Candela earned his stripes

Ashtabula man will be first referee to be inducted into ACBF Hall of Fame

By CHRIS LARICK
Staff Writer

ASHTABULA — Basketball officials may wish for a cloak of invisibility at times, but they're a necessary part of every game.

This year, the Ashtabula County Basketball Foundation has selected one of the finest representatives of the officiating fraternity, Ashtabula's Ange Candela, as one of its Hall of Fame inductees. Candela becomes the first official so honored in the foundation's second year of existence. He, along with the other selections, will be inducted Sunday, March 28 at the annual banquet at the Conneaut Human Resources Center, starting at 6 p.m.

"I'm very proud and happy about it," Candela said when informed of his selection. "I really enjoyed officiating and working. That to me was an enjoyment."

Candela, 88, is already a member of one athletic hall of fame. He was inducted into the Ohio High School Athletic Association's Officials Hall of Fame on June 13, 1998.

Though his officiating career in the county — which included football and baseball as well as basketball — lasted through the 1940s and 1950s, Candela actually began officiating fraternity basketball games as a college student at Ohio University, from which he graduated in 1938 for $3 per game.

"That was no easy job, let me tell you," Candela, a 1934 Ashtabula High School graduate, said.

When he went into the United States Navy, he continued to officiate, assisting in the Gene Tunney physical education program and serving as athletic director of the program at Monterey, Calif.

After Candela returned to Ashtabula, he began officiating high school contests, serving more than 20 years in this area, as well as in and around Canton, Youngstown and Cleveland. But he rarely accepted assignments to officiate Ashtabula or Harbor games because he taught in the system at the time.

"I usually worked in the Painesville area or throughout the (rest of) the county," he said. "I knew most of the coaches and had no problems as I saw it. The coaches were very friendly. I did at least 15 or 20 games a year."

Candela actually preferred baseball umpiring. "I used to do a lot of summer work in baseball," he said. "The Son of Italy had different ball clubs."

Candela retains a sense of humor about his officiating. After his selection to the OHSAA Hall of Fame, he said, "When they were having tournament play, I was picked. But if you ask some of the boys, they'll tell you I was blind."

"There were some funny things that happened," he said recently. "Sometimes I went to the wrong school. I'd get a call and think I had it right. I'd get there and there was nobody there."

Don Cannell, former principal, athletic director and coach at St. John and then Riverside, wrote a letter recommending Candela for induction into the OHSAA Hall of Fame.

"When I think of Ange Candela, I am reminded of his professionalism, technical expertise and integrity as a high school sports official," Cannell said, in part. "Ange Candela was always in control of the game and truly ‘called them as he saw them.’ Mr. Candela respected the coaches and players and in turn earned their respect. Ange truly took pride in doing his very best as a sports official."

"Ange's paid his dues," legendary OHSAA official Ed Batanian, a member of the ACBF's first class of inductees in 2003 said. "I don't think people realize it, but Ange spent 25 years officiating basketball, football and baseball.

"He worked a lot of regional basketball games. He was quite prominent in his time. When I first started coaching, Ange was officiating in the county. I always thought he did a good job."

"Ange was our favorite official," Jim Dodd, a player at Grand Valley during Candela's officiating days and the second-leading male scorer in county history said. "Coach Searcy and he had a good relationship. Our team really enjoyed it when he was the official."

Candela's teaching career began at State Road School, then West Junior High. He later became an administrator, at State and at West as well as the now-defunct West Grade School. Eventually, he became superintendent of the Ashtabula Area City Schools and finally, a board member.

During the time Candela officiated basketball, one official, by himself, covered both the junior varsity and varsity games.

"When they made it two it was much better and much easier," Candela said. "I don't know what they'd do with three. But when they went to two refs I thought that was a good deal. You could cover more and didn't have to work as hard.

"We got $8 for two games, junior varsity and varsity. At times, you wanted to sneak out and run. But I always had a good relationship with the administrators."

Though the game hasn't changed much, the speed of it has, Candela said.

"The scoring was real low," he said. "It wasn't as fast a game as we have at the present time."

In addition to his basketball officiating, he worked as a football umpire, linesman and eventually referee, starting at $8 and finally moving up to $20 a game.

"Football was much easier in a way, because the crowd was so far away," he said. "They never knew what was happening. You didn't have the crowd right in front of you."

At least in baseball, Candela usually had another official to work with, making $12 for umpiring a game.

"Basketball hasn't changed much," Candela said of the game over the years. As of 1998, he had attended every high school boys basketball tournament since 1951.

"You had coaches (then) who were a little more organized and some who let the players get the ball and run to the basket without any plays."

Candela recalls officiating against Bob and Ross Boggs. "Now, when Bob writes to me, he always ends the letter, ‘Number 57.’ He was a big guy under that basket and I got him on a lot of fouls."

Candela still lives in Ashtabula with Edna, his wife.

Passion for game still burns in Isco

Former Harbor, Bula coach thrilled to be an ACBF Hall of Famer

By KARL PEARSON Staff Writer

For love of the game.

Yes, there's a movie about it, but that was baseball. Andrew Isco has lived it in basketball with nearly 50 years of involvement as a player, coach and official.

Given the proper opportunity and timing, he'd be willing to throw his hat back into the coaching ring, too.

The game Isco loves so much is giving back a little bit. He will be part of the second class of inductees Sunday into the Ashtabula County Basketball Foundation Hall of Fame. It will take place at the second annual ACBF banquet at 6 p.m. at the Conneaut Human Resource Center.

Told of his selection, Isco seems overwhelmed.

"I was really surprised," he said. "I didn't even think I'd be considered. I was taken aback. I am really honored."

Several illustrations of just how much Isco loves basketball are evident. The first was as a player.

"When I was in high school, Ohio rules were that you couldn't play in the summer," the 1963 Brookfield High School graduate recalled. "So I went over to Farrell (Pa.) to a camp run by Ed McClusky. I played over there under an assumed name, Andrew Thomas (his middle name)."

That had benefits several years later when Isco got into coaching, as the legendary Farrell coach enlisted his help.

"Later on, (McClusky) invited me back to coach in his camps with him when I started out in coaching," Isco said. "It was a lot of fun."

After 12 years as the head man of the Harbor Mariners and a 148-116 record that included two Northeastern Conference titles and a regional final appearance in 1983-84, Isco decided to step aside in 1994.

"I think I was a little burned out at Harbor," he said. "I couldn't put the energy into it I wanted to."

That didn't last long.

"I was out of coaching for two weeks," the 1968 Kent State University graduate said. "After Bob (Walters) resigned at Ashtabula, (athletic director) John Higgins asked me if I was interested.

"I think it was just the change of scenery. It re-energized me. I knew the kids wanted to play as hard at Ashtabula as they did at Harbor."

"I'm most proud of my family," he stated emphatically, the emotions showing again. "Getting the chance to coach my kids has been one of the best parts."

