Posts Tagged ‘Brandi Brown’

It would be unfair to use every old adage in the book to describe how close the YSU Women were to their first victory.  Unfortunately for the Lady Penguins, the last couple of possessions were catastrophic and Loyola (11-10, 5-5) escaped Youngstown with a 63-59 triumph in a competitive game that went down to the wire.

Loyola, sky-high, after upsetting nationally ranked Green Bay in their last game ran into a buzzsaw they did not expect, Youngstown State.  The Lady Penguins have had a rough go of it this season battling injuries and carrying the unfortunate banner as the only Division-I program without a win.  However, YSU looked like anything but a winless and shorthanded team as they gave Loyola everything they could handle.

The YSU Penguins had an 11-10 lead with 11:04 to play in the first half.  Kenya Middlebrooks got fouled after she picked the pocket of Loyola’s Shannon Finnegan.  The resulting bucket was a nice power move by Brandi Brown.  At the 7:17 mark, the Lady Penguins found themselves down 16-15 when Finnegan converted a fastbreak.

Macey Nortey connected from just inside the arc to cut the Ramblers lead to 33-28 at the half.  The Penguins had fallen behind by ten, but rallied before the intermission buzzard.  Brown, Rachael Manuel and Boki Dimitrov combined to score 21 of YSU’s 28 points.  For Loyola, Monica Albano threw in ten first-half points.  YSU shot 70% from the free throw line in the half compared to Loyola’s 20%, yet Loyola held the lead.

Youngstown State was playing like a hungry team.  With 13:58 left in the game, the Loyola lead which was as high as seven in the second half was trimmed to just two.  Manuel was having perhaps her best all-around game.  Her pair of free throws tied the contest at 42.

Over the next five minutes, Loyola took an eight point lead and YSU came back to trail only by two at 53-51 with 6:58 left in the game.  Nortey had a game-tying bucket at the 6:36 mark and YSU was striving for that elusive first victory.  Elyse Vanbogaert hit a couple of shots to give Loyola some breathing space with 4:15 left in the game giving her Ramblers a 59-56 advantage.

YSU tied the game at 59 with 1:40 left in the game when Brandi Brown scored underneath.  With 31 seconds left, Vanbogaert connected for her game-high 18th points off of an offensive rebound putting Loyola back on top, 61-59.  After a YSU timeout, the Penguins inbounded but could not get off a good shot.  YSU was held scoreless over the last 2:32 of the game. 

Middlebrooks fouled with 5.5 seconds left in the game to put Maggie McCloskey on the line for a one-and-one.  She hit both shots to make it a two-possession lead for the Ramblers.

Rachael Manuel (pictured) finished the game with a double-double for the Penguins.  The Senior from Illinois ended the game with twelve points and ten rebounds in her best all-around effort of the season.  “The game went well tonight, I thought the flow on our team felt good.  Despite the loss, it was a good situation to be in and we will use it as a building block for our game on Saturday [vs UIC]”.  Brandi Brown also picked up another double-double for Youngstown State.

After the game, Coach Martin showered her team with praise.   “This is much easier to deal with than being blown out by 30.  Anytime you can execute in a tight game when you have not been in a tight game all year shows that the ladies had poise and confidence and they executed to a tee.  I am extremely proud that they kept their composure.”  Kudos to the entire staff to prepare an 0-20 team to come out and fight the way they did.

Macey Nortey is the first player ever recruited by Coach Cindy Martin.  Martin and her staff have a good eye for talent, which will be better proven over the next couple of seasons as these recruits gain experience.  Nortey, who constantly hustles, was leading the Horizon League in assists for a good part of the season.  It is hard not to root for a 5’3″ spark plug of energy who still maintains a frequent smile off of the court despite the winless season.  It surely isn’t apathy that she is expressing, it is just who she is.

Paneech:  Doing a bit of research, I noticed you were born in Toronto.  You now call California home, so are you an American citizen?

