Trending
YOUNGSTOWN -- John Barnes' patience has been truly tested this season, but the Youngstown State women's basketball coach tries to find the optimism in the situation.
Two of his top players -- junior shooting guard Nikki Arbanas and senior forward Kelsea Newman -- are out with ACL tears.
His starting power forward and returning leading scorer, junior Sarah Cash, a Lordstown High School graduate, suffered a right knee injury this summer and hasn't fully healed. She played seven games in the non-conference schedule and started one.
"Holding it together is a challenge. There's no question," Barnes said.
The 6-foot-1 Lordstown native is the team's third-leading scorer with 11.6 points per game. Barnes said during Monday's weekly news conference that Cash would be redshirting this season, leaving her with two more years of eligibility -- just as Arbanas will have starting the 2017-18 season. Newman, who redshirted her freshman year, cannot receive a medical redshirt.
Since YSU hosts UIC Thursday at 5:15 p.m., Valparaiso Saturday at 4:30 p.m., and Cleveland State next Monday at 7 p.m., Barnes said this is an opportune time to let Cash rest.
"She's out and most likely redshirting," said Barnes, whose team is 4-10 and 0-3 in the Horizon League. "We're pretty sure she's going to redshirt now. Every time she comes back to practice, she's in pain right away. This week you're going into three games in five days. She wouldn't be able to do it."
Cash, who tore her left ACL while at Lordstown and had to wear a protective brace her freshman year at YSU, had arthroscopic surgery on her right knee prior to the season.
However, Barnes said Cash still has residual pain.
"The only thing that can help her is giving her a lot of time off," Barnes said.
With Cash out, that's three starters and more than 30 points per game gone from last season. Cash and Arbanas were the team's only double-figure scorers on a team which was 21-13 last year with most of its team expected to return.
Coaches have lost top players before, but it seems Barnes and the YSU women have been snake bit by injuries.
"Every coach has been through their top kid getting injured or maybe their top two, at least that I've talked to," Barnes said. "We have our top three kids out for the season and a fourth starter out indefinitely."
Sophomore guard/forward Alison Smolinski is in concussion protocol after an injury during the first half of Thursday's loss at Wright State. Smolinski averages 7.5 points per game. Also, freshman walk-on Izzy Meese sprained her ankle.
"That limits us a little bit more," Barnes said.
Though YSU is 0-3 in league play, it lost one game by three points and another in overtime.
"I don't know if I should be excited about competing and being right there in games, or disappointed that we're not getting wins," Barnes said. "Obviously the group we're playing with, it's a challenge and a struggle, but we're working hard and right there. We're hoping to get over the hump one of these games."
YSU has surrendered 74 points a game, something Barnes hasn't seen since his first season with the Penguins when YSU gave up 71 per outing and went 15-16. The last two seasons, YSU has limited teams to 63 per game.
"I think we know who we are and what we can do," Barnes said. "It's a matter of raising our level, especially on the defensive side. We're struggling to stop teams. There's only so much you can do.
"You can try throwing different stuff at them. You can raise your level to a certain point and that's as high as you're going to get. We're trying everything to hold teams to a lower number and try to get one more point."
Junior point guard Indiya Benjamin, who averages almost 12 points a game, knows improving the defense will help the depleted Penguins succeed.
"That's the thing that's holding us back," Benjamin said. "That's setting us back, the reason we're not doing as well as we should be. We just have to keep making strides ourselves and getting it done on our end. Then, we can take care of anything that comes to us."
Walk-on Morgan Brunner, a 5-8 freshman guard, has scored in double figures off the bench the last two games. Freshman Mary Dunn (6-3 center) leads the Penguins with almost 14 points per game and shoots 55 percent from the floor. Other freshmen, like Natalie Myers and Mailee Jones, have seen significant time as well.
It bodes well for the future, Barnes hopes things can get better in the immediate future as the Penguins look for their first Horizon League victory.
"We have a nice stretch of three in front of us, getting in front of the home crowd," he said. "Who knows what could happen?
"We're trying to stay positive, trying to get that first one and go from there."