Messages

1441

YSU Penguin Athletics / Re: Men vs. Canisius

« on: March 24, 2013, 12:20:34 PM »

The women finished 14-1 at home and played very hard in every game and for the entire game.  As a result, people left the gym happy with the outcome and satisfied with the effort.  That eventually led to swelling crowds by the end of the season.  Now shift to the men.  Canisius might be slightly better than us or we might be slightly better than them.  No one can believe that Canisius is good enough to overcome a 22 point deficit in 18 minutes without a YSU meltdown.  And meltdown it was.  We lost focus, the defensive pressure stopped, the ball handling became careless.  Such lapses are, unfortunately, not rare occurrences for our fans who attend regularly.  Until Slocum can produce a team that, like the women, plays hard for 40 minutes every game, YSU basketball will remain an afterthought in this community.

1442

YSU Penguin Athletics / Canisius game

« on: March 22, 2013, 02:41:12 PM »

The basketball team is now operating in uncharted waters after three decades of oblivion.  If you claim to be a YSU fan and you live in the vicinity, it is your duty to attend this game tomorrow evening.  For our fans that only follow football, I understand that you do not like basketball.  Suck it up.  This is about university and community pride.  Come to this game.  It is not going to kill you.

1443

YSU Penguin Athletics / Re: Women win!

« on: March 22, 2013, 02:32:01 PM »

This team will be remembered as the unit that brought women's basketball back to life on our campus.  We started the year drawing about 400 butts-in-seats and ended with 1800.  It was wonderful to see Schlegel back on the court and contributing in a big way.  Brandi Brown is great and we will likely never have another player of her abilities.  That being said, we are just a better team with Schlegel in the rotation.  It forces opponents to neutralize Brown (good luck with that,) watch our three-point threats, and now respect our post play.  The result last night was having five players score in double figures.

I agree that Toledo will be very difficult.  They are an NCAA tournament caliber team that was smothered by the power of the big conferences.  To have a chance, we simply must get our three point shooters back on track.  We need every element of our offense plus the same type of defense we witnessed last evening.

1444

YSU Penguin Athletics / Re: Ed Muransky

« on: March 22, 2013, 02:19:34 PM »

Here is what I would like to see happen.  Hannon is a terrible play-by-play radio announcer.  He is incapable of providing a "word picture" of the action that is unfolding on the field.  On the other hand, he has an opinion about everything, often expressed during the action that he should be covering.  The solution is this: make Hannon the analyst and find a competent, accurate play-by-play announcer.  Then our fans can get reliable action coverage and Hannon can pontificate on any subject between plays.

1445

YSU Penguin Athletics / Re: YSU to host game in CollegeInsider.com tournament

« on: March 20, 2013, 10:54:08 PM »

Kent State won tonight (barely) but attendance was listed in the box score as less than 2,000.  Canisius (in Buffalo) also won but barely drew more than 1,000.  Those are the closest foes remaining.  So....we shall see if money talks.

1446

YSU Penguin Athletics / Re: YSU to host game in CollegeInsider.com tournament

« on: March 20, 2013, 03:55:27 PM »

0505,

What happens when you take a team that plays no defense and put them in a league where most programs are committed to defense, and where the best teams play great defense?  The answer is that Oakland, as they are currently formed, would win about one road game per year and maybe half of their home games.  As the tenth member of the Horizon League, they would be 5-13 every year.  You might find street ball entertaining but Oakland could not compete in our league without a major change in philosophy.

1447

YSU Penguin Athletics / Re: YSU to host game in CollegeInsider.com tournament

« on: March 20, 2013, 01:48:18 PM »

The best attendance last night!  That is very interesting.  It could indeed serve us well in our pursuit of that second round game.  I was pleasantly surprised by the size of the crowd, considering it was a week night, there was only about a week to sell tickets, and every seat had to be resold to corporate and individual season ticket holders. 

I had an open mind about Oakland and the Horizon League.  I now say a resounding "no."  As IP stated, they have thugs, perhaps more than Detroit or Cleveland State.  They specialize in cheap shots away from the ball and out of the sight of the officials (who made the usual Horizon League referees look highly competent.)  Also, Oakland's style of offense-oriented street ball combined with no defense would do nothing for the reputation or ratings of the Horizon league. 

