Mark Taylor had never made a secret of his desire to coach at Ohio high school basketball’s biggest level. After two seasons as the head coach at Division IV Leetonia, he has accomplished that goal.
Taylor will lead the boys basketball program at Lakeside this season.
“Division I is the big time,” the 30-year-old Taylor said. “It’s one of the highest challenges. It’s the best competition. I am a competitor. I want to coach the game at the highest level and this allows me to do that.”
There are subtle differences in moving from the state’s smallest division of basketball to the biggest. But all in all, it’s still the game of basketball.
“Leetonia was Division IV and Lakeside is Division I,” Taylor said. “I learned in summer league a little bit and understand the talent and athleticism these teams exhibit. To me, it’s the same game. The talent is better, but other than that, nothing much changes.”
With open gyms and summer league games, Taylor had a chance to see the Dragons in action. He saw some promise and some areas in which his new charges need to grow.
“I think we’re pretty athletic,” Taylor said. “But we’ve got a long way to go. I spent three years in the Akron City schools as a varsity assistant, ninth-grade coach and varsity scout, and I know this level. We need to step it up. We need to improve in a lot of areas. We have a lot of talent and we need to capitalize on what we have. I’m pleasantly surprised. They’re good kids.”
Taylor will try and be as positive an influence as possible in guiding the Dragons.
“First of all, I want this to be a fun place to be,” Taylor said. “I want them to enjoy the game. I love the game. I want them to love it. I’m as enthusiastic as possible. I want to build them up, not tear them down. That doesn’t mean there isn’t a time for constructive criticism.
“I played for negative coaches and I think that’s a cancer. I want to be upbeat, enthusiastic and encouraging. I want to push players to be their best. It’s a long season and if the guys don’t enjoy it, they won’t improve. I want them to love the game. I try and show them a lot of respect and they will reciprocate.”
If nothing else, the Dragons should be fun to watch. Taylor’s offensive and defensive systems promise lots of action.
“We will run pretty much the same thing I’ve always run (as a coach),” he said. “It will be 32 minutes of non-stop pressure basketball, in a nutshell. We will apply more pressure. We’re looking to score 75 to 80 points per game. We will only run a few called plays. I’m a tempo guy. I want us to play at a break-neck speed.
“We want to lead the league in scoring. We will be as aggressive as is possible. We will use a full-court pressure attack. We will always be blitzing. The pace will be as frenetic as possible.”
To accomplish that, Taylor will go to his bench often in order to keep his players fresh.
“I wasn’t able to (play that pace) as much as I wanted to at Leetonia,” he said. “We just didn’t have the personnel. I want to have a rotation with nine or 10 guys. I feel we have the speed and depth to allow us to do that. I believe, in basketball, you win with depth and intensity.
“Pressure is cumulative. If you play a lot of guys and keep pressing, you will wear them down.”
To do that, Taylor’s lineup will not be as big as many of the teams he will face.
“We’ll play more of a guard offense,” Taylor said. “I use a four-guard offense. You have to have a good point guard — we have two very good ones. By the last summer game, they understood what we’re trying to do and did a good job.”
Using a pressure defense and pushing the tempo on offense can mean only bad news for the players in that system. Taylor will have to push the limits in getting his team into good enough shape to sprint non-stop for 32 straight minutes.
“We’ve got to get into shape,” Taylor said. “We’ll run a bit, but I don’t believe in just running. We will keep practices intense, but all of our drills and running will be with a ball.
“It’s all part of the process. I believe in scrimmaging in practice. I believe it’s a game of rhythm and disrupting a team’s rhythm.”
What all of that means is Taylor will be putting in a good deal of time, himself. It’s a good thing his fiancee, Alexandra Papalis, knows his passion for the game.
“She (understands),” Taylor said. “It can be a grind from November to March, and even getting started in September. She’s aware of it. It’s been a dream of mine to coach at the D-I level. I’ve devoted all of my time and energy to make it work.
“She’s on board.”
Ettinger is a freelance writer from Ashtabula.
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