Bay Path Shows Heart

To his credit, David Chatzky does find some redeeming value in these games.

"The games are the only times we can play 5-on-5," said Chatzky, the first-year coach of the Bay Path College women's basketball team.  "At a lot of the practices, we have only three or four players, so we play 2-on-2 or work on individual skills, or the coaches get involved to make a 3-on-3."

Someday, hopefully, Bay Path's eight players - one of which is sidelined by injury - will look back on this as a character builder.  That's what's often said of seasons like theirs, usually by people who don't have to live through them.

"We tell them at the end of the day, we're still all here, we do our homework and go home to our families," athletic director Steven Smith said.  "Our record is not what we believe we are."

Hes right, and the Wildcats are in there fighting, but Bay Path (0-7) is losing by an average of 57 points a game.  the Wildcats are scoring 23 points per contest.

There have been losses of 102-20 and 94-28, and 75-7 to Maine Maritime, which led 49-0 at halftime.

A lot of this is out of the players' control.  Located in Longmeadow, Bay Path has many fine facilities, academically and athletically. 

What the college does not have is a gym.

"A lot of recruits lose interest when they hear that," said Chatzky, who has coached in high school, college and Europe.  The Wildcats practice at various Longmeadow and Springfield gyms, and play home games at Springfield Technical Community College.

They do have talented and constantly triple-teamed sophomore center Chrissy Ordyna of Great Barrington, but Chatzky says she's the only player with four years of high school basketball experience.  Several have none.