Archive for the ‘YSU Basketball’ Category

October 13 was Media Day for the Youngstown State men’s basketball team.  Things felt different, things are different.  Coach Jerry Slocum was optimistic about the group of student-athletes he has assembled for the 2011-12 season. Before the quotes get printed and before the stats are run, I will go on the record and say that this basketball team will win the Horizon League this year. It is obvious that everyone will have a different opinion of what to expect.  Read the facts before forming an opinion.

This team has a rare blend of quality senior leadership with Ashen Ward and DuShawn Brooks.  Ward has been a constant plus and Brooks is prepared to accept his role as a potential starter after getting quality minutes off of the bench last season.  The youth on the team is oozing with talent. DJ Cole, Chris Morgan, Danny Reese, and Cale Zuiker are all parts of a puzzle that Slocum has been trying to complete for the last six years.

“We paid our dues last year”, remarked Slocum.  “I like the balance, the attitude, and the work ethic that this group has shown.  This is a deeper basketball team than I have had and I am very optimistic that we can finish in the top-third of the conference this season.”

What Slocum (above) did not address is what I will.

Youngstown State lost two players last season, Vytas Sulskis and Dan Boudler. However, the Penguins are welcoming back players who were difference makers in a strong second half run where nobody wanted to play YSU. Damian Eargle, Kendrick Perry, and Blake Allen, along with Ward all got better as the year went on.  Adding in Shawn Amiker, Fletcher Larson, Mike Podolsky, Nate Perry, and Josh Chojnacki, gives Slocum incredible bench strength and balance he has not had the luxury of enjoying in past seasons.

Now, why I say the Penguins will win this league…  Valparaiso had a guy named  Brandon Wood.  He didn’t graduate or get drafted, but opted to transfer to Michigan State to showcase his talents in a brighter spotlight.  Wood averaged 16.7 per game in the 2010-11 season.  Also gone is Cory Johnson who dropped in 26 against YSU last season.

Butler made it to the National Championship for a second year in a row.  Their last loss before that game was at Youngstown State. The Bulldogs are going to be good again, but they are going to experience some growing pains this season.  Gone are Matt Howard, Shelvin Mack, Shawn VanZant, and Zach Hahn.  The Bulldogs will be good, but YSU has better talent this season.

Want more?  Norris Cole was about 45% of Cleveland State’s offense.  He’s going to be picketing instead of playing this season and the Vikings will not be the same tough team without Cole.  Milwaukee lost their top scorer and rebounder, Anthony Hill. Etc…

Basically, the Penguins have equivalent or better talent than every other team in the Horizon League this season.  Slocum knows how to win games (he is sixth among active D-I coaches with 629 wins) , and the players are committed to bigger things.

“This is a group that made a major commitment to the offseason, to our Summer program, and into the Fall”, commented Slocum.  “These guys know what Horizon League basketball is all about and they know about the challenges ahead of them, physically, in a very, very good league.”

“We have worked hard on building a mentality because we know that nothing in this league will be easy”, said senior Ashen Ward.  “We have a sense of dedication that I have never felt before.  Knowing that I can come to the gym at six in the morning and one of my teammates might be there before me is a great feeling.  It’s nice to know that someone is working as hard as me and that he is on my team.”

“I’ll go on the record right now and say that we can win the Horizon League”, said Kendrick Perry.  “We are always seen as the underdogs.  A win against Butler last season paved the way in letting us realize how good we can really be.  We all came here for one purpose, to win.  Everything goes easier when we share a common goal, and we are working hard to reach our goals.”

“I think that guys are coming in ready to work and the competition on this team is healthy”, said Blake Allen.  “We don’t feel pressure, but more excitement. The young guys have come in and really followed the lead of the older guys, everyone is working hard.“

“We come in every day and push each other”, noted DuShawn Brooks.  “I’m not a captain, but I am a senior and I will do everything in my power to help Ashen [Ward] be a leader when needed.  Everyone has been shooting free throws, working on ball-handling, and tuning up their fundamentals.”

