Posts Tagged ‘Ashen Ward’

History lesson. The great Industrial Revolution of America was built on the theory that interchangeable parts could be used to mass assemble.  Tuesday night at Beeghly Center, Jerry Slocum did exactly that, showed a wide array of talent, interchangeable parts.  The Penguins looked pretty good in defeating Notre Dame of Ohio 80-62 in the 2011 home opener.  A long-standing school record of 14 three pointers in a game was tied as the Penguins had the long shots falling to the clip of 66.7% in the first half.

“It was a tale of two halves”, remarked Slocum.  “In the first half, everything went in, and in the second half, nothing would go in.  The first half was a clinic of sharing the ball though.”

The Penguins did a tremendous job of scoring off of turnovers in the first half.  The Falcons committed ten first half turnover that led to 13 points for Youngstown State.  Conversely, YSU only had two first half turnovers and the Falcons did not get a point off of either turnover.  Balance was the norm for Slocum’s team in the first half.  Kendrick Perry had 16 points, was 3-3 on three-pointers, got five assists, was 5-7 from the line, and had a rebound.  Senior Ashen Ward had 14, and Blake Allen chipped in 12 points as YSU coasted to a 51-31 lead at the break.

The second half was much like the first in the sense that Slocum used his bench frequently.  It was a good opportunity to get some of the bench players quality minutes to ready them for tougher tests.  With 15:28 left in the game, Notre Dame actually cut the lead to 51-36, but the Penguins regained composure quickly and stretched their lead to 66-49 with 8:40 left in the game.

The win gets the Penguins off to a 2-0 start for the second straight season.  The win also elevates Slocum to sole possession of fourth place on the all-time Penguins Coaching wins list with 59.  He had been previously tied with John Robic, and now has 640 coaching victories in his 37th season.  Another landmark broken with the victory was Ashen Ward getting his 100th career three-pointer in the first half.

“I didn’t know that”, said Ward of his landmark trey.  “I always considered myself a shooter, now it is verified.”

Perry (below) had the best all-around game for YSU (2-0).  The sophomore poured in 18 points, had five assists, and seemed to be everywhere all night.  Ward finished the game with 17 points and Allen contributed with 14 more.  Eric Dummermuth paced the Falcons with 20 points and ten boards.

With 2:03 left in the game, Shawn Amiker, the last player to enter the game for the Penguins, hit a baseline runner while being fouled.  It was proof that interchangeable parts seem very much in order on Jerry Slocum’s assembly line.  The Penguins go back to work at home on Friday, welcoming U-C Riverside to town.

“We want to get the bench more involved earlier in games,” said Slocum.  “We have to develop those younger guys and it is better to get them in early and let the more experienced veteran players there in the second half.  We also have to play better at home.  At Samford, we played a full 40 minutes, it is much harder to play at home.  It’s a process and we have to keep growing.”

Two-time defending national finalist Butler University was voted the preseason favorite to capture the 2011-12 Horizon League men’s basketball championship, marking the third straight season the Bulldogs were tabbed in the top spot in voting by the League’s coaches, media and sports information directors.  Youngstown State was picked seventh.

Each of the top four teams in the balloting received at least one first-place vote, with Cleveland State edgingMilwaukee for third in the poll. Valparaiso took fifth, just ahead of Green Bay. In seventh, Youngstown State matched its highest position in the poll since joining the Horizon League, while Wright State and Loyola were separated by 12 points in eighth and ninth, respectively. UIC rounded out the poll.

No respect.

Coach Jerry Slocum seems unbothered by the preseason ranking and practices have been going well.  The team thrives on the selection, they can’t wait for the season to start.  Actions speak louder than words and Youngstown is in for a treat this season when they will get a glimpse of perhaps one of their best teams to hit the floor.

