Published: Monday, March 5, 2007
A good dream gone bad
I had it all figured out. All it was going to take was a couple of minor upsets Friday and then a couple of big ones Saturday and the Youngstown State men's basketball team would be playing for the Horizon League tournament championship in Beeghly Center Tuesday night on ESPN.
All it was going to take was two wins — by Illinois-Chicago over No. 3-seed Loyola and No. 2 seed Butler — and two wins by the Penguins over Green Bay and top-seed Wright State, and everybody would be back at Beeghly for the title game and a shot at an NCAA tournament berth.
Yes, it was a dream, one that ended quickly Friday when UIC lost the opening game to Loyola 66-62. Then the dream turned into a nightmare when the Penguins couldn't find the basket for half the game in a 72-55 loss to Green Bay. Just like that the season was over for the Penguins.
Still a good year despite
14-17 season record
It was still a pretty good year for the Penguins, who finished at 14-17 for second-year coach Jerry Slocum.
It was the first time in six years the Penguins didn't lose at least 20 games and the 14 wins were the most since the 2000-01 season when YSU was 19-11 as a member of the Mid-Continent Conference.
Slocum's Penguins won seven games in the Horizon League, the most in their six seasons in the league and they earned a lot of respect from the other coaches in the conference.
Friday the Penguins lost like they have most of the season, because they were unable to put the ball in the basket. It was their third loss this year to Green Bay and the best the Penguins shot from the field in those three games was 32 percent.
Slocum said so many times this year, if the Penguins could shoot 45 percent and play their normal good defense they could compete with just about any team.
That's why Slocum took offense to a remark by Green Bay coach Tod Kowalczyk, who said after the key was forcing YSU seniors Quin Humphrey and Keston Roberts to work for every shot they took.
Humphrey and Roberts were the main cogs in the Penguins' offense for two seasons and every team they played knew that.
Poor shooting is cause,
rather than good defense
"Quin and Keston have had to work for every shot in every game this season," Slocum said. "When they made the shots we won, when they didn't we lost."
"Green Bay played good defense, but it was because we played poorly on offense that we lost the game," Slocum added. "We missed numerous shots right under the basket, putbacks that didn't go in, and we were 12-of-18 from the foul line. That wasn't because of good defense, it was because of poor shooting."
Slocum enjoyed the improvement of the Penguins this season.
"It's been a good year and I've enjoyed working with these young men, especially my two seniors who have tried to do everything that we've asked of them," he said.
Now the question is, what the Penguins will do now with Humphrey and Roberts, who scored more than half of the team's points this season, leaving.
"I've been coaching for 32 years and this situation comes up almost every year," Slocum said. "It's going to be difficult without those two, but we'll be OK."
Slocum has a sophomore, Vance Cooksey, who he feels is an outstanding player and should be able to pick up some of the slack. Cooksey sat out this year to meet his academic requirements.
He also has a commitment from Kennedy Catholic's Blair Rosenblad, one of the top players in Pennsylvania.
Disputes Robic's claim
that area lacks talent
"When I took this job [former YSU coach] John Robic told me that there just weren't enough good basketball players around this area to help the Penguins," Slocum said. "I don't believe that and I've seen some very good ones that we are going after. We'll also be hitting the junior college circuit as soon as we leave here and try to pick up some players who can come in and help immediately."
The Penguins' cupboard is not entirely bare with the return of junior point guard Byron Davis, sophomore forward Jack Liles and junior forward John Barber, while Dwight Holmes is trying to get another year by meeting his academic requirements. He was ineligible to play in his freshmen season and like former Penguin Ryan Patton, could get another season if he completes 80 percent of his work toward graduation before the start of next season.
There is a lot of work to be done, but the Penguins have the man to get it done in Slocum.
Pete Mollica covers YSU athletics for The Vindicator. Write to him at mollica@vindy.com.
