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Martin stays positive amid injuries, losing
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ASSISTS LEADER: YSU sophomore guard Macey Nortey leads the Horizon League in assists with 5.3 per game. She has already matched her season total from last year.
By Joe Scalzo
YOUNGSTOWN — At 2:15 p.m. on Tuesday, YSU coach Cindy Martin got the latest injury update in a season filled with them.
Her leading scorer, Bojana Dimitrov, had an injured posterior cruciate ligament in her knee and will miss at least a week, probably two.
“It sounds bad, but it’s really not that bad,” Martin said of the knee injury. “The game plan is to take it easy this week and let her body tell us when she’s ready.”
It was a positive spin on a bad situation, a skill Martin has mastered this season.
The Penguins (0-15, 0-4 Horizon) are the only Division I team in the country without a win this season. They’ve lost 34 of their last 35 games and all but two of their losses this year have been by double digits.
“It wears on you a little bit,” admitted Martin. “Just how much and to watch extent is all in your mind and what you set it out to be.”
The Penguins have been hit hard by injuries, dressing as few as seven players in some games. That realty has allowed Martin to be a little more philosophical about the losing streak, knowing it’s more about a lack of depth than a lack of effort.
“My job is to help this team win and stay positive and upbeat and every day continue to make strides to get better,” she said. “If I’m doing a good job, then my staff and my team are believing the same thing.
“I sure hope they are.”
Sophomore guard Macey Nortey, who leads the Horizon League in assists at 5.3 per game, said the losing hasn’t hurt the team’s attitude.
“The fact that we haven’t got a victory isn’t that big of a deal,” she said. “I know that probably sounds kind of weird, but at the end of the day we know we’re working hard to get better.
“I guess you can say it’s not all about the wins but it’s about getting better day to day because when we do get that win, we feel like OK, all this hard work we put in is for something.”
YSU gets its next opportunity when it plays host to Valparaiso (4-10, 1-2) on Thursday at Beeghly Center. The Penguins’ last victory came against the Crusaders in last year’s regular season finale. Valpo has lost 10 of 11.
To win, YSU will need another big game from freshman forward Brandi Brown, who is averaging 12 points and 11 rebounds per game. She’s the only player in the conference averaging a double-double.
“I really hope she’s the [Horizon League] newcomer of the year,” Martin said. “That would be a tremendous award, not just for her but also for her team.”
Martin attended Monday’s Ursuline-Boardman game to see incoming recruit Monica Touvelle, a senior who scored a game-high 24 points to lead a Spartans rout. Martin was also there to watch Irish sophomores Courtney Powell and Aurielle Irizarry, although she couldn’t single them out by name due to NCAA regulations.
“I think I echo what Eric [Wolford], our new football coach has said, which is, ‘It’s not just me, it’s not just my staff,’ ” Martin said. “We need the whole Youngstown community to get around these local players and help us get them to stay in Youngstown and come to Youngstown, where they can be stars and have a great career and be at home doing it.”
GAME TIME
YSU women’s basketball
Opponent: Valparaiso.
When: Thursday, 7:05 p.m.
Where: Beeghly Center.
Also: Saturday, 2:05 p.m.
Opponent: Butler.
Where: Beeghly Center.