Everyone Has A Story To Tell In TBL: Recapping An Unforgettable 2022 Basketball Season
Players, coaches, Team Market Owners, and play-by-play announcers alike all get a chance to shine in and out of the game in The Basketball League
What a season.
After 19 years of covering professional basketball from the NBA, the NBA G-League, college basketball, and overseas hoops, the past five months of chronicling The Basketball League has been extremely refreshing with countless stories behind stories to tell from the over 600 players in the league, coaches, Team Market Owners, and even team play-by-play announcers. These men and women that make up TBL really are chasing down a dream. The aim and focus throughout the launch and longevity of Around The Basketball League on Substack since starting back in March was to bring readers closer to the league with an independent voice and look at the news, updates, insight, and interviews from around The Basketball League. With Thursday night’s conclusion of the season after the Shreveport Mavericks upset the Albany Patroons by forcing overtime at the Washington Avenue Armory to become the 2022 TBL Champions, consider this mission accomplished.
Before officially closing the door on this adventure and venture, however, it’s worth noting that the success of Around The Basketball League wouldn’t be possible without you taking the time to read, reach out, leave comments, and follow along on this hardwood journey. It goes without saying but will be said regardless: Thank you! This has indeed been a passion project, one where the posts, interviews, and stories have become the real story this season. If you have at all enjoyed following along this season, I ask that you please consider making a donation and show your support to help keep Around The Basketball League up and running (you can make your contribution via PayPal at maxeyjr@hotmail.com or Venmo at @Wendell-Maxey) this offseason and looking ahead to the 2023 TBL season.
With that being said, here is a look back on this 2022 TBL season through the stories and one-on-ones that highlighted each step along the way, on and off of the court:
“I’m a walking testimony. These hardships make me go even harder. I could have easily given up on a lot but I keep fighting to grow and be better to be successful and still do to this day. You’ll never know that I’m going through all of this because I don’t show it…That’s the main goal right there: to win it all. That’s what it is all about.” – Paul Parks (Shreveport Mavericks)
“I was confident we would be successful because I had a coaching staff in place before I agreed to take the job. A talented and experienced staff. I knew we would be able to get good players but it was important to get the right players, guys who were going to embrace the team mentality and who were committed to winning.” – Head Coach Will Brown (Albany Patroons)
“Myles has been a Type 1 diabetic since the age of 7. Without insulin, he would not survive. And his sister has been as well since age 11. He has had to learn how to live with this chronic disease, take care of his body pre games and post games and initially they thought he would not be able to play sports at such a high level.” – Donna Copeland on her son, TBL player, firefighter, and hero Myles Copeland (Toledo Glass City)
“I think if my story tells anything it says to never stop working no matter what your circumstances are. No matter where you grow up or even if people don’t believe in you because it simply has never been done before. Just keep pushing. I beat the odds and I’m still beating odds.” – Deon Lyle (Potawatomi Fire)
“I enjoy seeing the players smile and being around each other away from the court. It’s a short season with 24 games but it’s packed into 13 weeks so having breaks here and there is good for morale but it can help chemistry too!” – Head Coach Mark Anderson (Owensboro Thoroughbreds)
“The toughest thing about being a father and playing professionally, is watching your child grow and you’re not there but it makes you question your work ethic. I believe it helps me, because now every moment that I spend away from my son matters. Every workout, practice, and game are very serious because I’m taking time away.” – Greg Foster (California Sea-Kings)
“Being the first Hispanic head coach in TBL history is something I don’t take lightly and I hope it helps create confidence in other aspiring hispanic coaches that they can do it too. As I’ve said before, I’d go to war with this team whenever and wherever and that’s our mentality right now.” – Head Coach Freddie Zamora (Toledo Glass City)
“I am not exactly where I want to be as a pro, but I’m right where I need to be to further my career more. I’m just a kid from the country in Augusta, Georgia that never gave up when things got tough.” – Christian Nobles (Syracuse Stallions)
“The most important piece to building the front office was finding people who also complimented those characteristics. Our budgets aren’t huge, so being resourceful, creative and open-minded we’re most important in early stages of development.” – Team Market Owner, Kevin Mays (Flint United)
“It’s just a blessing to give back to the game what I learned and I try to push them to do something they love. They are way better than when I was 7 years old. It’s just a blessing to see them continue to grow.” – Alex Cooper (Dallas Skyline)
“The fact that I get to go out, play basketball, and impact those of the younger generation. Man, it is just so cool to see people in the stands supporting you.” – Jason Smarr (Salem Capitals)
“The response from the community has been great and winning has helped, for sure. But without the players' willingness to enmesh themselves with the community and get involved in the schools, the response wouldn’t have been as good. ” – Christopher Cox (Potawatomi Fire)
“I’m a big believer in servant leadership and accountability. I’m not going to ask my staff, our coaches, or our players to do anything that I myself am not willing to do. I try to be transparent with our players about the dual hats that I wear and to make sure to explain the “why” behind any given ask.” – Team Market Owner, Tyler Sickmeyer (San Diego Sharks)
“Not gonna lie, it did kill me mentally for a period but I knew that my mom and the rest of my family would want me to continue to play so that’s my motivation to keep going. While I was in confinement for 9 months straight it was really tough for me but now that I’m out, I feel like there’s nothing that can deter me from finding success.” – Chris Perry (Tampa Bay Titans)
“I think when you keep your faith first and you believe in something that is so much bigger than yourself, I think the sky is really the limit.” – Chris Darrington (Toledo Glass City)
“I help these guys fight through their own struggles so we can all win at the end. I am their leader and it’s my job to help guys get to where they want to be, but have them mentally strong to get through whatever comes their way.” – Chris Bryant (Tallahassee Southern Kings)
“It was a dream of mine to play professionally, but I never really believed that it was always a realistic goal. I had a lot of people in high school say that I wasn’t going to be able to play basketball at the next level because of my size and that I should just play football because I would have a better chance there…if you put the work in and manifest yourself accomplishing a goal at a time, nothing is unrealistic.” – Isaiah Gentry (SoCal Moguls)
“The thing that surprised me the most (about turning professional) is the process in which you are selected to play overseas. There are a lot of talented players in the United States who still haven’t gotten an opportunity, so my advice to give a player is to keep working hard and don’t let up on anything that you do.” – Rob Colon (Carolina Coyotes)
“The biggest way I have grown is learning to stay poised during the runs of a pro game. In this environment, everyone knows how to score and get their own shot so there's a lot of runs in a pro game…I try to help keep everyone focused no matter the adversity of the game so that we have a chance and to just stay calm and play our game.” – Darhius Nunn (Owensboro Thoroughbreds)
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Wendell Maxey has covered and written about professional basketball and sports for 19 years including eight years reporting on the NBA in New York and Portland where his work appeared on ESPN.com, NBA.com, USA Today, FOX Sports, YAHOO Sports!, SLAM Magazine, and The Oregonian among other publications and outlets. Connect with him on Twitter and LinkedIn or read through his archive on Linktree.