The Town Crier

[PointGuard 70]

Youngstown State Ends League Play on High Note
By Steve Porter

The Youngstown State Penguins hosted the Detroit Titans for their final game of the regular season. The Penguins jumped out to a 13 point lead in the first 6-1/2 minutes of play. YSU continued to dominate the Titans and finished the half ahead by a score of 48-32. SG Josh Jones, PF Aaron Tice, and PF Rich Braswell each scored 10 points for the Penguins.

Midway through the 2nd half, the Titans cut the lead to 9 points, but YSU immediately reasserted themselves and finished with a 96-77 thrashing of Detroit. The win edged the Penguins up to a 7th place tie in the Horizon League.

Reserve C Kent Jones hit 8 of 10 shots and scored 19 points. SG Josh Jones hit for 14 and PF’s Aaron Tice and Rich Braswell both scored 12.

PG Tim Lostetter broke his left wrist in the 2nd half and will be unavailable for any tournament games for the Penguins. Coach KD Hurst said, “Losing Tim is tough. Tim’s played tough all year for us. I know he’s disappointed to not be able to contribute as we enter Horizon League tourney play. But we’ll adjust our lineup and do the best we can.”

Final Horizon League Standings 2017-2018 Season:

[PointGuard 70]

Horizon League Tournament Opens
By Steve Porter

Six teams (#1 UIC, #2 Wisconsin-Green Bay, #3 Milwaukee, #4 Valparaiso, #5 Detroit, and #6 Northern Kentucky) had byes for round one of the Horizon League Tournament. That left it up to the bottom four teams in the league standings to battle to play the top-standing teams.

Before games began, I was able to interview Coach KD Durst.

SP: Coach, with your starting point guard, Tim Lostetter, out with a broken wrist, how have you altered your starting lineup?
KD: Having Timmy out will be a real challenge for us. Not only has he been our primary playmaker but losing his 25 minutes of floor time means our remaining guards are likely to be dog-tired by the end of the game. To help with this I’m moving Josh Jones from the 2 to the 1 to begin the game and starting Rick Martin at SG. Rick has primarily played SF, but he’s been one of our best outside shooters all season.
SP: You split your games against Oakland this year, losing by 13 on their court and winning by 18 at home. Do you have any cards up your sleeve that will give you an advantage on a neutral court?
KD: I wish I did, but the entire teams know they just have to go out and put it all out on the floor against the Grizzlies. Oakland’s lineup is like ours in that there is no one stand-out guy. So we can’t focus our efforts on a single player. I’m hoping our interior game comes alive. If it does I think we have a good chance.
SP: The winner of your game has to play 1st place UIC. Are you up to that challenge?
KD: I’m not going to get ahead of what’s important right now and that’s beating Oakland. 

In the first game last night #7 Wright State took on #10 Cleveland State. Cleveland State came out on fire and opened a commanding 26 point lead in the first half. The Raiders reeled the Vikings back in late in the half but still trailed 50-33 at the end of the half. Wright State continued to chip away at the lead in the 2nd half and took a 73-72 lead with 4 minutes to play. The Vikings came back though and scored a minor upset by the score of 82-77. SG Lloyd Sanders pumped in 27 points to lead Cleveland State’s winning effort.

The nightcap pitted #8 Youngstown State against #9 Oakland. With a stellar defense, the Penguins took a 24-5 lead after 10 minutes of play. Their lead ballooned to 36-8 with 4 minutes left in the first half. The half ended with the Penguins on top 40-13. The Grizzlies hit just 13% of their first half shots. SF Chad Delzell led YSU’s offense with 13 points.

The Penguins started slowly in the 2nd half, but then re-established their supremacy as Coach Durst shuttle players on and off the court. Even though Oakland shot better in the 2nd half, they still were held to just 26% shooting for the entire game compared to the Penguins 46% shooting. Youngstown State was also +10 in rebounds and +6 in turnovers. When the buzzer sounded, the Penguins walked off court after smashing Oakland 78-43.

C Jamal Grady scored 18, PF Aaron Tice and SF Chad Delzell both knocked down 16 points, and SG Josh Jones added 10.

Coach Durst said, “Our guys came to play tonight. While our offense clicked and we got good positioning on the boards, our defense was awesome throughout the entire game. Our guys didn’t give up any easy shots and made the Grizzlies work hard for every basket they made.

