If you noticed a shortage of Jack’s Frozen Pizzas at the Kroger on Holland-Sylvania Road, blame Tod and Julie Kowalczyk and the Toledo men’s basketball team.
The Toledo coach shares a Jack’s pizza and beer with his wife and a few friends after each home win. That adds up to 11 pizzas so far this season, and Kowalczyk is hoping to scarf down No. 12 Saturday afternoon, as the Rockets host Miami at noon.
From sunup to sundown, Kowalczyk has his home game routine down to a science.
“It’s all structured,” he said. “I don’t deviate from it, ever. I’m a creature of habit and I think our players like knowing exactly what’s going to happen on game days so they can keep their routine. Game days for coaches are different than what the perception is. Our work is done. Now, it’s just staying focused, staying mentally ready to play, and staying fresh.”
And it’s not just Kowalczyk who maps out the day. Assistant coaches and players have their own game-day schedules, a set of superstitions and basketball-related exercises that they don’t stray from.
“I think it’s phenomenal,” assistant Walter Offutt said. “A lot of things we do, just having a routine, guys are used to how we do things. Because of that, I think guys get better.”
Offutt, in his third season with the Rockets, arrives at Savage Arena at 9 a.m. on game days for an evening start. He only leaves the arena once during the day — to make a doughnut run for him and graduate assistant Kendall Denko.
Kowalczyk tries to sleep in but finds it difficult with that night’s game running through his mind. So he’s up early for an 8:30 a.m. yoga class. Players gather for a 9:45 a.m. breakfast followed by a walk-through and film study at 11 a.m.
At noon, Kowalczyk stops by Corpus Christi University Parish before heading home to relax and hang out with his family. He returns to his office at 2 p.m. and eats a pregame meal at 3 p.m.
“After the pregame meal is nothing but mental time for me,” Kowalczyk said. “I have it scripted down. I’ll watch half of a game that I’ve already watched to refresh my mind on the opponent. I rehearse in my office by myself last-minute timeouts. I close the door and speak loudly and firmly like I’m speaking to my team.”
RayJ Dennis’ game day rituals include the same shooting warmup and a prayer during the national anthem. Other parts of the day are used for conserving energy for the evening’s game. Dennis, who transferred from Boise State, has taken a liking to Kowalczyk’s methods and is a big believer in having a similar system laid out each game day.
“Knowing that your coach and the leader of your team has his routine and is getting ready mentally for the game — and he’s instilled in us to have our own routine — is huge,” Dennis said. “The structure is huge. In my opinion, it helps you lock in more. You’re more mentally focused when you follow your routine and everything is on point. You feel good and you’re ready to play.”
Some three hours before the game, Kowalczyk enters the UT locker room and jots down offensive and defensive concepts on a whiteboard. He does his pregame radio show obligations, takes a shower, and rehearses late-game situations for a second time.
“It gives me much more calmness in the heat of the moment,” Kowalczyk said.
The assistants and Kowalczyk share a pregame talk that often features a few laughs. They get a few minutes of relaxation to get their minds right. Kowalczyk eschews watching the opponent warm up because he’s found there isn’t much value gleaned from it.
After the game — a win 23 out of the last 25 times at Savage Arena — Kowalczyk goes directly to his office and writes down his initial thoughts. He recalls what he saw offensively and defensively and takes notes on each player individually.
Then it’s pizza time.
Kowalczyk enters his home office by 10:15 p.m. and immediately rewatches the game. He wants to get it out of his mind that night, moving on and giving 100 percent focus to the next opponent when he wakes up for a 10- to 12-hour marathon day.
“Win or lose, I struggle to sleep,” Kowalczyk said. “Loud noises, and loud noises really bother me after a game. You’re mentally and physically tired.”
First Published February 25, 2022, 9:38 p.m.