“Everyone grew up shooting and playing with the ball”, said Slocum.  “It is a sign of maturity when a whole team steps up and says that they went to get better on defense.  I think the learning curve at the defensive end of the floor is a significant change.  We are stronger in the weight room, more experienced, and a little tougher mentally.”

“We are focusing on getting stops, I think we will score points, which has not always been the case in the past.”

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.

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

Imagine for a moment that you owned your own business.  The business never really took off but showed potential from time-to-time over a five year period.  Then one day you come to work to find out all but three of your employees quit.  That is what Jerry Slocum faced about a year ago, when he lost some guys to graduation and had a few leave the program for greener pastures.  Vytas Sulskis, Dan Boudler, and Ashen Ward were the only returning players with any real game experience.  Slocum had to scour the country just to have a full bench.

The new crop of talent, combined with the three remaining “employees”, played very respectably last season, showing steady improvement from the beginning of the season through the end.  The chemistry kicked in and suddenly there was a group of college guys thinking that on any given night, they could play with anyone.  Roll players like DuShawn Brooks, Devonte Maymon, and Josh Chojnacki playing like starters, Damian Eargle who keeps getting better, and perhaps the most talented young backcourt in the entire Horizon League, Kendrick Perry and Blake Allen. Make no mistake, this roster is oozing with talent and Slocum and staff are just the right guys I would want steering this ship.

Paneech: Now that Spring workouts are over and you guys are done until August, how do you feel about next season?

Slocum: This was the best Spring that we had since I got here.  There was great skill development with all of those young guys.  You have to remember that Damian, Blake, Shawn, Josh, K.P — they are all young guys.  You have so many new guys and you can’t just tell them how physical it gets.  They all got a taste of that physicality last season and have responded by hitting the weight room.  Individual efforts have been tremendous, not just average, but tremendous.  Fletcher Larson is really going to help us down low at 6’9″, he is a kid who is skilled in the post.

Paneech: What other things can we expect from new faces next season?

Slocum: All of our guys are going to be here through July 4th through first session.  All of the kids that are signed are going to be coming in the Summer too.  We have a challenge next season because we only have 13 home games and 16 on the road.  How many times has Youngstown State had a tandem where Damian [Eargle] is 6’8″ and two more guys ready to come in at 6’9″?  Cale Zuiker and Fletcher Larson add a dimension to our attack with all of that size.  Shawn Amiker is ready to contribute.  With the addition of D.J., Cale, and our two redshirts in Shawn and Fletcher, this could well be one of our best recruiting classes since we have been at Youngstown State.

Paneech: What kind of signs have you gotten from the guys that this season can be different in a better way?

Slocum: I came in here last Saturday morning to meet D.J. [Cole] and had a breakfast meeting with him.  After our meeting, I came into Beeghly for a run and I hear a ball bouncing on my way to the workout room, and when I look to the floor, there is Kendrick Perry for an hour and a half  to two hours just shooting the ball, trying to get better.  We have never had that kind of commitment here, and you get that from a freshman.  Ashen Ward has done a great job leading this team through Spring drills.  We are two years late and the program has encountered a couple of hiccups along the way, but we had a great recruiting period and didn’t bring in any junior college kids, which is where you want to be.  At our level, it is better to take a freshman, realize his potential and grow him into the system the way you want to.  This is the first year that we have not recruited a junior college kid.  Nothing against junior college kids, but it is nice to take a kid, realize his potential and work with him to be a big part of the overall system.

Paneech: Talk about the tremendous improvement, especially Damian Eargle and your guards, Blake Allen and Kendrick Perry.

Slocum: I think that K. P. and Damian can grow to be top players in the Horizon League.  We had the best backcourt in the conference with the best turnover to assist ratio with Blake and K.P. the last ten games.  Damian Eargle, over the last ten games, averaged almost a double-double with 15 points and almost ten rebounds a game.  The common factor was that as the year went on, all of our guys got better.  K.P. might be the best two-guard in the conference and Blake Allen works hard and had one of the best turnover to assist ratios in the league.  Damian led the league in blocked shots and is learning how to stay on the floor a little longer.