[PointGuard 70]

Horizon League Tourney Continues
By Steve Porter

The quarter-finals in the Horizon League Tournament were played yesterday afternoon and evening. The results of the four games were as follows:

#5 Detroit vs # 4 Valparaiso: With the games being played this year in Detroit, the Titans took advantage of being home. Trailing by 11 after 12 minutes of play, Detroit stealthily fought their way back into the game with ample support from a large fan base. By the end of the half the Titans led 37-31. The game remained close in the early stages of the 2nd half but Detroit went on 13-2 run midway through the half to open their largest lead of the game at 83-66. They then slowed the tempo to keep the Crusaders from being able to make a serious challenge. The final score was 92-77 in favor of Detroit. SF Garvin Moore popped in 19 points to lead the Titan attack.

#6 Northern Kentucky vs #3 Milwaukee: The first half was close with 6 lead changes and 2 ties, but Northern Kentucky pulled away in the final minutes to take a 40-33 halftime advantage. The Norse came out in the 2nd half with a tenacious defense that allowed them to eventually forge a 21 point lead. From there Northern Kentucky coasted to a decisive 76-60 victory over the favored Panthers. The Norse had 4 players score in double figures (SG Jerry Alexaner-18, C Troy Fingelton-17, PG Jon Robinson-16, and SF Anthony Green-14). Milwaukee was paced by C Jon Finger’s double-double (12 points and 13 boards).

#10 Cleveland State vs #2 Wisconsin-Green Bay: The Phoenix and Vikings played evenly throughout the first half with Cleveland State coming out ahead 36-33. Cleveland State scored the first 7 points of the 2nd half to open a 10 point lead, but Wisconsin-Green Bay roared back and the two teams fought furiously until the very end. With the game tied with 14 seconds remaining, the Phoenix turned the ball over. Following a time out, the Vikings worked the clock down to 2 seconds when PG Josh Griffin hit a jumper behind a double screen to give lowly Cleveland State a surprise 77-75 upset win over the Phoenix. SF Robbie Daniels topped the Vikings’ scoring with 16 points, but SG Lloyd Sanders scored a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds while also getting 5 steals and 3 blocks for Wisconsin-Green Bay.

#7 Youngstown State vs #1 UIC: Hoping to emulate Cleveland State’s upset win, the Penguins came out with Levall Hart starting at PG (in place of the injured Tim Lostettera) and tasked with stopping UIC’s high-scoring Dan Rucker) and Josh Jones back at his regular SG position. Trying to neutralize the Flames other prolific scorer, center Dan Davis, the Penguins continually worked the ball inside to Jamal Grady. Grady successfully got Davis to make two quick fouls sending him to the bench. Grady scored YSU’s first 7 points but they still trailed 19-7, primarily due to Dan Rucker notching 8 quick points for UIC. Unable to stop the formidable offense of UIC, the Penguins fell behind by 17 before rallying late to close the half trailing by a score of 48-40. The Flames hit 63% of their shots in the half with PG Dan Rucker accounting for 18 of their points. C Jamal Grady scored 15 for Youngstown State.

A flurry of early 2nd half fouls sidelined 3 YSU starters (Tice, Jones, and Delzell) with 3 fouls apiece. The Penguins closed the gap to 5 points, but then UIC’s quickness took control as they turned steals into driving layups. The Flames slick offense continued to hammer away as they finished the game by hitting 58% of their shots and finished the Penguins’ season by inflicting an 89-73 thumping on YSU.

C Jamal Grady led Youngstown State with 23 points followed by SG Josh Jones’ 14 and PF Aaron Tice’s 11. PG Dan Rucker tossed in 26 points for UIC.

Coach KD Durst said after the game, “UIC is a strong team and has been the team to beat all season in this league. They have a lot of quickness and that caused our guys to get in foul trouble. The Flames played well tonight and basically just gave us a whipping. Josh Jones played a good game for us in his last game as a Penguin. He’s been a key player for us in both of my seasons as head coach here. I’m sorry to see him leave, but know he’ll be successful in whatever he does in the future.”

[PointGuard 70]

Horizon League Semi-Finals
By Steve Porter

In a battle of two underdogs, #6 seed Northern Kentucky took on #10 seed Cleveland State in last night’s opening game. Cleveland State jumped out on top and never gave up the lead. At the half they led 31-24 and the Vikings opened an 18 point lead in the 2nd half. The Norse made a big run late in the 2nd half to make it close. But Cleveland State was not to be denied and they eked out a 73-69 win to send them to tomorrow night’s championship game. PG Josh Griffin and reserve SG O.J. White both scored 15 for the Vikings. SG Jerry Alexander led the Norse with 20 points.

