‘Mosch’ prepares for 29th season

By Greg Gulas

The Boardman High girls basketball coach isn’t shy about sharing his feelings.

BOARDMAN — As he prepares for his 29th season as the girls head basketball coach at Boardman High, Ron Moschella won’t do anything differently this season than he did his first time around in 1981.

Fact is, he will do it a little more methodically and with a little more emphasis, just to reinforce to his players that their coach demands perfection on the court and most especially in the classroom.

His ultimate goal is to prepare them to be role models in their everyday lives.

Speaking to the Curbstone Coaches during Monday’s weekly luncheon meeting at the Blue Wolf Banquet Center, the architect of 545 victories said that he is proud to be a teacher and coach in Boardman because of the three A’s that they preach each and every day.

“My experiences at BHS have been absolutely great,” Moschella said. “When you incorporate academics, the arts and athletics daily like we do at Boardman, then you have something that is very, very special.

“I have three daughters and all have said that when they graduated from Boardman, they were a step above the others when it came time to start their college careers.

“I don’t teach or coach any differently than I did when I first started,” Moschella said. “While the times have changed, we still have to realize that kids want and need discipline.

“A lot of parents miss the boat because they need to be the disciplinarians,” Moschella said. “I have yet to meet a bad kid. They will respond if you are consistent with them.”

With 19 Steel Valley Conference titles, two Federal League championships, 11 district crowns, four regional final appearances and two state semifinal appearances etched onto an ever-expanding resume, Moschella is the first to admit that the game has grown and changed since that first season. He says most of the changes have been for the better.

“When I took over the Spartan program, we played in the Glenwood Middle School Gymnasium,” Moschella said. “I have to credit then Athletic Director Alan Burns for having the foresight to move us to the high school gym.

“The AAU has had a big influence recently on the high school athlete, more so now than ever before,” Moschella said. “I grew up playing for my school but that isn’t always the case today.

“Kids transfer for a number of reasons; one of which happens to be sports and that remains one of the down sides to its growth,” he said.

The firm handling of his program and his sideline emotion has been both embraced and critiqued over the years.

His loyalty to his players, however, is unwavering.

“I was told by former YSU and current Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel that you can say or do anything with a kid as long as you care,” Moschella said. “I am vocal and animated, both on and off the court, but they know that I care.

“We teach mental toughness in order to be competitive and successful, while all the players know and fully understand that they can come to me at any time with any concerns or problems that they might have,” Moschella said.

Moschella’s team this winter will include two Division I early signees, a returnee who has already undergone three ACL surgeries and a supporting cast that goes eight deep.

“We have a nice nucleus that will feature center Darryce Moore, an early signee to Ohio State and three-point shooter Monica Touvelle, an early signee to YSU,” Moschella said.

“Senior guard Dorian Glass, whose mom Dorothy Bowers is the all-time leading scorer in women’s basketball history at YSU, is coming back after three knee surgeries; a move that I tried to talk her out of but a decision that we will embrace. She is a natural-born leader,” Moschella said.

Juniors Kayleigh Lipke and Brooke Meenachan round out the starting five with Missy DeMarinis, Amanda Volosin and Allison Borts, who is nursing a stress fracture, earmarked for the bulk of the playing time.

They’ll go up against Division II state champion Hathaway Brown in the second game of the season and face a tough Berlin Hiland squad.

Boardman plays a tough Federal League slate and have Mooney and Ursuline on the slate. The Spartans have added East Cleveland Shaw to a schedule already upgraded from a season ago.

“I’ve coached great players; awesome players and that’s the privilege that has been afforded me by coaching at Boardman High,” Moschella said. “My real reward, however, comes when those players return home for a visit as doctors, lawyers, teachers, senators, etc.

“It’s not the wins and losses. To me the real reward is how they’ve turned out in life,” Moschella said.

Applications for next year’s Hall of Fame class ar being accepted and can be obtained by calling Ed Fowler at (330) 506-9829.

Next week, international boxing judge Tom Miller will be the guest speaker.