Hill made right choice

Probably the smartest thing Youngstown State women’s basketball coach Tisha Hill could have done is resign her position as she did Friday prior to the Penguins’ regular season finale in Chicago.

Hill was likely to be fired by YSU athletic director Ron Strollo, who was hoping she could get things turned around this season.

But as the season progressed it was very evident that Strollo was becoming impatient with the coach that he selected five years ago to run the program.

It really wasn’t the losses as it was the way the Penguins were losing and there was the issue of attendance, or the lack of it, at the home games that really had Strollo upset.

Losing is the main reason there were fewer fans in the seats.

But also, Hill didn’t or couldn’t recruit the best area players. That was something that her predecessor, Ed DiGregorio, did and he had some successful teams doing that.

Only one Valley
recruit to roster

In five seasons Hill brought in one Valley athlete, Farrell’s Ashley Pendleton, and there have been several others who went to Mid-American Conference schools, a few Big Ten programs and the Big East.

Hill is 44-97 in five seasons entering tonight’s Horizon League tournament game against Detroit at Beeghly Center. Saturday’s 71-62 victory over Illinois-Chicago gave her 13 wins and eight league victories, both high-water marks for her tenure at YSU.

This was supposed to be the year for Hill’s Penguins. She had everybody back from a year ago since they didn’t have a senior on the team and her early expectations were very high.

“Bring them on, any of them,” said Hill in her preseason press conference. “We’ll play any of them right now, we’re ready.”

Started quick,
but faltered fast

And when the Penguins won four of their first six league games, things started looking better, although the two losses were at Green Bay and Milwaukee in the same weekend.

But then came a bad loss, 77-64, at Cleveland State, Jan. 26. The Penguins rebounded with a 92-79 win at Valparaiso when they made 14 3-point goals. But three straight losses quickly dampened the team’s hopes, including two at home, again Green Bay and Milwaukee.

Hill got some hope on a two-game road trip that produced wins over Detroit and Wright State, and they embarked on a three-game homestand with high expectations.

But, the Penguins lost all three games, to Cleveland State, Butler and Valparaiso. The losing streak reached four last Thursday at Loyola before the win Saturday.

YSU is the No. 7 seed for the Horizon tournament; a win tonight will send the Penguins to No. 2 Wright State — a team they beat twice in the regular season — Wednesday night.

Wathen officially
retired as trainer

Youngstown State’s veteran athletic trainer, Dan Wathen, officially retired after the last women’s home game, against Valparaiso.

Wathen, who was at YSU for 32 years, is on a vacation in Hawaii. When asked what he’ll be doing when he gets back his response was, “Probably much of the same things I’ve been doing for the last 32 years.”

Wathen plans on helping at YSU part-time especially during football season.

Speaking of football, spring practice is just around the corner as the Penguins begin the first of 15 sessions March 26 at Stambaugh Stadium.

Coach Jon Heacock has a spring roster that will include more than 90 players. Practice days for the Penguins, weather permitting, will be Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Saturday’s sessions will be in the morning and the Red and White spring game is set for April 18 at 7:30 p.m.

XPete Mollica covers YSU athletics for The Vindicator. Write to him at mollica@vindy.com.