The third and final installment of the Jerry Slocum interview will hit the site this weekend and is titled How Winning Affects Recruiting.

Jerry Slocum is a winner.  His record speaks for itself and he is one of just 17 active NCAA men’s basketball coaches to have reached the 600 win mark.  The 12th head coach in Youngstown State Men’s basketball history had a lot of success at Gannon and Geneva, which prompts his critics to point to school size and unknown opponents.  Slocum wears his heart on his sleeve and coaches with aggression and passion that would make Bobby Knight jealous.

I sat down to interview Slocum, and for a guy who takes so much criticism for his 17 second press conferences and cold personality, the 28 minutes he spent talking with me cannot be covered in a single story.  The interview will be broken into three parts.  Media Treatment, 2011-2012, and How Winning Affects Recruiting.

Paneech: First of all, congratulations on the marked improvement that the team showed this year.

Slocum: I appreciate that.  Obviously, I was excited about this class and I am very excited about our future here.  I thought that the improvement was more noticeable as the year went on.  Damian Eargle and Kendrick Perry got better.  Blake Allen and Ashen Ward got better.  As things moved along, all of our guys just got better as the year went on.  The thing that is obviously the most disheartening to me is that we are not winning enough games.  It is not acceptable, but in the same breath, the growth and competitiveness were both there.  I appreciate you saying that because I do take a lot of criticism.  I know that the criticism is a part of the job, it is what happens to coaches.

Paneech: Please expand on the growth you saw this season.

Slocum: When you beat the team that was in the final game played in college basketball this season, you lose to Valpo in overtime, you have a shot to tie or win the game against Detroit, you should have, could have, beaten Akron.  When you look at the entire body of work, you were extremely competitive, and it gives you hope for where you are going in the future.  I think with our new recruits combined with who we are getting back, we have good Horizon League talent.  Do I think we are the cream of the crop?  I don’t think so, not yet, but I think our guys can grow into that.

Paneech: You have the reputation for being someone who is really tough to handle at a post game interview.

Slocum: You can take your shots, and say the negative things that you want to say at me, but at least report the facts also.  Report the facts, for example, the questions being asked at the press conferences are things like, “Everyone thought you were going to get blown out by 20 tonight, are you happy that you didn’t get blown out?” or “Do you feel that this was a wasted effort tonight?”  Take your shots at me, that’s part of the job, but in the same breath, at least report the facts.  We had the best backcourt in the conference with the turnover to assist ratio, Damian Eargle averaged 15 points and almost ten rebounds a game while leading the conference in blocked shots.  Report the fact that this team is growing and improving.  They are losing games, but for the first time in probably ten years, you are looking at a core group of kids who are coming in from the bottom up as Freshmen and Sophomores who have a chance to be the best Division-I team put on the court here at Youngstown State.

Paneech: Even reporting the facts, there has to be some quote to describe them.

Slocum: My point is that I have been doing this for a really long time.  I thought I was being a professional by keeping my answers short and quiet and not exploding on a question, I would just be quick.  If you lose a game, for example, the Milwaukee game, why not say, “Coach, that was a great basketball game tonight, you hit a five minute stretch where you didn’t score, can you comment on that”.  That is the way a question should be asked by somebody who understands basketball.  My reaction would be, here is an intelligent question, and I would do all I could to answer it.  I have never, no matter how tough the losses have been, not answered a question put to me that was a well-phrased question.  When you sit down in there and your heart is broken, you have never lost in your career, and now all of a sudden you are into your sixth year of misery  because you can’t get this thing where you want it to be, it weighs on you every moment that you are awake, and you come so close… and the first thing you get is a guy saying to you, “Do you think tonight was a wasted effort”.  I have never said,  “this is the end of the press conference”, but there is silence.

