Recipe
for hoops success
Epps
found it for Tornado
By John Enrietto
Eagle Sports Editor
BUTLER TWP— Her lone returning starter was a sophomore.
Gone was Amy Achesinski, a 1,500-point scorer who was one of the best players
in the program's history. Gone was Maria Baroffio, her team's best defensive
player.
For the first time in years,
But the Golden Tornado put together a 24-4 overall record and won their
section. And coach Dorothea Epps won the Butler Eagle Girls Basketball Coach of
the Year Award as a result.
Epps tallied 14 points in balloting by the Eagle sports staff. Slippery Rock's
Adrienne Orris had eight points,
This is the first time in Epps' five years as head coach that she's won the
award.
"It's a nice honor, but I take this award as a group effort,"Epps
said. "I've got a tremendous supporting cast, including my assistants,
Aaron (Epps) and Julie (Baccanti), and Ron Vodenichar, who is a great advance
scout. The junior high program, our fifth- and sixth-grade developmental
coaches, they're all a part of this.
"Ultimately, it's the young ladies who deserve the credit. They sacrifice
a lot. With AAU and summer ball, these kids are committed to basketball 12
months a year."
Epps effectively retooled her team, moving sophomore Olivia Bresnahan to the
2-guard position with the return of point guard Lyndsy Day, who missed all of
her junior season with a torn ACL.
The Tornado often had four guards on the floor at one time.
"We've had more talented teams,"Epps said. "But these girls were
mentally tough along with being physically tough, and that made the difference
in close games."
Besides winning the section title with an 11-1 record, the Butler girls
achieved the following in 2007-08:
n Won eight games by fewer than 10 points.
• Lost only once — in a PIAAtournament game to WPIALchampion Upper St. Clair —
by more than three points.
• Won 21 games in a row.
• Averaged 58.8 points per game, third-most in WPIALClass AAAA.
• Allowed 42.4 points per game, fourth-fewest in Class AAAA.
• Had an average point differential of plus 16.4 points per game, second in
Class AAAA to Mount Lebanon, which reached the state championship game.
"The biggest thing in coaching I've learned from my mom is how to deal
with kids," Aaron Epps said. "She holds them accountable and they
respect that.
"She knows how to motivate kids to play hard."
Aaron Epps said that mental toughness was the key to Butler's success this
year.
"She began preaching that the night we lost to Latrobe in the playoffs
last year,"he said. "We had some injuries, but we're not a team that
makes excuses. You have to overcome injuries."
The Tornado did that this year, beating Hempfield in the first round of the
WPIALplayoffs despite losing Day to a knee injury in the game's first two
minutes.
Butler's junior varsity team is riding a 50-game winning streak into next year,
having posted back-to-back perfect seasons.
"What we're drawing from that is a winning mentality,"Epps said.
"These girls expect to win and they've learned how to win. You can always
use that at the next level."
Epps said she can't help but feel emotion when looking back on this season.
"I had fun with this group of girls,"she said. "They were
fighters. That's what I'll remember most."
COY VOTING
Here is how voting for the Butler Eagle Girls Basketball Coach of the Year
Award, which was conducted by the Eagle sports staff, broke down:
Player, Team........................Points
Dorothea Epps, Butler.................14
Adrienne Orris, SR.........................8
Dave Kerschbaumer, KC.............5
Josh Meeker, Union......................2
Tony Howard, Mars.......................1