Nortey:  I am not an American citizen and I still have my Canadian citizenship.  Maybe when I am done with school, I will apply for dual-citizenship. 

Paneech:  Anyone who comes from California to Youngstown has to hate this weather.

Nortey:  I love cold weather and don’t like the heat very much.  I was actually upset that it wasn’t very cold through most of January.  There are three of us from California on the team,  Brandi [Brown] and Maryum [Jenkins] both live about an hour from me in California.  We will be hanging out alot over the next few years.  Really the biggest difference between here and Cali is that everything in Cali is fast.  Here, everything is so much more mellow.

Paneech:  How did you end up at Youngstown State and what did it feel like being the first ever recruit of Coach Martin?

Nortey:  They came and found me.  My mentor was actually very good friends with Coach Martin, so they connected with each other and came to see me in Long Beach.  I was not recruited by any California schools and was considering going the junior college route, but luckily, I ended up here.  I was Coach Martins first recruit.  (At this point I couldn’t resist asking…  Do you think she recruited you because she needed someone shorter than her to coach?-Nortey laughed for a minute).  Actually, with my shoes on I am 5’3″, without them, I am only 5’1″, but you never see me on the court without my shoes on, so technically, I am 5’3″.

 

Paneech:  Your assist numbers have dropped a little.  What can you do to reclaim your place atop the league in that category?

Nortey:  I have gotten away from the things I was doing at the beginning of the year and I need to get back to doing them.  I know that I need to set my teammates up and I have really been working on that in practice this week.  I’m a passer and I like to set people up. 

Paneech:  You have three more years, when can we expect this losing streak to end?  How much of losing comes from having virtually no bench?

Nortey:  It is going to end alot sooner than later.  In fact, I really feel like this upcoming road trip that we have got it.  They can’t guard our bigs and anything can happen on any given night.  With a short bench, when you pick up a foul, you can still play “D”, but you have to watch.  You can’t really have a ‘sneak attack’.  It’s tough and we have learned.  Obviously our results are not what we want, but we have learned plenty.

Paneech:  How is it working out when you go on the road for a few days and have to miss classes?  Are the teachers accomodating or do they make it tough on you?

Nortey:  Personally, my teachers have been really cool with it.  I recently had to switch one of my classes and have only actually been to that class once.  The professor has done a great job of keeping me informed through e-mails, we are e-mailing back and forth and she sends me the work I need to do.  Overall, the professors here are really cool about the situation and getting us our work.  As a student, you have to stay on top of it, you can’t just procrastinate and say, ‘I’ll do it when I get back’.

Paneech:  Walk me through a day from the time you wake up until you go to sleep.

Nortey:  I wake up, brush my teeth, grab a bite to eat and head out for class and you can’t be late.  I sit through my morning classes for about three hours, come to treatment after class if I need it, then I grab lunch.  After lunch is films, and then practice.  Stretch, practice, and if we do not do a study hall, I go home and do my homework.  I watch some TV, eat dinner somewhere and then go to sleep.  On a good night, I will go to sleep around 10.

 

One Word Answers

Biggest Phobia:  Being trapped under something.

Favorite Breakfast Cereal:  Frosted Flakes.

Best Show On Television:  Keeping Up With The Kardashians.

Worst Habit:  Never Listening To My Mom’s Voicemails.

Favorite WNBA/NBA Player:  Steve Nash.

Who Wins The Super Bowl:  Saints.  🙂

What Other Sports Do You Watch:  Tennis and Soccer.  I think the Williams Sisters will square off in Australia with Venus winning.

Favorite Toy As A Child:  My Jeep car.

Favorite Fast Food:  Burger King since they don’t have Wing Stop here. 

Favorite Holiday:  Christmas.

Favorite Drink:  Chocolate Yoohoo.

Would you rather live in Youngstown, Canada, or California?  Can I pick all three?

