Hillen Reflects on 2021-2022 Season
With the 2021-22 Penn State Fayette women’s basketball season in the rearview mirror, head coach Scott Hillen is happy with how the season went. When you factor in that injuries and other factors limited the team, and considering the team had to face low numbers, going 11-17 overall, including 7-11 in the Pennsylvania State University Athletic Conference (PSUAC), was a really good season. And when you add in the team qualified for the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) national championship tournament, Hillen has caught himself asking, “what if.”
“I thought the season went well,” said Hillen. “It would have helped if we kept the whole team together until the end as injuries hurt us at the end of season. I think we surprised people a little this year. Looking back at it, we started slow and got it going. I think we missed a good opportunity this year of winning a championship. We had a chance.”
Hillen spoke about guard play being a strength and also discussed struggles.
“Our guard play was well this year even though we lacked depth,” he said. “The young players played well even though they missed a season. Depth is a struggle, and no consistency on the inside for us. Certain individuals showed some growth but as a team we accepted roles and came together as the season went on.”
Without hesitation, Hillen transitioned to the growth he saw in the team.
“We were very young and had some growing pains,” he said. “Certain competition for spots caused some friction with some players. I think they realized as the season went on that we are a better team when we don’t think about ourselves and we put the team ahead of our own individual aspirations. Plus, I think they doubted themselves at first and realized we were right there with the top teams in the conference and country by the end of the season. Seems like our biggest hurdle this season was ourselves. We got in our own heads at some points. The young players were easily frustrated with their own performances in some games. They learned to move on to the next game or play as the season went on. I also would have to say depth was a hurdle too. We were missing three starting guards that were very good players that should have been playing this past season. That’s small college basketball though and the team played very well this season.”
Looking ahead, Hillen spoke about six key players who are returning next season include All-American point guard Taylor McCormick (Laurel, MD/Eleanor Roosevelt HS), Ally Boykin (Canton, OH/Canton McKinley HS), ZaMeriah Edwards (Houston, PA/Chartiers Houston HS), Abby Bickerton (Elizabeth, PA/Elizabeth Forward HS), Stephanie Taylor (Manassas, VA/Osborne HS) and McKenzie Pirl (Scottdale, PA/Southmoreland HS).
“As for returning players we get our All-American point guard in Taylor McCormick back and she is one of the best players in the country,” Hillen said. “She is our engine, she leads us, she takes a lot on and we want to give her more support in her last season next year. We also want her to take her game to the next level next year and not just be satisfied with what she has accomplished. Allison Boynkin got to play her first collegiate season and can be one of the best players in the country if she works to improve on some things. ZaMeriah was only able to play a semester with us this season and has the potential to be an All-American. We need her to come in focused and determined. At the forward position we have Abby Binkerton, who started to show some of her abilities in the second half of the season, coming back and will be expected to be a double double type player. Stephanie Taylor is another forward coming back that has a very high potential. She had an aggravating season with ups and downs. We expect her to be a force on the inside next season. McKenzie Pirl stepped up this year at the forward position for us. With hard work in the off season she will be competing with Abby and Stephanie for minutes on the inside for us. She has the potential to be a good forward for us.”
Hillen spoke about the three players who will not be back in Jtaya Pirl (Connellsville, PA/Connellsville HS) ,, Morgan Rigsby (West Portsmith, OH/West Portsmith HS) and Carissa Cyphert (Scottdale/Southmoreland HS), although Cyphert could technically return for a semester.
“We lose a few players in Jtaya, Morgan and Carissa,” he said. “Jtaya was a leader for us and will be missed. She was an unselfish player who did whatever the team needed. She was a great defender that could guard multiple positions. Morgan Rigsby, who is transferring out for family reasons, was our most consistent forward and our best rebounder and will be missed. Carissa Cyphert, who might come back for a semester, stepped up this year being a guard that came off the bench and had big moments for us this year.”
After talking about the players moving on, he looked to the future.
“One thing is I want to improve as a coach in the off-season looking at new things that will fit our personnel and help our team excel,” he said. “I want to always work to get better. The players know what is expected of them in the off season and all know what they need to improve on to make us a better team. Recruiting is never ending and is one of the toughest things if not the toughest thing. We have added some very good players that will help us become the best we can be. We are still talking to a few players at this point and are hoping to add a couple more before the season starts. We did not reach our goal this season and will be working to win a championship just like every year. The conference is very competitive within itself and at the national level so we know we are capable of big things. We just have to be one unit with one goal, be the best team we can be.”
For more information on the women’s basketball team, go to https://www.psfathletics.com/sports/wbkb/index or follow us on Instagram @fayetteathletics.