For now, Isco just enjoys being around the game, even if it's on the fringes, because he loves it.

"I like to go to a game and say hello to (Tallbacka) or (Conneaut's Kent) Houston or (Jefferson's Steve) Locy," Isco said. "I think I had a good relationship with other coaches, and even officials. We're all in it for the same reasons."

Father knows best

By KARL PEARSON
Staff Writer

Looking at Anita Tersigni's basketball pedigree, an impressive list of people have had an impact on her life.

Take her college coach for most of her time at the University of Cincinnati, Ceal Barry. Since moving on to the University of Colorado, Barry molded that program into one of the top women's basketball programs in the country and still has the Buffaloes among the elite teams after more than two decades at the school.

Tersigni was also one of the cornerstones of Sally Toukonen’s (now Dulak) great Geneva teams of the late 1970s that captured four straight Northeastern Conference championships.

But, with all that help in formulating one of the most renowned careers for a female player in Ashtabula County, Tersigni points to the backyard games orchestrated by her father, Dolph. She credits the paces she was put through against brothers Tony, Jim and John—paces her younger sister, Terry, was later subjected to—as the instruction that meant the most to her.

It is those lessons that laid the foundations for a career that has earned her induction into the Ashtabula County Basketball Foundation Hall of Fame.

The 1980 Geneva graduate states without hesitation that her father had the greatest influence on her career.

"My dad was always my coach," the 41-year-old Tersigni said. "I was very fortunate to have someone like that to teach me because my father was a very talented athlete in his own right.

"I learned a lot from my dad. He taught me the game, but he also taught me discipline and dedication. My dad had the greatest impact on me, and not just as a father figure."

Plus, Tersigni was fortunate to have the support of an understanding mother, Inez.

"My mother was my biggest fan, no matter what," she said. "We were outside all the time playing."

Together, they showed their daughter the doors her athletic ability could open.

"I realized pretty early I had some talent," the elementary physical education teacher in Geneva Area City Schools said. "I realized it was the only way I could go to (college)."

Tersigni became the first Ashtabula County girls player to top 1,000 career points, finishing with 1,313 in 1979–80, which stood as the county record until ACBF Hall of Famer Diane Davis of Ashtabula broke it in 1981–82. She also pulled down 1,339 rebounds in her career, a state record when she graduated.

She led the Eagles to four straight NEC titles, the last three undisputed, as well as three Class AAA sectional championships. She averaged 16.2 points and 17.2 rebounds per game in high school.

She became the first Ashtabula County woman to play four years on a full college basketball scholarship at Cincinnati. During her collegiate career, she scored 1,171 points and grabbed 701 rebounds under coaches Barry and Sandy Smith. She remains the only county female player to score over 1,000 points in both high school and college.

"I'm surprised," she said of her Hall of Fame induction. "But then I'm surprised every time I see my name in the paper again. That was a long time ago. It is an honor."

Scholastic days

Tersigni's basketball exploits were pretty much confined to the family court until she reached high school. But coach Sally Toukonen recognized her talent early.

"There were so many older girls like Lori Korver, Ellen Beitel and Connie Ball," Tersigni said. "Then I had teammates my age like Nadine Cox and Liz Jessup. But I started dreaming of maybe getting a scholarship quickly."

"Sally was a wonderful lady. She was very encouraging to me. She kind of pointed the way for me to go to college."

The dream became real in her junior year, when she attended a camp at the University of Michigan and was invited back. With Toukonen's help, she sent tapes to several schools. Michigan and Cincinnati both showed interest, but she chose Cincinnati because of familiar faces like Cheryl Getz and Barb Jackson who were also headed there.

"I thought four years as NEC champs was pretty good," she said. "The best part of my high school experience was that we were all real good friends."

Her era predated the three-point line and girls played with the larger boys' ball. She wonders how different her numbers might have been under today’s rules.

"It's surprising that I got to 1,000 points," she said. "With the small ball and the three-point line, I think it would have been even better."

She also starred in volleyball under coach Marilyn Foote, playing varsity her final three years, and played softball her first two years before taking a job in the spring.

At Cincinnati

At the University of Cincinnati, she was a key contributor from the start and played extensively through her senior year.

"Ceal was pretty young back then. She was very good at pulling everything out of her players," she said. "You were not allowed to slip academically. We were expected to do both (basketball and academics) and do them well."

Her height, a major advantage in high school, meant less in college where she played more as a guard. Her outside shooting and ball-handling skills helped her adjust.

Barry left for Colorado after Tersigni’s junior year. Smith took over in her senior season.

"Ceal and Sandy taught me a lot about responsibility," Tersigni said. "I learned a lot about dependability from them."

Although they rarely talk now, they’ve reconnected at alumni events. "The friendships you make in college and the lessons you learn are special," she said.

Coaching

After college, Tersigni coached for a year at Northern Kentucky and then two years at the high school level. She also continued to play in recreational leagues.

Eventually, she stepped away from coaching. "I just got burnt out and decided I needed to take a break," she said.

Returning to Geneva in the late '90s, she coached youth basketball and track for a time, although she admitted track was a new experience—and a cold one.

Teaching

Today, Tersigni teaches physical education at Geneva and Spencer elementary schools and loves it.

"Working with kindergarteners through sixth graders is challenging, but it's a lot of fun," she said. "Now, I never want to go any higher."

She values the opportunity to pass on the lessons she learned. "Basketball taught me accountability, to take responsibility and not make excuses. Those lessons definitely have carried over."

She reflects on her era with pride. "I do feel in a way I was a pioneer," she said. "Basketball helped me get an education I would not have been able to get otherwise."

While she admires the progress of the women’s game today—including the rise of the WNBA—she's content with her journey.

"I'm very comfortable with when I played and what I accomplished," she said. "If I had been born later, who knows what might have happened."

"I'm proud of what I did in the game. I have no regrets. I'm quite happy with how it all worked out."

Conneaut Star 'Zapped' the Opposition

By CHRIS LARICK Staff Writer

Matt Zappitelli scored more points in his high school career than any other boys basketball player in Ashtabula County history—1,454 in total, 77 more than any other male player.

Despite this record, Zappitelli humbly notes, “I had about six women on the scoring list outscore me.” A four-year standout for Conneaut (1985–1988), “Zap” averaged 28.1 points per game as a senior, racking up 590 points that season alone. His career would likely have included even more impressive totals had the Spartans advanced further in the tournament—they won just one tournament game during his four years.

Standing 6-foot-1, Zappitelli was a versatile guard with elite quickness, averaging close to 10 rebounds per game. His coach, Greg Mason, praised his ability to bring the ball up the court, shoot the three, post up, drive, and rebound—calling him the only guard he saw dunk off an inbounds play. Though he didn’t start every game as a freshman, Zappitelli still left Conneaut with a 41-44 team record and a reputation for doing it all.