 

Butler rolled into Youngstown having handled the Lady Penguins the last seven times they had met.  Youngstown State also entered the contest as the only team in Division-I without a victory this season.  The odds were against Youngstown State coming out ahead, but when a struggling team compiles 25 turnovers, the end result can seldom be positive.  All of these factors weighed in as the Bulldogs handled the Penguins, 74-48, at Beeghly Center on Saturday.  Youngstown State has to be looking to the sky for answers (pictured, above).

With 9:37 left in the first half, Butler opened up a 14-10 lead. As the pattern of late has reflected, YSU has played respectably in the first half over their last few games. The only two Penguins to score in the first ten minutes were Brandi Brown and Kenya Middlebrooks.

Rachael Manuel hit a running hook from short distance to cut the lead to 18-12. With 2:28 left in the opening half, Butler’s Melanie Thornton took an errant pass the length of the floor and layed it in to give her team a 22-14 lead. It was the Penguins 16th turnover of the first half.

Butler would tack on four more points to hold a 28-14 lead at the half. Terra Burns headed the Butler attack with eight points. YSU got eight points and six rebounds from Brandi Brown. Neither team connected on a three-point shot in the first half. YSU also had 17 first half turnovers, too many to stay in the game.

Melanie Thornton, who led all scorers with 19 in the game, took matters over in the second half. Thornton only had four points at halftime but scored nine of Butler’s first 19 points in the second half. With 11:49 left in the game, Butler held a 47-28 lead.

With 7:47 left in the contest, the Bulldogs were well in control holding a 58-34 advantage. The situation that seemed to pose the biggest problems to YSU’s defense was the passing. More than half of Butler’s points were layups, many uncontested, off of strong passes from beyond the foul line.

Macey Nortey fouled out with 4:17 left in the game, leaving just one sub on the Penguins bench. Butler was ahead 68-36 and well on their way to improving to 10-6 on the season (3-2 Horizon League).

Maryum Jenkins was the second Penguin to foul out with just under a minute left in the game. There was no Penguins bench to finish the game with.

To her credit, Cindy Martin was still coaching, even down by more than 30 points. The players were not quitting and still hustling, they were just outmatched on this particular Saturday.  “They [the players] are the ones who have to deal with the embarrassment of the record.  They are classy and they are ladies both on and off of the floor and I have alot of respect for them.”

Brandi Brown colected a double-double, finishing with 12 points and 12 rebounds.  It was the seventh double-double of the year for Brown.  Martin knows that other teams realize Brown is now the go-to Penguin.  “Valpo doubled Brandi Brown.  Teams are trying to create gameplans to stop her because Brandi is among the conference leaders in rebounding and scoring.  We have to remember that she is just a Freshman and we have three-and-a-half more years to enjoy watching her.”

The Lady Penguins take to the road with stops in Cleveland, Detroit and Wright State starting next Saturday.

Youngstown State University came into their Horizon League matchup with Valparaiso as the only Division-I program without a victory.  Boki Dimitrov, one of the Lady Penguins leading scorers, was not dressed leaving the full active roster at seven.  For the first 17 minutes, YSU looked really good.  The rest of the night belonged to Valparaiso as the Crusaders shot an NBA-like 50% from three and handed YSU their 16th loss, 66-41.

YSU jumped out to a 14-9 lead with 11:27 left in the first half.  The combination of a good half-court defense accented with strong rebounding and sloppy Valpo passing were contributing factors to the early Penguins success. 

With 6:02 left in the opening frame, YSU held a commanding 22-11 lead until Betsy Adams knocked down a couple of threes for Valpo.  Rachael Manuel responded with her eighth point of the opening half and the Penguins were up 24-17 with 3:26 left until intermission.

At the half, YSU held a 26-22 lead.  Adams was hot for Valparaiso knocking down a pair of three-pointers and a two in the last 3:00 of the half.  She led all scorers with 11 points at the half.  YSU was paced by Manuel with eight.  Both teams combined for 20 turnovers and looked sloppy.  The Lady Penguins just looked less sloppy with seven first half turnovers.

