Around The Basketball League: Veteran Head Coach Mark Anderson Has Owensboro Thoroughbreds Off And Running In TBL
The coach and GM discusses the start to TBL season, how Owensboro is growing together as a team and organization in Kentucky, and what he’s learned about himself through his lengthy coaching career…
Owensboro, Kentucky — When Mark Anderson isn’t physically busy during weekday afternoons leading the Owensboro Thoroughbreds through practice rigors at The REC: First Baptist Church in Owensboro, Kentucky, the veteran coach is mentally spending lengthy hours breaking down footage and compiling upcoming scouting reports with the Kokomo BobKats and Lebanon Leprechauns next up on the Week 4 schedule.
It’s a steady diet of mapping out practice plans at breakfast and analyzing game film by dinner time.
The hours strung out in-between, that’s where Coach Anderson gets to the heart of teaching the facets of basketball with care, compassion, and an effective communication style that’s helped Owensboro jump out to a 4-2 overall record by winning their first four games of the season in a competitive Lower Midwest Conference. Going on 20 years of experience in coaching, the Thoroughbreds couldn’t ask for a better fit in Coach Anderson who also doubles his duties as General Manager. He speaks equally about the team’s level of talent as much as their personal character and desire to succeed as professionals.
After getting his start by coaching high school basketball in the state of Indiana, Coach Anderson moved on to win an NJCAA D2 National Championship at Cuyahoga Community College, and counts D3 Hiram college in Ohio, and the University of Akron Wayne College among his college coaching stops. Along with working at the McCracken Basketball Camp since 1983, it’s his vast experience coaching in the NBA Development League (NBDL, now the G League) and in semi-professional that’s ultimately led Coach Anderson’s coaching journey to continue in The Basketball League with the Owensboro Thoroughbreds.
On Tuesday evening, Around The Basketball League went one-on-one with Coach Mark Anderson to discuss the start to the TBL season, how Owensboro is growing together as a team and organization, and what he’s learned the most about himself through his lengthy coaching career…
How would you describe these past couple of months and bringing the team together to tip-off the 2022 TBL season in Owensboro?
It’s been hectic in a good way from the time the draft took place in early February and then training camp started two weeks after that. We assembled a team that has great character, they put in the work not only when we practice but also on their own.
It helps that we have a dedicated practice facility — The REC: First Baptist Church — where the players are given a membership to access the weights and gym anytime of the day, plus they wash our practice gear so I don’t have to. Having Jaiveon Eaves and Darhius Nunn back plus Davon Hays (who played here in 2020) makes assimilating the other 8 players to what we want done on the court easier. Having assistant coach Brad Zellner back is big too. He does a lot for us with advanced scouting, game planning, practice ideas, and knowing the league.
We had a tough weekend with 3 games in 3 days with 2 of the 3 on the road. It was a good test even though we went 1-2 we had the opportunity to win each game as we had the lead in the last minute of the 2 losses. We have a great situation here with housing and amenities thanks to Team Market Owner Chris Allison. He allows me and Brad to make the basketball decisions and he takes care of the rest. Overall, the first month of the season has been good even though 4-2 right now we play better as we shore up a few things at the end of games and settle into rotations. It’ll go fast as only 12 weeks in the season and an All-Star Weekend in the middle of it.
You have coached for a while now and at various levels from high school, to college, professionally in the G League (NBDL), and with McCracken Basketball Camp. How is this experience in TBL and with Owensboro making you grow as a coach? What have you learned the most about yourself as a coach during your time with the organization?
My experience in Owensboro has been great. I have had the opportunity to assemble teams the way I think that can compete for a title. We had that last season but a season ending knee injury to Corey Wilford two weeks before the playoffs made it difficult to get there. This season we have the multiple players that can score, defend, play various positions, and have the same goal in mind.
I think what I’ve learned the most is trust my instincts on personnel, and game situations. I have become more open-minded when it comes to player input and willing to trust them based on their playing experiences and basketball IQ. Again, I give a lot of credit to Chris Allison for hiring me and allowing me to lead the Thoroughbreds and coach in The Basketball League.
What’s been your biggest message to the guys over these last couple of days?
Communication on defense. We know we can score but we need to defend better and rebound. And I told them I will do a better job at end of game. We showed clips today of our transition offense and defense over four games emphasis though was on defense and what things we do better. We had a great practice today and we are holding each other accountable in the right way.
Can you share more about your your daily routine as a coach? Are you a game film in the morning or late at night kind of guy?
In the morning I get a practice plan ready and scout information together. We are practicing at 12:30-2pm this week and next, so I’ll watch film clips in the evening and take notes. Early on we were practicing in the evenings so I got a lot done prior to it. Also a huge plus is InStat scouting as you can get so much information on who are playing. I try to keep the scouts to couple of pages with player tendencies, charts and comparisons.
When you look back on your coaching career and travels to arrive in TBL, who do you count as influences or gain inspiration from along the way?
I have three coaches that I learned from: 1) my high school coach Gay Martin, Woodlan High School (Woodburn, Indiana). As a player he trusted me and was always prepared for practice. He hired me to coach my 1st team 7th Grade boys in 1987. 2) Gerald Eash, Westview High School (Topeka, Indiana), I was his assistant for three years and he taught how to win with class and how to manage star players. He won 81% of his games! 3) David McCracken, son of legendary Indiana University coach Branch McCracken, he hired me as a counselor in 1983 for basketball camp called Hoosier Basketball Camp (now the McCracken Basketball Camp). I learned how to teach the game fundamentals and still work the camp I’m in my 37th year been a site director since 1995. The only three summers I didn’t do a camp there was 1987 (graduated college), 1989 (got married), and 2020 (Covid).
I learned a long time ago I got be me when it comes to coaching and not try to emulate a style that doesn’t fit. I was a micro manager as high school coach and once I started coaching in college my dad noticed right away that I had changed my philosophy in the first game he saw me coach. I allowed the players to play. I have a supportive wife who coaches also. She will point out things to me in our conversations after watching game on TBLTV! Also, networking in the TBL has created great friendships with coaches like Cliff Levingston, Ed Corporal, Scott Newman, and many others. Listening to Carlnel Wiley breakdown pro basketball offenses helped me make adjustments to what I was doing too.
I cannot forget the 4th coach who got me into professional basketball and that’s Don Sellers (Former NBA scout too, who won multiple championships in the minor leagues and gave me a quote I use at the beginning of training camp “make wherever you play your NBA”. In other words, do what you would do if the Lakers or Warriors called you up. Take care of your body, work on your craft, and use all possible amenities at your disposal. We have those things right here in Owensboro.
*Photo credits: Owensboro Thoroughbreds
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Wendell Maxey has covered and written about professional basketball and sports for 19 years and has previously been featured on ESPN.com, NBA.com, USA Today, FOX Sports, and SLAM Magazine among other publications and outlets. Connect with him on Twitter and LinkedIn or read through his archive on Linktree.