Center stage to back court

Ex-Crestview coach Tanja Simione’s basketball career started with a tutu discarded.

Vindicator staff report

COLUMBIANA — She’s out of coaching and out of pain.

The former is unfortunate, but the latter is good for Tanja Simione, who stepped down as head girls basketball coach at Crestview High recently.

Actually, there was a link between coaching and pain in the last three years for the former YSU basketball player who finally had knee surgery to cleanse the triple whammy of cartilage, calcium and arthritis.

“I had wear and tear that needed attention,” said the 43-year-old Simione, who compiled a 190-72 record in 13 years after taking over for Judy Gregory.

“I was in lot of pain, so I got it cleaned up,” Simione said of the procedure done on her right knee last week by Dr. Michael Miladore.

“I feel great. I’m pain free and I can see the light at the end of tunnel as far as feeling good again,” she said of the timetable for resuming normal activities. “It’ll buy some time until I actually get it replaced some day.”

The trouble had its roots with a torn ACL in her left knee before her junior season as a guard at YSU.

“I tore it in July, had surgery, then played the season-opener in Las Vegas in November,” Simione said of her first ordeal.

That surgery was also performed by Miladore. In fact, she said she was his first ACL patient.

“I was his first overall YSU athlete [for ACL] and he’s still the women’s team orthopedic physician,” she said.

Her most recent surgery, however, was on the opposite leg — the right.

She said it was due to over-compensation during post-college years of playing in women’s basketball leagues, women’s soccer leagues and flag football in Cleveland.

Longtime boys coach Rick Gates already has assumed Simione’s old position. Gates finished a 17-year stint at the conclusion of 2008-09.

Simione played for Ron Moschella at Boardman, then played for Ed DiGregorio at YSU from 1984-1988.

Her contribution in college included 162 assists (ranks fifth for a season), six assists per game in 1987, 823 points (23rd all-time) and 376 assists (seventh for career).

Upon graduation in 1989, Simione started at Chaney, then coached at Liberty in 1990 before going to Crestview. Her first seven seasons were as an assistant to Gregory, before they flip-flopped roles.

Simione remains the high school’s physical education teacher.

“I’ve been an athletic person all my life,” said Simione, who made the conversion from ballet and dance.

During her time with Ballet Western Reserve as a young girl, Simione participated in “The Nutcracker” every holiday season.

When she and her mom moved to Boardman, Tanja discovered basketball.

“Fortunately, Boardman offered it in the seventh grade and I tried out for the team and had a blast,” she said. “I had great coaches [Moschella, Denise Gorski and later DiGregorio] who taught me. I forgot about ballet and took up basketball, which paid for my college and education.”

Apparently, pirouettes and tip-toed shoes weren’t in her future.

Simione doesn’t regret ballet because that’s when she displayed athleticism.

“My parents were glad to see me release my energy by leaping and jumping and they saw athletic potential on stage in recitals.”

Once she recovers, Simione will lead by example for her students.

“It slowed me down the last three years,” she said. “They didn’t see the same Tanja Simione. I had to stop playing with them and teach from the sidelines, instead of being out there demonstrating.

“Now, I’ll be able to do the job without severe pain and live up to the name of phys-ed teacher. That’s why I needed to take some time off and get my body feeling better.”

A tutu discarded is a basketball career started.

bassetti@vindy.com