His senior year team—Drennen, Shahan, Brooks, Kirkland, with Terry and Boeson off the bench—started 10-0 and finished second in the NEC. Zappitelli said of that team: “We weren’t expected to win, but we did, and that’s a testament to those guys and our coach.”

He also excelled academically, graduating as valedictorian with a perfect 4.0 GPA. On the court, he was named NEC Co-Player of the Year as a junior (sharing the honor with Harbor’s Joe Rich) and earned NEC and Star Beacon County Player of the Year honors as a senior.

Though the three-point arc was implemented his senior year, Zappitelli only counted about 30 treys in his career. His scoring was often the result of grit—layups, rebounds, and second-chance points. “I touched every position,” he recalled. “I did whatever I was asked to do.”

Conneaut had a tradition of prolific scorers, but Zappitelli surpassed them all—eclipsing Dave Sillanpaa (1,001) and Scott Humphrey (1,049) early in his senior season. “They stopped the game at Harvey and made an announcement,” he said, recalling that milestone.

His success attracted attention from numerous colleges, with John Carroll University showing the most persistent interest—sending a scout to every one of his senior-year games. Though other schools like Stanford, Bradley, and Louisville reached out, John Carroll’s proximity won out, allowing his parents to attend games. “My mom and dad went to all my games,” he said. “Even in college.”

Zappitelli made an immediate impact at John Carroll, being named Freshman of the Year in 1989 and leading the team in scoring as a sophomore. But playing time decreased in later years due to differences with the coaching staff. “Basketball wasn’t as fun for me as it was in high school,” he said. Still, he values the experience—especially since it led to meeting his wife, Elizabeth.

Professionally, Zappitelli transitioned into automotive sales while at John Carroll and worked his way up to become General Manager of Classic Buick, Pontiac, and GMC in Painesville. “Selling cars has turned into a good living,” he said. “It’s been a successful experience for me.”

He and Elizabeth have two daughters, McKenna and Katherine. Though he hasn’t picked up a basketball since 1998, he enjoys golfing—often with his former coach, Greg Mason—and follows John Carroll’s team as well as the Cleveland Cavaliers.

“I remember playing a lot of basketball,” he said. “It was a different life ago, though.”

Andy was dandy

By CHRIS LARICK
Staff Writer

Awards are nothing new to Andy Juhola.

Just four years ago, Juhola was named to John Carroll's Hall of Fame. As a college and high school basketball player (at Harbor), he raked in honors, serving as captain of the Blue Streak team from his sophomore year on.

Also at John Carroll, Juhola was Rookie of the Year of the Presidents' Athletic Conference as a freshman. He was a second-team All-PAC selection as a freshman and sophomore and first team as a junior and senior, years in which he was also named the league's MVP. He was MVP of the Blue Streaks as a sophomore, junior and senior.

Juhola was also Star Beacon All-Ashtabula County Player of the Year as a junior, in 1982-83. He was a first-team selection as a senior.

Now, Juhola has been selected to the Ashtabula County Basketball Foundation's Hall of Fame, now in just its second year of existence. He will be inducted, with the rest of the Class of 2004, Sunday at the ACBF's annual banquet.

"It's quite an honor to be recognized, in my mind so early," Juhola, 38, said. "I feel blessed. I'm surprised that I'm going so early."

Juhola played on a Harbor team that also included Chris Jones, Tony Lignetta, Greg Vandeweel and Joe Sadler, with Kevin Koski and Al Altonen coming off the bench. "(Koski and Altonen) played quite a bit," Juhola said. "We were all seniors. Chris Jones was our other scorer and we had guys who could handle the ball well and guys who could set picks."

The three Harbor teams Juhola played on accumulated a 56-16 (.778) record, winning three Class AA sectional championships and advanced to the regionals in 1984, winning 21 games (against five losses), a record that can never be changed since the school no longer exists.

"That's where I learned to play the game, probably because of my teammates," the 6-foot-4 Juhola said. "We had all played together since the sixth grade. Our senior class was pretty successful. We all knew each other and knew our roles."

Juhola, the youngest son of Ken and Rosemary Juhola, also credits his brothers, Dan, Tom and Mike, for teaching him the game.

"My brothers were always beating me up," he said. "But I learned how to make a shot with someone in my face. It helped me, absolutely. I was the youngest and most of the time I just wanted to survive. But when you play better competition you get better."

When he reached junior high school, he really began to love the game.

"Basketball got to me in junior high school," he said. "It's the only game where you can have an impact at any time. Even if you're not having a good night shooting or rebounding, there are so many skills involved in the game, you can still have an impact every trip down the court."

Harbor's teams in the three years Juhola played for the Mariners went 18-4, 17-7 and 21-5 yet never won a Northeastern Conference championship. But the Mariners went farther in the tournament than any team that did, in 1984, when they were one game away from going to state when they ran into a St. Vincent-St. Mary team that included future NBA-er Jerome Lane and future NFL-er Frank Stams.

"I remember that one for obvious reasons," Juhola said. "But I also remember the regional semifinal against JFK when I hit two free throws to win by a point or two."

In that game, the score was tied at 51 when Harbor put the ball into play from the sideline with six seconds remaining. Tony Lignetta threw the ball in to Juhola, who was fouled.

"There's no way I expected to get fouled," Juhola said after the game. "The guys were encouraging on the bench. They said (the shots) were in. My knees shook a little, but I just took one dribble and shot. After the first, I knew the second was in."

JFK coach Dennis Jasminski lamented, "Of anyone we had to foul, it had to be Juhola."

Actually the entire Mariner team went 15-of-16 from the foul line that game. Juhola led with 19 points and 12 rebounds, while Chris Jones and Lignetta added 10 points apiece and Joe Saddler contributed 10 rebounds and eight points.

The shot that most Mariner followers will remember lifted Harbor into the regionals. Juhola fired away from the top of the key and hit nothing but net to sink Chagrin Falls' hopes, 49-47. That was the district semifinal. In the championship game the following night, Harbor disposed of second-seeded Trinity, 67-57, with Jones scoring 20, Juhola 19, Lignetta 14 and Greg VanDeweel 10.

"We were down by five with two minutes to go," Juhola remembers of the district semifinal. "I scored the last seven points and won it at the buzzer. I threw it in from the top of the key.

"I made TV. Channel 8 News interviewed me. I played softball with Vince Cellini later and he remembered me."

Harbor had advanced to the district by knocking off Gilmour, 43-34, and Beachwood, 57-50. Of his winning shot against Chagrin, he said at the time, "I just prayed it went in. I saw the basket, but I didn't have any touch on it. I lost control of it, picked it up and just threw it."

Juhola went on to score 1,502 points at John Carroll, third in the school's history. He added 649 career rebounds and shot .784 from the foul line, both fourth in JCU history. He was also the school's career assist leader.

He would have scored many more points in high school if there had been a three-point arc at the time.

