TBL Playoff Strategy For Toledo Glass City: Less Push-Ups And More "Playing For Each Other" Heading Into Game 2
After being shorthanded in an impressive Game 1 victory against Lansing, Toledo Glass City Head Coach Freddie Zamora breaks down the postseason and his first round approach
Toledo, Ohio – This is exactly what Toledo Head Coach Freddie Zamora was talking about.
In early April with Glass City BC jockeying for the top spot in the Upper Midwest alongside eventual divisional champs Jamestown, the Lansing Pharaohs, and Flint United, the first Latino head coach in the history of The Basketball League shared an overarching message with his team that Toledo has carried with them from the start of the TBL season to the opening round of the TBL Playoffs.
“It is a long season and we have to just continue to get better every practice and every game. This will all prepare us for what is to come,” Coach Zamora said prior to Glass City going on a 7-game win streak that spanned from the end of April to the end of May.
His words carried weight then, much like they fittingly do now.
Fast forward to this week where an impressive 108-101 Game 1 win over Lansing once again showed how Toledo has taken the message to heart and remained ready for whatever it is that may come their way this postseason. With Game 2 scheduled for Friday at Toledo Scott High School, Coach Zamora took time to talk about what makes Lansing such a tough team to face in the playoffs, how his short-handed Toledo squad overcame the odds to take Game 1, and how dreading doing push-ups after misses helps keep Glass City extra sharp at the charity stripe.
Now that you've had time to sit with that Game 1 win, what stood out to you as you looked at film or thought about adjustments to make heading into Game 2?
We knew the last couple games of the season that we had our playoff spot clinched so the main priority was to try and stay healthy and rest guys. We had to adjust to losing a guy like Eric Worthey out of our rotation who signed a contract to play overseas. We’ve also had to adjust to having two guys not eligible for playoffs in Dave and Alontay. Wednesday night we knew going into the game we were going to have 7 guys but we knew we just had to play our game and stick together. As I’ve said before, I’d go to war with this team whenever and wherever and that’s our mentality right now.
Our Game 2 adjustments are to stick to who we are and continue to play for each other and this city. I think I speak for everyone on this team that we are just hungry and understand the level of play needed at this time.
Even undermanned, you guys were able to beat them on the boards with both Devonte and Kaleb grabbing 14 and 13 rebounds each. Was that by design in the game plan to have them attack the glass? Or is that more about Kaleb and Devonte bringing some postseason energy?
No, that was not in the plan. I mentioned that to everyone after the game that they were going after every board like they really wanted it. Those two were everywhere on the court and it was what we needed. They both had big moments within the game and I’m proud of how hard they played.
Are you surprised any more about what Chris Darrington is able to do with the ball in his hands? The number that stands out aside from the points is going 9-9 from the free throw line, which helped you guys go 18-19 from the line in Game 1.
No, I’m not. Chris really works on his craft everyday to be performing how he is at the moment. He’s done an excellent job of trusting and getting his teammates involved as well. Free throws are something he has started to zone in on after he’s missed a couple. Plus within our team, our guys know they owe push-ups after the game for missed free throws and they will make sure their teammate knows about it too!
It has been fun to watch you and Lansing form this rivalry of sorts during the season with this both being your first year in the TBL and the games are always tight. Do you prep for them differently now that the postseason is actually here? What makes them so tough?
We didn’t prep too differently going into the postseason against them but more so focused on what we need to do better to be playing our best basketball right now. They are tough for a variety of reasons. I think they are well coached by a coaching staff that cares, they have very good guard play, Sam Muldrow is a force, and it seems like they play together. They play hard until the final buzzer and we understand we have to do the same every game.
What can people expect to see in Game 2 on Friday?
I think people can expect to see a fired up Toledo team that is on a mission. It’s playoff time and we want to see the crowd show up and support these guys.
Photo credit: Toledo Glass City Basketball Club
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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.