Valparaiso opened the second half with a 12-0 run and jumped out to a 34-26 lead with 16:31 left in the game.  Betsy Adams was tearing the Penguins up with three-point bombs on 5-8 shooting from long distance and had 25 points in the game.

With 7:54 left in the game, Valpo had a 49-35 lead and seemed to have gained the upper hand in the rebounding wars on both sides of the court.  The lead was later increased to 60-37 with 3:47 left in the game and eventually when the final horn sounded, YSU was denied a victory falling 66-41.  The Crusaders outscored the Penguins, 44-15, in the second half.

After the game, a disappointed Coach Martin talked addressed the collapse.  “We told the ladies at halftime to play like they were down 20 and we just went a long time that we didn’t score.  It is the most disappointed I have been all season.  We had another person [Boki Dimitrov] get hurt in our last game.  I am not disappointed in our hustle, we always dive after loose balls.  We are a little banged up right now but I thought that the girls had 40 minutes in them.”

The Penguins (0-16, 0-5) got 15 points from Kenya Middlebrooks, who also shared rebounding honors with Brandi Brown with eight apiece.  Butler will make a stop in Youngstown to face the Lady Penguins Saturday, tipoff is set for 2:00.

Brandi Brown is a name Youngstown State Basketball fans better get used to hearing.  The Lady Penguin is a Freshman, already has four double-doubles on the season, and has established herself as a force underneath.  Expect Brown to receive Horizon League honors at the end of the season.  The remarkable efforts of Brown deserve praise and the league would be foolish to snub her based on her experience or the lack of team wins.  Brown has a birthday coming up January 10th, and if you asked her, helping the team win a game would be the greatest present in the world.

Paneech:  What is it like having a birthday so close to the holiday season?

Brown:  It’s really close to the holidays, I like that because I can get more gifts.  I wish I was closer to my family, but I know they are going to be happy for me.

Paneech:  Tell me the story of how you were recruited to Youngstown State.

Brown:  I was not sure what I was going to do after high school.  They [Coach Bernard Scott] were in California recruiting Maryum [Jenkins].  My team was playing against her team and I played really well and the recruiting process took off from there.  It is nice to know someone from California, common interests and all that stuff.

Paneech:  Explain the pressure of only dressing seven players knowing that you are going to have to put in solid minutes night in and night out.

Brown:  It is really mentally stressing but we have to stay positive.  Positive practices, positive time at the game, positive no matter what. 

Paneech:  You are developing into a great post player.  What has made you better?

Brown:  The coaching staff and support from all of my teammates.  I am really happy that I have so much support and people that want to help me.

Paneech:  Do you ever have nightmares of getting into foul trouble and the consequences it could create if you are unable to come back into a game?

Brown:  (Laughs)  I just try not to think about it.  I just try to play my game.  You can get a foul here or there and that is ok, but you have got to play smart.

Paneech:  Talk about Coach Martin.

Brown:  Coach Martin has taught me alot about myself and how to be strong through whatever is thrown at me on the court or off, like in the classroom.  Coach B [Meredith Baugher] is my post coach and she has really pushed me to go harder.  She played the game and it is nice to have her showing me things that I might not have seen.

Paneech:  Talk about the future of this program.

Brown:  I see alot of success.  It may not seem bright right now, but I think we as a team and the fans and community can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Paneech:  Being from California, have you adapted to all of this lovely snow yet?

Brown:  No, I am not used to it.  I don’t like it.  I live here now, so I have to wear the big jackets and gloves and mittens and all of that good stuff. 

Paneech:  Walk me through a typical day – start to finish – during the season when school is in session.

Brown:  I wake up early and go get something to eat.  I like bagels and cream cheese.  I go to class.  After class I might have some down time, but if I don’t I come straight to the locker room and maybe watch TV for a little bit.  I go to practice, maybe do some study table hours here and there.  I go back to the dorm and do some more studying.  College is so different from high school.  You have to be disciplined and you really can’t just cram at night for a test. 

One Word Answers

Favorite Soft Drink:  Sprite.