"I played my whole high school career without that," Juhola said. "Our plan then was to get a shot from 15 feet in. There was no benefit to taking 20-footers, so we didn't. It made a lot of sense."

Despite his success as a college basketball player, the times he'll remember most are his high school games.

"I think it was more of a job in college," he said. "We were a Division III school so we weren't on scholarship. It was much less fun. The guys I played with became good friends, but I didn't grow up with them.

"I knew I wasn't going to do this much longer. I kept at other things. Basketball was more of an outlet. In high school there was more passion about it."

Juhola still considers going to the high school regional finals his greatest athletic achievement.

"College was more of a social climate. Going to the regional finals was probably the highlight of my athletic eight years. I was satisfied coming out of college. I was given more responsibility on how the team performed. I was asked to do more coaching on the floor, that part I really enjoyed."

John Carroll's coach at that time, Tim Baab, inducted Juhola into that school's Hall of Fame in 2000. At that time, Juhola recalled a conversation he had with Baab halfway through his freshman season.

"‘Andy, you have to start taking control,'" Juhola remembered Baab saying. "I told him I was only a freshman. He said, ‘I don't care.'

"I asked Coach Baab to speak for me because he was the reason I went to John Carroll. He had a little different approach, and I have great respect for him."

In 1986, when Juhola was a sophomore at John Carroll, the Blue Streaks went to the NCAA Division III tournament. His senior year he led John Carroll to a 20-4 record, a mark that stood as the most victories in school history until the 1997-98 season. But the year he remembers most was his junior year.

"We were ranked in the top 10 nationally," he said. "But because of injuries and other things, only two of our first eight guys were left by the end of the season.

"We really had to simplify our offense and play a pretty hard man-to-man defense. We had trouble running with teams and we had trouble pushing people around, but we played smart basketball."

Basically, Juhola had three coaches during his years at Harbor and John Carroll — John Higgins and Andrew Isco at Harbor and Baab at John Carroll.

"They not only taught me basketball, they taught me to be a good person," he said.

Juhola works as human resources manager at Molded Fiberglas, where he has worked for 15 years.

"I do the hiring and firing, workmen's compensation and the health plans," he said. "It gets a little tricky at times, but I haven't had any problems."

Andy and his wife, Julie, got married while both of them were still in college at John Carroll.

"We got married when I was a sophomore," he said. "It was an interesting time. It may not have been the smartest thing in the world to do, but we were two young people who wanted to spend all our time together. We were fortunate that we had parents who enabled us to do that."

Juhola continues to play sports. He is the shortstop on the powerful Great Lakes Auto Network softball team and plays basketball with friends a couple of times a week, including Sundays.

"I've been doing that for 20 years," he said. "I'll continue to do it as long as I can run."

Andy and Julie have one son, Ryan, 11, who isn't following in Juhola's footsteps as a basketball player.

"He did for a while," Juhola said. "It became something he doesn't have that much interest in. He's into music and stuff like that. So many Juholas played so many sports, I like him for that."

Despite the Juholas' long connection with sports at Harbor, Juhola supported consolidation when it was up.

"I've been nothing but Harbor my whole life, but I took up what I thought was a good idea for the school system. It wasn't about athletics at this point. I was for the levy. I thought it was time."

Had Harbor and Ashtabula been consolidated during Juhola's years, who knows how far they would have gone in the tournament.

"We would have had Terry Hanna, Terry Thompson and Carlos Aponte," Juhola said. "We would've been pretty good. I think practice would be very intense."

The legend of Jurcenko

By KARL PEARSON
Staff Writer

Of Jefferson's many great players, Anita Jurcenko remains the standard by which they are judged.

"I'm very honored," Anita Jurcenko said of her induction into the second Hall of Fame class of the Ashtabula County Basketball Foundation. "It's great to be remembered after 12 years."

Jurcenko, a 1992 Jefferson High School graduate, became the youngest member of the Hall of Fame at age 30. She was introduced at a Jefferson game by coach Rod Holmes, who asked the team if they knew who she was. Though they didn’t recognize her, one player admitted she thought she might be Jurcenko but didn’t want to be wrong. "He told them, and we laughed about it," she recalled.

Today known as Anita Jurcenko Moore, she works as a pharmaceutical rep for Janssen Co., a division of Johnson & Johnson. At a convention, she bumped into Dr. C.K. Brandeberry of Rock Creek, who remembered her immediately once she said her maiden name.

Moore’s achievements at Jefferson are legendary. She started all 92 games in her four-year career and led Jefferson to two Division II regional tournaments, four sectional titles, and three Northeastern Conference championships. She scored 1,468 points and helped the Falcons win 54 straight games, still an area record. Her career win-loss record was a stellar 81-11 (.880).

Her defensive prowess set her apart even further. Moore recorded 639 career steals, ranking third in Ohio history. Her 257 steals in her senior year set a state record at the time and still ranks second. She twice had 19 steals in a single game — still the state record.

"I'm still first in steals," she marveled. "That's amazing."

Despite the accolades, Moore remained humble. "It's flattering when people remember you, but that wasn’t why I played. I just loved to play. I don’t think I ever left anything on the court."

Getting started

Like many girls of her era, Moore didn’t begin formal basketball until junior high. "We didn’t have organized basketball until seventh grade," she said. "I played a lot in the driveway with my brothers Pete, Scott, and Steve."

Her love for sports extended beyond basketball. She also played softball and volleyball. "I loved the sport I was playing that season," she said. "I had the luxury of playing three sports. I wonder how burnt out I would have been if I only concentrated on one."

She realized basketball could take her places after being named first-team All-Ohio as a junior. She attended elite camps, including the All-Star Camp in New Jersey and AAU Nationals with Pat Diulus’s team, which included future Tennessee standout Vonda Ward.

College interest came quickly. "I was looking at the Ivy League. I could’ve played anywhere in the MAC. The only place that didn’t show interest was the Big Ten. Nancy Darsch from Ohio State said, ‘I like that Jurcenko girl, but I don’t think she’s big enough (5-foot-5).’"

She chose Wright State. "I wanted to go to a program that was building and where I’d play a lot," Moore said. Terry Hall, formerly of Kentucky, was the coach.

Highlights from high school still stand out: earning state Player of the Year, her first trip to regionals, and close relationships with teammates.

The next level

Her time at Wright State was difficult. Coach Hall was battling cancer, which deeply affected the team environment. "She was always fighting for her life. It made things tough when your coach is supposed to be a mother figure."

Still, Moore stayed. "I had always been so goal-oriented. It taught me there’s more to life than basketball." She joined the ROTC program, which led to a military career — and meeting her husband, Dan. "It’s tough to beat getting a free education and the opportunities you get in the business world when employers see you played Division I basketball."

Moore and her husband live in Fairview, Pa., with their son Jared and were expecting a second child in early May. Her parents, Peter and Esther Jurcenko, still live in Jefferson. "My dad vowed he’d make all my games senior year. I think he only missed two or three."

