2024 SVM Boys Basketball Coach of the Year: Eastland’s Tyler Zumdahl

The Eastland boys basketball team had one of its best seasons in recent memory, finishing 26-10 with its first regional title in 10 years and a Sweet 16 appearance in Class 1A. The Cougars took their lumps early in the season with a four-game losing streak in December, but bounced back to go 20-5 the rest of the way.

The 2024 postseason run was the epitome of their heart and resilience.

Eastland erased a 22-8 second-quarter deficit to beat Polo in the Class 1A Forreston Regional championship. Against South Beloit in the River Ridge Sectional semifinals, the Cougars surged on a 29-14 second-half run to claim the win. Against Pecatonica in the sectional championship, Eastland trimmed a 19-point third-quarter deficit to four points late in the fourth quarter, but came up just short.

For leading the Cougars to their best season in a decade, Tyler Zumdahl has been voted the 2024 SVM Boys Basketball Coach of the Year.

Zumdahl answered some questions from sports editor Dan Wussow about the season.

What made this season and this team special?

Zumdahl: There was a lot that made this season with this team special, but a big thing I appreciated about this group was their desire to get better. They were a driven group who wanted to improve and were willing to step outside their comfort zone to buy into what we were trying to do. They’re also a great group of young men who enjoy spending time together off the court and are fun to be around. We played a tough schedule with several big games throughout the year, and it was great knowing that we had a team that was going to go out and take on any challenge and compete the entire game.

At what point in the season did you think this team could make a deep postseason run?

Zumdahl: I think going into the season hopes were high within our team, and once we started practicing and playing games we showed the potential to be able to make a run in the postseason. I thought we always had that kind of team, it just depended if we were willing to continue to improve and learn throughout the season and get to a point where we were playing consistent basketball at the right time.

What did it mean to win the first regional title for Eastland boys basketball since 2014?

Zumdahl: It meant a lot. There’s a lot of tradition and history in our program, and to be able to put a regional championship plaque next to the other great teams that have won one is special. So much goes into winning a regional long before the championship game, and I’m proud that this group of guys got to experience that feeling and will be talked about with the other great players and coaches who have won before them.

Your team was 6-5 and on a four-game losing streak through Dec. 28. Over the rest of the season, you went 20-5. What changed for your team there at the end of December/beginning of January?

Zumdahl: I think part of it was we were in a really tough part of our schedule during that four-game losing streak. We were playing top competition in holiday tournaments, including teams in Class 1A-4A. We competed well during that time, but it also showed that we needed to keep improving to get to a point where we could win those types of games. The guys weren’t happy with the losses, but they stayed together and continued to work hard. As we got into the heart of our conference schedule and late into the year, things really started to click, and guys were making the right plays at the right time and finding ways to put ourselves in a good position to win games.

In the sectional championship against Pecatonica, your team rallied from a 19-point third-quarter deficit to a four-point deficit late in the fourth quarter to give itself a fighting chance to win. How much heart did this year’s team have, and how many examples of that did you see throughout the season?

Zumdahl: This team showed a ton of heart all year, and that big rally against Pecatonica, even though it came up short, really showed that. It never felt like we were out of a game, because if we got down or things weren’t going our way the guys really leaned on one another and somebody would step up and make a play, and then somebody else would. And then before you knew it, we had things going our way again. It was a huge comfort as a coach to know that whoever we put on the court was going to compete and try to make winning plays.

What was the strength of this team on the court that led you to the season you had?

Zumdahl: One of our biggest strengths was our defense. Our guys really bought into having a tough defensive mindset and making things hard for the other team. It takes a lot of hard work and grit to do that, and the fact that we had a group of guys that were willing to showed that they wanted to succeed. The guys also were unselfish and were willing to move the ball and find the open guy, which makes the game much easier.

What will you remember most about this season?

Zumdahl: There will be a lot to remember from different parts of the year, but our postseason run has to be at the top. This group of guys worked hard all year and pushed themselves day in and day out, and to see them get rewarded for that was great, because it doesn’t always work out that way. The community support will also be a big part of that memory. Our fans came out in a big way to cheer our guys on, and it was awesome to see them feel the support and feed off of it.

What is the best piece of coaching advice you’ve ever received?

Zumdahl: You can do anything you want at practice, but you can’t do everything.