Ovathletics.com took some time to catch up with Union Local girls basketball coach Scooter Tolzda to get an update on their season and get a preview of the upcoming OVAC Championship game along with the OHSAA playoffs. Scooter was on his way to scout a future opponent as we discussed the season. He is in his 2nd season as the head coach coming by the way of Meadowbrook on the boys side.
The Jets stand at 20-0 on the season and our on their way to the OVAC Championship game this Saturday to face the Fort Frye Cadets. As Tolzda pointed out Fort Frye is one of the top teams in the Valley and they will have to be on their A game to come out on top. These games are the ones that Tolzda feels will help them prepare for the OHSAA playoffs.
Tolzda had a little room in the schedule to add some other opponents to make the schedule even more challenging. The Jets kept John Marshall on the schedule. They added Linsly, who took them to the wire. Cameron, one of the top teams in the area regardless of class, who played them really tough. Union Local will make the return trip to Cameron next season, a game to already look forward to. Logan, but the match up was marred by some illness in the Logan program. Fort Frye and Tuskey were also added to challenge the Jets. And just next week they will play another top team in the Valley in Wheeling Park. Tolzda expects one of the biggest crowds ever at a UL basketball game for this one. “I expect this to be standing room only.”
One of the biggest challenges before the season and continues into the season is motivation. When you are 20-0 and beating teams night in and night out, sometimes teams take winning for granted. This can be hard on a team also, when every game not only is you expected to win but you’re expected to win big. When the team is only up single digits after a quarter or only by 10 at halftime it almost feels as if you are losing. Tolzda said staying on the team all of the time and not letting them be satisfied in games and in practices has helped to keep their edge and their desire to get better. To keep the competition up in practice, Tolzda said he plans to implore a strategy he used last year. Assistant coaches Nicole Smolenak and Alli Delaney are going to have to be ready to suit up and practice again with them this year. As far as the motivation goes he said, “to be the best version of yourself.”
Some of these your self’s on the team include West Liberty signee Reagan Vinskovich. We know about her scoring 1,000-point scorer, we know about her 1,000 rebounds (a heck of a feat). I asked Tolzda to tell me something we may not hear about. He told me about her passing and ability to see the floor and find the open player. Also, her presence on the defensive side is something she does well but is overlooked.
Lauren Miller is another player he mentioned just a junior, but moved into a big role this season. She hits open shots, plays good defense, and her work in the offseason has helped her and the team tremendously.
Just a sophomore, Ella Pietranton is just a good all-around player. She makes shots, is a good defender, and as all coaches love as Tolzda put it “she’s a really coachable player.”
Another sophomore contributor is Teegan Day, a transfer from Philo. Day is much improved this season moving from a JV player to earning varsity minutes. She can score the ball and always seems to make key buckets.
Laken Vinskovich, a freshman on the team, is a little raw overall. At 5’11’’ she brings some size to the table to help collect rebounds and Tolzda said her defense is really coming around. She will be looked upon to provide some minutes down the stretch and in the future.
Last but not least is OU volleyball signee, Torre Kildow. Another 1,000-point scorer for the Jets. “She’s 6’1 with a 6’3’ wing span,” Tolzda says. Something that many may not realize is what a great on ball defender she is due to her length, she can really disrupt things at the top of the floor. With all this length and size and changing personnel, the Jets made a defensive switch this season.
Last year they were able to implore a match up zone defense, which gave teams fits. Early in the season they realized that they just didn’t have the right personnel to run this type of defense. Tolzda told assistant coach Nick Nardo to scrap the match up zone and just go straight man. No giving up the baseline or straight-line drives. As teams want to shoot more 3’s, keep teams off the 3-point line. No switching on the screens, just straight up old school man defense. Tolzda believes this defensive philosophy and extra time spent on defense will them reach their goals.
Goals are being kept smaller this year for the Jets. Of course, an OVAC Title is a goal and not a small one at that, but as far as other goals go Tolzda and his staff kept them short and sweet. Nothing about an undefeated season, nothing about a state title. Play hard and play their best each practice and game. Get to the regionals and set goals for the remainder of the season.
I asked about program building and what Tolzda is doing to continue the winning ways at Union Local. He mentioned that his Junior Varsity team has only lost 2 games this season. Add also the youth at the Varsity level and the future looks bright for the Jets. He would like better numbers at the lower levels, but as stated in our conversation basketball numbers are down across the Valley. Something that he and other coaches have mentioned and are looking to fix. This was a future question, but the now is much more important for the Jets basketball team. And they’re work is not complete for this season.
There is still work to be done for the Jets to prepare for the stretch run. They are working on their offensive chemistry and getting better shots. Being more patient on offense and waiting for the best shot not the first available shot. If they can master this and continue to work hard on defense the Jets will be taking off for some more goal setting in March.
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