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Women’s coach juggling options
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Barnes
By Joe Scalzo
YOUNGSTOWN
At a Monday afternoon press conference, five days before his regular season debut, Youngstown State women’s basketball coach John Barnes admitted he was still finalizing his starting lineup.
“We’re getting closer,” he said, “but we’re still figuring it out.”
As he exited his seat so junior Heidi Schlegel could speak, a reporter asked, “Is Heidi a starter?”
“She could be,” he said, grinning.
After an offseason of change, the Penguins will open the season Saturday with a new coach, a new offense, a new defense and at least one new starter in place of Horizon League player of the year Brandi Brown.
Oh, and one more new thing: high expectations.
“Yeah, definitely, the expectations are higher than years past,” said Schlegel, the top returning scorer (9.8 points per game) from last year’s 23-10 season. “It does add an intensity to our practices, which is really good. Hopefully that will carry over into the games.”
Barnes, who spent last season as a top assistant at Horizon League power-Green Bay, has overhauled YSU’s schemes, shifting from a 3-point-heavy offense to one that works from the inside out. He’s also switched the defense, moving from a switch-heavy scheme to one that forces the Penguins to stay with their man (er, woman).
“It’s different from anything I’ve ever played before,” said Schlegel, who came off the bench in 21 of 22 games last year. “Coach Barnes is really demanding on the little things, but that’s how championships are won.”
Barnes did say senior Liz Hornberger would be his point guard over Shar’Rae Davis, who made the Horizon League’s all-newcomer team as a freshman point guard last season and who will presumably move to shooting guard.
He also said he’d like a rotation of eight or nine players, depending on how his bench players perform once the games start.
It might take some time for the Penguins to gel, but they’ll be able to work out most of their kinks at Beeghly Center, where they’ll play eight of their first nine games.
“That’s great for us,” said Barnes, who replaces Bob Boldon, now the coach at Ohio University. “You always want to play in front of your home fans. We had the second-most attendance in the league last year, so the community really comes out and supports the team.
“We’re just looking forward to being on our home floor. You tend to get some bounces or have a little bit more familiarity with the court or the rims, so we’re looking forward to shooting well.”