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Inconsistency bothers coach
By Jon Moffett
Youngstown
There have been times this season where the Youngstown State women’s basketball team has looked like it could contend with UConn on any given night. And then there have been times where the team has looked like it would struggle against a U-16 team other nights.
It’s been a very hot and cold year for the Penguins. So where exactly is this team, and who does head coach Bob Boldon expect to see on the floor the next game?
“I don’t know. I have a hard time figuring this team out,” he said during his weekly press conference Tuesday.
At any given point, the Penguins (4-23, 2-14 Horizon League) have a lockdown defense and a leaky offense.
Then, almost immediately, they flip-flop. And it’s something Boldon can’t explain.
“You think we’re playing better basketball offensively, but then we can’t guard people,” Boldon said. “And then we think we’re guarding people and we don’t score offensively. So it’s hard to say we’re putting it all together.”
And if the Penguins are going to prove they can play consistent basketball, they’re going to have to do it in a hurry.
YSU has at least three games left on the schedule. Two of which are regular-season contests at the school’s Beeghly Center.
The other is the first round of the Horizon League tournament, which every team in the conference gets to participate in.
But Boldon and the Penguins could very well enter the tournament not really knowing what they’re good at.
Teams have plenty of tape on the Penguins by now and if they play to be anything more than a one-and-done, Boldon said he had to get through to the team.
“We’ve been talking about it — well, I guess I’ve been the one doing most of the talking — about our inconsistency,” he said. “That’s something we failed to conquer this year. We’re still tackling that every day; trying to decide which team we’re going to be, how hard we’re going to go in practice and how efficient we’re going to be offensively.”
The last two regular-season opponent, UIC and Loyola, won’t exactly be easy challenges to overcome.
The Penguins fell to both teams earlier in the season on the road.
The Penguins hope their recent string of close losses (they’ve lost to Cleveland State by five and Wright State by three in the past two games) can spell a happy ending to the year.
Lone senior Bojana Dimitrov said if things are going to change, it starts with how the team approaches every game.
“It’s all about habits and changing our habits,” she said. “And I think losing is one of the worst habits, especially if you are talking about sports. I think we are starting to change that. But now we have to get there.”