Never known to be a successful basketball program, the soil has finally tilled the way Coach Slocum envisioned it would for the last few years.  Expect bigger things this season, expect a competitive program with someone different able to step up and contribute toward a win.  Expect a very strong current of fresh air, bigger crowds, better results, and success.  I do.

At halftime of last week’s Youngstown State football game, the 1991 Penguins National Championship team was honored.  It was nice to see about 25 members of the team on-hand to be introduced to the crowd.  One of the 25 members in attendance was current YSU Athletic Director, Ron Strollo.  Anyone who has been around YSU’s campus in the last few years will notice dramatic changes for the better.

Before every home football game,there are a million calories sitting on three long tables. It is fun to hear the visiting team’s media and sports department boast that YSU puts out the best spread in the conference.  Comparatively, on a recent visit to Michigan State, the only food offered to media was a boiled hot dog and a fountain soda.  Not even a bag of chips.  Big 10, shame on you.

It is also fun to hear coaches and players who travel in to face the Penguins rant about the facilities.   When Illinois State was in town, the boosters commented that they had preconceived notions of not knowing what to expect on their first trip to Youngstown State.  I ran into the same couple after the game, and even though their Redbirds came out on the short end of the stick, they went out of their way to come near me to say that they really enjoyed everything about the visit and thanked several people more important than I for the hospitality.

Back to Strollo…  People have this thing in their minds that an athletic program of a college should strictly be based on wins and losses. There is some truth in the statement, but there are other ways a university will flourish as a direct result of sports.  The WATTS is a great example of how a facility enhances an already beautiful campus, draws recruiting interest for all competitive sports, and can be utilized by more than one group or team at any given time.

“We have really made an investment over the past four or five years in our facilities and the community has really jumped on board”, said Strollo.  “Construction companies, plumbers, and electricians have donated to the improvements that will ensure our facilities continue to stay at the top of the line”.

Surrounded by a great staff, Strollo is always accessible and genuine with an answer to a question.  He attends many sporting events and the thing I admire the most about him is that he can talk on any level with anyone.

“We try to compare what we have here to major Division-I schools”, commented Strollo.  “My role is to keep things running as smoothly as possible.  I can’t go recruit and I can’t coach, so I manage what my role is.  Everything we do is to the best of our ability.  Our goal is to make sure that these coaches and student athletes have everything at their disposal they need to be successful.”

If you havent been on campus for the last three years, go check things out.  Start with the new turf on the football field and walk toward the WATTS.  If you can get access, check out the updated training facilities inside Stambaugh Stadium.  Make your way to Beeghly Center and look at the weight room additions, coaches corner, and upgraded locker rooms.  Visits to the campus, especially by recruits, will reveal a very favorable environment to continue excelling in athletics, but also getting a quality college education.

We have a gift in this valley people.  Rather than focus on the negatives of the “tired steel town” or “mafia ties everywhere” versions, go intake the beauty that lies within.  Keep up the good work, Mr. Strollo!

Youngstown State junior forward Brandi Brown has been named Preseason First-Team All-Horizon League by collegesportsmadness.com in the website’s conference preview.

Brown (Pomona, Calif.) was the Horizon League’s scoring champion last season as a sophomore when she averaged 19.9 points. She was joined on the first team by Preseason Player of the Year Julie Wojta from Green Bay, UIC’s Jasmine Bailey, Detroit’s Yar Shayok and Cleveland State’s Shalonda Winton.

Milwaukee’s Sami Tucker, Loyola’s Monica Albano, Wright State’s Molly Fox, Green Bay’s Sarah Eichler and Cleveland State’s Destinee Blue appeared on the preseason second team.

Brown is coming off one of the best seasons in school history. She was named Second-Team All-Horizon League as she became just one of three YSU players to ever win a conference scoring title. In addition to averaging 19.9 points overall, Brown averaged 22.6 points during league play. The second-ranked scorer in conference games averaged 19.0 points.

Brown scored 597 points in 2010-11, which was the fifth-highest single-season total in school history. She has scored 939 points in her first two seasons on campus, and she needs 61 to become the 17th player in school history to reach 1,000 career points.

Brown will likely receive more preseason praise on Oct. 19 when the Horizon League’s preseason poll of coaches, sports information directors and media members is released.