Paneech: I have been there for some of those moments, and have seen silence.

Slocum: The reason why there is silence is because most of the people who criticize me do not have enough confidence that they can ask me a legitimate or intelligent basketball question.  Any media guy can say, “your back court was 5-19 and had nine turnovers, did you think that affected your chances to win tonight?”, and that is the most disappointing thing.  Some guys can’t even see the game to know the right question to ask, and then when they report on it, they can’t even report the facts.  How can you not write or report on the last month of the season with all of those big games we were in and how close we were.  Some reporters just don’t get it.  Their basketball IQ is not to the point where they can effectively ask a question.  Whether or not they are good people is not for me to judge.  I get paid to win basketball games, and I think we are on our way to doing that.  Have some knowledge of what you are reporting on instead of asking some of the most ridiculous questions I have ever heard.

Early next week, Part II, 2011-2012, will be up.

Youngstown State University gets to play in an ESPN Bracket Buster game every year.  A bracket buster is simply a game that allows the selection committee a chance to check out bubble teams against non-league opponents.  Wins and losses pretty much determine the automatic bids and YSU is probably not going to get an at-large bid.  Bowling Green of the MAC was the non-confernce opponent that the Penguins faced on Saturday.  YSU got 23 from Ashen Ward and held off Bowling Green for an 83-76 win.

“The things that the other guys were doing set up my shots”, said Ward, who added six rebounds.  “It feels really good to do all of the things we had to down the stretch and pick up the win.  To come out on the right side of a close game feels really good for us.”

In the first half, the Falcons and Penguins played pretty evenly with BG holding a 46-43 lead when the horn sounded.  Jordan Crawford had 13 and A’uston Calhoun chipped in with twelve for Bowling Green.  Youngstown State got 12 from Ward and 10 more from Vytas Sulskis. The story in the first half was Bowling Green shooting over 60% from the field and YSU shooting over 40% from three.  Unfortunately, YSU is 0-10 this season when trailing at half.

In the second half, Youngstown State, on the tenth lead change of the game, went ahead on a Damian Eargle left-handed slam.  The Penguins trailed 58-57 when Sulskis was fouled attempting a three.  The Lituanian-born Sulskis hit two of three charity tosses to put YSU ahead 59-58 with 13:31 left in the game. Torian Oglesby hit a two-handed slam with 9:57 left to put Bowling Green back in front 65-64 but Ward responded for the Penguins with 8:35 left putting YSU ahead 66-65.  Next trip up, Sulskis kicked the ball out to Ward who hit his sixth three of the game and gave the Penguins a 69-65 lead, their largest of the game, with 7:48 left to go.

Kendrick Perry, playing with a finger he jammed at practice, hit a miracle three with the shot clock winding down to increase the Penguins margin to 74-65.  Luke Kraus hit a three for Bowling Green with 4:23 left to stop a 12-0 Penguins run and cut the lead to 74-68.

Perry had a steal and a dunk to give YSU a 79-68 lead and rile the crowd.  Bowling Green then connected on two quick three-pointers Kraus to cut the big lead down to five at 79-74 with 1:34 left.  BG went into foul mode with 53 seconds left.  Perry and Eargle both missed the front ends of a one-and-one.  With 25.5 seconds left, Blake Allen hit a pair to jack the lead to

With the win, Youngstown State improved to 9-18 and continue to build positive momentum leading up to the Horizon League Tournament in March.  Bowling Green slipped to 12-15 with the loss.

YSU got 23 from Ward, 17 from Sulskis, and 15 from Eargle.  Credit the Penguins for being able to win despite poor free throw shooting down the stretch.

After the game, Jerry Slocum talked about playing well AND getting a win.  “Two factors contributed to this win.  One, we played tremendous defense in the second half and our guys did well with our matchup adjustments.  Secondly,we had a 24 assist to six turnover ratio. When you do that good of a job protecting the ball, beating the trap, and finding open guys, you should win.  Our guards had a 13-1 turnover to assist ratio.  Credit our guys for keeping their heads up after three hard losses.”