Favorite TV Show:  The Game.

Favorite Fast Food:  Chipotle.

Biggest Phobia:  Crickets.  When you try to kill them they just keep making that noise and you can’t find them.

Worst Habit:  I used to bite my nails, now I don’t return phone calls.

Favorite WNBA or NBA Player:  I don’t have a favorite player or team.

Best Movie:  Poetic Justice.

Favorite Toy As A Child:  Barney.

Toppings On A Pizza:  Just cheese.

Where Do You See Yourself In 5 Years?  Hopefully a college graduate and back home with my family for a little bit.

The Green Bay Phoenix rolled into Youngstown ranked #20 in the country. They had a perfect season underway. The Youngstown State Penguins were having a hard time keeping players healthy and remaining competitive. To their credit, the Lady Penguins have not waived the proverbial white flag yet and keep trying althouth their efforts have not resulted in a victory yet.

Green Bay had enough firepower at the end of the first half and beginning of the second to get by pesky YSU, 76-60.  Youngstown State had their finest night of the season shooting 50% from the field and 41.7% from three-point range.  As Coach Cindy Martin stated after the game, “There is a reason why they are 13-0 and ranked 20th in the country.”

Youngstown State did a good job for the first nine minutes of the game to make shots and maximize opportunities on offense. Green Bay was having a field day in the low post capitalizing on matchups that worked in their favor. With 11:20 left in the opening half, Green Bay held a 14-12 lead.

YSU took a 19-18 lead on a Brandi Brown layup with 8:52 left in the first half. Green Bay scored to reclaim a one-point lead, but Boki Dimitrov nailed a three to put YSU back on top, 22-20. Four three-pointers accounted for more than half of the Penguins offense.

The Penguins were up 28-22, but the Phoenix trap proved to be too much for YSU as Green Bay ended the half on a 16-0 run to take a 38-28 lead into the intermission. Kayla Tetschlag poured in 14 first half points and gathered four rebounds for Green Bay. Youngstown State got ten from Boki Dimitrov.

Green Bay built the lead to 23 with 10:53 left in the game and coasted home for the victory.  Balance and ball movement were the keys for the Phoenix in the second half.  Tetschlag, Heather Golden, and Celeste Hoewisch had at least 13 points each to to spark the balanced Green Bay scoring attack.

With the victory, Green Bay improved to 13-0 and did little to tarnish their national ranking with their play in the second half.

After the game, Coach Martin praised her team for their effort.  “I’m tickled to death and told the girls before the game that this is my dream, coaching Division I basketball.  We are building and growing but we want results now and we have to keep the long-term goals in focus.  I know the results are not very good on paper yet, but I am extremely encouraged with the progress.” 

Rachael Manuel had one of her best-ever games as a Lady Penguin with 14 points and 6 rebounds. Brandi Brown stayed hot as she had 16 points and nine rebounds, just missing her fifth double-double of the year.

Youngstown State fell to 0-13, but not due to a lack of effort. It’s like the old saying, the more gum you throw at the wall, sooner or later something is bound to stick.  Keep throwing Coach Martin, keep throwing.

The Youngstown State University Lady Penguins have been short on numbers all year long.  In the Horizon League  opening game Saturday, only seven players dressed.  For a half, seven players was good enough.  In a mediocre second half, depth might have been a welcome option.  Milwaukee used good depth and a strong low post game to get by a scrappy Youngstown State group, 68-59.

Early on, YSU did a decent job shooting and trailed only 18-17 against a much taller Milwaukee team.  Boki Dimitrov hit a couple of baskets to keep YSU close.  The Lady Penguins were doing a good job cutting off low-post passes and maximizing the size they did have as Brandi Brown and Rachael Manuel were rebounding and stealing.

With 7:41 left in the first half, Youngstwon State held a 19-18 lead.  The Lady Penguins were really hustling and diving after loose balls all over the court.  Maryum Jenkins and Kenya Middlebrooks were both slow getting up after hustling for loose balls, a scary prospect considering the shallowness of the Lady Penguin bench.  As YSU held a lead deep into the first half, it was hard not to notice the coaches and players had smiles on their faces and were having genuine fun.

