I cannot believe some of the comments I am reading in regards to Boldon leaving YSU. Well, I think more accurate would be to say I had hoped these kinds of comments would not be made. How can Boldon be faulted for going to OU? He rebuilt the YSU women's program in 3 years from 0-30 the year he arrived, to 20+ wins, the first EVER winning season in the HL, and a 1st round win in the WNIT.
This is really not hard to understand at all. OU has better facilities for basketball. The budget for their program is $500,000 more than at YSU. Boldon is going to be getting to go from making $110,000 a year to $170,000 a year. And, he gets to remain in Ohio. Also, OU is not all that far from Canton, where Boldon went to college. Whether people want to believe this or not, the schools in the MAC put forth the $$$$$ in ALL sports the schools offer. This is the #1 reason YSU is NOT in the MAC. Has nothing to do with conspiracy theories regarding KENT and Akron. It is YSU's failure to spend the money to meet the minimum requirements for athletic budgets in the MAC.
I think this also says alot about the OVERALL level of support for women's basketball at YSU, both from the University and community. It is pretty obvious Boldon seems to believe he has a better OPPORTUNITY to keep building his resume and having winning teams at OU. And, that most likely is because of the facilities, combined with the quality of the school and the commitment to the women's basketball program.
I do not know many people that would turn down a 50% plus increase in their own pay to go and do the same job for an employer that also offers better facilities, a larger budget, and more money to the person's staff. And, let's be honest, Youngstown is not exactly a place that people are going out of their way to move to. To me, the only thing difficult about this decision for Boldon was likely how he would tell the players at YSU, and maybe feeling on some level that he was letting them down. But, this is what coach's do in college. They change jobs often. Do not win enough, get fired/non-renewed. Win and turn that into a job at a school where opportunities to continue to win and make more $$$ are better.
I do NOT blame Ron Strollo for this. Nor do I blame Boldon for leaving. Ron can only do the best he can do with the budget he is given by the University. And, as long as the mindset of the people who support YSU with $$$$ is football, football, football, then YSU has very little chance of keeping any coach that has success. The thing is, they do not even have much chance of keeping a football coach that has success. If Wolford had backed up his brash talk with playoff teams the last 3 years, he'd be gone. I have no doubt about that. There are not many Jim Tressel's out there. And, in the case of Tressel, even he eventually left for bigger and better things.
I will end this post with something to think about. I understand people are rabid about football in Ytown. But, YSU plays FCS Football, and not many people give a damn about FCS football. But, people across the country do care about D1 basketball, and YSU is in a very good conference for basketball. Florida Gulf Coast has likely received more exposure the last 2 weeks than YSU received for all of their 1AA/FCA football titles COMBINED. That is just reality. People do not have to like it, but that does not change the reality. YSU is going to have a hard time hiring proven coach's in ALL sports and keeping coach's when they have success. Everyone is saying Strollo "got it right" with Boldon. But, let's be honest, hiring Boldon was a "crap shoot". And, when Martin was hired, that looked like a great choice. Proven head coach at D2, with experience at major D1 programs as an assistant.
I wish Bob Boldon the best of success in his future, and hopefully YSU can roll the dice and come up lucky again with his replacement.
