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| NC State, 16 Home Games Highlight the 2010-11 YSU Men’s Basketball Schedule |
| Wednesday, August 4 2010 |
| Courtesy of: YSU |
Youngstown, Ohio – Nine 20-win teams, six programs that made the 2010 postseason, a mid-December non-league game against Atlantic Coast Conference member North Carolina State, and 16 home games, including four doubleheaders, are on tap during the 2010-11 season for the Youngstown State men's basketball program, sixth-year Head Coach Jerry Slocum announced on Tuesday.
"Our staff has done an outstanding job putting together another exciting schedule for the men's basketball program," Slocum said. "This is a very challenging schedule but one that will prepare us for a very competitive Horizon League.
"Having a chance to play 16 home games in front of our great fans will be very beneficial for our players. Also being able to play a tradition-rich program like North Carolina State is great opportunity for our players and our entire program."
The 16 home contests are the most regular-season home games since the 1991-92 season when the Guins competed as an independent.
The Penguins open the campaign with four of their first five contests in the Beeghly Center beginning with a season-opening tilt against Samford on Friday, Nov. 12, followed by hosting Mid-American Conference member Buffalo, Tuesday, Nov. 16.
It marks the first time since 1979-80 that the Guins will play of their first five games at home.
After a quick trip up Interstate 76 to take visit Akron, who played in the College Basketball Invitational, on Saturday, Nov. 20, the Guins return home to entertain MAC foe Toledo, Wednesday, Nov. 24 and Saint Francis (Pa.), Saturday, Nov. 27. The final two contests in November will also be the first two doubleheaders with the YSU women's program.
For the second straight season, the Guins begin the month of December by opening Horizon League play on the road with a trek through Wisconsin. The Guins visit Milwaukee on Thursday, Dec. 2, and Green Bay, Saturday, Dec. 4.
A third straight away contest at NCAA Tournament participant Robert Morris on Saturday, Dec. 11 precedes a home contest against Division II member Malone on Monday, Dec. 13.
Then the Guins head to "Tobacco Road" for the match up against the Wolfpack of NC State on Thursday, Dec. 16, and return to the State of Ohio for a visit to nearby Kent State on Tuesday, Dec. 21.
After a nine-day break for the Christmas holiday, the Guins close out 2010 and open 2011 with a pair of Horizon League games at the Beeghly Center when they host UIC, Thursday, Dec. 30, and Loyola, Saturday, Jan. 1.
The Guins make their first road trip of 2011 when they visit Valparaiso, Thursday, Jan. 6, and national runner-up Butler, Saturday, Jan. 8.
A non-league match up against Wilberforce, Tuesday, Jan. 11 begins a four-game home stand which features league games against in-state rival Cleveland State, Saturday, Jan. 15, and versus 20-game winners Wright State, Thursday, Jan. 20, and Detroit, Saturday, Jan. 22.
In the second half of the league slate, the Guins return games at Loyola (Jan. 27) and UIC (Jan. 29), Wright State (Feb. 7), Cleveland State (Feb. 12) and Detroit (Feb. 16). YSU hosts Butler (Feb. 3), Valparaiso (Feb. 5), Green Bay (Feb. 24) and Milwaukee (Feb. 26).
The Penguins will also participate in the BracketBusters and will host an opponent to be determined at a later date on Feb. 19.
The Horizon League Men's Basketball Championship begins with first round games on Tuesday, March 1, and second round games on Friday, March 4. The semifinals will be held Saturday, March 5, while the championship game will be televised nationally on ESPN on Tuesday, March 8.
Game times and selected TV games will be announced in the near future. All games will be carried live on 570 WKBN AM.
