Basketball
( 0 Votes )
The Youngstown State Men's Basketball team (5-5) travels to the MAC Center Tuesday Evening to take on the Kent State Golden Flashes (7-3). The Flashes come into this game losing two of their past three games, but that lone win came against South Florida of the Big East 56-51 in Kent. The Penguins are coming off a 67-50 loss at NC State. The Penguins led by 18 (31-13) at one point in the first half, and 34-31 at half, before the Wolfpack took over in the second half and shut down the Penguin offensive attack.
The past four meetings (Kent State 3-1):
2009-2010: Kent State 70-61 (at YSU)
2008-2009: Kent State 82-74 (at KSU)
2007-2008: Kent State 57-52 (at YSU)
2006-2007: Youngstown State 62-58 (at KSU)
Average Outcome: Kent State by 4.5 points
For Tickets:
Chairback: $40
Lower Reserved: $22
Upper Reserved: $15
Upper General Admission: $10
Directions
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18 December 2010
The Youngstown State Men's Basketball team (5-5) travels to the MAC Center Tuesday Evening to take on the Kent State Golden Flashes (7-3). The Flashes come into this game losing two of their past three games, but that lone win came against South Florida of the Big East 56-51 in Kent. The Penguins are coming off a 67-50 loss at NC State. The Penguins led by 18 (31-13) at one point in the first half, and 34-31 at half, before the Wolfpack took over in the second half and shut down the Penguin offensive attack.The past four meetings (Kent State 3-1):
2009-2010: Kent State 70-61 (at YSU)
2008-2009: Kent State 82-74 (at KSU)
2007-2008: Kent State 57-52 (at YSU)
2006-2007: Youngstown State 62-58 (at KSU)
Average Outcome: Kent State by 4.5 points
For Tickets:
Chairback: $40
Lower Reserved: $22
Upper Reserved: $15
Upper General Admission: $10
Bring one canned food item and receive a $1 general admission ticket. Also hot dogs and cokes will be offered for $1!! See You there!!
Directions
( 0 Votes )
PG: Kendrick Perry (Freshman) : Perry averaged close to 17 points per game as he led Edgewater (FL) to a 26-4 record last season. In the last scrimmage at American University, Perry scored 20 points, had 8 assists, and turned the ball over just twice.
SG: Ashen Ward (Junior) : Ward averaged 5.5 points per game and led the Penguins at the free throw connecting on 77.5% of his free throw attempts.
SG: Devonte Maymom (Junior) : Known for his ability to get down and play defense. Also a threat to shoot the long ball, as he connected on 40% of his three-point attempts last season. Maymon also shot a respectable 70% at the line.
SF: Vytas Sulskis (Senior) : Sulskis has emerged as the leader of the team this season. Last season, Sulskis averaged a career best 11.3 points per game, while averaging 40% from the floor and 77% at the free throw line. Sulskis is without a doubt the key to the Penguins success this year and has emerged as a force in the Horizon League.
PF: Damien Eargle (Sophomore) : Highly touted transfer from UNC-Greensboro where he was named to the Southern Conference All-Freshmen Team. Averaged 9.2 points, 5.66 rebounds, and 1.97 blocks per game as a freshmen. High school teammate of Sheldon Brogdon at Warren G. Harding.
*Note this is subject to change. Projected first four off the bench (no particular order): Blake Allen, DuShawn Brooks, Sheldon Brogdon, Dan Boulder. Also getting playing time: Josh Chojnacki, Shawn Amiker Jr.
Strengths
Leadership: Vytas Sulksis, Ashen Ward, and Dan Boudler are all players recruited out of high school by Coach Slocum. The senior and two juniors respectively have emerged as the teams vocal leaders on and off the court. The leadership presence of these three players has not been seen at YSU since Coach Slocum took over in 2005.
Shooting: Between the three mentioned above, the JUCO and High School recruits in the 2010 recruiting class, and the big transfer of Damien Eargle from UNC-Greensboro, the Penguins appear to finally have some shooting depth on the roster this year. Unlike years past where the bench that lacked a scoring presence, this year’s bench appears to be a threat to provide some much needed scoring for the Penguins.
Weaknesses
Inexperience: With the exception of Sulskis, Ward, Boudler, and Eargle, the other 11 players on the roster have not played a minute of Division 1 basketball, let alone in a conference that is home to the Division 1 National Runner Up. This youth and inexperience will comeback to bite the Penguins throughout the season and will test the team throughout the season.
