YOUNGSTOWN — Interest has grown in Youngstown State University men’s basketball — as far as prospective coaches go. Names have circulated around the university the past couple of weeks since Jerry Slocum retired after 12 years at YSU.
You might ask why? Why does a program with very little success in the past decade — albeit for two years the Penguins broke the .500 mark and went to the second-round of the CollegeInsider.com Tournament in 2012-13 — get looks from potential head coaches?
The last couple of years, it’s been a slow decline into the abyss that has been affectionally known as YSU basketball.
Beating top-seeded Oakland in this year’s Horizon League Tournament on a last-second shot gave the Penguins a few days of national recognition. It was very comparable to the slight of hand touchdown Kevin Rader had in the FCS national semifinals to beat Eastern Washington. That one-handed grab around an Eastern Washington defender vaulted YSU to the FCS football title game.
Basketball has a long way to go to catch up to the popularity of the school’s premier sport — football.
The Penguins, despite another 20-loss season, have arguably the best returning backcourt in the league in point guard Francisco Santiago and Cameron Morse. Morse is a first-team all-Horizon League player and the league’s most prolific player. He is the odds-on favorite to win the league’s player of the year. Santiago led the Penguins in rebounds and is the hardest working player I’ve seen in years.
Facilities have improved over the last 12 years and, gasp, players want to come to YSU.
Kendrick Perry, Morse, and other players have dramatically improved the talent level here from the first couple of years of the Horizon League. There were a few exceptions — namely Quin Humphrey, Doug Underwood and Adam Baumann — in those first couple of seasons, very lean years for the program.
One point guard coming from that lean era, and a very personable player when he was here at YSU, was Marlon “Smoke” Williamson.
Williamson is one of those names which has been circulated around the university as a possible coaching replacement. He was an assistant under Jamie Dixon at Pittsburgh, but when Dixon took the job at TCU, Williamson stayed in Pittsburgh.
Williamson, a YSU graduate, is a popular name in AAU circles in the Detroit area and worked with former Michigan State and current Golden State Warriors standout Draymond Green.
Billy Donlon is another name that had some traction early, but since the former Wright State coach is doing such a great job as an assistant at Michigan, it’s unlikely he’ll take a job for a lot less money at another Horizon League school. I’m glad Wright State had the luxury of terminating the contract of a coach who gave you multiple 20-win seasons. Losing in the quarterfinals of the Horizon League tournament proved that wasn’t such a smart move. Donlon is more than likely looking for a higher-profile job as his next step, but if he’s interested in YSU and the Penguins can land him — take him.
A name I like is Akron assistant coach Rick McFadden. He has been with the Zips for the past 12 seasons. McFadden, a former Struthers High School standout, has been the Akron recruiting coordinator the past nine seasons. Akron has won at least 20 games each season since he’s been on staff. Akron coach Keith Dambrot has put McFadden’s name with those of former Akron assistants Shaka Smart (VCU and Texas) and Jeff Boals (Stony Brook). That hire would definitely generate local interest, also.
Speaking of Stony Brook, that’s where Geno Ford is an assistant coach. He led Kent State to the NCAA Tournament in 2008 and later went to coach at Bradley. The 1993 Mr. Basketball out of Cambridge High School, had a successful college career at Ohio University.
As for Kent State, current assistant Bobby Steinberg is a name which has popped up as well. He helped former KSU standout Chris Evans come to the Golden Flashes.
Another Mid-American Conference assistant coach, who is familiar to most YSU fans, is Danny Peters. The third-year assistant helped Ball State to back-to-back 20-win seasons. Peters is the son of the late YSU coach Dan Peters. Danny spent time as a graduate assistant under Sean Miller at the University of Arizona before coming to Ball State.
Then there’s Cleveland native Jermaine Kimbrough, who spent almost a decade at Cleveland State. Kimbrough, who is currently on Wyoming’s staff, was responsible for getting current NBA player Norris Cole to CSU.
Finally, current YSU associate coach Michael Wernicki, who has been on staff the past 12 seasons, is being considered. Wernicki is responsible for bringing one of the Penguins’ top players in school history — Kendrick Perry — to Youngstown. Current recruit Duane Moss, a 6-foot-7 wing player from Myrtle Beach, S.C., picked YSU over Northern Iowa and South Carolina, thanks to Wernicki.
This is a much better selection of candidates than it was in 2005.
None of these candidates are confirmed to have applied, but their names have been bantered around campus. The candidate pool is going to be bigger as the resumes flow into the system.
The job is open until filled, but YSU Director of Athletics Ron Strollo said he expects the job to be filled anytime from April 1 to 15, but stressed that’s an estimate. The Penguins better have someone in place sooner than later because April 12 is the start of the late signing period.
The sure thing is YSU needs to make sure it has the right fit for this position — someone who can come into this area, recruit, be visible, promote the program and, of course, bring a much needed winning tradition to a basketball-starved area.
John Vargo
Sports Reporter
jvargo@tribtoday.com