Date Opponent Result Time/Status Links
Nov. 12 Samford 7:05 PM
Nov. 16 Buffalo 7:05 PM
Nov. 20 at Akron TBA
Nov. 24 Toledo 7:35 PM
Nov. 27 Saint Francis (Pa.) 7:05 PM
Dec. 2 at Milwaukee * TBA
Dec. 4 at Green Bay * TBA
Dec. 11 at Robert Morris TBA
Dec. 13 Malone 7:05 PM
Dec. 16 at North Carolina St. TBA
Dec. 21 at Kent State TBA
Dec. 30 UIC * 7:05 PM
Jan. 1 Loyola * 1:05 PM
Jan. 6 at Valparaiso * TBA
Jan. 8 at Butler * TBA
Jan. 11 Wilberforce 7:05 PM
Jan. 15 Cleveland State * 7:05 PM
Jan. 20 Wright State * 7:35 PM
Jan. 22 Detroit * 7:05 PM
Jan. 27 at Loyola * TBA
Jan. 29 at UIC * TBA
Feb. 3 Butler * 7:05 PM
Feb. 5 Valparaiso * 7:05 PM
Feb. 7 at Wright State * TBA
Feb. 12 at Cleveland State * TBA
Feb. 16 at Detroit * TBA
Feb. 19 ESPN Bracket Buster Game TBA
Feb. 24 Green Bay * 7:05 PM
Feb. 26 Milwaukee * 2:05 PM |
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| Former Hempfield star Perry commits to YSU |
| Wednesday, July 28 2010 |
| Courtesy of: Pittsburgh Tribune |
Former Hempfield standout Nate Perry finally knows where he will playing college basketball.
The 2010 Tribune-Review Boys Basketball Player of the Year plans to attend Youngstown State, which plays in the Horizon League.
Perry, who led Hempfield in scoring the past three seasons, will be a preferred walk-on. He will begin classes in late August.
"I'm excited that things have worked out for me," Perry said. "There is a great recruiting class coming in, and I'm going to get a chance to earn a spot."
Perry set the Hempfield scoring record with 1,662 points and averaged 23.1 points last season to help the Spartans advance to the Section 1-AAAA championship. He ranked third in the WPIAL in scoring (25.7 ppg.) as a junior.
Perry initially verbally committed to Coastal Carolina, but he backed out of that commitment in favor of playing at Appalachian State. But Appalachian State pulled its scholarship offer.
The 6-foot-3, 190-pound guard was recruited to both schools by Appalachian State assistant coach Jamie Kachmarik, who spent the past six seasons at Coastal Carolina.
Perry, a 6-foot-3, 190-pound guard, was recruited to both schools by Appalachian State assistant coach Jamie Kachmarik, who spent the past six seasons at Coastal Carolina.
He thought about attending Kiski School in Saltsburg but opted instead to go to Youngstown State.
"I'm happy for Nate as long as he's happy," Hempfield boys basketball coach Jim Nesser said. "Nate had a lot of Division II teams that wanted him. But his dream was to play Division I, and now, he's getting that opportunity."
Perry recently visited Youngstown State and liked the campus and the improvements made at the school.
Because Perry hasn't signed a letter of intent or a grant in aid, Youngstown State officials aren't allowed to comment on him until he officially enrolls.
"I can't wait to get started," Perry said. "Kiski School was an option, but I decided to go to college instead.
"They have a great coaching staff, and the schedule is going to be tough. I think we play North Carolina State in non-conference action, and we're in the same conference at Butler." |
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| Men’s Basketball Boasts Successful Youth Camps |
| Friday, July 2 2010 |
| Courtesy of: YSU |
Youngstown, Ohio – Youngstown State men's basketball concluded another successful summer camp season after hosting the annual Full-Court Camp on June 14-17 and the Half-Court Camp on June 21-24.
Head Coach Jerry Slocum said he always looks forward to having young kids coming on campus and helping them develop into better basketball players.
"Both camps were extremely well attended, and in fact, we had record numbers for our program this summer," Slocum said. "It is always a fun time to work with young kids and help develop their basketball skills.
"It's a great way for my staff and I to give back to the Youngstown area community and get to meet some great young people." |
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| Horizon help: Butler’s run aids Slocum with recruits |
| Thursday, June 3 2010 |
| Courtesy of: Joe Scalzo The Vindicator |
By Joe Scalzo
scalzo@vindy.com
west middlesex, pa.
