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BEAVER TOWNSHIP - On Oct. 2, YSU women's basketball coach John Barnes announced that he would be taking an indefinite leave of absence to tend to personal family matters.
No one was more surprised than his staff when he broke the news to them.
Barnes told his staff about a half hour before he announced his decision to his team, and while it caught everyone off guard, the support for Barnes and his family has been unwavering.
"It was a shock; we were all shocked," assistant coach Jason Pacanowski told the Curbstone Coaches as he sat in for the coach during Monday's weekly meeting at Avion Banquet Center. "Coach told us that morning prior to telling the team and while we were surprised, everyone was very supportive. The girls understood completely because we talk all the time about family first in our program. We wished him the very best and just hope for a quick return. His family remains in our daily thoughts and prayers."
While the transition has been smooth for assistant John Nicolais to his new role as interim head coach, Barnes' coaching staff is trying to keep everything from practices to scrimmages to game prep the same as possible.
"We're just trying to keep things similar and do what the team is used to doing as much as possible," Pacanowski added. "The biggest thing is that we are doing this for them, trying to keep things that they are used to so that there is a smooth transition. I think we have done an excellent job of focusing on the main things that we have been talking about, the things we've been working on and the drills that we do remaining the same.
"We put our own twist on it a little bit to try and get the competitive spirit going but everything we do, we try to keep it as similar to what they are used to so this transition goes well and we keep getting better."
While Barnes is available when the need arises, his staff isn't bothersome of their head mentor.
"We are leaving coach space so that he can take care of what he needs to take care of," Pacanowski stated. "We all agree that this was the right decision for him so he can be there for his family during this time of need. I have gotten a couple emails from him but other than that, that's all we've heard from him and we respect that. We do not want to intrude, he's kind of letting us do our thing because he knows things are in good hands. Coach [John] Nicolais basically moved over a chair."
This year's women's roster includes six fifth-year seniors (Mady Aulbach, Dena Jarrells, Shay-Lee Kirby, Emily Saunders, Paige Shy and Jen Wendler), two true seniors (Malia Magestro and Lindsey Linard), one junior (Haley Thierry), one sophomore (Abby Liber), a redshirt freshman (Mackenzie Hurd) and three true freshmen (Abbie Davidson, Amya McLeod and Bella Samz).
It's a veteran group with plenty of leadership.
"We really have a nice mixture of veterans and newcomers," Pacanowski noted. "The reason we have so many seniors at one given time is because of the COVID year. They received an extra year of eligibility so it was bound to happen, having this many seniors at one time.
"I'm not really used to it because it's usually split up but we have a lot of returning experience, which is why the league gave us a No. 3 preseason ranking. They obviously see that we have a ton of experience coming back, quite a few returning seniors and understand that means a lot in college basketball. Going through the battles really pays off in the long run."
Pacanowski said Green Bay and Cleveland State are just two of the Horizon League teams to keep an eye on this year.
YSU opens its season Nov. 8 when it hosts Xavier University, the first of three consecutive home games.
"A lot of teams in this league are going to be better this year so being ranked third in the preseason is a huge compliment," he stated. "We have one of the tougher schedules that we've had in many years. We have the senior leadership and experience and the goal each day is to get better.
"The players really care and get along better than many of the teams I have been around. They are totally committed and while the schedule is a tough one, it is a challenge our leadership is excited to undertake. It is going to be a fun year."
Next Monday, Jerrod Calhoun, YSU men's basketball coach will serve as guest speaker.
sports@vindy.com