgia in scoring last season at 15.2 points per game, including an impressive 18.3 ppg in SEC play.

However, under first-year coach Mike White, it’s Oquendo’s role on the defensive end that gets stressed every day.

“I probably hear about defense more than any player in the country every single day in practice,” smiled Oquendo, speaking Wednesday at SEC Media Days. “But that’s what we want to hang our hat on this year.”

Defense has certainly been an early focus for the Bulldogs. It’s easy to understand why.

Last year, Georgia was dead last in the SEC in points allowed, giving up 78.5 points per game. Opponents also shot an average of 47.3 percent against the Bulldogs, also the worst in the league.

“It’s just more emphasized this year,” Oquendo said. “That’s a big thing for Coach White, getting stops and letting your defense dictate your offense.”

The good news is, that area of the game appears to be ahead of schedule.

"It's something that we stress. Each coach in our league has their own belief system in terms of where they are going to place their non-negotiables and what's important to them,” White said. “I've always been a defensive guy.”

Oquendo said when White first told him and the rest of the team his plans, it hit them a little bit strange.

“I think at first when Coach came to me and told me this is what we were going to be doing, it was kind of hard to grasp it at first because it was a different concept than it was last year,” Oquendo said. “That’s definitely going to help us out throughout the league.”

So far, everyone appears to be receptive.

Practices thus far have not been easy. Intensity has been an every day theme, and according to White, he’s seeing progress.

“Our guys to this point have been really good, really receptive in terms of embracing the fact that we've got to guard to compete at a high level in this league,” White said. “This is a real basketball league these days, and if we're not competitive defensively, we won't have a chance. Getting a bunch of stops gives us a chance night in and night out regardless of whether it's going in for us or not."

Oquendo said he can already tell a difference – both in the team’s play and his own personal game.

“They’re basically just asking me to go out and play as hard as I can,” Oquendo said. “Last year, I wasn’t asked to do as much so at first, I was adjusting, I was tired, but now I feel like if I go out and get a block or make a steal, then the team will hype up around that.”

White’s hoping that’s the case.

“Obviously, we're going to try to be as good as we can offensively, and I've had teams where we are a little bit better offensively than we are defensively,” White said. “Early on in practice, especially this time of year, we're going to focus a lot of our energy on trying to get some stops. Hopefully that gives us a chance night in and night out.”