At the half, the Panthers and Penguins were deadlocked at 25.  Brown and Ashley Imperiale had 10 points each for their respective teams at the break.

Milwaukee used a 12-3 run to open the second half and established a 37-28 lead.  The Panthers were taking advantage of several second-chance opportunities and taking shots much closer to the hoop than they had in the first half.

The fatigue factor and roster size started to take their toll in the second half.  Milwaukee had a current of fresh bodies on the court while YSU was winded and gasping by the 10:00 mark. 

YSU really struggled from 3-point territory shooting less than 12% for the game.  The Penguins dropped to 0-12 on the season, while Milwaukee improved to 6-6 by winning the Horizon Conference opener for both teams.

After the game, Penguins Coach Cindy Martin expressed her thoughts of the comendable effort of the Lady Penguins.  “I wish I could go back and change two things.  One was the intensity that we lacked to start the second half.  The other thing was to attack and go right at them instead of trying to avoid making a mistake and playing tentatvely.”

Milwaukee was led by Imperiale who finished the game with 16 points.  Danielle Jorgensen added 14.

YSU got 18 points and 14 rebounds from Brandi Brown.  Brown made no excuses for the loss.  “We just came out flat in the second half and it took us a few minutes to regain the intensity that we played with in the first half.”

YSU (0-7) and #19 Pitt (6-0) are two teams on very opposite ends of the spectrum. Pitt will contend for a national championship this season, while YSU will just try to get through the season with enough healthy bodies to field a team.  The result was an 89-37 verdict for the Panthers.  YSU played hard, but Pitt has more size than some Division-I men’s teams.  Couple the size factor with only seven Penguins dressing for this game (Boki Dimitrov, the Penguins leading score, sat out injured) and you come out with a 52 point deficit.

Pitt started very strong, controlling the boards on both sides of the court in running out to a 9-2 lead with 15:02 left in the first half. The two teams would remain scoreless over the next 3:00. Pitt was missing layups and YSU was working very hard to get loose balls. An encouraging sign was the presence of Kaitlyn March, a Senior, who has been having issues with her shins dating back to last season.  March played good minutes and scrapped for Youngstown State.

At the 7:08 mark of the first half, Pitt extended their lead to 26-8, using some great perimeter shooting from Chelsea Cole and Shayla Scott. Selena Nwude played the role of big person underneath for Pitt. Nwude had eight points, mostly on second chance putbacks. To this point, YSU was struggling to get good looks at the basket because Pitt was so much taller and playing ferociously in their zone defense.

Canfield native, Kate Popovec (pictured above), completed a three-point play when she gathered an offensive rebound and laid the ball up while being hacked.  After the game Popovec commented on playing near home.  “It was really special to have a chance to play in front of so many friends and family members.  YSU played better than the score will tell you, they were diving after loose balls and hustling everywhere.  We [Pitt] expect to do more than we did last season.  Two Sweet 16’s in a row was nice, but now we expect to get farther and hopefully win the national championship this season.”

Pitt, ranked #19 in the country, was just too much for the Lady Penguins in the first half as the Panthers held a commanding 47-19 lead. To build their lead, Pitt used 52% shooting from the field, 37% shooting from three, and outrebounded YSU 31-12.

Give credit to Youngstown State for playing hard. This was a monumental task even if there were 13 players in uniform.

At the 11:32 mark of the second half, YSU trailed by the score of 60-24. Pitt was duplicating what worked in the first half, taking advantage of second chances on offense and limiting the shot selection for the Penguins.

Pitt took advantage of the size differential down the stretch and the YSU Lady Penguins played the last eight minutes looking fatigued.  Too much Pitt tonight and a final result of 89-37 in favor of the Panthers.

Pepper Wilson paced Pitt with 13 points, Popovec and Jania Sims chipped in with 11 points each.