Military service rekindled the sense of teamwork she had in high school. "I joined because I knew I’d be part of a great team again, like it was in high school."

Her appreciation for Jefferson and coach Rod Holmes only grew over time. "He knows how to get the most out of each individual. I found out there’s a big difference between a coach and a mentor/leader. Rod is so good at what he does."

"Everything Jefferson provided me with was well worth it," Moore said. "The town supported us, and we got great coverage in the papers. That’s one of the reasons I love team sports so much."

These days

The lessons Moore learned through sports remain with her. "It taught me to be a hard worker, be very disciplined, and I learned how important it is to be around other people and dedicate yourself to working together."

Now, she’s determined to pass those values on to her children. "We’ve already poured a pad (for a basketball court) on the side of our house," she laughed.

Frankly speaking...

Legendary Harbor coach Frank Roskovics humbled to be headed into the ACBF Hall of Fame

By KARL PEARSON
Staff Writer

Induction into any hall of fame is generally a humbling experience.

It's hard to imagine anyone who is more surprised and, perhaps, even a little bit guilty about such a distinction than former Harbor High School girls basketball coach Frank Roskovics.

He is almost baffled by his selection to the second class of inductees into the Ashtabula County Basketball Foundation Hall of Fame.

But a part of that group the 1967 St. John High School graduate is. He will be inducted March 28 at the second annual ACBF banquet at the Conneaut Human Resources Center.

"I'm a little surprised," the 55-year-old Kent State University graduate admitted. "The more I think about it, the more I wonder if I really deserve it. After all, I only coached (basketball) for eight years."

But in that span from 1977-85, his Mariner basketball teams compiled a 109-58 record. Those teams had the misfortune of finishing second in the Northeastern Conference to the Geneva teams coached by Sally Toukonen (Dulak) in the late 1970s, then suffering the same fate to the great Ashtabula teams of the early 1980s led by ACBF Hall of Famer Diane Davis (Corpening) and coached by the late Domenick Cavalancia.

Eventually, Roskovics’ 1983-84 Mariners shared the NEC title with Conneaut. They also won three straight Class AA sectional titles from 1982-84. The Mariners reached the district finals at Hudson High School in the 1982-83 season, losing to eventual state qualifier Badger.

Roskovics is perhaps more acknowledged for the exploits of his Mariner volleyball squads, which he directed over two separate periods. He also won more than 100 matches in that sport, only the second person to do so in county history, sharing that distinction with current Edgewood volleyball coach Dave Fowler.

But, when asked about his preferences, Roskovics has a somewhat surprising choice.

"Basketball was always my first love," he stated.

He still shows that commitment today by his work with the Division II sectional-district basketball tournament at Edgewood High School on tournament director Al Goodwin's fine staff.

Hoop hopes

Although dealing with the limitations imposed by albinism, Roskovics was blessed to have nurturing parents, Emery and Grace Roskovics, who challenged him to be all he could be. The oldest of four children — followed by a sister, Veronica, and brothers Jim and John, he took his parents' encouragement to heart.

"My mother had (multiple sclerosis) and didn't have a chance to come to my activities," he said. "She's the one that pushed me to go to St. John. She wanted me to have a Catholic education.

"My dad was a policeman, so he wasn't able to get to a lot of things. But he was the one who always wanted me to get involved in as many things as I possibly could."

So he played basketball, at least in junior high.

"I played in the eighth grade at Mount Carmel," he noted. "They had two sets of teams. I played on the team in the parochial league. I scored the winning point in the parochial-league championship game."

But he gave up the idea of playing when he got to St. John.

"I didn't have much athletic ability and my eyes weren't the best," Roskovics explained.

Several of his teachers understood his love for sports, though, and utilized it.

"I think my first influence in high school was (Roland) ‘Smokey' Cinciarelli, who was the basketball coach at St. John my first three years there before he got called for the Marine Reserves," Roskovics recalled. "He got me involved as the manager for football, basketball and track."

Another figure opened the vista of coaching to Roskovics.

"Don Cannell got me interested in wanting to be a coach," he said. "There's no better guy than Don Cannell."

Those matters were put on hold a bit when Roskovics went to Kent State. But no doubt he had the chance to discuss the intricacies of the game in college with his roommate, Goodwin, the future Edgewood coach and athletic director.

"I talked a lot with Al about the game," Roskovics acknowledged. "I took a lot of my philosophies from Al."

Back home

Returning to Ashtabula for his first teaching job at Harbor, Roskovics was also fortunate to have another basketball authority as a resource, Mariner boys basketball coach Ed Armstrong. He picked Armstrong's brain often before taking the job in 1977-78. As his career unfolded, he found Armstrong to be a valuable ally as well.

"I talked with Ed a lot," Roskovics said. "He's forgotten more basketball than I could ever remember."

When his coaching opportunity came, he got a double dose of it.

"Jennifer Lautanen was the volleyball coach and resigned to have a baby," he said. "I knew nothing about volleyball, so I went to the library to get some books on it and read them. I told the girls for volleyball I didn't know much about the sport. Fortunately, I had girls like (recently retired Jefferson coach) Jeanine Bartlett, Sue Pokelsek, Rita Wagner and Lori Davis."

Hooping it up

The circumstances were similar for basketball, although the knowledge was a bit more advanced.

"Crena Baker had been the basketball coach and resigned at the same time as (Lautanen)," Roskovics said. "My first year, I'd had several of the girls in class and they asked me to come see their games. Once I saw that, I wanted the chance to coach when I got the opportunity."

Once at the helm of the Mariner ship, he was hooked. "I'm the kind of person that once I get into something, I commit to it," Roskovics said.

He was fortunate in three ways — having the same basic cast of players from the volleyball team, a faithful partner in future athletic director Dik Pavolino, who was his JV coach for seven of his eight years before his brother John took the last year, and a flexible and supportive boys counterpart in Armstrong.

"The girls and I sort of grew together," Roskovics said. "Pavo and I had a lot of fun with it. The fact Ed was the boys coach really worked out, too, because I got so much cooperation from him with practice times and everything."

The knowledge he gained from his mentors came in handy. "Offensively, a lot of the things I used were from (Goodwin)," Roskovics acknowledged. "At first, we ran a pattern offense and would fast break when we could. But I had good rebounders like (Pokelsek), Roberta Cevera and Kami Brindley and we developed more of a running style."

"Defensively, I mostly used what I learned from (Armstrong). At first, we started in a zone, but in the second year he introduced me to the amoeba defense, a variation of a 1-3-1 zone that he'd learned at a clinic. Sometimes we'd vary it to a 2-1-2, but the girls really loved to play it because we got a lot of steals off it. Then, in the early '80s, we started pressing quite a bit."

And, after the foundational base of his first group, Roskovics was blessed around 1980 with the arrival of Cevera, Chris Fitting, Brindley, Denise Bradley and Sonia Sargent.

