Roster changes won’t slow Penguins

October 21, 2014 at 12:05a.m.

YSU has six returning from last season

YOUNGSTOWN

For the Youngstown State women’s basketball team, changing the roster has helped change the culture.

Just six of the 14 players from last year’s team remain, but senior Heidi Schlegel said it’s been the best offseason of her five-year career.

“The whole culture has changed,” said Schlegel, who averaged 20 points and eight rebounds last season to earn first team all-conference honors. “We hang out more on and off the court and it’s a lot more enjoyable.”

Added sophomore guard Jenna Hirsch, “I like the team so much more this year. We just all get along. We want to hang out off the court and on the court we mesh so much better.”

Seven of the 13 players on YSU’s roster are true freshmen — no other team in Ohio or in the Horizon League has that many — and Schlegel is one of just two players (junior guard Ashley Lawson is the other) who appeared in at least one game for the previous coach, Bob Boldon, who left for Ohio after the 2012-13 season.

The newcomers include Lordstown’s Sarah Cash (who scored 1,774 points and grabbed 1,294 rebounds, both school records) and Brookfield’s Ashley Kirila.

Four other recruits earned first team all-state honors.

“I wouldn’t say the skill level [of the incoming players] has changed, but I think the overall attitude has changed,” Schlegel said. “[They’re] working hard and willing to do the little things like Coach [John] Barnes stresses.”

YSU lost four seniors to graduation: starters Liz Hornberger (who holds a school-record for career 3-pointers with 199) and Karen Flagg and key rotation players Monica Touvelle and Melissa Thompson.

The Penguins also lost four non-seniors in guard Shar’Rae Davis (who sat out last season with colitis and is now at Northern Kentucky), sophomore Amanda Barger, guard Taylor Hvisdak and forward Jonna Raflund (who is now at Lindenwood University).

“We lost four very good, experienced seniors so that leaves a lot of minutes,” said Barnes, who went 15-16 in his first season, leading the Penguins to a third-place finish in the Horizon League. “Obviously you’d like to have a senior-dominated team with a lot of experience, but we don’t have that this year.

“We definitely expect freshmen to be playing.”

Schlegel and 6-foot-2 senior Latisha Walker (7.1 points per game, 6 rebounds per game) will again key Barnes’ post-heavy offense, while Hirsch should be even better after averaging 7.3 points and 3.4 rebounds in 31 games (22 starts) to make the Horizon League’s all-freshman team.

“Last year I was the quiet one,” Hirsch said. “Now I’m the one telling [the new players] what to do and just trying to be more of a leader out there.

“It’s been a huge adjustment.”

With Green Bay (last year’s regular season champion), Wright State (the tournament champion) and Cleveland State all returning the bulk of their rosters, the Penguins aren’t expected to challenge for a league title this season.

But Barnes thinks they’ll be better than people think.

“I think with hard work and focus, we’re going to be able to compete with any of the teams in the league,” he said.