Heading Into Game 2 Of The East Regional Finals, Head Coach Will Brown And The Albany Patroons Ready To Bounce Back From Adversity
With the Kokomo BobKats taking Game 1, the Patroons now need to rattle off two-straight wins to advance to TBL Finals against Shreveport
Albany, New York – There are two ways you could look at the East Regional Finals match-up between the Albany Patroons and Kokomo BobKats with Game 1 officially in the books and Game 2 just days away.
Coming off nearly a 14 hour bus ride via I-90 East and an early morning arrival for visiting Albany, the Kokomo BobKats did exactly what they were supposed to do: protect home court. Behind 1,759 loyal and passionate fans at Memorial Gym in Kokomo, the BobKats handled their business by defeating the Patroons 123-110 in Game 1 with Derek Hawthorne and T.J. Henderson leading the BobKats in scoring with 24 points and 23 points respectively, and four other players scoring in double-figures. Kokomo is now just one win away from reaching the Finals in The Basketball League where West Regional Finals winner, the Shreveport Mavericks, await.
That’s one way to look at things.
The alternative train of thought: the Albany Patroons are actually in a perfect position to maintain their undefeated streak at the Washington Avenue Armory where head coach and general manager, Will Brown, and the Patroons have gone 16-0 on their home court this season. What was once the best of three series now comes down to two games with Albany and Kokomo tipping-off Game 2 on Sunday (5pm). Game 3 would take place on Monday in Albany if it’s necessary and for the Patroons, reaching that goal to further their storybook season is very much needed.
Following Game 1 , TBL Coach of the Year, Will Brown, took time to reflect on the tough loss that saw Jared Sam go for a game-high 32 points and A.J. Mosby finished with 26 points, his overall message to his team, the season-long resiliency Albany has embodied, and how the Patroons truly are built to bounce back from adversity.
You guys have a long road back home from Kokomo, Indiana to Albany, New York. What are your overall thoughts on Game 1 and what was your message to the guys afterward?
We are on the bus heading home, with stops it took us 13.5 hours to get there. The tougher and more physical team won last night. We didn't play well at any point and still led for stretches. We played a very poor final 13 minutes. No rhythm or flow offensively and were a step slow defensively. You can't turn the ball over 21 times and shoot 4/20 from 3. They have a loud and energetic crowd, a nice home court advantage.
I told our guys we need to be the tougher team on Sunday. We need to get them on their heels and see how they respond. We have to get a shot on every possession. We had too many self-inflicted and careless turnovers. It is a best of 3 series, so all of our focus is on Game 2 at the Armory in a place where we have not lost this season.
Looking back through the schedule this season, you guys did not lose two games in a row all season long. What's been the key to bouncing back after a loss? Why do you feel the guys have responded so well to adversity?
Our guys are not used to losing. We finished with the best overall regular season record in the TBL. Our guys have been good at understanding why we got beat and what we need to do so it doesn't happen too often. We watch a lot of video with our team. Plus, we have good players who work really hard to play the right way. It is an unselfish group. Now we are in a position where we must win to extend our season: win or go home. I would like to think we will respond and play with a tremendous sense of urgency in Game 2 against a very good Kokomo team.
When you took over as head coach and general manager last October, is this what you envisioned in your first season in the TBL -- a deep run in the playoffs and essentially two games away from the Finals? When did you realize you had a special group of guys here?
I was very optimistic when I accepted the job in October. The Patroons are an organization rich in history and tradition, especially during the CBA years. However, they had not completed a full season since 2019 because of COVID. In 2019 the league had 10 teams. Fast forward to 2022 and the TBL has 44 teams. 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. We have been able to keep our core group together since training camp. Coming out of training camp we felt really good about our team. The key was going to be whether or not we would be able to keep the group together for the entire season. We have been lucky in that regard. Unfortunately, about three weeks ago we lost one of our best players Isaiah Jackson to a knee injury. He was a talented and versatile combo forward who was a match-up problem. My mindset was to compete for a championship from day one. We have enjoyed success this season. We won the Northeast Division Regular Season, we won the Eastern Conference Championship and finished with the best overall regular season record in the TBL. With that being said, we are not satisfied. The goal is to get to the Finals and to give ourselves a chance to win a championship.
When was the last time you had a 13 - 14 hour-long bus ride for a game? How does a trip like this help bring a team closer together, particularly coming off of a tough loss?
This is the longest bus trip of my coaching career. When I was in college I drove my Jeep Wrangler 18.5 hours during the Summer to work Van Coleman's Future Stars Camp at Drake University. This has been a challenge. We arrived in Kokomo at 1am the day of the game. It took us 13.5 hours with 3 short stops. Our guys have not complained at all. It does give them a chance to spend more time together which is good. It is just tough travel. When you get to this point you are rewarded with home court advantage for regular season success but yet you have to start a series on the road and will have spent 25+ hours on a bus before Game 2.
It is very important to make sure the group has the right mindset, that we are in a good place mentally. The travel takes a lot out of you. We should be home by 11:30 am today. They will have the rest of today to rest and then we will do some video work tomorrow and have an upbeat and productive practice on Saturday. We really need to get the guys to understand that we are not going to win on Sunday just because we are undefeated at home this season. We need to play tougher, more physical and we need to make some adjustments as a coaching staff. Our backs are up against the wall right now and we need to play with a tremendous sense of urgency and I am confident that we will.
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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.