Youngstown State got 10 points and seven rebounds from Brandi Brown who played well against the larger competition. 

After the game, Coach Cindy Martin talked about the game.  “We are not quitters and we don’t lay down.  Pitt is #19 for a reason, they have a great team.  They [Pitt] were struggling with their shooting the last couple of games and they picked tonight to be on fire.  They are a big team and they are going to do well in the Big East, and I wish them luck.”

My heart really goes out to Coach Cindy Martin.  This is a really bad situation to be in with such limited combinations.  Next year when the transfers are completed, the injuries are healed, and the numbers are quantitively fair, Youngstown will get a glimpse of what kind of results the work ethic Coach Martin and her staff yield.  Unfortunately, at least to this point, the numbers game is too much.

I would be hard-pressed to find any YSU sports fan who would not be rooting for Cindy Martin to turn the YSU Women’s Basketball Program around in the next couple of years.  This is only her second year on the job and she has basically assumed responsibility of keeping air in a tire that has been flat for awhile.  To talk with her, one can easily buy into her philosophies and hands-on approach.  After a 3-27 season, Martin thinks that this year’s team will not only be better, but has set a goal of finishing sixth or better in the Horizon League to asssure a first-round bye at the conference tournament.  I had the pleasure of meeting Coach Martin for the first time this week.  She was very open and discussed the meat and potatoes of women’s basketball with me.

Paneech:  With one year in the books, how do you feel about this teams chances of improving on a 3-27 season?

Martin:  I feel great about our chances for improvement.  I’m excited to have five returning players who know our system, know what is expected, know the drills, know what we want on the court and off the court, in the classroom – and they [five returning players] are doing a tremendous job of teaching the new players the system.  From that standpoint, I think we are going to win more games and from an improvement standpoint, I think we already have improved.

Paneech:  Can we expect to see you suit up if one of your six healthy players gets hurt?

Martin:  (laughs) I’m retired buddy.  I wish I could play my coaching staff.  We have got to go with what we have.  I am a card player and believe that you play the hands that you are dealt.  This is our hand and we have to play it to the best of our ability.  More than anything, we are trying to restructure our practice plans to make sure we are getting the most out of our healthy players, as well as, making sure that they are working on skills and cohesion, but not overdoing it. 

Paneech:  Who is hurt, who is healthy?

Martin:  We have got eight right now that would be able to play if it was a game, with two of the eight being very, very limited.  Kaitlin Rohrs and Kaitlyn March would both be very limited.  Our six healthy players are Boki Dimitrov, Rachael Manuel, Macey Norton, Makala Gasparek, Brandi Brown, and Kenya Middlebrooks.  The other three players (Shea Johnson, Maryum Jenkins, and Melissa Thompson), we are not sure about, two of them might have season-ending injuries. 

Paneech:  What are the goals for 2009-10?

Martin:  Our biggest goal will be to finish in the top six of our conference.  If we can finish in the top six, we will get a bye, which obviously in our situation would be the best thing to position ourselves.  If we don’t get that bye, it is going to be extremely difficult to win out.  We are trying to think positively, all we have to do is beat four other teams head-to-head if you look at it like that.

Paneech:  How did your first full year of recruiting go?

Martin:  Our recruiting went great!  My assistant, Bernard Scott, is our recruiting coordinator and does a fantastic job of leading our effort.  We signed seven girls that are all here on our roster.  One of the girls, Tieara Jones, has to sit out due to transfer requirements.  I’m very happy with the talent we were able to bring in.  The dilemma is that four of the six we brought in (minus Tieara Jones) are injured and we have to get them back in. 

Paneech:  I know you consider yourself a perfectionist.  How hard is it to do things perfectly at practices this early in the season?

