Mapleton girls basketball enjoying a renaissance under first-year coach Daryl Young
NANKIN — After finishing last year with six wins, Mapleton’s girls basketball team has made quite a turnaround this season under first-year coach Daryl Young.
The Mounties improved to 15-6 overall and 10-3 in the Firelands Conference with a 44-34 win over Plymouth Saturday at Mapleton High School.
Those win totals might not seem significant when compared to other programs. At Mapleton, though, they’re a big deal.
The last time the Mounties won at least 15 games? 2013-14.
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You have to go all the way back to the 1998-99 season to find the last time they won at least 10 FC games. Mapleton finished that season as outright conference champions with a 12-2 mark.
The million-dollar question is what’s been the key to one of the biggest turnarounds in recent area history?
“I think the girls all felt like they had some ownership in this season from the get-go,” Young said. “We have good senior leadership that cannot be denied between Bailey Davis and Sara Hickey. They keep each other focused. They keep the team focused. That’s been a big piece of it.
“The girls have really bought into the teaching in practice and the little things that they just didn’t know before the season that they’re learning along the way and putting those into practice. I think they have really found out that when they increase their intensity there’s potential there that they didn’t know about.”
Young, a 1987 Mapleton graduate, brought quite a resume with him when he took over the Mounties. He won two state championships and posted a 194-55 record in eight seasons as girls basketball coach at Gilbert Christian High School in Gilbert, Arizona.
He still lived in Arizona when he accepted the position at Mapleton and didn’t move back to Ohio until August. He met with his new players for the first time in September.
Some of his players bought into everything he had to say from the start, but the whole team didn’t become invested until the Mounties went on the road and defeated FC opponents South Central and Monroeville on back-to-back days in early December.
“We went there and got those two teams wins and had some different players step up,” Young said. “That, I think, was the initial turning point of the season. I would point back to those two games to where the girls now saw themselves relevant and a competitor in the Firelands Conference.
“They realized that with their hard work and their intensity and playing with heart, we could win some games. That just encouraged them to buy-in even more when we got some wins.”
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Since Young wasn’t with his players during most of the offseason, much of his teaching has been done during practice throughout the season.
“In practice he pushes us more and pushes us to play to the best of our abilities,” Hickey said. “He’s fundamentally developed and helps us work toward that. With his intensity, it really helps us all out because sometimes we need that boost. He’s just really good for us.”
One of Young’s biggest teaching lessons had nothing to do with basketball fundamentals.
“He taught us to be a family,” Davis said. “He brought family togetherness to our team. He taught us a good work ethic. He makes us all want to be here and go for the next win.”
Davis and her teammates do lots of things together outside of basketball, which helps their chemistry on the court. They frequently get milkshakes together and have also done group retreats.
“We all really like each other, so we do a lot of team bonding together,” she said.
Davis and Hickey have embraced their role as senior leaders. Several sophomores play extended minutes, so the two seniors have taken pride in showing their underclassmen teammates the right way to do things.
“It all starts out in practice,” Hickey said. “When they start messing around, we have to put them straight. We’re there to have a good time, but we also have to focus because we have goals that we set for our season, so we have to work toward them while still having a good time.”
Young is the first to admit developing players goes beyond just the head coach. He’s thankful for the coaching staff he has working under him, especially since he didn’t get to start putting it together until September.
Young’s staff includes varsity assistants Amber Youngen and Colleen Young, junior varsity coach Rich Hess and JV assistant Robert Bergosh.
“The coaching staff has really been a blessing for our girls,” Young said. “Every day these girls are getting quality input, quality challenging and quality coaching. They’ve been a great support for what I’m trying to do with the program.
“The coaching staff has been a big part of this, and I’m just blessed to have them.”
Young didn’t put a number on how many games he thought they’d win this season, but he did acknowledge they’re ahead of schedule.
“I had hopes for being right where we’re at in the conference, and I thought there was enough athleticism and basketball ability for us to be where we’re at, but we might be a game or two ahead of what I really expected,” he said with a laugh. “It’s just been a blessing and a joy to see the girls take hold of this.”
Reach Chris at csnow@times-gazette.com
On Twitter: CSnow_TG
This article originally appeared on Ashland Times Gazette: Daryl Young leading Mapleton girls basketball to new heights