Damian Eargle

Junior forward Damian Eargle was named to the 2011-12 Preseason All-Horizon League Third-Team by Collegesportsmadness.com, the website announced on Monday.

Eargle, a 2011 Horizon League All-Newcomer Team selection, is the Penguins leading returning scorer after averaging 11.3 points per game last season.

The 6-foot-7 forward also led the Horizon League with 91 blocked shots and 3.0 blocks per game and ranked seventh with 6.0 rebounds per game and with a .516 field-goal percentage.

Eargle, who started 28 of 30 games, was at his best down the stretch. Over the last six games of the season, he averaged 19.8 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.5 blocks per game and shot 63.3 percent (50-of-79) from the field.

The Penguins open the 2011-12 season at Samford, Saturday, Nov. 12, at 7 p.m.

The Youngstown State women’s basketball team opened practice in preparation for the 2011-12 season on Sunday evening in its first of 30 scheduled sessions prior to the season opener at West Virginia on Nov. 11.

Individual and small group sessions had been held for several weeks, but Sunday’s practice at Beeghly Center was the first session of considerable length with the entire team.

“We’re a lot further along this year than we were last year,” head coach Bob Boldon said. “We’re trying to get as much offensive movement and development in as we can, and defense will come in a couple of weeks.”

Boldon, who is in his second year with the program, has especially noticed an increase an intensity from a year ago.

“Our effort has been fantastic. Your biggest concern [at this time of year] is that your kids are working hard and that they’re learning. We’re doing both of those, and I’m happy from that standpoint.”

Boldon is welcoming newcomers Kelsea Fickiesen,  Ashley Lawson,  Devan Matkin and Melanie Poorman to the program, and he’ll also have the use of redshirt-freshman forward Heidi Schlegel, who missed the final 22 games of 2010-11 with a foot injury. Those five join seniors Tiera Jones, Kenya Middlebrooks, and Macey Nortey (above); junior all-league candidate Brandi Brown; and sophomores Liz Hornberger, Melissa Thompson, and Monica Touvelle.

Boldon inherited a program that had gone 0-30 the year prior to his arrival, and the Penguins improved well beyond their six-win increase. Most indicative was closing the scoring margin by 15.2 points from 2009-10 to 2010-11.  That was the second-best improvement in the country.  The Penguins finished last season by winning three of their final seven contests, and they had shots in the final 20 seconds in three of those losses that would have tied the game.

“They know what it takes to win games, and there’s an expectation of what’s to be done at practice to prepare to win games,” Boldon said. “They’re taking that preparation more seriously than they were a year ago.”

Boldon said the weight room report from the preseason lifting program came back with pleasing results, thanks in large part to a large portion of the team lifting on campus during the summer.

The Youngstown State women’s basketball team will play 13 games against opponents who won at least 20 games last season and participate in a Thanksgiving tournament in Los Angeles during the 2011-12 season, YSU head coach Bob Boldon announced on Tuesday.

The Penguins will have a challenging start with five of the first eight contests against teams who won 20-plus games a year ago. They’ll also play five of their first six contests away from Beeghly Center.

Boldon’s second season will start at West Virginia on Friday, Nov. 11, and the Penguins will remain on the road to play at IPFW (Nov. 13) and at Bucknell (Nov. 16). YSU’s home opener will be against American on Nov. 21, and the Guins’ league opener will be versus Cleveland State on Dec. 31. YSU has just 12 home contests on the 29-game docket.

“This is a very exciting and challenging schedule for us as we continue to build our program,” Boldon said. “We have a very demanding non-conference slate that will definitely prepare us for the Horizon League, and we’re adding New York City and Los Angeles to our list of attractive travel destinations.”