Vytas Sulskis is currently 17th on Youngstown State University’s all-time scoring list.  He will probably move up that list at least one more spot before the senior from Lithuania is finished playing college basketball this season.  Sulskis is an interesting character who said hello to just about everyone who walked by while we were getting ready for this interview, more impressively, he knew all of them by name.  You will not find a friendlier or more outgoing person who has a smile on his face and a zest for life that few can match.

Paneech: What are the biggest cultural differences between Lithuania and the United States?

Sulskis: The biggest difference is the people.  The people in America are more friendly and more willing to help you.  A host family offered their house to me in Florida for two years.  The other difference is food.  People in Lithuania have more home-cooked meals, the wife, or mother, cooks a meal every night.  Here you have so many choices and can eat whatever you want on any night.  You can grab a pizza or anything really.

Paneech: How often do you talk to the family back home?

Sulskis: I try to talk with them at least once a week on Skype.  It is a seven hour time difference and I usually have practice in the afternoon, so usually I try to talk with them on Sunday.  I got my webcam and they have theirs so I show them my room and all that. Usually, I go home once a year for the Summer, but last year I stayed to work out and be better prepared for my senior year.  They will not make it here for Senior Night, but my host family from Florida is going to come.

Paneech: You are now one of just 32 men to ever score 1,000 points at Youngstown State, you are also jetting up the scoring list and currently sit in the 17 spot.  How do you feel about being in such elite company?

Sulskis: It’s nice to accomplish something that only 32 people ever did before, it’s a nice individual accomplishment.  I think I would rather take a couple of wins instead of moving up the list.

Paneech: You and Dan Boudler have the most history with Coach Slocum, how tough is he to play for?

Sulskis: Coach Slocum is an intense coach.  He demands a lot, but he pushes people to be their best.  Off the court, he is a really good guy.  Some people walked away from this program because they thought they were going to average 20 points per game. They had one vision and Coach Slocum had other visions and stuck with his system.  We bonded better this year, and we are losing, but we are playing much better and losing closer games.  We still work hard for coach everyday in practice and no one is quitting on this season.

Paneech: You are quite active on Twitter.  How did you start with it, how many followers do you have, and are you addicted?

Sulskis: A couple of years ago when it started, I figured I would try it out and just follow rich and famous people.  Then more and more people joined and I stayed active and it is now pretty fun to go on there and mess with my teammates and give them a hard time after something funny happens.  I have 150 followers, I think?  (Laughs).  The internet is huge.

Paneech: How close are you with Dan Boudler and Ashen Ward being the only holdovers from last year that played?

Sulskis: We are really close.  Dan and I have been together since our freshman year, we were roommates.  Dan is a chill, low-key kind of guy and I am more talkative and outgoing.  Ash is a great guy and we try to hang out as much as possible and have some fun on the weekends.  Damian [Eargle] is my roommate now, he is a lot like me in the sense that he is funny and also very outgoing.  We have spent a lot of time getting to know each other and he is a really funny guy.

Paneech: How are the new guys?

Sulskis: They are a very talented bunch of players.  I don’t think we have ever had this talented of a group.  They are all really good guys too.  Kendrick Perry is from Florida, so we have something in common and we know some of the same people.  All of the other guys who transferred in from junior colleges are really cool guys too and we enjoy being around each other.

Paneech: What happens to Vytas Sulskis when this basketball season ends?

Sulskis: Well, I am trying to get my degree in Management Information Systems finished by June.  When I am done, I would like to go play basketball professionally in Europe somewhere.  I chose my major because I really liked law, but if I would have studied law here, the laws in Lithuania are very different.  I took a liking to programs that help run businesses more efficiently, so I went towards business, hoping maybe I could do something with sports management.  I know three languages and that can’t hurt me.  I am going to go back to Europe either way.

Paneech: Other than basketball, what has been your most rewarding experience in the United States?

Sulskis: I have been fortunate to meet some really good people.  I know they say that Youngstown is a bad place, but it is not a bad place. I have a lot of friends on campus, I will always remember the people from here.

One Word Answers

Favorite Fast Food Meal: The $5 Beefy Crunchwrap Box at Taco Bell.

One Word To Describe Coach Slocum: Intense.

Favorite Team To Play Against: UIC, I usually do well against them.

Favorite Toppings On A Pizza: Pineapple and Ham.

Favorite Beverage: Water.

Favorite NBA Player(s): Arvydas Sabonis and Manu Ginobili.

Song People Wouldn’t Expect To Be on Your ipod: A lot of techno.

Favorite TV Show: Jersey Shore.

Favorite Fruit: Grapes.

Animal at The Zoo That Is Most Like You: Big furry lion.

Senior Vytas Sulskis (above) tied a career scoring high with 26 points but the Youngstown State men’s basketball team dropped a hard-fought decision to Wright State, 74-70, on Monday evening at the Nutter Center.

Sulskis, who scored 20 points in the first half, made his first nine field goals and six 3-point attempts while freshman Kendrick Perry scored 14 of his 16 points in the second half and dished out seven assists.

The Guins also made 11 3-pointers and shot 42.3 percent from behind the arc. It marked the sixth time this season the Guins made at least 10 3-pointers in a contest.  The Penuins, who shot 52.1 percent from the field fall to 8-16 overall and 2-12 in the Horizion League while Wright State improves to 17-9 overall and 8-4 in the league.

In a game that featured 15 ties and 16 lead changes and a lead of no more than five points by either team, Wright State’s Cole Darling converted two free throws with 1:18 to go to give the Raiders a 69-68 lead for the games final lead change.  WSU’s N’Gai Evans’ steal and layup gave the Raiders a 71-68 lead with 1:01 to go.

Perry brought the Penguins within one, 71-70, with a at jumper with 37 seconds remaining, but Evans added two more charity tosses to extend the lead back to three points, 73-70,, with 17 seconds to go.  Junior Ashen Ward’s game-tying 3-point attempt with 12 seconds left was off the mark and the Raiders’ Matt Vest made one of two free throws for the final score of the game, 74-70.

The Guins shot a blistering 62.5 percent in the first half but committed 11 turnovers that the Raiders turned into 15 points and the first half had nine ties and six lead changes.  The Raiders’ largest lead was four-points, 11-7 on a 3-pointer by Vest while the Guins’ largest lead was four points at three different times in the first half.

Ward made a jumper at the 7:11 mark to go up 25-21, then made a 3-pointer with 5:00 to go to take a 31-27 advantage and Perry made a layup with 4:05 left to to up 33-29.  The Raiders outscored the Guins, 11-7, to close out the half to take a 40-38 lead at the intermission

Fresh off the heels of a huge victory over Butler, the Youngstown State Penguins welcomed Valparaiso to town for their second monstrous challenge in three days.  Having lost 11 in a row to the Crusaders and Valpo’s Homer Drew breathing down Jerry Slocum’s neck on the active coaches wins list, the Penguins pushed the Crusaders to overtime, but fell 86-78.

“”I am disappointed with 16 turnovers, 12 of them in the second half.  There was a four minute stretch that we didn’t even take a shot and when you are playing the best teams in the league, we can’t afford things like that”, remarked Coach Slocum after the loss.

In the first half, Youngstown State jumped out to as large as a 12 point lead and was ahead 38-33 at intermission.  Damian Eargle picked up a couple of quick fouls and only logged five minutes on the floor, but the Penguins were not needing many offensive rebounds in the half as they shot 53.8% from the floor and even shot over 85% from the free throw line, a recent sore spot.  Kendrick Perry and Ashen Ward had eight points each in the half. Valpo got 11 from Brandon Wood and struggled from the charity stripe shooting 7-18 (38.9%) but stayed in the game thanks in part to an 18-10 rebounding edge.