Throughout his career, Roskovics' teams had to deal with playing with the larger boys' ball and no three-point line. He wonders what his teams, and their rivals, could have done with those elements.

"The smaller ball definitely would have helped the ballhandlers," he said. "The three-point line would definitely have helped a player like Chris Fitting. Yes, I would have liked to coach with those options."

Some adjustments had to be made otherwise.

"Maybe the toughest part was getting used to learning a different way of expressing myself (when explaining things) to the girls," he noted.

There were also issues to surmount about the viability of the girls game. A couple things helped, although it was never easy.

"Yeah, I sort of think we were pioneers," Roskovics said. "We had to do a lot of fundraisers to get money for things like warmups and stuff.

"I think one of the big things was the first Star Beacon all-star game (now the Star Beacon Senior All-Star Classic). Sally Toukonen and I approached (then sports editor) Darrell Lowe about starting it (in 1979) and, fortunately, he was open to it. I think the kids around here still really look forward to that game."

The personal highlight to Roskovics' basketball coaching career came in 1983.

"It was when we beat Ashtabula at the PV sectional," he said. "That was Davis' senior year and they had beaten us twice during the regular season, the last time, 70-67. They were the No. 1 seed and we ended up meeting in the first round. We beat them, 70-67."

Other matters of pride also exist.

"I was proud that we were always very competitive and that we had one of the more consistent programs around," Roskovics stated. "I feel good about the relationships I had with the girls and my fellow coaches.

"Sue's 39-rebound game (still a state record) was a big thing, but I also remember the last game of her career in the tournament against Lakeview. We were way down at halftime, but she came back and ended up with 35 points and we almost came back to beat them."

A few regrets

Roskovics’ exit from basketball coaching is "definitely the biggest regret of my whole career in education.

"Eight years of coaching back-to-back seasons had begun to take its toll," he said. "There were a lot of outside forces involved and I felt I was doing a lot of things for the wrong reasons. I went on a cruise that summer and came back all excited again, but by then it was too late. They had filled the positions.

"In hindsight, maybe I should have given up volleyball and just done basketball, but I made a hasty decision. I sort of cut off my nose to spite my face."

The struggles girls players of his era had to go through also bother him.

"I wish those girls had the opportunities the girls today have," Roskovics stated. "I think they had to prove they could play the game. Poor (Pokelsek) had to try out at Bowling Green to earn her scholarship. Now, they have opportunities like team camps, which never used to exist.

"There was a different attitude toward female athletes back then. They had to struggle to get recognition."

That's why he became the driving force behind the Ashtabula County Women's Scholar-Athlete Association after his second retirement from volleyball coaching. He continues his crusading efforts as ACWSAA president.

"I like to see the kids involved in as many things as they can be," he said. "The scholar-athletes that we have among the girls still amaze me, how so many can play three sports and still maintain a 4.0 grade-point average. But I think female athletes achieve more because they are still expected to do more.

"That's why I like how the (Chagrin Valley Conference) handles its scheduling, alternating girls and boys games on prime nights and playing the games at night. I would like to see athletic directors for girls sports, too."

A bachelor, Roskovics has another reason for his commitment.

"(My former players) are my family," he said. "And it wasn't just about the Harbor kids. I enjoy watching when two county teams play each other and can be impartial, but when it's a county team against a team from somewhere else, you know who I'm rooting for.

"I always appreciate when someone comes up to me and says thank you because it means a lot. I enjoy watching the girls' kids grow up, too."

Otherwise, Roskovics wouldn't change anything. Well, maybe one thing.

"I wouldn't change the timing of when I coached, although if I could be 35 again, I'd love to get back into it," he said.

What about Bob?

By KARL PEARSON
Staff Writer

Watch Bob Walters in his prime as a basketball player and you'd swear shooting came as naturally to him as breathing.

Eventually Walters, who will be inducted into the Ashtabula County Basketball Foundation Hall of Fame Sunday, would become a high school and college star with that silky-smooth delivery of his and earn an invitation for a tryout with the New York Knicks.

But his success never came as easily as Walters made it look. There were no midget basketball leagues in Ashtabula in his youth and his first experience with the game came by playing pickup games on outside basketball courts in elementary school.

Thus armed, he tried to make the basketball team in junior high school.

"I tried out for the seventh-grade team at West Junior High and got cut," Walters said. "I went out for the eighth-grade team and got cut. But they told us we were allowed to practice if we went in at 6 a.m. They'd leave balls on the floor and let us shoot."

Ask Walters the secret of his success and he doesn't hesitate.

"I had singleness of purpose," he said.

Singleness of purpose in hand, he tried out for the team again in the ninth grade. This time, he made it.

"I couldn't shoot a lick," he said. "I could jump and play defense. Mr. (Bob) Ball (then Ashtabula High School coach) let me dress for the varsity team as a sophomore. But I didn't letter as a sophomore."

Walters found a kindred spirit in Gene Gephart, who would become basketball coach in

"He and I played PIG and HORSE," Walters said. "We spent a lot of time shooting and I became an adequate player in high school. But I doubt I was near a 1,000-point scorer."

In Walters' senior year at Ashtabula, he averaged 16 points a game, starting along with, as Walters recalls, Jeff Ball, Ozzie Eberle, Wayne Harley and Frank Bush, with Ron Vettel (now Judge Vettel), Joe Peterangelo (now Joe Pete, Sr.), Rick Holub, George Keyes, Ray Henson and Bob Bruosta on the bench. Walters was a starting guard.

"Back in those days, they didn't have a point guard and an off-guard or shooting guard," he said. "Bob Ball's son, Jeff, and I were the scoring threats out there in our junior and senior years.

"Jeff was probably more the driver type. My strength was with the jump shot."

Since there was no three-point arc in Walters' day, he tried to shoot from no more than 15-18 feet.

"Bob Ball was a defensive coach," Walters said. "He was strict in the way he let you play."

The Panthers won 16 games in both Walters' junior and senior seasons, 15 in his sophomore year. "I really began playing much better as a junior," he said. "As a senior, I was pretty successful."

One of his proudest memories of high school was when he broke the single team record of 29 points, set by his teammate, Jeff Ball, earlier.

"I scored 31 points with my left arm in a cast from the elbow to the hand," Walters said. "I always respected Mr. Ball for leaving me in there to do that — break the record set by his son."

Walters was recruited by Youngstown State, Kent State and Baldwin-Wallace. There were things he didn't like about Youngstown and he got a bit of a brushoff at Kent.

"I went on a campus visit to Kent State and the head coach was busy playing handball," he said. "That turned me off.

"Baldwin-Wallace was a beautiful campus and treated me nicely. It was an easy choice."

If it took a long time to establish himself as a scholastic player, his collegiate career took off like a rocket.

"I started the fifth game of my freshman year and every game thereafter, 105 games in a row," he said.

He established eight records for the Yellow Jackets, including leading scorer with 1,840 points, still fourth on the list. He held that mark for 10 years, until Dean Martin scored 2,062 between 1969 and 1973.

He also held the marks for single-game scoring (47, against St. Vincent in 1960), most field goals in a game (21), most points in a season (541), most field goals in a season (224) and consecutive games started (105). Altogether, he held eight records at one time.

"I was the ball-handler and shooting guard," he said. "The last three years, I averaged more than 21 points a game."

Despite his accomplishments, Baldwin-Wallace was not a successful team. The Yellow Jackets went 7-17, 11-15, 15-13 and 14-12 in his four years, a 47-57 overall mark.

"Seldom did I play with anyone on my team as a starter who was over 6-3. We competed against Loyola of Chicago in 1962 when they won the championship. Our tallest player was 6-3. We were leading in the game and the next thing we knew, we were down 60. Without a big man, you can't make a go of it."

When he graduated, the Knicks asked him to come in for a tryout — at his own expense.

"I couldn't afford the trip, so I passed on it," he said. "But I really enjoyed teaching and coaching. I was quite successful playing college basketball but between 1963 and 1964 I had a chance to play in Open Cleveland, the top league in Cleveland. I realized I could do things well, but I didn't have the foot speed and got over the disappointment."

Walters continued to play basketball in recreational leagues when he came back to Ashtabula as a health and physical education teacher in 1964.

"I played in open leagues for years, probably through the '70s and into the '80s," he said. "They used to have leagues all over. We'd go to tournaments. We'd like to go to Ledgemont, at the old school with a matchbox gymnasium. Big teams would come in. There were a lot of points scored. We had a lot of fun running and gunning."

Among the players on Walters' team were Jerry Raffenaud and Don Condon. He played against Al Bailey, former Spencer and Geneva coach and a member of last year's ACBF's Hall of Fame class, though posthumously.

"If we'd played on the same team, we'd probably have a friendly disagreement about who would take the ball out," Walters said. "Whoever took it out would never see it again. The two of us would probably end up scoring 100 points. He was a heck of a player."

Walters started teaching physical education and health at Ashtabula in September 1964. Bob Ball, then the boys basketball coach, told him there were two coaching positions open, that Walters could take his choice of them and Ball would take the other.

"It was golf or tennis," Walters said. "I like running. That's how I got involved in tennis. Mr. Ball took golf."

Forty years later, Walters is still the tennis coach, though it's now at Lakeside since the consolidation of Ashtabula and Harbor. He's claimed about 370 victories and Northeastern Conference championships in 1977 and 1978, the only years that Geneva has not won or shared the title.

"I had never played tennis when I took the job," Walters said. "I had to learn the sport. I never allowed players to call me ‘Coach' until about 1970. I was always Mr. Walters because I didn't know much about it. Once I got a fairly good handle on it, the kids could call me ‘Coach.'"

When Walters took over the basketball reins from Gephart in 1971-72, he found many of his basketball players also on his tennis squad.

"There was a great transition from basketball to tennis then," he said. "I don't get basketball players playing tennis anymore."

Walters served as freshman boys coach his first two years, then became varsity assistant. In 1971, Gephart went into administration, leaving the head boys basketball coach job to Walters.

"I tried to get him to stay one more year, but he left and I took over," Walters said.

Bob Ball and Gephart are the people who influenced him the most, he said.

"Mr. Ball probably set the wheels in motion for me to be the type of coach and teacher I turned out to be. That's where I learned that discipline is extremely important. When he talked, coaches listened and players listened.

"I didn't realize how important that was until I got away from that environment. The type of coach and teacher I became was probably determined then."

Walters added that his eventual coaching philosophy and style became a combination of Ball's emphasis on defense and his own run-and-gun game.

"I tried to blend them all together," he said.

Of Gephart, Walters said, "Being so closely related in method and philosophy made it easy for me to work within that framework. The beauty of having Gene Gephart in my life is that he turned out to be a very good friend as well."

As Ashtabula High School's basketball coach, Walters took the Panthers to NEC championships in the 1972-73, 1977-78 and 1982-83 seasons. Over a 21-year span, interrupted when John Higgins took over the team from 1987-89, he posted a 209-221 record as coach.

The 1977-78 team was probably his best, posting a 18-3 record and going all the way to the district finals before being eliminated from the tournament. That squad consisted of starters Tom Hill, David Benton, Deora Marsh, Perry Stofan and Lou Murphy, with Stanley Ball, Scooby Brown, Robin Thomas, Hank Barchanowicz, Jewel Hanna, Roger Ball and Tony Powell.

"Our margin of victory was about 20 points a game," Walters said. "That was by far, without a doubt, my best team. Also, it was the most surprising team. We were an average team the year before."

Pokelsek flashed across the basketball horizon
Former Harbor great played the game only 7 years, but set a state record and then played at BGSU
By KARL PEARSON
Staff Writer

Sue Pokelsek's basketball career didn't last long, a mere seven years. But when she was on the court, she definitely made an impact.

Basketball also has had a profound effect on her life in the years since she graduated from Bowling Green State University. It has had a great influence on her course through the business world.

The lessons learned on the courts of Ashtabula County and at BG have helped her structure her life as a wife and mother as well. Known now as Sue Pokelsek Ioas, she and her husband of 15 years, Michael, reside in Cincinnati with their sons Stephen, 9, and Adam, 7.

"I've stayed at home with the kids the last three years," she said during a break in the action on the home front. "I still do consulting work (for John Morrell and Co., owned by Chiquita Banana), but being Mom is the best job."

Ioas, 42, is grateful for all the skills she's acquired. She is very pleased to have her court skills acknowledged again, 25 years after she graduated from Harbor High School in 1979 and more than 20 years after she departed the competitive sphere, as she is inducted Sunday into the Ashtabula County Basketball Foundation's Hall of Fame. That will happen at the second annual ACBF banquet at the Conneaut Human Resources Center at 6 p.m..

Among her accomplishments on the court for the Mariners were the distinction of grabbing 39 rebounds in a game against Conneaut on Jan. 4, 1978 that still stands as a state record. She helped get the coaching career of another of this year's ACBF hall-of-fame inductees, Frank Roskovics, who registered a 109-58 record off to a solid start.

With her numbers, Ioas made enough of an impression on Bowling Green coach Kathy Bole to bring her in an era when women's collegiate basketball was ruled by the Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) and scholarship money was doled out only after candidates had been subjected to tryouts. The 6-footer from the small school in the northeastern part of the state in a time when northwestern Ohio was considered the hotbed of girls basketball must have stood out, going on to play four years for the Falcons.

She proved to be a worthwhile investment for BG, finishing just short of 1,000 career points as she had at Harbor. Her contributions made a lasting impact, earning her selection to Bowling Green's All-Century Team in 2000.

Introduction to basketball

Involvement in athletics began at an early age for Ioas. It was natural that would happen, since her parents, Alyce and John, made sure Sue and her sister, Cheryl, a 1977 Harbor graduate, were athletically active.

"I remember swimming at the YMCA from the time I was little through my freshman year in high school," Ioas said. "I swam for Beverly Windle at the Y. She was a tremendous motivator."

Alyce Pokelsek didn't just lavish her love for athletics on her daughters. She helped Windle out at the Chalk Box when the latter struck out on her own with her gymnastics school. She continued to teach neighborhood youngsters the basics of swimming in her own backyard pool at her home behind Columbus Junior High virtually until her death in 2000. In Alyce Pokelsek's memory, her daughters have presented a scholarship to a senior girl the past three years at the Ashtabula County Women's Scholar-Athlete Association awards banquet.

"My mother grew up in Collinwood," Ioas said. "She never had the opportunities to play that girls today do. She just wanted us to have those opportunities. I'm glad I had the chance to play three sports in high school, and we played on into the summer, too."

Proudly, Ioas noted that she was Star Beacon All-Ashtabula County and Coaches' All-Northeastern Conference in volleyball, basketball and softball. Her sister became a cheerleader.

Basketball really just was another thing to play in the backyards or on neighborhood driveways.

"I used to play at the neighbors' houses," Ioas recalled. "I remember playing a lot at Paul Everett's house. I was the only girl playing."

The Harbor coaching staff realized what they had, at least in some degree, when Ioas arrived. Jennifer Lautanen and Crena Baker were the coaches her freshman year.

"I played volleyball and softball as a freshman," she said.

But basketball wasn't on her agenda until her sophomore year, when Baker convinced her to join the squad. The urging of classmates like recently retired Jefferson volleyball coach Jeanine Bartlett, Lori Davis, Rita Wagner and Lori Herpy (Mercilliott) may have also helped.

"I was 6-feet tall and I was left-handed," she said. "They probably said I should be on the team.

"We had a group of about five or six girls who did all three sports and had good success. It was neat. I remember going to camps together in the summer at Otterbein and at Dayton."

It was a fortuitous decision, although things didn't really start to happen in hoops until her junior year. It also helped her cope with the death of her father that year.

"My sophomore year, we had some success, but my junior year, Rosko was definitely the coach and things really started to happen," Ioas said. "I remember Randy Gephart sat behind me in class and was kind of my personal press agent (as a student worker at the Star Beacon)."

That really wasn't necessary. Her performance spoke for itself, especially the 39-rebound night.

"Jeanine and I have a standing joke that she missed a lot of shots to help me get the record," Ioas said with a laugh.

Despite having such a solid team, though, the Mariners never claimed an NEC championship during Ioas' career. They hit a barrier in Sally Toukonen (Dulak's) Geneva machine of the late 1970s.

"Rosko and (assistant Dik Pavolino) really had us going," she recalled. "But we kept running into Geneva with Anita Tersigni, Lori Korver, Nadine Cox and Ellen Beitel. We were in a very good league and we had some great rivalries."

College basketball

However, those achievements meant little to college coaches of the day. Girls had to almost be self-promoters to play at the next level, since recruiting budgets were nearly non-existent. Fortunately, Ioas had a coach looking out for her interests.

"There was not nearly the kind of recruiting back then," Ioas said. "Rosko was very good about sending out information on me to schools. I'm really grateful to him for that.

"I had interest from schools like Edinboro and Otterbein. But I got invited out to BG for a tryout. You would go out and practice with their team."

Apparently, Ioas' tryout was very successful.

"I was offered a 50 percent scholarship my freshman year," she said. "My freshman year was a phenomenal experience. I remember playing at places like Ohio State that year."

The Falcons must have thought after that first year that Ioas was worth the investment.

"My last three years, I was on a full ride," she said. "I'm pretty proud of that."

It gave her something to brag about when she got into her career, but she's kept a low profile about it.

"A lot of people in the business world purposely hire former athletes because they know what to expect of them," Ioas said. "Throughout my career, I've worked predominantly with men. It's funny to listen to them brag about their achievements. I get the last laugh because when they're talking about paying off student loans, I know that my career paid for my education."

But she shrugs off the notion that she and players like Tersigni, who played four years at the University of Cincinnati, were pioneers.

"Yes, I guess I think we were somewhat pioneers, but I also feel somewhat lucky," Ioas said. "We were just athletes. Basketball just happened to be my best area of success."

Balancing their athletic commitments with their academic responsibilities was more demanding for female players of Ioas' day than what today's players face.

"College basketball was really eye-opening," she said. "It was a very different time with the level of work demanded, like lifting weights for the first time, and still being expected to get good grades. You didn't get the breaks or the flexibility from professors that they get today, either. You had to find a way to keep up."

All the demands made team members a close-knit group.

"We had a group of five girls who all played four years together," Ioas said. "We weren't just teammates, but good friends. My roommate was the team star. I played with Deanne Knoblauch (briefly the BG women's coach, who worked with Jefferson product Kelly Kapferer). She was an outstanding player. They were great teammates."

Still, Ioas feels the Falcons didn't accomplish everything they could have.

"I think we could have been more successful if we had played for Fran Voll (the legendary coach who succeeded Bole)," she said.

Ioas feels she did continue to grow as a player.

"I think I got better every year," she said. "It was a growing experience. I started developing back problems my junior and senior year or I think I could have done better."

At that time, there were no avenues for women's players beyond college. Her back problems, plus her intended career path, pretty much closed the door on basketball when her time at Bowling Green ended in 1983.

"I was a business major," Ioas said. "I never had an interest in coaching or teaching."

After basketball

The principles learned in her athletic career have continued to influence Ioas, though.

"Basketball had a huge impact on my business life," she said. "The fact it's a team sport helps you with matters like working as a group and getting along with other people, but I had also learned to be self-disciplined and self-motivated."

It has a great impact on her family, too.

"I've tried to steer my kids into a lot of outdoor activities," she said. "Our family attends a lot of sports, and it's getting bigger all the time. We have (Cincinnati) Bengals season tickets and we go to Reds games and UC basketball games."

"So many of my friends complain about the running around they do for their kids' sports, but I enjoy it. We're into something at least three times a week."

It even prompted her to take a stab at coaching Stephen's basketball team, which reinforced her previous reluctance, at least for now.

"I didn't like it very much," she said.

Stephen is also into swimming, which Ioas wishes her mother could see. Andrew also is getting started in basketball at the local YMCA and plays baseball and soccer.

She tries to apply the lessons her parents, Windle and Roskovics instilled.

"Of course, my parents had a big influence on me," Ioas said. "My mother taught Stephen the beginning strokes, just like she did for so many of my friends' kids."

"Beverly Windle never got enough credit for all the kids she helped and the positive role model she was. She used to tell us, ‘The sky's the limit.’"

"And Rosko was always an outstanding advocate for girls sports," Ioas said. "He was, and is, a great champion for them. We all owe him a lot."