November 

 Fri	11	at West Virginia			TBA 

Sun	13	at IPFW			2:00 PM 

 Wed	16	at Bucknell			7:00 PM 

 Mon	21	AMERICAN			7:05 PM 

 Fri	25	at Loyola Marymount			4:00 PM 

 Sat	26	vs. TBA			TBA

Wed	30	WESTERN MICHIGAN			7:05 PM 

December 

 Tue	6	BOWLING GREEN			5:15 PM 

 Fri	9	at Ohio			7:00 PM

Sun	18	at Akron			2:00 PM 

 Tue	27	at Stony Brook			7:00 PM 

 Sat	31	CLEVELAND STATE *			2:05 PM 

January 

 Thu	5	at Butler *			7:00 PM 

 Sat	7	at Valparaiso *			2:35 PM 

 Thu	12	LOYOLA *			7:05 PM 

 Sat	14	UIC *			2:05 PM 

Thu	19	at Green Bay *			8:00 PM 

 Sat	21	at Milwaukee *			3:00 PM 

 Thu	26	DETROIT *			7:05 PM 

 Sat	28	WRIGHT STATE *			4:35 PM 

February 

 Thu	2	VALPARAISO *			7:05 PM 

 Sat	4	BUTLER *			2:05 PM 

 Thu	9	at UIC *			8:00 PM 

 Sat	11	at Loyola *			TBA 

 Thu	16	MILWAUKEE *			7:05 PM 

 Sat	18	GREEN BAY *			2:05 PM 

 Thu	23	at Wright State *			7:00 PM 

 Sat	25	at Detroit *			2:00 PM 

March 

 Sat	3	at Cleveland State *			TBA 

  (home games in red)

Youngstown State’s seventh-year men’s basketball Head Coach Jerry Slocum announced his team’s 29-game 2011-12 schedule which features 13 home games, match ups against three NCAA Tournament participants, a Big Ten opponent and two contests against the two-time national runners-up.

“This is a very competitive schedule for our program this year,” Slocum said. “With the Horizon League continually getting better and better, we know our players have to be ready to play night in and night out. We feel this schedule will prepare our team for league play.”

The Guins open the 2011-12 campaign on the road at Samford (Nov. 12) before hosting two straight home games – Notre Dame College (Nov. 15) in the home opener and UC-Riverside (Nov. 18) in a return game from the 2010 BracketBuster.

Seven of the Guins’ next eight games are on the road, including four consecutive away contests – at Big Ten-member Penn State (Nov. 23), at Saint Francis (Pa.) (Nov. 26), at Detroit (Dec. 1) and at Wright State (Dec. 3). It also marks the third straight season and the sixth time in the last seven years the Guins will open Horizon League play on the road.

After hosting Fredonia State (Dec. 6), the Guins visit three teams from the Mid-American – at Buffalo (Dec. 10), at Toledo (Dec. 17) and at Akron (Dec. 19) – then host Robert Morris (Dec. 22) just before Christmas.

The Guins return to action and begin the Horizon League portion of the slate with a New Year’s Eve tilt at Cleveland State (Dec. 31). They then start 2012 with two home games against Loyola (Jan. 5) and UIC (Jan. 7).

A swing through the Hoosier state to visit Valparaiso (Jan. 12) and two-time national runner-up Butler (Jan. 14) precedes the Guins’ longest homestand of the season. The Guins host Milwaukee (Jan. 19) and Green Bay (Jan. 21) before starting the second half of league play with a home contest against Cleveland State (Jan. 28).

The Guins second road swing of at least three games starts at Milwaukee (Jan. 31) and continues in Chicago with a pair of games at UIC (Feb. 2) and at Loyola (Feb. 4).

The rest of the month of February includes home games against Butler (Feb. 9), Valparaiso (Feb. 11) and Wright State (Feb. 23) and Detroit (Feb. 25) in the final weekend of the regular season.

The Guins also visit Green Bay (Feb. 14) and a yet to be named opponent in the BracketBuster game on Feb. 18.

First-round games of the Horizon League Championship begin on Feb. 28 while the second round is March 2. The league semifinals are March 3 while the championship game is March 6.

