Penguins took big steps in Boldon’s first year
The answer to the first question I ever asked Bob Boldon can pretty much sum up his outlook on taking the Youngstown State women’s basketball coaching job last spring.
Keep in mind the team had just suffered through an 0-30 season under Cindy Martin, who resigned shortly after the 2009-2010 season ended. Take that finish and the fact the team was without a coach and there were a lot of things to deal with for the new man in charge.
So I asked him about it.
I asked Boldon if he thought the team’s winless season would put more pressure on him in his first year — any athlete will tell you the mental part of losing is harder to overcome than the physical part. Or, maybe there was less pressure because, hey, if you win one game you’re already 100 percent better.
But Boldon didn’t really care to think about it. He looked me square in the eye, and with an air of confidence — and maybe some defiance, he responded.
“It’s irrelevant,” he said.
Boldon went on to explain his answer, but those two words are what stuck with me, and probably several of the players who attended the press conference. He let everyone know right then and there he was in charge and whatever happened last season was, well, irrelevant.
Now let’s fast forward a few months.
The Penguins saw their season end Monday, with a heartbreaking 49-47 loss to Loyola in the first round of the Horizon League tournament. Sophomore sensation Brandi Brown had her game-tying shot blocked at the buzzer to end the season.
A lot has been made of the basketball programs at YSU. The men’s team seems to be stuck in limbo right now. So if the programs can be compared to the stock market, head coach Jerry Slocum and the men are evading the bear while Boldon and the women are riding the bull.
Let’s be honest, six wins is terrible for a college basketball team. But, all things considered, it’s a tremendous accomplishment for the women. Before the season began, I picked the team to win about three or four games for a couple of reasons.
The first and most obvious reason is the record. The Penguins had won three games in the past two years combined. But the Penguins doubled that total in Boldon’s first year.
Secondly, this team isn’t going to size anybody up anytime soon. Their tallest player is Tieara Jones, the Rayen School graduate who stands at 6-foot-even. Last year, the Penguins graduated center Rachel Manuel, who at least provided some length at 6-foot-3. The Horizon League is no slouch of a conference, either — just ask any team that played the Butler men last year.
So with all that in mind, I gave Boldon a few games. But not six. Six was a pretty big turnaround. Again Boldon rendered something I had to say irrelevant.
But even more importantly than the wins were how the team fared in losses. Anyone who attended last year’s games would see one of two things: a good first half followed by a terrible second half, or a blowout that was over at the intermission.
This year, though, the Penguins were tough. The team lost seven games by five points or fewer. They had swagger and moxie. But best of all, there wasn’t a game they played where they didn’t think they could win.
I can’t promise the team will overthrow UConn next year, but at least it’s fun to watch again.
