Hannah Boesinger is a known commodity.
When coach Bob Boldon looks toward his bench to give somebody on the court some rest or provide his team with an extra spark, he knows he can trust Boesinger.
“It’s like having a great reliever in the bullpen,” Boldon said. “She’s a kid that can increase the energy of our team immediately. She understands how to guard things, she understands what we’re trying to do offensively, and she’s another player that doesn’t need a lot of shots to affect the game.”
Last season, Boesinger was still a defensive laborer who didn’t need the ball in her hands to be effective on offense. Yet she had a sub-par season as a shooter. Her 20 percent shooting from 3-point range was a steep drop from her career mark of 34 percent.
While Boldon said the departure of Kiyana Black will allow Ohio to play a more team-oriented style of offense, somebody still has to take the shots Black leaves behind. And Boesinger said she wants to have a part in filling that void.
Boldon said Boesinger, a forward, has looked good driving to the basket in practice recently, which is part of her plan to improve. He isn’t sure how much she'll expand her role, but she’s already improved significantly since arriving at Ohio, so he’s not counting her out.
Boesinger was thrown into the fire early in her career. At one point during her sophomore season, Ohio had so many injuries in a particular game that she had to play with four fouls in the first half because there was nobody to replace her.
Since then, Boesinger’s effort on defense and the ability to score when called upon has provided Boldon with 20 reliable, stress-free minutes per game. Now a senior, Boesinger is looking to pass her devoted work ethic along to the eight underclassmen that will become the core of the program.
“I’m just trying to show (the underclassmen) that working hard will get you playing time and get you good playing time if you put forth the effort,” Boesinger said.
Boesinger may be ready to mentor Ohio’s future, but the future is a long way off. For now, Boesinger's eyes are on the not-so-distant future.
“Our goal’s been the same pretty much every year I’ve been here,” Boesinger said. “We wanna win the (Mid-American Conference) and then make it to the NCAA Tournament. And we think we’re capable of doing it.”