Martin:  I think that is where I can never lower my standards, like going from three hours to two hours or from five-on-five to three-on-three.  We’re trying to change some of those parameters, but where we can still expect our girls’ skill level to be on point.  I don’t expect us to play perfect, basketball is a game of mistakes.  The team that can recover from those mistakes the fastest, and makes the fewest, is usually going to win the game.  I am a perfectionist, but I understand that it is not going to be perfect and a little sloppy at first.  What we are shooting for is that by January, we have a polished product on the floor.

Paneech:  How is this working when you can’t even have a five-on-five drill in practice because you only have six healthy players?

Martin:  We can’t unless my coaches are out there.  I have actually talked to a few girls on campus about coming and trying out for us.  If a student is in good academic standing, and can contribute to this team in a positive way and can play the game, they would be considered to make this team.  We are trying to find a few more and if the possibility of adding players to the roster exists, we would consider that.  We are also looking for a couple of guys, you are allowed three, we have one, to give us practice minutes.

Paneech: Who is the team to beat in the Horizon League this season?

Martin:  I think there are three or four.  I think Green Bay is always going to be good.  I think Cleveland State is exceptionally good this year, Butler is bringing alot back and should be very good.  Those are probably the top three in my opinion.  Night in and night out you don’t know who is going to be good.  I feel the Horizon League has teams from top to bottom that can outplay each other on any given night.  There are upsets in our league, you rarely see one team dominating. 

Paneech: Talk about your two seniors (Kaitlyn March and Rachael Manuel):

Martin:  I think they are going to have great years.  Rachael is really improved.  She spent the whole Summer here with Makala [Gasparek] and every single day that I would come into the office they were either coming or going to the gym or the weight room.  I think Rachael’s skills have gotten better in the post, we are letting her shoot the three this year which will be a new twist, to let our post step out and shoot the three.  Kaitlyn March is really having problems with her shins and her playing time will be limited.  We need points and production from her in those minutes that she does play.  She should be able to give us 15-20 minutes at the most because of what her physical limitations are.  We will play her as we need her because she is one of our best shooters.

Paneech:  With a normal sized roster, if a couple of players are shooting poorly, a coach can bench them.  With six players on the roster right now, you do not have that luxury, how will you handle that situation when it arises?

Martin:  I don’t think we will be able to do much during the games.  Our job is to practice for that situation.  If we are having an off night, here are some sets we can run, or here is how we can tweak our defense to create more stops and open the break opportunities.  If our half-court offense isn’t working, you have to do something to pick up the tempo.  The girls know they will be called upon to play 30-35 minutes.  If someone is having a bad night, someone may have to step up and play 40 minutes.

Paneech:  Walk me through a day in the life of Cindy Martin – start to finish:

Martin:  Well, I am committed to taking better care of myself this year, so I  wake up at 6 a.m. and am usually here and working out by 7.  After a workout and a shower, I try to get in the office.  We have a set staff meeting at 10 every morning.  We meet from 10-11 to talk about the team, recruiting, scheduling, and planning.  From 12-1, I try to watch film from the day before and my 12-1 is nothing more than me trying to get ready for practice or talking to a student-athlete to prepare them for something we may want from them on that particular day.  By 1 we are on the floor for practice.  This schedule helps me and my staff to have a regular schedule.  I’m normally done working by about 9 o’clock at night.  Sometimes I am here in the office until 6 and will go home to make calls.  Sometimes I will go home and watch film.  I think it is important to not always stay here and make recruiting calls and watch film.

One Word Answers

Favorite Meal Of The Day:  Dinner.

Favorite Board Game:  Chess.

Best Musician Out There Right Now:  Keith Urban.

Favorite Vegetable:  Broccoli.

More Important, Free Throws Or Threes:  Free Throws.

Best Show On TV:  Grey’s Anatomy.

Greatest Female Basketball Player Ever:  Jennifer Azzi.

Ultimate Vacation Destination:  Jacksonville, FL to see my family.

Favorite Holiday:  Christmas.

Browns or Steelers:  Neutral.  I’m a college fan, we have the Gators back home and the Jaguars, so I am very neutral here.

One Word To Describe This Years Team:  Fiesty!