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A
young Ansonia Lady Tigers team will rely on defense to
propel them to
a season of prosperity during the 2013-14 season. CNO
file photo
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A-Lady Tigers to rely on defense
Ansonia will be a
young team
By George Starks
ANSONIA - With only one senior on the team, the 2013-14 edition of Lady
Tiger basketball in Ansonia will be one of youth.
In his first year as head coach in Tiger Town, Jim Bolin is anything
but a new coach in the Cross County Conference.
Bolin is best known for his time at Mississinawa Valley, taking a girls
program from a desperate situation to a team of respectability.
Since his departure from MV, Bolin has coached at National Trail,
Northeastern Wayne in Indiana and Troy Christian.
Now he looks to bring success back to Ansonia.
“I’m glad to be back in Ohio and the CCC,” said Bolin. “It’s been a
while and it feels good to be here.”
With the season staring for the Tigers the day after Thanksgiving in
the Bill Burkett Tournament at Tri-Village, Bolin knows he’s got a
mountain staring him in the face.
A mountain he’s seen before.
“I have a lot of hard working kids,” Bolin said. “We are really young
with only one senior on the team, Catey Fischer. The kids have a lot of
enthusiasm and a great attitude. We have talent but its young talent.
Catey is an all-around player. She can play the perimeter and play in
the post. She has a good attitude and is very mature. She’s just a
good, all-around athlete. She plays volleyball and softball as well as
basketball. She a pretty agile player. ”
Going through the growing pains is something Bolin has lived through
more than once.
“We have a lot of work to do, and when you’re young, like we are, you
have to stay positive,” Bolin pointed out. “Catey understands that she
is the leader of this team so she has to exert herself and keep the
kids positive. Coming into practice every day and getting better as
each day goes along. When you have youth, you have a lot of mistakes,
and we have to acknowledge that we are going to have a lot of mistakes.
We have to treat each mistake as a learning experience and better each
and every day.”
Coming off a dismal 2-22 season a year ago, the Tigers will look to get
things turned around.
“This school has had several coaches in the last seven years, and it’s
hard to establish a program that way, but we are trying to get it in
the right direction,” admitted Bolin. “I’m like any coach. I want to
believe we can win every game we play. As far as a record is concerned,
I would like to see .500 this year at the end of the year. More
important than that, I want us to go out there and compete in every
game and get better. If we can get better in every practice and game,
winning will take care of itself. We are young, but I think we have the
capability of having a .500 season.”
With only a couple of juniors, the bulk of Bolin’s squad will be
sophomores and freshman.
“We have three or four kids that are going to surprise some people. We
have some good shooters, but our youth will have to grow up quick,”
Bolin stated. “The key to our success will be defense. That’s where
it’s going to start for us. Defense is the key in any sport. In
baseball, the team with the best pitching and good defense will usually
win. The same goes for football. Defense will usually win every time.
The offense has to produce, but scoring in basketball starts with
defense and we are going to rely on defense. The kids are buying in to
my program and the attitudes are good. Attitude is everything.”
Ansonia will get things rolling the night after Thanksgiving, going up
against one of the best teams in the conference from a year ago…
Tri-Village.
In the opener of the Burkett, Franklin Monroe and Arcanum will get
things going followed by the Tigers and Patriots.
The consolation and championship will be played on the following
Saturday.
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