Butler’s run to the NCAA men’s championship game this spring did more than uplift the image of Horizon League basketball.
It gave YSU a welcome recruiting boost, too.
Since losing five seniors to graduation and another four to transfer, Penguins coach Jerry Slocum has added four recruits during the late signing period and five overall.
“Anytime your program isn’t where you want it to be, change is a part of that,” said Slocum, who went 8-22 this winter. “We’re really happy with the kids we’ve brought in. We feel like we’ve really helped ourselves in the backcourt with the recruits that we have signed.
“With [Warren Harding High graduates] Damian Eargle and Sheldon Brogdon playing next year, we’ve very excited about the upcoming year.”
Eargle, a 6-foot-7 sophomore forward, sat out last season after transferring from Division I UNC-Greensboro.
Brogdon, a 6-0 guard, redshirted his freshman season while rehabbing from a torn ACL he suffered his senior year. Two weeks ago, doctors gave Brogdon full clearance to resume basketball activities, Slocum said.
“It’s a work in progress,” Slocum said of Brogdon’s recovery. “Our athletic training staff is working with him and we feel probably sometime in the first semester he’s going to be 100 percent.”
Brogdon and Eargle will join incoming recruits Devonte Maymon, DuShawn Brooks, Josh Chojnacki, Fred Ford and Kendrick Perry on what will be a very young and inexperienced Penguins squad next winter.
YSU’s schedule, which will be released in a few weeks, will feature road games against Akron, Kent State and North Carolina State.
Slocum said Butler’s success played a key role in recruiting.
“It’s something we all take pride in,” he said. “I think it’s awesome for our conference and believe me, when we were [talking to] Fred [Ford] and some of those guys from major junior colleges, Butler’s run was something we were always talking about.”
On the women’s side, new coach Bob Boldon recently completed his coaching staff and has turned his attention to recruiting for next season.
“We’re in the thick of it with a lot of other mid-major schools throughout the Midwest, Ohio and Western Pennsylvania,” said Boldon, who takes over a program that went 0-30 last winter. “We’ll see how it shakes out when it comes to sign, but we think we’re on some pretty good kids.”
Boldon’s program could get a boost soon when the school names a director for basketball operations. Longtime Canfield High boys coach John Cullen is reportedly close to accepting that job. |
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| Men’s Basketball Signs Devonte Maymon to Letter of Intent |
| Monday, May 10 2010 |
| Courtesy of: YSU |
Youngstown, Ohio – Youngstown State men’s basketball Head Coach Jerry Slocum announced today (May 10) that junior-college transfer Devonte Maymon became the fourth recruit to sign a National Letter of Intent during the late signing period to join the men's basketball program beginning in the 2010-11 season.
Maymon, a 6-foot-2 guard from Middleton, Wis., spent two seasons at John A. Logan College and scored 266 points and shot 46.6 percent from the floor. He is also the sixth player from Logan to sign a letter of intent at a Division I school. His former teammates are joining the likes of Arizona, UCLA, TCU, Evansville and Louisiana Tech.
"We are excited to have Devonte as a part of our basketball program," Slocum said. "He is a multi-talented two-guard with the full balance of what it takes to win at this level."
During his time at Logan, Maymon connected on 40 percent of his 3-point attempts and 70 percent of his free-throw attempts.
"Devonte shoots the ball well, is good off the dribble and has the ability to be one of the best defensive players in the Horizon League," Slocum said.
Maymon stated that he is excited about joining the YSU program and feels that his style of play fits in well.
"I liked everything about Youngstown State," Maymon said. "The coaches were open and honest and they play in a great facility.
"I think I bring a toughness to the game," he added. "I'm a defensive-oriented player and I believe defense generates offense."
Maymon was also impressed with YSU's level of competition.
"I know the Horizon League is a very competitive league and that really attracted me to Youngstown State as well."
Maymon played his prep ball at James Madison Memorial High School and helped the Spartans to a runner-up finish his senior season in 2007-08. That year, Maymon was named second-team all-Big Eight Conference while averaging 11.8 points and 3.2 rebounds per game.
"Devonte is clearly the type of player that every successful program needs because of his unselfishness and winning attitude," Slocum said.
Maymon joins forward DuShawn Brooks from Chicago, Ill., Josh Chojnacki, a post from Erie, Pa., guard Fred Ford from Fort Wayne, Ind., and Kendrick Perry, a guard from Orlando, Fla., in the 2010-11 recruiting class. |
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| Devonte Maymon to Play at Youngstown State |
| Friday, May 7 2010 |
| Courtesy of: Mark Miller - WisSports.net Editor |
Devonte Maymon, a 6-2 wing guard who played the past two seasons at John A. Logan College, signed a letter of intent today to play at Youngstown State, a member of the Horizon League that also includes national runner-up Butler, Green Bay and Milwaukee, among others.
Maymon averaged 6.0 points per game as a sophomore in 2009-10 and will compete for playing time at the wing guard position at Youngstown State, which went 2-16 in the Horizon League and 8-22 overall last season.
Maymon's younger brother, Jeronne, is a member of the men's basketball program at Tennessee. |
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| Chojnacki picks Youngstown State |
| Thursday, April 15 2010 |
| Courtesy of: TOM REISENWEBER of goerie.com |
Josh Chojnacki's basketball recruiting process started with Youngstown State University.It ended with the Penguins, too.
YSU was the first school to call the Mercyhurst Prep senior during the recruiting period, and Wednesday the 6-foot 9-inch senior forward signed a letter of intent to play for former Gannon coach Jerry Slocum.
Youngstown State, an NCAA Division I program, competes in the Horizon League, a conference that boasts national runner-up Butler as a member. The Penguins finished 8-22 this past season.
"I love the conference Youngstown State plays in. Playing a national title contender every year is going to be great and I'm looking forward to the competition," Chojnacki said.
"Some schools were hard to turn down, but I'm happy with my decision," Chojnacki said. "My family can come down and watch every game and I'm looking forward to it."
A long list of schools interested in Chojnacki included Princeton, Cornell, Lafayette, Quinnipiac, New Hampshire and most of the local PSAC programs. He narrowed his list to Youngstown State, Edinboro and Army, but in the end Chojnacki decided to play for Slocum.
Chojnacki has had an accolade-filled career at Mercyhurst Prep. He was a two-time Region 4 player of the year, and also was named to the all-district team twice as well as being a two-time first-team all-region selection.
This past winter, Chojnacki grabbed 342 rebounds -- a school record -- and scored 627 points, which was one point short of the school record set by Khyl Horton.
Chojnacki finished with 775 rebounds to become the all-time leading rebounder in Laker history and was second all-time in scoring with 1,321 points.
The highest accolades came in recent weeks when Chojnacki was named to the all-state first team and was picked as the Erie Times-News District 10 Player of the Year.
"It feels great to make a decision. This was a long process ever since last year," Chojnacki said. "I did like the recruiting process. Those first couple of calls came and I started bragging to my friends about it. It was a really cool time, but at the end it became repetitive and to wrap it up feels good."
It's hard not to notice Chojnacki on the court with his 6-foot 9-inch frame, but he started getting interest after several impressive AAU seasons. Chojnacki spent the past two summers playing for a team coached by former Cleveland Cavaliers forward Donyell Marshall.
The team traveled to Las Vegas and Virginia for national tournaments where Chojnacki not only received attention from colleges, he learned about the recruiting process and what he needed to work on to improve his game.
"Those national tournaments really helped me. There are some big-time players there and some players you don't see around here. I mean I was going up against 6-9 and 6-10 kids every day, which really helped me," Chojnacki said. "Coach Marshall was a lot of fun to play for. I got to stay at his house a few times and he is a very nice guy."
As for recruiting, Marshall's advice to Chojnacki was short and simple.
"He just said 'Keep your head and stay calm. Everything will work out,' and it did," Chojnacki said. "I'm really looking forward to playing next year."
TOM REISENWEBER can be reached at 870-1707 or by e-mail. Check out the Varsity blog at GoErie.com/blogs/Varsity. |
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| Four players to leave team |
| Saturday, April 3 2010 |
| Courtesy of: JOE SCALZO Vindicator sports staff |
YOUNGSTOWN
Graduation isn’t the only thing taking a toll on the YSU men’s basketball roster.
Juniors Vance Cooksey and Tom Parks and freshmen Eddie D’Haiti and Lamar McKnight told the Penguins’ coaches this week that they plan to leave the program, further weakening a roster that will already lose five seniors.
Penguins coach Jerry Slocum is in Indianapolis this week for the Final Four and did not respond to an interview request.
Of the four, Cooksey and D’Haiti are the biggest losses.
Cooksey, a Chicago native, appeared in all 30 games at point guard, starting 10, and averaged five points and two rebounds in 19 minutes per game.
D’Haiti, an Orlando native, appeared in 28 games, starting five, and averaged 2.5 points and 2.9 rebounds per game.
Parks, who hails from Cheyenne, Wyo., played in just 11 games before breaking his foot in December.
McKnight, a Bedford Chanel High graduate, redshirted this past season.
The departures leave just six players on the roster from a team that went 8-22 this winter, including 2-16 in the Horizon League.
Two of those players, forward Damian Eargle and point guard Sheldon Brogdon, both of Warren Harding, didn’t see any action.
Brogdon was redshirted as he rehabbed from an ACL tear his senior year of high school and Eargle sat out the season after transferring after one season from UNC-Greensboro.
Another of the six, McDonald High graduate Andy Timko, is a walk-on who appeared in three games this winter.
That leaves seniors-to-be Vytas Sulskis and Dan Boudler and junior-to-be Ashen Ward as the Penguins’ only returning players with experience.
The Penguins have already signed two incoming recruits — forward Fletcher Larson of Jamestown, N.Y., and point guard Kendrick Perry of Edgewater, Fla. |
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| Dallas Blocker Named Recipient of V Foundation Comeback Award |
| Wednesday, March 31 2010 |
| Courtesy of: YSU |
Cary, N.C. – Youngstown State University basketball senior forward Dallas Blocker has been named the recipient of the tenth annual V Foundation Comeback Award, given annually by The V Foundation for Cancer Research in collaboration with ESPN. The award will be announced tonight during ESPN’s basketball coverage, and presented to Blocker at Youngstown State’s Scholar-Athlete Banquet on Tuesday, April 27.
Dallas’ journey began in February, 2009 when, on a road trip, he felt discomfort in his abdomen and soon after was diagnosed with testicular cancer. He returned to his hometown, Topeka, Kansas, and missed the final seven games of the 2008-09 season. Following two surgeries to remove both testicles, he endured four rounds of intense chemotherapy – six hours a day, five days a week. This time tested his perseverance the most. As Dallas lost his hair and grew weak, he started to lose his motivation. His determination and inner strength prevented him from giving up. He continued his workout regime during chemotherapy, first walking, and then shooting baskets and light weight training.
On September 11, 2009, only seven months after his original diagnosis, he was given a clean bill of health. Youngstown State opened the season at Xavier, November 13, 2009 and Dallas was in the starting lineup for the first time in his career, an emotional return to the court, reflecting on what he had been through to reach this moment. He played in of 25 (of 30) games this season, starting 23, and set career single-game highs in rebounding (11), assists (7), steals (5) and blocks (4). Following graduation, he would like to become a teacher and coach, to share his story with young people who have also been diagnosed with cancer.
“It is a great honor to be named the recipient of the 10th Annual V Foundation Comeback Award,” said Blocker. “There are no winners or losers in this. All of the finalists overcame a great deal of adversity and are deserving of this recognition as well. I’m fortunate to have had a tremendous amount of support over the past year. I need to thank my family, Coach (Jerry) Slocum and the entire Youngstown State coaching staff, and our athletic trainer Todd Burkey, who was with me every day during my chemotherapy treatments. I also want to thank The V Foundation, not only for this award, but for all of the work it does for cancer research and saving so many lives of those affected by cancer,” he concluded.
The V Foundation Comeback Award is open to men and women collegiate basketball student-athletes in all NCAA divisions. It is awarded to an individual or a team who has accomplished a personal triumph in the face of true adversity, be it in health, life or moral dilemma. The award is presented in memory of Jim Valvano, the late basketball coach and ESPN commentator, whose personal battle with cancer inspired the creation of The V Foundation. In his memorable speech at ESPN’s inaugural ESPY Awards announcing the creation of The V Foundation, Valvano’s “Don’t Give Up… Don’t Ever Give Up!”® motto created a legacy from which the Comeback Award has been created.
“It is with great pleasure that we honor Dallas Blocker with the 2010 V Foundation Comeback Award, “ said V Foundation CEO Nick Valvano. “Dallas’ comeback from cancer is a display of courage and determination. He embodies the never give up spirit of The V Foundation, we’re honored to have my brother’s name remembered with Dallas, and we welcome him to the list of incredible young men and women who have received this award before him.”
“Cancer is a disease that has affected all of our lives,” said Youngstown State Head Coach Jerry Slocum. “The V Foundation is an organization that wages the battle to fight this disease. The recognition that The Foundation has shown Dallas is one that reflects his strength and desire to beat cancer. This award is received hand-in-hand with the many that are fighting and beating cancer. We are proud of Dallas and the great perseverance he has shown this past year. He is an inspiration to all of us,” Slocum added.
Past recipients of the award are Purdue’s Katie Douglas (2001), Western Michigan’s Kristin Koetsier (2002), Arizona State’s Justin Allen (2003), Texas’ Jamie Carey (2004), Washington’s Kayla Burt (2005); Western Washington’s Grant Dykstra (2006), the United States Military Academy Women’s Basketball Team (2007), Drexel’s Nicole Hester (2008) and Farmingdale State’s Tiffara Steward (2009).
Blocker was selected from a group of 11 finalists who were nominated by their athletic departments. The recipient was chosen by a committee of members of The V Foundation Board of Directors. The other 2010 finalists were: Thomas Kleinschnitz, Franciscan University of Steubenville; Kelsey Griffin, University of Nebraska; Kelvin Davis, San Diego State University; Brianna Culberson, University of Denver; Tahnee Robinson, University of Nevada; Sanchez Hughley, Florida Atlantic University; D’Andre Bell, Georgia Tech University; Kristen Lucci, Waynesburg University; Devon Davis, California State University San Bernardino; Dana Pernell Smith II, Longwood University.
-v-
Contacts:
The V Foundation for Cancer Research: Sherrie Mazur (smazur@jimmyv.org) 919-380-9505
Youngstown State Athletics: Jamie Hall (jehall@ysu.edu) 330-941-1581
ESPN: Michael Humes (Michael.C.Humes@espn.com) 860-766-2233
The V Foundation for Cancer Research
The V Foundation for Cancer Research was founded in 1993 by ESPN and the late Jim Valvano, legendary North Carolina State basketball coach and ESPN commentator. Since 1993, The Foundation has raised more than $90 million to fund cancer research grants nationwide. The Foundation awards 100 percent of all new direct cash donations and net proceeds of events directly to cancer research and related programs and has received seven consecutive top 4-star ratings from Charity Navigator. For more information on The V Foundation or to make a donation, please visit www.jimmyv.org.
ESPN, Inc.
ESPN, Inc. is the world’s leading multinational, multimedia sports entertainment company featuring a portfolio of over 50 multimedia sports assets. The company is comprised of six domestic television networks (ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNEWS, ESPNU, ESPN Classic & ESPN Deportes), ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU & ESPNEWS HD simulcast services, ESPN Regional Television, ESPN International (46 networks, syndication, radio, web sites), ESPN Radio, ESPN.com, ESPN The Magazine, ESPN Enterprises, ESPN PPV, ESPN Zones (sports-themed restaurants), and other growing new businesses including ESPN360.com (Broadband, to be re-named ESPN3.com April 4), ESPN Mobile Properties, ESPN on Demand and ESPN Interactive. Based in Bristol, Conn., ESPN is 80 percent owned by ABC, Inc., which is an indirect subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. The Hearst Corporation holds a 20 percent interest in ESPN. |
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| Dallas Blocker Named Finalist For Jimmy V Comeback Award |
| Thursday, March 11 2010 |
| Courtesy of: YSU |
Cary, N.C. -- Youngstown State senior Dallas Blocker was named one of 10 finalists for the tenth annual V Foundation Comeback Award. The award is presented in conjunction with ESPN and the recipient will be announced March 30 during ESPN’s basketball coverage, The V Foundation for Cancer Research has announced on Thursday.
Besides Blocker, the other finalists include: D’Andre Bell, Georgia Tech; Dallas Blocker, Youngstown State; Brianna Culberson, Denver; Kelvin Davis, San Diego State; Kelsey Griffin, Nebraska; Sanchez Hughley, Florida Atlantic; Thomas Kleinschnitz, Franciscan University of Steubenville; Kristen Lucci, Waynesburg; and Dana Pernell Smith II, Longwood.
Blocker was diagnosed with testicular cancer in February of 2009 and missed the final seven games of the 2008-09 season. He returned to the court in 2009-10 and played in 25 games with 23 starts while averaging 3.9 points and 3.4 rebounds per game.
"To be named a finalist for the V Foundation Comeback Award is very humbling," said Blocker. "The V Foundation for Cancer Research has saved so many lives and I feel fortunate to have been able to beat cancer and finish my college basketball career."
"Dallas worked very hard to get back on the basketball court during and after his fight against cancer last year," YSU Head Coach Jerry Slocum. "We are proud of how he handled himself through that adversity and, more importantly, happy that he overcame this disease."
The annual award is open to men and women collegiate basketball student-athletes in all divisions. It is awarded to an individual or a team who has accomplished a personal triumph in the face of true adversity, be it in health, life or moral dilemma. Student-athletes are nominated by their athletics department representative. With a great show of respect, San Diego State’s Kelvin Davis was nominated by BYU Head Coach Dave Rose, marking the first time a student-athlete was nominated by the coach of an opposing team. Both Davis and Rose are cancer survivors.
The award is presented in memory of Jim Valvano, the late basketball coach and ESPN commentator, whose personal battle with cancer inspired the creation of The V Foundation. In his memorable speech at ESPN’s inaugural ESPY Awards announcing the creation of The V Foundation, Valvano’s “Don’t Give Up. . .Don’t Ever Give Up!”® motto created a legacy from which the Comeback Award was created.
“We continue to be amazed at the strength and resilience of the student-athletes who are nominated for The V Foundation Comeback Award,” said V Foundation CEO Nick Valvano. “These young people are outstanding student-athletes who have faced adversity and challenges with determination and strength.”
“This is the tenth anniversary of the award, and, once again, the nominees capture the ‘Never Give Up’ spirit of The V Foundation,” Valvano continued. “I would be honored to have my brother’s name remembered with each and every one of them.”
The 2010 recipient will be selected by a six-member sub-committee of The V Foundation Board of Directors. Past recipients of the award are: Katie Douglas, Purdue (2001); Kristin Koetsier, Western Michigan (2002); Justin Allen, Arizona State (2003); Jamie Carey, Texas (2004); Kayla Burt, Washington (2005); Grant Dykstra, Western Washington (2006); the United States Military Academy Women’s Basketball Team (2007); Nicole Hester, Drexel (2008); Tiffara Steward, Farmingdale State (2009). |
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