Most of the teams in The Basketball League are very similar in that they prioritize community building and reaching out to the locals of the area. This is what I find to be the best characteristic of the league as a whole. Growing up in the Philippines, sports
teams are privatized in a way that they are more connected to brands and sponsors than they are to towns, cities, or communities. This made it a bit more challenging to support any team because people typically would flock toward and cheer for the winning teams. In sport, fans and supporters are the foundations of a team. This puts more importance on winning because there would be a lack of support for the less successful teams. Creating this vicious cycle: a lack of support due to the poor performance of a team, turning into said lack of support, this would hinder any kind of improvement that the team would be hoping to make.
How does this relate to the Owensboro Thoroughbreds? From the perspective of
someone who grew up in a country like the Philippines, the Thoroughbreds are the perfect
example of a team that can find some sort of organizational success despite not winning
titles and trophies, something that is hardly seen in the Philippines. The Thoroughbreds
have top facilities in the Owensboro Sportscenter, which seats roughly five-thousand
people. However, the best feature of the Owensboro Sportscenter is that it is central to the
community. This differs with several teams in the league, who play in gyms of connected
schools or smaller arenas of their community.
Social Construction Theory states that the community’s most important events are
performed in the most important structure or space. This is shown by the multifunctionality
of the Owensboro Sportscenter, which makes it the biggest commodity of the Thoroughbreds and the biggest piece of their growth as an organization. Setting up youth camps and a youth team is simpler because of the given space.
All this being said, the Owensboro Thoroughbreds did not do particularly well in the
2020 season, nor did they do badly. Considering that the season was cut short due to
COVID-19, a 6-7 win-loss record is average but could have been improved upon, with the only
downside being that they were one of the only two teams to reach thirteen games played.
The Thoroughbreds were mid-table in shooting percentages, which is reflected on to their
record as a whole. Having seven players average double digits in points (with seven or more
games played) speaks volumes of their ability as a team.
So where did it go wrong for them? The Thoroughbreds are the lowest in average rebounds per game. This is a massive issue that the team could have fixed had the season not be cut short. It is said that rebounding is about desire and tenacity and sometimes those things come in later into the season. Getting these in the beginning of the season should be something that the coaching staff would be looking to bring out of their players coming into 2021. I believe that if they can fix their rebounding issues, this team can be a real contender in the league and grow as an organization as a whole.
For more insight on the Owensboro Thorobreds, check out episode 33 of The Globally Ballin Podcast with Jeremy Burright, a professional basketball player who played with the Thorobreds. You can find that episode in full by clicking one of the links below.
This piece was written by Enrique Ortiz, a common contributor for Globally Ballin. This piece is the eighth article of the "Who Are They" series. An article series that takes a look at all the teams in The Basketball League from a fresh set of eyes. Each piece in this series will be out and available on the website every Tuesday, enjoy!
References
ACEMedia (Ed.). (2020). Owensboro Basketball. Retrieved September 01, 2020, from https://owensborobasketball.com/
Owensboro Sportscenter – Owensboro, KY. (2020). Retrieved September 01, 2020, from https://owensborosportscenter.com/
Red Pixel Studios (Ed.). (2020). Visit Owensboro/Home. Retrieved September 01, 2020, from https://visitowensboro.com/
Comments