Cepin: Campbell's savior?

Stacie Cepin has visions of what the Campbell Memorial High girls basketball program can become.
"A lot of people don't think anything of Campbell [girls basketball], and I hope to change that," said Cepin, hired last week to coach her alma mater. "I want to bring the respect back."
Campbell may have found the person to do that.
Cepin, 27, brings a wealth of playing and coaching experience into her first head-coaching position.
"I've known for about two years that I was ready to be a head coach," Cepin said. "I didn't care if it was college or high school; that wasn't a big deal. I just knew I wanted to have my own program."
Scoring sensation
A 1994 Campbell graduate, Cepin remains the Red Devils' all-time leading scorer with 1,440 points.
As a senior, the 5-foot-8 guard was named second team All-Ohio and first team Mahoning Valley Conference, and she also lettered in softball, volleyball and track and field.
"My first two years, we were not real good, but we had pretty young teams. When I was a freshman, we started four freshmen," recalled Cepin, who estimated she averaged just under 20 points per game. "By the time I was a senior, we had a winning record."
Her athletic talent drew the attention of Youngstown State coach Ed Digregorio, who recruited Cepin to play for the Penguins. She stayed in Youngstown for two years before transferring to the University of Alaska Anchorage.
"I wanted a change in my life that would benefit me and help me grow up and learn some things on my own," she said. "It helped me become an adult and get where I am today."
Coaching experience
After playing for two years in Alaska, Cepin remained with the program as a coach for two more years.
She followed that with coaching assignments at Ohio University, Clemson and Mercyhurst, where she was the last two years.
"I've been all over the place, and everything has been drawing me back home," Cepin said. "I have a lot of family here, and I wanted to be a head coach. This is the perfect opportunity."
And a perfect challenge for a competitive person such as Cepin. The Red Devils were winless last season under coach Kimo Heinonen and haven't been competitive in years.
"I want to look forward," Cepin said. "If we sit there and dwell on the past, we're not going to get better. We need to talk about how we're going to get better today."
Cepin has already met with 12 girls who have played or are interested in playing, and she's hoping to attract more interest from others.
How will she begin to form these girls into winners?
"You have to be motivated and enthusiastic. You have to start with a little bit of discipline, with the fundamental parts of the game," Cepin said. "They have to be disciplined in that area before you start putting in certain things.
"You can't even talk about wins and losses right now," she added. "You start by working on the little things."
Building blocks
As part of her long-term goal, Cepin would like to create and strengthen a more extensive feeder system for the Campbell program.
"If you see the good programs around the area -- Boardman, Canfield, Poland and Ursuline -- they have programs underneath," she said. "They start them in fourth, fifth grade. I intend to do that."
Cepin, who will be a substitute teacher while she works to gain her teaching certification, has yet to form her staff. She's taking her time and keeping her options open.
And she's planning to undertake the biggest challenge of her basketball career.
"Knowing the program wasn't in good shape, I accepted that challenge," Cepin said. "I want to see any part of Campbell schools do well."
Now she's come home to aid in the cause.
"I'm part of this place. I grew up here," she said. "It makes it that much more special to come back, and hopefully we can turn it around in a positive direction."
XBrian Richesson is a sportswriter for The Vindicator. Write to him at richesson@vindy.com.