Author Topic: State of men’s basketball  (Read 112847 times)

Offline IAA Fan

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Re: Marcus Keene, Osandi Vaughn leaving YSU
« Reply #45 on: March 27, 2015, 12:04:32 PM »
Soup:

It has nothing to do with a like or dislike of basketball. To me, if it is a Penguin sport ..it has my full support. I am looking to buy a Lady Pens bowling glove and I do not even bowl :)  That being said:

With the uncertainty of the NCAA and conferences, YSU has to be prepared for any possibility ...move up, move down, or stay the same. Either way facilities are what we lack, as that is what makes us more appealing to a conference. (look at the official MAC rejection from 1993). Strollo has been navigating a ship over some very rough seas and even though things have not come as fast as many would like ...he has shown the ability to be a good captain.

Title IX (good or bad) makes the need for more women's scholarships a top priority, if we want to play in a good conference and/or support a 63 (or maybe even 85 someday) men's scholarship equivalent football team. Yes it is a "hit in the gut", but you have to thank your politically correct society. It is not fair that a basketball player can skip college and go pro, while football player cannot, but it was deemed a racial bias by the supreme court back in the 70's. Title IX did the same thing to us ...only much worse.

As to Slocum, again I like him. Yes, like you I want more success, but I believe if anyone can do it (given our current situation) I believe it is he. He is a good fundamental's coach and I do believe he can (and has) help players with more raw talent compete at the DI level. It is these types of player that we traditionally were able to get. Now, as the stature of the HL moving up, we can certainly recruit the better talent ...and we have.  If you feel Slocum's time has come, I may not agree, but certainly understand why you feel that way; but give the man his dues for what he has been able to do with the program.

I am not crazy, or looking to lose respect with you or anyone else. it is just how I feel. Look at coach H in football. I had a broom behind him shortly after he took over & when they renewed I was upset ...then 1.5 years later we made the semis. Then when H did leave, I was was upset and felt the timing was bad. Mainly because of his keeping the "Youngstown" brand of football ...even though coach H wanted to change the offense. Then in comes coach W ...he did change the offense ...unfortunately, he changed the defense as well. I now hope that coach P will restore the good old Penguin defenses and coach M can continue to produce points. That being said ...Penguin Club, game and tailgate ticket sales have to be the top priority. Yet when he recruits the local kids, everyone on the board complains; even though we should know it is the best thing (besides winning) that he can do for our program.

Offline guinpen

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Re: Marcus Keene, Osandi Vaughn leaving YSU
« Reply #46 on: March 27, 2015, 06:33:09 PM »
Slocum is gonna stay to get his 700 wins... Against Youngstown East or Chaney, or Rayen or whoever else we play at home... After next year, see ya.

I understand that 500, 600 700 etc are all milestones, but how close a coach is to one should  never be the reason to keep them around
“Life is hard, it’s harder if you're stupid” - John Wayne

Offline popsicle

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Re: Marcus Keene, Osandi Vaughn leaving YSU
« Reply #47 on: March 27, 2015, 06:37:29 PM »
Preaching to the choir, Guin.

Offline ysufan0505

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Re: Marcus Keene, Osandi Vaughn leaving YSU
« Reply #48 on: March 27, 2015, 11:32:26 PM »
Trust me, I'm with you on that Guinpen! Have a feeling though, that the AD is gonna go this direction.

Offline OleYSUfan

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Re: Marcus Keene, Osandi Vaughn leaving YSU
« Reply #49 on: March 28, 2015, 08:53:39 PM »
There's is a head coach opening at the Univ. Of Texas; maybe Coach Slocum can get hired there and get his 700th win!  :-\

Offline jbags

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Re: Marcus Keene, Osandi Vaughn leaving YSU
« Reply #50 on: March 30, 2015, 06:02:44 PM »
We better be recruiting Cleveland Central Catholic ' s Antan Lilliard

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Re: Marcus Keene, Osandi Vaughn leaving YSU
« Reply #51 on: March 31, 2015, 09:49:12 AM »
You may be right on this one, jbags. Last I heard he had no offers yet. He handled himself well after the dunk controversy. I guess maybe he didn't punch enough people in the face in HS to get our attention.

Offline jbags

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Re: Marcus Keene, Osandi Vaughn leaving YSU
« Reply #52 on: March 31, 2015, 10:17:11 AM »
Cleveland State will find room for him and we'll deal with him for 4 years....meanwhile we sign a kid from Louisiana thats good but will get homesick and leave after 1 or 2 years. Its not to build a program

Offline ysufan0505

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Re: Marcus Keene, Osandi Vaughn leaving YSU
« Reply #53 on: March 31, 2015, 11:31:22 AM »
2 more players gone.... Stewart and Plummer. Wow, this is unreal!

