Messages

1

YSU Penguin Athletics / Re: YSU Beeghly facilities upgrade

« on: February 14, 2024, 10:11:37 AM »

     Will the project be constructed with cast iron risers, encased in concrete, with seats bolted to the infrastructure?  This design concept would be similar to the seating behind the baskets but with chair backs?  Or will it be a 2024 version of what exists on the lower tiers, retractable chair back seats on a wood base with a bit more space?

     Reading between the lines of the Tribune/Vindy articles suggests it may be the latter.     

2

YSU Penguin Athletics / Re: Mens basketball vs OHIO Chrisitain

« on: November 14, 2023, 09:04:44 PM »

     Strong research by ucfpengbuck on a fundamental aspect of YSU basketball.  The facts support questioning
Calhoun’s ability to recruit in the high schools.

     Bohannon and Ackuchie are the only high school recruits I can recall who came in as freshmen and stayed four years.

     

     

3

YSU Penguin Athletics / Josh Irwin Transfers

« on: May 09, 2023, 12:06:00 PM »

     Verbalcommits.com reports Josh Irwin has transferred to Lake Erie College.

4

YSU Penguin Athletics / Re: Transfer Portal

« on: March 21, 2023, 02:57:28 PM »

     Agree Calhoun can function in this new environment and should maximize these abilities.  I would like to see the coaching staff strive more for defense and rebounding as opposed to an offense orientation.  Defense and rebounding travel well.  Offense left us vulnerable on off nights (to good defense and rebounding).  It was evident watching the Horizon League tournament and March Madness over the past two weekends that inferior teams that are quick, play defense and rebound have an advantage in pressure situations.     

     Calhoun has been average at best recruiting from high schools.  For every "DQ, Naz, Covington, and Akuchie" there was an Alex Vargo, Daniel Ogoro, Cheick Traore, Luke Chicone, and Michael Lucarotti.  Division 2 talents all.  Atiba Taylor and Jelani Simmons were borderline Division 1 players.  Now Will Dunn and perhaps Jacori Owens will join the list.     

     I do not like the portal.  However, we have a better opportunity to win with it than recruiting in the high schools.   

5

YSU Penguin Athletics / Re: Calhoun

« on: March 10, 2023, 03:27:52 PM »

     Is Calhoun deserving of job offers from better basketball schools or a pay increase from YSU to keep him here?

     Calhoun's record in six years at YSU is 96 wins and 95 losses.  The real record is 82 - 95 when you deduct games played against D2 and D3 competition, who we had no business scheduling in the first place.  Granted he did not inherit a thriving program.  On the other hand, it took him six years to bring the Penguins to the middle of the pack of D1 basketball. 

     The 2022 - 2023 record, 24 - 9, adds insight.  It was against a strength of schedule rating of Sagarin 308.  There are 363 Division 1 basketball teams.  The highest rated opponent we played was Notre Dame, at 120.  Our best victory was against Northern Kentucky, at 158.  Ten of the wins were against cupcakes, bottom dwellers and D3.

Westminster (D3)
Grace Christian (D3)
UC San Diego 277 (8 - 20)
Southern 294 (13 - 17)
Tennessee - Martin 302 (15 - 14)
Central Michigan 326 (9 - 21)
IUPUI (twice) 353 (3 - 27)
Green Bay (twice) 362 (3 - 29)

Canisius (9 - 20) and Western Illinois (13 - 14) were not much better.  The Horizon League games were what they had to be.  The others were not. 

     In the biggest game of the year, he was outcoached by Northern Kentucky's Darrin Horn, unprepared for their game strategy, and slow to react.  We all saw it. 

     Calhoun has more to prove at YSU before another team throws money at him.   

6

YSU Penguin Athletics / Re: Men's Basketball Home Opener against UTM

« on: November 10, 2022, 11:21:13 AM »

     Let's not permit enthusiasm to supplant rational thinking.  A bit of reason and logic may help manage expectations. 