Sat	12	at Samford			7:00 PM
Tue	15	NOTRE DAME (OHIO)			7:05 PM
Fri	18	UC RIVERSIDE			7:05 PM
Wed	23	at Penn State			TBA
Sat	26	at Saint Francis (Pa.)			7:00 PM
December
Thu	1	at Detroit *			TBA
Sat	3	at Wright State *			TBA
Tue	6	FREDONIA ST.			7:45 PM
Sat	10	at Buffalo			TBA
Sat	17	at Toledo			TBA
Mon	19	at Akron			TBA
Thu	22	ROBERT MORRIS			7:05 PM
Sat	31	at Cleveland State *			TBA
January
Thu	5	LOYOLA *			7:05 PM
Sat	7	UIC *			7:05 PM
Thu	12	at Valparaiso *			TBA
Sat	14	at Butler *			2:00 PM
Thu	19	MILWAUKEE *			7:05 PM
Sat	21	GREEN BAY *			7:05 PM
Sat	28	CLEVELAND STATE *			7:05 PM
Tue	31	at Milwaukee *			TBA
February
Thu	2	at UIC *			TBA
Sat	4	at Loyola *			TBA
Thu	9	BUTLER *			7:05 PM
Sat	11	VALPARAISO *			7:05 PM
Tue	14	at Green Bay *			TBA
Thu	23	WRIGHT STATE *			7:05 PM
Sat	25	DETROIT *			2:05 PM
Home games in bold. * Horizon League Game

The Youngstown State Women’s Basketball Team will hold a golf outing on August 27.  The event will be held at Knoll Run Golf Course in Coitsville and you can sign a team up for the four-person scramble.  The event is guaranteed fun with Bob Boldon and staff participating.  They are a top notch group of people and are really working hard to turn the basketball team into a winner.

The $75 entry fee (per person) will cover breakfast, 18 holes of golf, riding cart, refreshments, lunch, dinner, and prizes.  There will also be a Chinese auction with many chances to win some great prizes.  Raffle tickets will be sold throughout the day with winners announced for those prizes during the dinner.  Paying $15 for just the dinner is an option for those who dislike the links.

(Above photo courtesy of YSUSports.com)

You can sponsor a hole for $100.  If you are interested in more information about anything pertaining to the outing, contact John Cullen, Director of Women’s Basketball Operations at (330) 986-6265 or e-mail jlcullen@ysu.edu.

The event registration starts at 7:30 a.m. the day of the scramble with a shotgun start to follow at 9 a.m.

Coach Bob Boldon and staff are conducting a series of women’s basketball camps in June.  The camps are open to the public and are a terrific resource  for refining fundamentals or learning new skills.  The camps are broken down into three categories: Team Camp, Half-Day Individual Camp, and Overnight Elite Camp.  Coach Boldon, and his outstanding staff will supervise all aspects of the camps.

Team Camp will be split into two separate sessions.  Session I is on June 10 and Session II will be held on June 12.  The cost of the Team Camp is $200 per team, per session.  Each team is guaranteed four games per session.  The coaches will try to match teams of equal ability to play on the games which will be officiated by certified high school referees.  The focus of the team camp is geared toward coaches and players developing winning programs and finding ways to stay on top of the game.

Registration will be at 7 a.m. on both days for the team camp and the games will be played from 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.  The camp is uniquely offered to JV and Varsity level players.

Half-Day Individual Camp is a fundamentals camp to enhance the skill set of all attending cagers.  The Half-Day Camp registration will be on June 27 at 8 a. m. and the camp itself will be held on four days, starting Monday, June 27 through Thursday, June 30.  The cost of the four-day package is $85 per player and each attendant will receive a t-shirt and other prizes.   The areas of concentration will be ball-handling, passing, shooting, defensive, and rebounding drills.  This camp is open to players entering grades 4-9 in the 2011-12 school year.

Overnight Elite Camp is just what it sounds like, the chance for the players hoping to advance to the college level to push their abilities to a new dimension.  This is the most intense of the three offered camps with areas of skill development such as shooting, passing, post moves, ball handling, and defense.  The first half of this camp is Thursday, June 30, from 5-9 p.m. and the second session starts at 9 the next morning until noon.  The cost of the Overnight Elite Camp is $50 per player.  For anyone seriously wanting to advance their game, this will be a college-level practice environment with speed and agility drills, as well as, game action.

If there are further questions, contact the YSU Women’s Basketball Office at (330) 941-3004.

These three camps, all very different in skill level, are a great resource for a wide array of ages! Sign up!