History: It is no secret, Youngstown State Basketball has been in the pits for years and continues to drag down the Horizon League in terms of RPI. Anyone that knows anything about our history in basketball knows that despite some of the talent on this team this season, we will find ways to lose games. That is not an attack on the Coach Slocum, it is simply the sad truth of our program. Year after year we give Butler, Milwaukee, Cleveland State, etc. runs for their money only to find ways to lose those games down the stretch. For Youngstown State to ever become a winner in basketball, they must learn to hit free throws and close out games down the stretch. If they could have done those two things the past five years under Slocum, his job security would be a lot more secure heading into this season.
Predictions
Bye-Bye motion offense. Coach Slocum announced this past Monday that he got rid of the motion offense and has installed a brand new offense for the Penguins to run this year. The offense Coach Slocum ran the past five years has been one of the big points of criticism the past few years. And in case you are wondering, we no idea what offense Coach Slocum installed this past off-season. So if you want to see it first hand, come check the Penguins out Friday Night in the Home Opener against Samford.
In regards to the season predictions, it is pretty darn tough to predict a W/L number at this point. Yes, YSU are young and inexperienced, but Coach Slocum has had a knack of getting some solid JUCO talent over the years, i.e. Keston Roberts, DeAndre Mays, Sirlester Martin, Kelvin Bright, etc. Those JUCO’s should help offset the losses of Mayes, Bright, and Martin from last season.
Furthermore, the overall starting five at this point does feature a mix of experience and youth at point. Point guard Kendrick Perry may be inexperienced, but his play in the scrimmages against Bowling Green and at American (20 points, 8 assists, 2 turnovers) proves he may have the talent to guide the offense as a true freshman this year. It is worth noting the last true freshman to start as a freshman under Coach Slocum was Vytas Sulskis, also from Florida.
In closing, our expectations are not that high for this team as we know very little about them. We do know Coach Slocum will have them ready to play each night and have them competing against the very best in the Horizon League this season. We would look for around 9-12 wins this season. If the Penguins are able to improve at the free throw line and learn to finish out games, there is no doubt they could win even more than the 12 games this season. However we think it would be wise for fans to withhold judgement on this team until after they get a few games under their belt. We should be able to get a good barometer of how good, or bad, this team is after they play the likes of Toledo (now coached by former UWGB coach Tom Kowalcyzk) and Akron next week.
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08 November 2010
PG: Kendrick Perry (Freshman) : Perry averaged close to 17 points per game as he led Edgewater (FL) to a 26-4 record last season. In the last scrimmage at American University, Perry scored 20 points, had 8 assists, and turned the ball over just twice.
SG: Ashen Ward (Junior) : Ward averaged 5.5 points per game and led the Penguins at the free throw connecting on 77.5% of his free throw attempts.
SG: Devonte Maymom (Junior) : Known for his ability to get down and play defense. Also a threat to shoot the long ball, as he connected on 40% of his three-point attempts last season. Maymon also shot a respectable 70% at the line.
SF: Vytas Sulskis (Senior) : Sulskis has emerged as the leader of the team this season. Last season, Sulskis averaged a career best 11.3 points per game, while averaging 40% from the floor and 77% at the free throw line. Sulskis is without a doubt the key to the Penguins success this year and has emerged as a force in the Horizon League.
PF: Damien Eargle (Sophomore) : Highly touted transfer from UNC-Greensboro where he was named to the Southern Conference All-Freshmen Team. Averaged 9.2 points, 5.66 rebounds, and 1.97 blocks per game as a freshmen. High school teammate of Sheldon Brogdon at Warren G. Harding.
*Note this is subject to change. Projected first four off the bench (no particular order): Blake Allen, DuShawn Brooks, Sheldon Brogdon, Dan Boulder. Also getting playing time: Josh Chojnacki, Shawn Amiker Jr.
StrengthsLeadership: Vytas Sulksis, Ashen Ward, and Dan Boudler are all players recruited out of high school by Coach Slocum. The senior and two juniors respectively have emerged as the teams vocal leaders on and off the court. The leadership presence of these three players has not been seen at YSU since Coach Slocum took over in 2005.
Shooting: Between the three mentioned above, the JUCO and High School recruits in the 2010 recruiting class, and the big transfer of Damien Eargle from UNC-Greensboro, the Penguins appear to finally have some shooting depth on the roster this year. Unlike years past where the bench that lacked a scoring presence, this year’s bench appears to be a threat to provide some much needed scoring for the Penguins.
