NEW YORK — University of Louisville Coach Rick Pitino and a group of uncoordinated 12-year-old girls know how credit unions could conquer big banks in the financial marketplace. Run the full-court press.

During his general session at CUNA's America's Credit Union Conference at the New York Hilton, best-selling author Malcolm Gladwell shared an anecdotal example of how basketball teams have emerged victorious over more talented teams by running the full-court press, a defensive strategy that seriously hampers the other team's ability to run its offense, but requires considerable endurance.

He told the story of a group of 12-year-old girls in Menlo Park, Calif. who lacked athletic ability, yet went all the way to the national championship because of the defensive strategy. The game plan was the idea of their coach, businessman Vivek Ranadive, whose daughter was on the team. ­Ranadive purchased the NBA's Sacramento Kings earlier this year.