One of the biggest challenges any college basketball coach faces annually is recruiting.  Finding just the right guy to plug into your system sounds pretty easy because there are so many young men playing basketball in high schools.  However, the hard task takes months of combing over players, feeling out attitudes, and seeing how committed a person can be to succeed at the next level.  The biggest recruiting tool for any college sport is usually winning.

Jerry Slocum admits that his time at Youngstown State has been very tough.  The results are not what he had envisioned being a successful coach everywhere else he had been.  To the university’s credit, they have stuck by Slocum hoping that he can build a winner.  Last season, the Penguins showed a lot of promise and were very competitive in taking giant steps toward something bigger.

“I was excited about this class, and I am excited about our future”, commented Slocum.  “I thought the improvement was very noticeable as the year went on.  We had great effort beating Butler, missing a tip-in to almost beat Milwaukee, losing to Valpo in overtime, should have beat Akron.  We were competitive and it gives us hope.  We now are in a position where we don’t have to rely on junior college kids.”

In the past, recruiting was tougher because the team was not as competitive as it was last season.  Beating Butler is huge. I don’t care if YSU beat them because it was an off-night for the Bulldogs, the bottom line is that they won a tremendous college basketball game.  They beat the second best team in college basketball the last two seasons.  Do you think  Slocum, Coach Wernicki, Coach Thorne, or Coach DePaoli were able to recruit effectively by saying, “Well, we beat Hiram and should have beat Robert Morris”? I think not. The visits were easier this year because every kid looked at knows that Youngstown State beat Butler.

“No disrespect to junior college kids”, said Slocum.  “We have the ability with this group to grow them as freshmen into our system and mold them.  We will work with all of them to maximize their ability, and that is just easier than changing a transfer or a junior college player in most regards.”

The new players have Slocum and staff excited.  “We have four really good freshmen in this class.  D. J. Cole, Cale Zuiker, and the two kids we redshirted, a 6’9″ kid, Fletcher Larson, and a 6’5″ kid, Shawn Amiker, will really add stability.  I finally think we have a Horizon League kind of talent”, noted Slocum.

The brightest sign of a big year ahead is not only how much the core improved as a team last season plus the promising recruiting class.  A big factor could be what the other teams in the Horizon League are losing.  Butler is losing Shelvin Mack and Matt Howard. Valpo is going to lose Brandon Wood.  Wright State is pretty much losing their starting unit.  Cleveland State is losing the one guy that they cannot afford to lose, the Horizon League Player of The Year – Norris Cole.  Wisconsin-Green Bay is losing Rahmon Fletcher and Bryquis Perine. The only school getting back an abundance of talent is Detroit.  This could leave the door open for the Penguins to surprise people in 2011-12.  Go ahead, Horizon League, and underestimate our chances.  Your preseason poll this year should have Youngstown State in the top four.

When asked after the Butler game if it was his biggest win ever, Slocum said it ranked up there with a few others.  When I asked the same question again five months later, Slocum explained why in hindsight that the Butler win was really big.

“At other places and moments in time, I have had bigger wins in terms of the stature at the level I was coaching”, commented Slocum.  “For example, when I was at Geneva, we won the chance to go to the National Tournament, a fete which had not been accomplished there since 1952.  That was a really big win for that school at that moment.  At YSU, the ESPN game against Cleveland State at home in front of a packed house was a big game for this university.  Going back to this Butler game we won at home… it got bigger and bigger as the year went on.  Nobody cheered harder for Butler in that championship game than we did because we would have been the answer to a trivia question for years to come.  Cinderella has never really won the whole thing.  Indiana State and Bird did not finish the deal.  Butler has been there the last two times, and they could not finish it.  I told my wife after I got off of a FOX Sports show that if Butler wins, it would be clearly the biggest win in the history of Youngstown State Basketball.  So, to answer your question, in hindsight, yes, I do believe that the Butler win was the biggest win that I have ever had here.”

I stopped by the basketball offices last week to pick up a flyer for the upcoming camps in June and saw Slocum.  In May, he was working.  His staff was working.  For five plus years they have been working to turn this program into a winner.  As 2011-12 gets closer, let it be said, let it be written…  this team and these coaches shall reap the benefits of their hard work this season.