.@21WFMJSports I've been told by source close to YSU hoops that @GoodmanESPN report is true. Jalon Plummer & Shaun Stewart are transferring.
« Last Edit: March 31, 2015, 11:43:01 AM by ysufan0505 »

Offline Penguin Nick

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State of men’s basketball
« Reply #54 on: March 31, 2015, 12:06:58 PM »
I’ve never been a conspiracy junkie, but I’m convincing myself that the YSU Athletic Administration purposely makes men’s basketball the red-headed stepchild to the football team.  If, for example, men’s basketball became a fairly regular NCAA Tournament participant and did some damage in the tournament, YSU would become much more known nationally in basketball than by winning 1AA football championships (no matter what AD Strollo stated in the recent Warren Tribune article) and I don’t think the YSU Athletic Administration wants this to happen.   
 
1.  The coach of a division 1 basketball team earns only $137,000 (far, far less then what he should be earning in the Horizon League) while the coach of a Division 1AA football team earns approximately $250,000.  I absolutely love college football and go to most every YSU game, but I’m sorry, this is an embarrassing difference, no matter how important YSU football is to the community.  Such a difference in salary alone makes the YSU basketball coach a 2nd class citizen in the pecking order.  In other words, Slocum knows his place.
2.  Who makes the schedule, is it strictly Slocum?  Does AD Strollo have any input?  It’s impossible to create interest in a program and recruit players when your out-of-conference home schedule is pathetic.  I keep hearing how YSU "doesn’t have the money" to invest in basketball, therefore, be aggressive and play numerous “big-money” games (see Oakland/Oral Roberts schedule for example) to make money.  Use the money you earn from these games to upgrade an-outdated Beeghly Center (taking out the embarrassing bleachers and putting in permanent/retractable red chair back seats would be a start or use these games to help pay upgraded salaries).  Fan interest will increase by leaps and bounds.     

The citizens of Youngstown who have to live through this mediocrity year-after-year are getting shortchanged.  There should not be such a disparity between Stambaugh Stadium and an outdated Beeghly Center.  I don’t buy into this notion that men’s hoops cannot be successful and believe that men’s basketball should be able to financially take care of itself (and even other sports at YSU) and be a major money-maker. 


 
   

Offline ScarletRook

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Re: State of men’s basketball
« Reply #55 on: March 31, 2015, 12:35:21 PM »
Quote
I’ve never been a conspiracy junkie, but I’m convincing myself that the YSU Athletic Administration purposely makes men’s basketball the red-headed stepchild to the football team.  If, for example, men’s basketball became a fairly regular NCAA Tournament participant and did some damage in the tournament, YSU would become much more known nationally in basketball than by winning 1AA football championships (no matter what AD Strollo stated in the recent Warren Tribune article) and I don’t think the YSU Athletic Administration wants this to happen.   


First off, the last football championship was so long ago that many don't even think about it.  It is just a vague reminder of how great a program we once had. 
Second, if the MBB team were to become "a fairly regular NCAA Tournament participant" I don't see how that could do anything but help the University and resolve the money difference. 
Let's face it, the AD budget has a target on its head and losing teams and losing revenue will do nothing but give people more shots at the target.

YSU got a reprieve with Nebraska supplementing Pelini's income but that will not last.
The MBB program is a train wreck!  Paying the engineer more won't fix that problem.
The basketball facilities need major improvements and the football stadium is reaching that point too.
Money from "big-money games" helps pay the way across the board for sports which are revenu losers; which sadly I believe is every sport now.
Fan interest in any sport increases by leaps and bounds by winning!

You make valid points and I will agree with most except the conspiracy of not wanting a winning MBB program. 

Offline jbags

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Re: Marcus Keene, Osandi Vaughn leaving YSU
« Reply #56 on: March 31, 2015, 12:37:02 PM »
once again, I dont blame either one...Plummer never played as a freshman, started at the beginning of the season and wound up in the doghouse...Stewart was a highly touted JC kid that fell out of favor early...its not all Slocum's fault ...those 4 that left share some of the blame.. but something isnt right and it needs fixed...this wave of players that need to be signed must stay the course...we cant have this each year...guess we must hit the junior colleges hard

Offline gbs20

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Re: State of men’s basketball
« Reply #57 on: March 31, 2015, 12:41:09 PM »
How about using the revenue from money games to subsidize the rent of playing at Covelli?  Many urban universities play at off campus arenas and this really isnt off campus given that few students attend the games even in the best of circumstances.  It would save the money of renovating Beeghly and enable the team to play at a high quality venue.

Offline jbags

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Re: State of men’s basketball
« Reply #58 on: March 31, 2015, 12:44:45 PM »
bleak picture huh? good news is only 5 guys are on the floor at once and if 2 are true D1 players then you can improve immensely...we need to find 2 good players that stay for 4 years

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Re: Marcus Keene, Osandi Vaughn leaving YSU
« Reply #59 on: March 31, 2015, 01:23:16 PM »
We don't know what really happened.  If these guys are quitting because they don't like Slocum, then yes, Slocum is the problem and Strollo needs to step in. There may also be something going on behind the scenes that we don't know about (academics, curfew violations, illegal substance abuse)--YSU athletics is very good about maintaining confidentiality on such things.