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Hubbard hoping to contend for title
By Matt Deutsch
Herald correspondent

When Dave Konczal arrived at Hubbard High School three years ago to assume the head coaching duties of the girls basketball team, he set for himself, his staff and his squad the goal of seriously competing for a Trumbull Athletic Conference (TAC-8) championship in three years.

Well, Konczal has put the Lady Eagles in a position to do just that.

After Hubbard posted only three wins during the 1996-97 season, the Lady Eagles finished 8-12 the following year, Konczalís first at the helm, and 11-10 a year ago, including a 7-7 ledger in league action.

Now that it appears as though parity may rule the TAC-8 with an iron fist, Hubbard has an opportunity to see its 3-year plan come to fruition.

"I equate it to football two years ago, where it was kind of a jumbled mess," Konczal said of this seasonís TAC-8 race. "A league record of 9-5 or 10-4 may be enough to win. You really donít see a dominant team when you look at the TAC-8 this year. On the other hand, you donít see a bad basketball team, either.

"If you were using a scale between 1-10, you would see a bunch of teams between 5-7. Lakeview, Badger, LaBrae, Brookfield and us all look strong. I would say there are five teams that have a chance of winning it."

The backbone of the Lady Eagles this year is the senior duo of Michelle and Megan Chovan. Both Michelle, a 5-foot-10 forward, and Megan, a 5-9 guard, are 3-year letterwinners.

Last season, Michelle averaged 10 points and eight rebounds per game, while Megan averaged 11 points, three rebounds and three assists.

Konczalís other projected starters include 5-7 senior forward Amy Wiseman (5.5 ppg., 3.0 rpg.), 5-5 senior guard Kerry Montgomery (3.0 ppg.) and 5-7 junior center Michelle Bellino (7.0 ppg., 3.0 rpg.).

Among Konczalís top reserves are 5-6 junior guard Mollie Christine (four points), who will share time at the guard position with Megan Chovan and Montgomery, and 5-5 junior guard Jackie Metro, who tore an anterior cruciate ligament last December.

In addition, 5-10 senior center Ashley Ross, who didnít play basketball last year, could be a force inside, as could 5-9 sophomore forward Nye Page. Others expected to contribute are 5-6 junior forward Anne Fox and 6-2 freshman center Katie Jo Miroski.

According to Konczal, heís going to need at least one of those four to step up and play a major role off the bench this year if the Lady Eagles are going to be truly balanced.

"We feel comfortable about our depth on the perimeter," he said. "We know we donít have that kind of depth inside. Thatís what weíre searching for right now."

Another weakness that Konczal & Co. may have to combat is that of inexperience during crucial portions of a ballgame.

"Some of our seniors havenít played a lot during crunch time," said Konczal. "Although some of them played 10-12 minutes a game at the varsity level, those minutes were toward the start of games and in the middle."

As imperative as it is for the Lady Eagles to gain experience in playing at the end of close contests, more important is the teamís ability to earn road victories.

"My biggest question is whether or not we can win on the road," said Konczal. "One of the problems that weíve had in the past two years is that we havenít been able to stay consistent. Thatís one of the things weíve talked to the kids about, the fact that you have to beat the teams that are your equal, or are a little bit better or a little bit worse.

"It doesnít do any good to beat a team thatís undefeated if youíre going to lose to a team thatís of your own caliber. Thatís what the league is going to be about. Itís going to be about the team that can stay consistent.

"Not only that, itís going to be about which team can get off to a good start. If you look back at the last couple of years, the teams that have been successful have started well in league play."

If the Lady Eagles can win on the road, beat the teams they should and perhaps knock off some they shouldnít, then they may close out the millenium by attaining their desired goal: a TAC-8 title.

"This is the year that we targeted," said Konczal. "When we took over, we thought that we could compete for a championship by the third year. If we fail to, then we will have missed our original plan."

Konczalís varsity assistant this season is Ron DeJulio.

Coaching the junior varsity unit is Ross Stouffer, while Tammy Sinn is the ninth-grade coach, Kitty Benson is at the helm of the eighth-grade squad and Rich Perline is guiding the seventh-graders.

The Lady Eagles open their season on Monday at Austintown-Fitch.