Weaknesses
Inexperience: With the exception of Sulskis, Ward, Boudler, and Eargle, the other 11 players on the roster have not played a minute of Division 1 basketball, let alone in a conference that is home to the Division 1 National Runner Up. This youth and inexperience will comeback to bite the Penguins throughout the season and will test the team throughout the season.
History: It is no secret, Youngstown State Basketball has been in the pits for years and continues to drag down the Horizon League in terms of RPI. Anyone that knows anything about our history in basketball knows that despite some of the talent on this team this season, we will find ways to lose games. That is not an attack on the Coach Slocum, it is simply the sad truth of our program. Year after year we give Butler, Milwaukee, Cleveland State, etc. runs for their money only to find ways to lose those games down the stretch. For Youngstown State to ever become a winner in basketball, they must learn to hit free throws and close out games down the stretch. If they could have done those two things the past five years under Slocum, his job security would be a lot more secure heading into this season.
Predictions
Bye-Bye motion offense. Coach Slocum announced this past Monday that he got rid of the motion offense and has installed a brand new offense for the Penguins to run this year. The offense Coach Slocum ran the past five years has been one of the big points of criticism the past few years. And in case you are wondering, we no idea what offense Coach Slocum installed this past off-season. So if you want to see it first hand, come check the Penguins out Friday Night in the Home Opener against Samford.
In regards to the season predictions, it is pretty darn tough to predict a W/L number at this point. Yes, YSU are young and inexperienced, but Coach Slocum has had a knack of getting some solid JUCO talent over the years, i.e. Keston Roberts, DeAndre Mays, Sirlester Martin, Kelvin Bright, etc. Those JUCO’s should help offset the losses of Mayes, Bright, and Martin from last season.
Furthermore, the overall starting five at this point does feature a mix of experience and youth at point. Point guard Kendrick Perry may be inexperienced, but his play in the scrimmages against Bowling Green and at American (20 points, 8 assists, 2 turnovers) proves he may have the talent to guide the offense as a true freshman this year. It is worth noting the last true freshman to start as a freshman under Coach Slocum was Vytas Sulskis, also from Florida.
In closing, our expectations are not that high for this team as we know very little about them. We do know Coach Slocum will have them ready to play each night and have them competing against the very best in the Horizon League this season. We would look for around 9-12 wins this season. If the Penguins are able to improve at the free throw line and learn to finish out games, there is no doubt they could win even more than the 12 games this season. However we think it would be wise for fans to withhold judgement on this team until after they get a few games under their belt. We should be able to get a good barometer of how good, or bad, this team is after they play the likes of Toledo (now coached by former UWGB coach Tom Kowalcyzk) and Akron next week.
( 1 Vote )
The Youngstown State Men's Basketball team picked up their first commitment in the 2011 recruiting class this past Friday as Marshfield, WI native Cale Zuiker committed to the Penguins. Zuiker is a 6'8" forward that is a great long range shooter who gets a lot of elevation on his shots. As a junior, Zuiker averaged 13 points and 5 rebounds for Marshfield High School.
Zuiker's traveling team coach Jeff Mallet said Zuiker chose the Penguins for two reasons, among many, saying, "When Cale took his visit to Youngstown State, he liked the guys they had coming in and he liked the coaching staff," Mallett said. "The fact he will be able to come back to Wisconsin and play in the state against Green Bay and Milwaukee was also a plus."
For more information on Zuiker, check out his recruiting profile here on LetsGoGuins.com. Here is a video of Zuiker dunking this past season:
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17 October 2010
The Youngstown State Men's Basketball team picked up their first commitment in the 2011 recruiting class this past Friday as Marshfield, WI native Cale Zuiker committed to the Penguins. Zuiker is a 6'8" forward that is a great long range shooter who gets a lot of elevation on his shots. As a junior, Zuiker averaged 13 points and 5 rebounds for Marshfield High School.Zuiker's traveling team coach Jeff Mallet said Zuiker chose the Penguins for two reasons, among many, saying, "When Cale took his visit to Youngstown State, he liked the guys they had coming in and he liked the coaching staff," Mallett said. "The fact he will be able to come back to Wisconsin and play in the state against Green Bay and Milwaukee was also a plus."
For more information on Zuiker, check out his recruiting profile here on LetsGoGuins.com. Here is a video of Zuiker dunking this past season:
