State of men’s basketball

[IAA Fan]

You have some good items jbags, that many of us forgot about with the commitment. With all the Strollo-trashing going on ...I would have thought there was not a dollar spent. I do not agree that Slocum is anything close to a "lame duck". A lame duck is someone that has not been re-elected ...not someone that has just be re-elected (ie: Slocum). He is your head-coach so everyone should learn to make you criticisms and suggestion that do not include the words fire Slocum. I wanted to lose coach W from the day he lost all of our defense ...basically the entire time he was here & I never once typed the words "fire Wofford".

Outside of this past season, I have liked the previous few years of MBB under Slocum. So now we know what Slocum is capable of doing and he now has to understand that we expect it. However, I will also add that we, as fans, need to show our support.

[ysufan0505]

Lol and there in lies the problem. Some fans and administration are OK with being a below average basketball program.... Joke.

[jbags]

I will argue that he is a lame duck..he's on a 1 year extension and that's it...won't be extended...He will have 6 new scholarship players that he will coach only 1 season. Hard to get 3 solid recruits with them knowing that he will be gone ..it's a bad situation

[ysuguins4]

Hey edpuskas,

Are there any higher-ups at the University that care about the state of this program?  I know Strollo won't let Jerry go because he hired him and his kid is on the team, but what about JT or any of the Trustees?  Surely someone with clout has to be upset with this fiasco.

[ysufan0505]

Nobody wants to come see this team play at Beeghly. Why would they come to Covelli?

[ysuguins4]

Jerry, please do the right thing and resign.

[chezmustache]

     A couple more telling facts. 

     Average home attendance decreased consistently during Slocum's tenure.  It reflects a clear consumer message the customer does not like the product and is not willing to pay for it.

     Slocum's record during February and March is 26 - 66.  This .282 winning percentage is even lower than his overall Division 1 winning percentage of .333.  February and March are the months during which the learning and experience of November, December and January should come together to yield a team playing at its highest level of the season.  Unfortunately, the record shows the competition is consistently doing a better job building and pointing their teams toward the conference tournament than the YSU coaches.   

     Lastly, there was discussion earlier in this thread about YSU administration commitment to men's basketball.  A poster called out to anyone in search for a path forward.  Could the template for success be the programs at Akron and Kent State?  They are in the same geographical area, have similar political/economic challenges, function within the same financial structure as other Ohio state universities, endure the same climate, etc.  They figured out men's basketball.  What do they know that we do not?  Or could it be "are they better at managing assets?"           

                  ave. home attendance         record on Feb/Mar
2014 - 2015             2,039                                   1 - 7
2013 - 2014             2,326                                   2 - 7
2012 - 2013             2,451                                   5 - 8
2011 - 2012             2,485                                   4 - 6
2010 - 2011             2,261                                   2 - 7
2009 - 2010             2,498                                   0 - 9
2008 - 2009             2,382                                   5 - 4
2007 - 2008             2,773                                   2 - 7
2006 - 2007             2,736                                   5 - 3
2005 - 2006             2,871                                   0 - 8
                                                                          26 - 66

     

[ysufan0505]

Wow some great facts right there!! The time has come for Slocum to go, I'm sorry.

[Penguin Nation]

     A couple more telling facts. 

     Average home attendance decreased consistently during Slocum's tenure.  It reflects a clear consumer message the customer does not like the product and is not willing to pay for it.

     Slocum's record during February and March is 26 - 66.  This .282 winning percentage is even lower than his overall Division 1 winning percentage of .333.  February and March are the months during which the learning and experience of November, December and January should come together to yield a team playing at its highest level of the season.  Unfortunately, the record shows the competition is consistently doing a better job building and pointing their teams toward the conference tournament than the YSU coaches.   

     Lastly, there was discussion earlier in this thread about YSU administration commitment to men's basketball.  A poster called out to anyone in search for a path forward.  Could the template for success be the programs at Akron and Kent State?  They are in the same geographical area, have similar political/economic challenges, function within the same financial structure as other Ohio state universities, endure the same climate, etc.  They figured out men's basketball.  What do they know that we do not?  Or could it be "are they better at managing assets?"           

                  ave. home attendance         record on Feb/Mar
2014 - 2015             2,039                                   1 - 7
2013 - 2014             2,326                                   2 - 7
2012 - 2013             2,451                                   5 - 8
2011 - 2012             2,485                                   4 - 6
2010 - 2011             2,261                                   2 - 7
2009 - 2010             2,498                                   0 - 9
2008 - 2009             2,382                                   5 - 4
2007 - 2008             2,773                                   2 - 7
2006 - 2007             2,736                                   5 - 3
2005 - 2006             2,871                                   0 - 8
                                                                          26 - 66

     

This information should be provided by the local media, rather than Scalzo writing, "Stop sending me emails asking for Strollo to be fired."  The local media has zero credibility, IMO, and because of their timid and gutless "reporting", this squandering of >$1.3M of tax payer money continues essentially unchecked.  They are enablers and not reporters.  I wonder if the YSU Athletic Department threatens reporters with limited access if they are critical of YSU? 

Strong work Chez. 

[IAA Fan]

Too much basketball and negativity. I merged the topics. They are covering the same items.

[IAA Fan]

I like the info Chez; but no, I do not believe AU and KSU cannot be our models for success. That is unless we are looking for a conference move & commitment change. Sure I would love to luck into someone that could give YSU what Dambrot has given Akron. However, the truth is, Dambrot's record at CMU was nothing, so it was a big risk for Akron to hire him ...and being a local hero was probably the only reason it happened. How much is he he being paid? half-mil or so, based on performance for a small portion of that? KSU plays big-time basketball and more than one of the assistants makes more than Slocum ...let alone their HC.

AU football has a big $$/name coach with an 11-25-0 record and their previous coach won 5 games in 4-years of football. Akron is pushing football more than ever before and it has yet to show results. We will have to wait and see. Yet they are pushing football ...as are we.

[popsicle]

One thing has always confused me when it comes to you, 1AA. You are more content to invest in "B" movies, better known as 1AA football, when you have the stage to produce "A" movies, known as the NCAA tournament. Guess it all goes back to confidence. You have no confidence YSU can compete in basketball...yet still believe they can be the big dogs in football. You are willing to take no chances otherwise........yet won't admit that what was....was special......and will probably never occur again.......! Move forward and quit trying to reproduce the past.  Sequels always fail.

[ysufan0505]

Problem is, a lot of these people are still living in the past. Still holding onto the I-AA titles in football some 20 years ago that no kid now a days was even born and remembers.

It is much, much easier to make the NCAA tournament now a days if you INVEST CORRECTLY in a basketball program. They have done that with the upgrades to Beeghly.

Strollo has invested all this money into the football program and has what to show for it? A win against Pitt 1st game of the season....

Trust me, I fully support the football program but we could have a solid basketball program here if the right leadership is in place (Not Slocum). Look at how far the women's program has come from the debacle of a WINLESS season just a couple years ago. Boldon and now Barnes. Young, up and coming coaches looking to prove something. Same can be done for the men's program. Time for a reality check for the AD and the whole athletic department.

[edpuskas]

Interesting to note: The last time the job came open, I thought YSU should have looked at Kevin Mackey. No less an authority than Larry Bird, who'd hired Mackey as a scout with the Indiana Pacers, gave me 20 minutes on the phone on a Saturday afternoon. Bird talked about what a great job Mackey was doing and how he'd paid his debt for the mistakes he made and deserved another chance as a college coach. I wrote as much in a column, but as far as I know, Mackey was never considered. The style of play Mackey employs would have put butts in the seats at Beeghly from the start and the name recognition in northeastern Ohio would also have helped the program. But hey, what do I know?

Also interesting to note: Disgraced former Baylor coach Dave Bliss is back in the game. But Kevin Mackey could never get another shot?

[gbs20]

Maybe the chances of that happening now are greater since YSU has become the University of Second Chances for Coaches. (USCC)