Monday, March 5, 2007
I had it all figured out. All it was going to take was a couple of minor upsets Friday and then a couple of big ones Saturday and the Youngstown State men's basketball team would be playing for the Horizon League tournament championship in Beeghly Center Tuesday night on ESPN.
All it was going to take was two wins — by Illinois-Chicago over No. 3-seed Loyola and No. 2 seed Butler — and two wins by the Penguins over Green Bay and top-seed Wright State, and everybody would be back at Beeghly for the title game and a shot at an NCAA tournament berth.
Yes, it was a dream, one that ended quickly Friday when UIC lost the opening game to Loyola 66-62. Then the dream turned into a nightmare when the Penguins couldn't find the basket for half the game in a 72-55 loss to Green Bay. Just like that the season was over for the Penguins.
Still a good year despite
14-17 season record
It was still a pretty good year for the Penguins, who finished at 14-17 for second-year coach Jerry Slocum.
It was the first time in six years the Penguins didn't lose at least 20 games and the 14 wins were the most since the 2000-01 season when YSU was 19-11 as a member of the Mid-Continent Conference.
Slocum's Penguins won seven games in the Horizon League, the most in their six seasons in the league and they earned a lot of respect from the other coaches in the conference.
Friday the Penguins lost like they have most of the season, because they were unable to put the ball in the basket. It was their third loss this year to Green Bay and the best the Penguins shot from the field in those three games was 32 percent.
Slocum said so many times this year, if the Penguins could shoot 45 percent and play their normal good defense they could compete with just about any team.
That's why Slocum took offense to a remark by Green Bay coach Tod Kowalczyk, who said after the key was forcing YSU seniors Quin Humphrey and Keston Roberts to work for every shot they took.
Humphrey and Roberts were the main cogs in the Penguins' offense for two seasons and every team they played knew that.
Poor shooting is cause,
rather than good defense
"Quin and Keston have had to work for every shot in every game this season," Slocum said. "When they made the shots we won, when they didn't we lost."
"Green Bay played good defense, but it was because we played poorly on offense that we lost the game," Slocum added. "We missed numerous shots right under the basket, putbacks that didn't go in, and we were 12-of-18 from the foul line. That wasn't because of good defense, it was because of poor shooting."
Slocum enjoyed the improvement of the Penguins this season.
"It's been a good year and I've enjoyed working with these young men, especially my two seniors who have tried to do everything that we've asked of them," he said.
Now the question is, what the Penguins will do now with Humphrey and Roberts, who scored more than half of the team's points this season, leaving.
"I've been coaching for 32 years and this situation comes up almost every year," Slocum said. "It's going to be difficult without those two, but we'll be OK."
Slocum has a sophomore, Vance Cooksey, who he feels is an outstanding player and should be able to pick up some of the slack. Cooksey sat out this year to meet his academic requirements.
He also has a commitment from Kennedy Catholic's Blair Rosenblad, one of the top players in Pennsylvania.
Disputes Robic's claim
that area lacks talent
"When I took this job [former YSU coach] John Robic told me that there just weren't enough good basketball players around this area to help the Penguins," Slocum said. "I don't believe that and I've seen some very good ones that we are going after. We'll also be hitting the junior college circuit as soon as we leave here and try to pick up some players who can come in and help immediately."
The Penguins' cupboard is not entirely bare with the return of junior point guard Byron Davis, sophomore forward Jack Liles and junior forward John Barber, while Dwight Holmes is trying to get another year by meeting his academic requirements. He was ineligible to play in his freshmen season and like former Penguin Ryan Patton, could get another season if he completes 80 percent of his work toward graduation before the start of next season.
There is a lot of work to be done, but the Penguins have the man to get it done in Slocum.
Pete Mollica covers YSU athletics for The Vindicator. Write to him at mollica@vindy.com.
Monday, March 5, 2007
by Illinois-Chicago over No. 3-seed Loyola and No. 2 seed Butler — and two wins by the Penguins over Green Bay and...
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