Former Pride player kept away

Bland is no longer allowed to assist at practices.
BOARDMAN -- School officials say although a former Youngstown Pride basketball standout now facing criminal charges of public indecency in Youngstown helped with high school basketball instruction in the past, he has not been permitted to lend his assistance for several months.
Youngstown police arrested Willie J. Bland, 41, of Boardman on April 20 after two women flagged down a police officer and said Bland, who was in a parked car on Wick Avenue near Commerce Street, had opened his car door and began masturbating while nodding at them. He is scheduled for a pretrial hearing June 27 in Youngstown Municipal Court.
Bland was convicted of a similar charge in Boardman in 1999. He was charged with public indecency and two counts of menacing after a township woman told police he exposed himself to her, then later pulled out a gun when approached by her boyfriend and two others.
Don Dailey, Boardman schools superintendent, said Bland had lent his basketball expertise to the school's girls basketball team in the past. He said Bland also offered private instruction to players from across the area away from school grounds. Bland's daughter, Amber, is a member of the Boardman girls team.
No longer helping
Dailey said any help with the school's team came to an end this past basketball season.
In a letter dated Jan. 3, 2003, from Dailey to girls basketball coach Ron Moschella, Dailey addresses several points of concern with the team, including Bland's presence at basketball practices.
The letter says a parent complained that Bland had made "inappropriate comments" to one of the players. Dailey would not say exactly what those comments were. The letter also mentions Bland's previous arrest.
Dailey said the Ohio High School Athletic Association recently implemented a rule requiring boards of education to approve any volunteer coaches for athletics.
To qualify, a volunteer must be fingerprinted for a background check, acquire cardiopulmonary resuscitation certification, take sports medicine classes, and take a tuberculosis test.
Dailey said Bland has not taken any steps toward approval and has not been allowed to assist with any basketball sessions. He said Bland would likely not be approved because of the 1999 conviction.
Dailey added that Bland will be allowed to attend practices and sit in the bleachers, and he can attend all games like other parents. He said the school board cannot selectively ban Bland.
Bland played for the former Youngstown Pride professional basketball team in the now-defunct World Basketball League, which began in 1988 and closed in 1992.