     Canisius is ranked 301 of 363 Division 1 teams by Saragin.  UT Martin is ranked 317 of 363.   Defeating the 317th ranked team at home is not exactly a quality win. 

     We may want to give this team an opportunity to earn respect before bestowing it summarily.   

     YSU has climbed into the 215th position (the 41st percentile).  We have a ways to go.  Let's see what Sunday brings.     

7

YSU Penguin Athletics / Re: Head Coach Jerrod Calhoun Awarded Contract Extension

« on: September 10, 2022, 01:00:19 PM »

     I get nervous when the recruits we receive verbal commitments from, or sign, have zero or only one other Division I offer.  We have been down this road before with little or no success (Vargo, Chicone, Lucarotti, Long, Ogoro, et al).  Given Calhoun's track record, it may be wishful thinking to believe he can see Division I talent where 360 other Division I coaches cannot. 

     One caveat to this observation.  The fact verbalcommits.com or other recruiting databases list an offer or do not list an offer does not make it so.   

8

YSU Penguin Athletics / Re: 2022-23 Men’s Basketball Schedule

« on: July 16, 2022, 11:26:53 AM »

     Agree in part.

     The Penguins brought in four older D1 players.  The incoming players replaced four transferees who stepped down to D2 and D3 programs (Chicone, Ogoro, Long and Vargo).  The departed players should never have been at YSU in the first place, but that is another story.  The newcomers' age and experience as D1 players should make the Penguins better.

     Will the incoming players elevate the program to contender status?  Bryce McBride was a part-time starter at Eastern Michigan (9-21, Sagarin rank 299 of 358).  Brandon Rush was a starter at Fairleigh Dickinson (4-22, Sagarin rank 349 of 358).  Malek Green was a sixth man at Canisius (10-21, Sagarin rank 264 of 358).  Adrian Nelson was a part-time starter at Northern Kentucky (18-12, Sagarin rank 194).  Outside of Nelson these players are unaccustomed to winning.  Two came from dreadful programs.  How these four translate to making YSU a contender may be more hope than reasonable projection.   

     Mattia Acunzo (Toledo, through Robert Morris) and the return of a healthy Garrett Covington could increase the possibility of success.       

9

YSU Penguin Athletics / Re: YSU - PFW MBB

« on: January 24, 2022, 05:48:32 PM »

     The Penguins must play defense for anything good to happen. 

     Defense the last three games has been abysmal.  58 points allowed during the second half at West Virginia.  35 points allowed in the second half versus Defiance.  50 points allowed during the first half at Oakland. 

     The top three players in Oakland had dreadful +/- statistics.  Akuchie -21, Olison -25, and Cohill -20.  These players were the Penguins leading scorers.  They yielded twice the points they scored. 

     The Penguins will win when team defense becomes a priority again.       

     Same story, different day and location. 

     Purdue Fort Wayne scored 50 points in the second half. 

     The Penguins shot better than 57% from the field and more than 57% beyond the arc.  Nevertheless, Penguin core players squandered their offensive production.  Disappointing +/- statistics exposed the quality of defense played, Akuchie -11, Olison -13, Cohill -12, and Rathan-Mayes -16.

     Is the coaching staff getting the message to the players?  Is there a lack of accountability for players not with the program?  Whatever the dynamics, the coaching staff must get control of the situation, or you will get this same result, time after time after time.   

10

YSU Penguin Athletics / Re: YSU - Oakland MBB

« on: January 04, 2022, 02:14:43 PM »

     The Penguins must play defense for anything good to happen. 

     Defense the last three games has been abysmal.  58 points allowed during the second half at West Virginia.  35 points allowed in the second half versus Defiance.  50 points allowed during the first half at Oakland. 

     The top three players in Oakland had dreadful +/- statistics.  Akuchie -21, Olison -25, and Cohill -20.  These players were the Penguins leading scorers.  They yielded twice the points they scored. 

