KARL PEARSON
The achievements of the Geneva girls basketball team this season were numerous. The biggest came Monday with the announcement of the Division II All-Ohio team by the Associated Press.
Coach Nancy Barbo, who led the Eagles to their first appearance in the regional tournament along with their first district tournament appearance, was chosen to share Coach of the Year honors in Division II with Rod Chylsta of Ravenna and Ray Neill of Sandusky Perkins.
Barbo was not the only Eagle to be recognized at the state level. Senior post Taylor Webb was named to the honorable-mention list.
Nor was Geneva the only area school honored in Division II. Jefferson senior Lizzy Ziemski was also a special-mention selection, while Conneaut’s Nichele Johnson was placed in the honorable-mention category.
No area girls were recognized on the Division I team, which was also announced Monday. The Division III and IV All-Ohio teams will be revealed today.
Barbo also led Geneva to the Premier Athletic Conference championship in its first year in the conference. The Eagles are the only Division II team in an otherwise Division I conference.
Earning such recognition was a distinction Barbo said was a collaborative effort shared with her coaching staff of husband John, junior varsity coach Rob DiPofi, freshman coach Chip Sorber and her girls.
“It’s quite an honor,” the University of Akron graduate said. “(Having such a degree of success) is not a one-person job. I owe a lot to all my assistants.”
Then there’s the time and energy her players were willing to invest to reach the lofty perch the Eagles (19-5) attained.
“You have to have talent to achieve that,” Barbo said. “Actually, if the girls hadn’t been willing to invest the time and the energy they did and weren’t as committed as they were, it wouldn’t have been achieved.”
The credit largely goes to others for the award Barbo is receiving, in her estimate.
“You never go into coaching for personal honors,” she said. “You want your players to achieve all they can.
“I certainly didn’t go into coaching for the honors. It’s just to help the girls reach their potential.”