In the second half, Valpo tied the game for the first time all night at 43 apiece with 15:06 left in the game.  Eargle was fouled with 14:17 remaining and hit a pair of free throws to give YSU a 47-46 lead.  Perry (above) hit a short runner in the paint with 12:49 left in the game to extend the Penguins lead to 52-47.  YSU pushed the lead to 56-49 on a 20-foot Perry jumper on the baseline with 10:45 left.  Vytas Sulskis nailed a three from the corner to push the Penguins lead to eight, and the home team smelled another upset brewing.

Valpo took a timeout with 9:01 remaining when DuShawn Brooks received a nice feed from Perry to push the lead back up into double digits at 63-53.  However, Wood picked Perry’s pocket and went the length of the court for a layup to pull the Crusaders to 63-59 with 8:18 left.  Eargle picked up a couple of cheap fouls in the span of a minute giving him four with 7:43 left in the game forcing Coach Slocum to sit the shot-blocking specialist.

With YSU ahead 66-65, Wood hit a three to give the Crusaders a two-point lead.  Another Valpo bucket with 4:52 left in the game gave the Crusader their biggest lead of the night at 70-66.  Sulskis hit one of two free throws with 2:54 left in the game to bring YSU to within two at 70-68.  Dan Boudler was fouled with 1:30 left but could only hit one of two.  Valpo had a 70-69 lead with 1:01 left in the game and the ball when Boudler blocked a shot and got YSU the ball back with 38.4 seconds left in the game.

YSU had chances in the last 38 seconds.  Perry lost his dribble and fell, but the Penguins managed to tie the ball up to keep possession thanks to the arrow pointing toward the Youngstown State bench.  With 11.3 seconds left in the game YSU got Sulskis a 1o-foot baseline jumper that spun around the rim but wouldn’t fall.  Ryan Broekhoff was fouled and hit one of two to push the lead to 71-69 with 6 seconds left.  Kendrick Perry got the inbound, dribbled the length of the floor and hit a 15-footer thanks to a friendly roll to force overtime.

In the extra five minute period, Youngstown State drew first blood when Ward connected on a clutch three to put YSU ahead 74-71 with 3:41 left.  Cory Johnson hit a reverse layup to cut the YSU lead to 74-73.  Sulskis (above) then drew a blocking foul to go to the line where he hit both charity tosses to increase the Penguin lead to three.  Wood was fouled on a drive and got to the line for Valpo where he nailed one of two.  Wit YSU ahead 76-74 with half of the overtime gone, Sulskis threw an errant pass and then fouled out trying to draw a charge.

Broekhoff hit a three to give Valpo a brief 78-76 lead and YSU responded with an Eargle basket to tie the game with 1:27 left in the contest.  Johnson hit a short range shot off of the glass to put Valpo ahead 80-78.  With 50.4 seconds left Broekhoff was fouled but missed both shots.  YSU trailed 82-78 with 18 seconds left.  Perry fired a three that missed the mark and Eargle picked up a quick foul to stop the clock, his fifth.  Wood hit a pair of free throws to put Valpo up six to ice the game.

Youngstown State got 17 points and ten rebounds from Sulskis and 15 points from each Brooks and Perry.  With the loss, Youngstown State dipped to 8-15 and 2-10 in the Horizon League.

A disappointed Vytas Sulskis commented on the crushing loss.  “They didn’t beat us tonight, we beat ourselves with turnovers.  We played hard, but we have to get better and not give games away.”

Valpo got a great effort from Wood, who finished with 31 big points for the Crusaders who improved to 17-7, and 9-4 in the Horizon League.  Broekhoff hit for 11 points and gathered 14 rebounds for the visiting team.