     The Penguins will win when team defense becomes a priority again.       

11

YSU Penguin Athletics / Re: YSU Central MI MBB

« on: December 10, 2021, 10:44:18 AM »

I watched the 14 minutes of the game first time i watched in over 2 years.  I said to myself we actually looked like a college basketball team.  After dealing with Slocum I feel we are on the right path.  It’s even tougher now the way the transfer rule is.  Sign Calhoun long term and overpay him.  I think he can get us to dance in time.

     I agree with YSUGO in part.  Calhoun has elevated the program from habitual doormat in the Horizon League to middle of the pack.  He has not shown the ability to take us higher.  2020 - 2021 was a disappointment.  Calhoun was in his fourth year.  He had his players.  The Penguins had a veteran starting five, with the exception of Rathan - Mays.  Horizon League coaches picked them as the number three team preseason in the league.  They finished below .500.     

     This year the Penguins are ranked 234 out of 358 Division I teams by Jeff Sagarin.  RPI has them at 273 of 358.  These are not ringing endorsements. 

     Let's take a deeper look at Sagarin. 

Our wins were against:

SEMO ranked 287 of 358
St. Thomas ranked 332
Milwaukee ranked 278
Green Bay ranked 308
Central Michigan ranked 318

Losses were to:

Penn State ranked 68
SIUE ranked 293
Niagara ranked 213

     Of eight games, the Penguins have played six against the bottom 71 teams, the lowest 20%.  And we lost one of those.  At home!  YSU's Sagarin strength of schedule is 345 of 358.  The results so far reflect uneven performance against the 14th weakest schedule in Division 1. 

     We are what our record says we are.  It does not suggest Calhoun "can get us to the dance", at least not yet.       

12

YSU Penguin Athletics / Re: Wright State

« on: January 09, 2021, 10:28:32 AM »

     A number of factors were responsible for YSU's win last night.  The ones with the most direct impact were:
 
(1) Naz BOHANNON's ability to make free throws,
(2) high defensive intensity for forty minutes (which seeded an impressive series of fast breaks in the first half), and
(3) good coaching, to include game planning and game management.     

13

YSU Penguin Athletics / Re: YSU mens basketball preview

« on: December 19, 2020, 06:28:37 PM »

     It is discouraging NKU freshmen and a JUCO outplayed YSU seniors (two of which were recognized for achievement in 2019 - 2020 by the Horizon League) and an NBA wanna be.  That should not happen.  It appeared from afar NKU put their head down and expended significant effort to prove they were the better team.  YSU may have read a few too many press clippings, showed up with an illusion they were a championship contender, and did not marshal the effort to make it so.  That is a coaching failure. 

     We will see if it gets corrected on Sunday.     

14

YSU Penguin Athletics / Re: Men's basketball recruiting ?

« on: August 30, 2020, 05:14:32 PM »

     The Penguins posted the 2020 - 2021 basketball roster recently on the YSU website.  Cheick Traore, 6-8, 216 lbs, of Concord, NC, an early signee, was not on it.   

     Anyone have insight?

15

YSU Penguin Athletics / Re: Transfer Portal- Basketball

« on: May 19, 2020, 02:49:40 PM »

     Greyson Kelley is a curious choice.  There are hundreds of Division I players remaining in the transfer portal and Calhoun selected a 6'1" guard from a 5-23 Division II team.  Kelley does not have a demonstrated history of sustained success.  He averaged 2.3 points per game in 2018 - 2019. 

     Kelley can shoot.  He was a 91% free throw shooter over a large sample size in 2019 - 2020.  On the other hand, his assist to turnover ratio was poor, which suggests he is not much of a ball handler.

     Coach must know something not apparent from the record.  He may feel a pure shooter is necessary to balance a team of slashers and grinders.  Calhoun recruited Kendall Hampton a couple of years ago for the same role.