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YSU’s first month had highs & lows
The Vindicator (Youngstown)
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YSU's Macey Nortey drives past Bucknell's Alyssa Dunn during first half action Wednesday, Nov. 24, 2010.
By Jon Moffett
YOUNGSTOWN
There have been several highs and several lows for the Youngstown State women’s basketball team during its first month.
The team has experienced jubilation and heartbreak in a matter of days. And with the team about to embark on conference play at the end of the month, first-year head coach Bob Boldon took some time out of playing dad with his three sons to discuss the season thus far.
The highlight has been a two-game winning streak. The Penguins (2-6) defeated Bucknell and Ohio on Nov. 24 and 27, respectively. The Bucknell win snapped a 34-game losing streak dating back to the final game of 2008.
“I’ve never seen that sort of response from a win in November in my life,” Boldon said. “I’ve seen it in February when you win your conference or a playoff game. But I think that speaks volumes to the kinds of hurdles that these girls face on a daily basis.”
Indeed, the girls had been through much. Former head coach Cindy Martin abruptly resigned in March. When Boldon took over, he knew there were a lot of culture changes to be made.
“It wasn’t a secret. It was printed, and it should have been printed,” Boldon said of the losing streak. “I think we addressed it by not addressing it. Everybody knew about the streak. But I also think there was no reason to glorify it.
“It was in the past, and it was a previous team with a different head coach,” he added. “We clearly do things differently now. It was just a matter of us being our own team. We have our own way of coaching and doing things.”
But two wins don’t mean anything if they’re the only ones in the win column at the end of the year, he said.
“The message the next day at practice was don’t let that win define you,” Boldon said. “Don’t be the team that goes 1-29 and says at least we didn’t go 0-30. We broke down film after that game just like we do after every game.”
Boldon said he has seen a lot of positive change. But, he said, there is still a long way to go. The team still struggles with its shooting. And the most devastating loss followed the streak.
The Penguins were all but embarrassed in a road trip to Kent State on Dec. 1. The team scored a season-low 39 points and allowed 77. Again the team shot poorly.
“We’re not a finished product,” he said. “Our season will be defined just like the first month was defined. I think we’re a much better team now than we were [in the season opener] against Pitt. And I think the rest of our season will be defined by how we are at the end of January rather than how we are at the end of December.”
The Penguins have three games left before conference play begins Jan. 2. First up is Akron, who the Penguins will host Thursday at 7:05 p.m.
Boldon said the Zips (5-4) may be the toughest test the Penguins have seen all year.
“Akron runs more plays well than any other team I’ve seen this year, and that includes the opponents of the teams we’ve played so far,” Boldon said.
He added that watching the tape of his opponents, his opponents’ opponents and Akron have given him a pretty good indication of the level of play he can expect.
“Our challenge, I think, is to see if we can disrupt their plays and not let them get the ball where they want to get the ball,” he said. “How much can we take them out of their plays? Because if they run their plays well, we’ll lose.”