1448

YSU Penguin Athletics / Re: Women's Basketball Earns Automatic Bid to WNIT

« on: March 18, 2013, 11:31:13 PM »

Wonderful news.  YSU will host Indiana State on Thursday.  Two post-season tournament games in Beeghly within 48 hours.  Amazing.

1449

YSU Penguin Athletics / Re: Penguins Set to Open Spring Drills on March 19

« on: March 18, 2013, 10:39:22 AM »

Here are my thoughts about the offense.  Of course, everything is based upon the new line performing at a high level.  Otherwise, any talk about the skilled athletes becomes irrelevant.  Assuming the line shapes up well, and Wolford was very confident about that, this is what I would like to see:

Breakaway speed at tailback, something that Cook (good as he was) simply lacked.  I have confidence that Pace can make the tough yards but we need that "home-run" threat.

A healthy Berassa by the fall.  His absence last fall hurt our passing game.  He was the deep threat that enabled Bryan to operate freely in 2011.  We also need to find new and innovative ways to get the football into Stubbs' hands in space.

Also, very eager to see what Wargo can do in the spring.

1450

YSU Penguin Athletics / Re: Women's Horizon League Tourney

« on: March 15, 2013, 08:31:42 PM »

Nothing you can really say.  Everything malfunctioned.  We really miss Schegel against teams with size in the post.  The fact that shooting from Hornberger and Touvelle disappeared in the past week did not help either.  If you are looking for a silver lining, here it is.  If a big time program had Boldon on their radar, the blip just went out (at least for this year.)

1451

YSU Penguin Athletics / Re: Women's Horizon League Tourney

« on: March 14, 2013, 11:43:34 AM »

I have no reliable information, but I feel confident that Strollo put in a bid to host the WNIT game.  The low price makes that the ultimate no-brainer.  I was delighted by the size (and enthusiasm) of the crowd yesterday.  Making $6,500 in gate receipts should be no problem.  But here is the problem.  The WNIT, unlike the men's CIT, will have a number of "name" teams from power conferences.  These entities will feel entitled to home games, deserving or not.  None of us really know who makes the decisions for the WNIT tournament.  I suspect that the power conferences will get their way.

1452

YSU Penguin Athletics / Re: Women's Horizon League Tourney

« on: March 13, 2013, 09:32:54 PM »

Another excellent job tonight.  Got sloppy with a sixteen point lead with about four minutes left, but beyond that a very good effort.  We missed seven uncontested layups, or this would have been a lot easier.  Great crowd: easily the best for a single women's game in a long, long time.

1453

YSU Penguin Athletics / Re: YSU to host game in CollegeInsider.com tournament

« on: March 12, 2013, 10:40:21 PM »

I think Indy might have something with his theory that the Horizon League will pay a portion of the guarantee.  While watching an out-of-town Horizon game on the internet, one of the announcers stated that the league was paying each school for one flight to a league basketball game.  So that might be part of the distribution of the NCAA tournament money.  Paying fees for tournaments like this might be another form of distribution.

1454

YSU Penguin Athletics / Re: bleachers

« on: March 12, 2013, 02:34:19 PM »

I don't disagree with the concepts that you guys have outlined here, but here is the problem with increasing budgets for basketball while the athletic stipend from the administration is being reduced (as are all departments within the university.)  I have pondered the relative interest in YSU football and basketball for many years.  I do not claim that this is a scientific study, but as a lifelong Youngstown resident it might mean something.  Anyway, I know fourteen friends or acquaintances who never miss YSU football games.  Of that number, exactly one attends all the basketball games.  A few more might go to one or two basketball games per year, but mostly if I give them a spare ticket.  The others, at least ten, never walk into the gym.  I have gone out of my way to ask that latter group about their lack of interest in YSU hoops.  I even tried to pose that question at times when the basketball team was winning.  The answer is always the same: "I don't like basketball.  All I want is a good football team."  If this sampling is a reflection of community culture, the YSU athletic spending pattern is properly aligned.

1455

YSU Penguin Athletics / Re: YSU to host game in CollegeInsider.com tournament

« on: March 12, 2013, 02:12:57 PM »

This tournament seems to be the equivalent of those minor bowl football games that take the DI "pretenders" each December.  In the long term, playing in this often would not bestow much prestige on the program.  However, in the short term, playing in any kind of DI tournament for the first time ever is a very good thing.