Bob Boldon named head women's basketball coach at Youngstown State
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - Northeast Ohio native and experienced assistant Bob Boldon has been named the sixth head women's basketball coach at Youngstown State University, YSU President Dr. David C. Sweet announced on Wednesday.
Boldon has spent three successful seasons as a collegiate head coach, and has been an assistant at the college level for 10 years. Five of those 10 years have been at the Division I level, including two seasons at Akron. He spent last season as the top assistant coach at Division I Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers, Fla.
"When I talked with some of Coach Boldon's peers in the coaching profession, they all praised him as an up-and-comer who just needed a chance. We're excited to give him that chance," YSU Executive Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Ron Strollo said. "Upon visiting with him, he made it clear that he wanted to return to Northeast Ohio and help us resurrect our program. He's had success as a head coach, and he has been a loyal assistant under very accomplished head coaches. Furthermore, he has recruiting experience in our region and a solid track record in turning programs around."
Boldon, a 34-year-old native of Louisville, Ohio, is equally excited to spearhead a rebirth in the women's basketball program at YSU.
"I am very excited about the opportunity to be the next head coach at Youngstown State University," Boldon said. "Mr. Strollo has a great vision not only for the future of the women's basketball program, but the entire athletic department. I am excited and honored to be a part of it. I am also thrilled that my family and friends will have an opportunity to share in the excitement of re-establishing a winning tradition for the women's basketball program at YSU."
In his most recent head coaching stint, Boldon orchestrated the best season in school history in 2008-09 at Lambuth University, an NAIA school in Jackson, Tenn. He led the Eagles to school bests with 29 wins, a final No. 3 national ranking and an .853 winning percentage. Lambuth was the runner-up for the national title, and Boldon was recognized as the Association of Independent Institutions Coach of the Year after the regular season and A.I.I. tournament.
At the University of Arkansas at Monticello, Boldon helped lead a major improvement for the Division II Cotton Blossoms in the Gulf South Conference. He inherited a team that went 1-15 in GSC play the year prior to his arrival, and he immediately brought them up to an 8-8 mark, which was the school's best conference record in five years. In his two seasons at UAM, the Cotton Blossoms finished third in the GSC each year, made consecutive conference tournament appearances and earned the school's first conference tournament victory since 1998.
Although Boldon has been an assistant coach at seven different institutions, he has served with only three head coaches and moved along with them as they received better opportunities. He has spent four seasons with Karl Smesko, the current head women's basketball coach at FGCU, and five with Jodi Kest, who is the head coach at Akron.
Boldon and Smesko teamed up for a combined record of 85-34 over four seasons, which includes one year at Florida Gulf Coast, two years at IPFW and another at Walsh.
In 2009-10, FGCU went 24-7 and earned an invitation to compete in the WNIT. The Eagles were 17-3 in the Atlantic Sun and went a perfect 14-0 in home contests. Chelsea Lyles earned first-team all-conference honors, and Adrianne McNally and Shannon Murphy both earned second-team honors.
Boldon and Smesko were part of a massive rebuilding project at IPFW as the Mastadons competed at the Division II level. IPFW was 2-24 the season before Boldon arrived on campus, and the Mastadons went 13-14 and 19-8 in the two years he was on the bench.
Boldon and Smesko first worked together in 1997-98 at Boldon's alma mater, Walsh. The Cavaliers won the NAIA Division II National Championship that season behind a 29-5 record, and Smesko was recognized as the national coach of the year with Boldon's assistance.
With Kest, Boldon was the top assistant coach at Akron for two seasons from 2006 to 2008. There, he helped lay the foundation for Akron to be competitive again in the Mid-American Conference. The Zips had won eight games combined in the two years before Boldon and Kest arrived on campus, and they won 10 games in the first season with Boldon on board. With some of Boldon's recruits, Akron went 18-14 in 2009-10 and advanced to the MAC Tournament semifinals.
Boldon also spent two seasons with Kest at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi from 2002 to 2004, leading the Islanders to a combined 34-21 record as a Division I Independent. Boldon and Kest first worked together at Gannon in 2001-02 when the Lady Knights went 20-8 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament.
Boldon was an assistant at Wilmington College with Jerry Scheve in 1998-99, helping to lead the Quakers to a 20-4 record and regular season and tournament titles.
Boldon graduated from Walsh in 1997 with a bachelor's degree in elementary education. As a student-athlete, he was a two-time All-America selection as a point guard and helped lead the Cavaliers to the semifinals of the NAIA Tournament. A four-year starter, he remains the school record holder in assists (775) while also ranking fourth in scoring with 1,694 points. Boldon was a 2008 inductee to Walsh's Wall of Fame.
He earned his master's degree in liberal studies from Indiana in 2003.
Boldon and his wife, Diana, have three sons -- Tyler and twins Luke and Zach.
