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July 1, 2008

H.S. GIRLS' BASKETBALL: Sizemore returns to alma mater

Former New Albany player named new coach of Bulldog girls' squad

By MATT CRESS

When Amanda Sizemore was hired as the head girls’ basketball coach at Paoli, she gave administrators her full commitment with one caveat — if the New Albany job came open, she would pursue it.

That pursuit has paid off.

Sizemore’s hiring for the vacant post was unanimously approved by the New Albany-Floyd County School Corporation at a board meeting on Monday, beginning a new era in Bulldog hoops and ending the process begun with the departure of Todd Satterly in late April.

“I’m very excited,” said Sizemore, a 2001 New Albany graduate and a member of the Bulldogs’ 1999 Class 4A state championship team. “I grew up in the program and I’ve always wanted to be a part of continuing the tradition. It’s something I’ve wanted my whole life. I didn’t know the chance would come so soon, but I’m excited to get started.”

Sizemore spent last season — her first as a head coach — with the Rams. Paoli went 6-15 in her only year at the helm, with her final game being a 102-52 loss to eventual regional champion Austin in Class 2A sectional play.

“Everyone that we talked to said she is extremely hard-working, a great role model, an excellent teacher and a bright young coach,” said New Albany athletic director Don Unruh. “We think she’ll hit the ground running and do a great job with the program and the kids.”

Sizemore was a sophomore when New Albany took its first state title under Angie Hinton and, in 2001, was named honorable-mention Academic All-State.

Upon her graduation from New Albany, Sizemore attended Bellarmine University on a basketball scholarship, and later transferred to Brescia University in Owensboro, Ky., where she finished her college career.

Monday’s hiring ended a process that produced 15 applicants, several of whom had prior head-coaching experience. But Unruh says he believed the committee in charge of the search made a decision that will reap benefits in the years to come, citing Sizemore’s experience in both youth and AAU basketball programs. She also coached Scribner’s eighth-grade girls’ team before taking over at Paoli.

“The great number of applicants made it a very difficult process, but it also means a better chance of finding the right person,” Unruh said. “We think that’s exactly what happened.

“She’s deeply rooted in AAU and in running youth leagues. That’s something we think is very necessary to compete in the (Hoosier Hills) conference and our sectional. We had a youth league with Coach Hinton and the result was a state championship.”

Sizemore takes over during an IHSAA “dead week,” when teams are prohibited from practicing or playing in summer leagues. She also has yet to meet with her former team at Paoli, but says that’s next up on her long list of tasks.

She says she’s ready to take on the challenge of building a program much like the one she was a part of most of her life.

“That’s what I admired about Coach Hinton,” Sizemore said. “She was our coach from the time we were 10 years old, and she was always around for us. I learned a lot and I know how to build the kind of program that the school deserves.”

Satterly coached the Bulldogs for four seasons, compiling a 37-48 record at a program that has sometimes struggled to regain its momentum after winning the state’s highest honor. New Albany was 11-10 last season, its first winning record since going 13-8 in Satterly’s first season.

“We really appreciate the effort that Todd Satterly put in to the program,” Unruh said. “His teams just got better and better every time I saw them. We thought he did a great job.”

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