In the nightcap, #5 seed Detroit went up against #1 seed UIC. UIC dominated in the first half enroute to a 44-34 halftime lead. But the many fans who filled the gym in Detroit to cheer on the Titans, helped Detroit to scrappily fight its way back into the game in the 2nd half. Detroit took a lead with 6:52 to go. The game see-sawed back and forth for the next 3 minutes, but then the Titans, buoyed by their fans, put a hurting on favored UIC to win 80-74. SG Rufus Benton scored 10 of his game-high 19 points in the final 5 minutes of play for Detroit.

[PointGuard 70]

Horizon League Championship
By Steve Porter

They say life is unpredictable. And they’re right! In a game that no one could have predicted, #10 seed Cleveland State (10-20) met #5 seed Detroit (12-17) for the Horizon League championship and a trip to the NCAA Tournament.

Detroit used the enthusiasm of their many local fans to cruise to a 39-23 halftime advantage. They returned to the court with a win seeming to be a foregone conclusion. But Cleveland State hadn’t read the script. Led by the shooting of SG Lloyd Sanders and the rebounding of C Jeremy Hackett, the Vikings began chipping away at the Titans lead. With Detroit unable to stop the barrage of points being scored by Cleveland State, the Titans’ fans grew quiet. With 4:12 to go, Cleveland State’s Robbie Daniels sank a 3 from the corner to put the Vikings on top for the first time in the game at 68-67. Two minutes later Cleveland State led by 5. But the momentum swung yet again. Detroit knocked down two successive 3’s to regain the lead by a single point. The final minute saw 4 lead changes with Detroit’s Brian Bryant tipping in a rebound with 4 seconds to go that gave Detroit a thrilling 80-79 win and the championship. Detroit fans streamed onto the floor following their team's win. C William Rogers scored 23 and yanked down 15 rebounds for Detroit while his teammate, Brian Bryant also recorded a double-double with 15 points and 10 boards. Cleveland State’s SG Lloyd Sanders led all scorers with 30 points.

[PointGuard 70]

Youngstown State Penguins Player Stats for the 2017-2018 Season:

 

[PointGuard 70]

A Burst From Durst
By Steve Porter

I was able to interview Coach Kendrick “KD” Durst in his office while we were watching some NCAA Tournament games. 

SP: Your second season was a little tough, what do you think went right and what went wrong?

KD: It was a disappointing season. After going 6-3 in pre-conference games and having a 6 game win streak that included our first game in league play, it seemed like we were on our way to a solid season. But then we went into a 3 game tailspin that sort of foretold how we would play in league play. And our 7-11 league record that placed us near the bottom of the Horizon League standings was a big letdown for the team, coaches, and our fans. 

I think our biggest problem was that we failed defensively in so many games. We’d have the occasional great game defensively but weren’t able to do that consistently. Offensively our 3-point shooting sucked early in the year. It never got as good as needed, but did improve as the season went along. 

But I was pleased with how our players matured and developed as the season progressed. Jamal Grady made his presence known as a freshman last season, but he was much improved this year and became a leader on the team. And our two freshmen, Aaron Tice and Kent Jones made huge advances during the last half of this season. Those 3 players should be the core of a very strong interior next season for us. 

SP: Were you concerned about the fan complaints and unrest that occurred during the latter half of this season?

KD: Not at all. They had every right to do that. I’m glad they want us to be a lot better. Those kind of expectations not only make me strive to do better, but also do the same for my assistant coaches, and our players.

SP: So what do you see for next season, Coach?

KD: We were a very young team this season. We’re only losing one player to graduation so we should be stronger next year. I think we’re a ways from being contenders in the Horizon League but we’ll move up in the standings next season. 

SP: What’s your assessment of next year’s team at each position?

KD: I think our play at PG will be a lot better. We have both Tim Lostetter and Levall Hart coming back plus transfer Linehan Murphy will be able to play next season. Both Tim and Levall got some good experience this season and Linehan got a lot of experience as a freshman at Boston University before coming to us. I think all 3 of them will be fighting to be the starter. We’ll just have to see how that works out, but all 3 of them will contribute. 

At SG, it is tough to be losing Josh Jones. But Lonnie Holt showed flashes of excellence. B.J. Dennis, who was a redshirt freshman this season, will be contending. And then we have recruited William Swan. So again, at this point I have no idea which of those 3 will step up to take the lead. I’m hoping to get a little more production at SG though.

With Chad Delzell, Rick Martin, and William Worley all returning at SF, that should make that one of our strong positions next season. Chad is a great rebounder and likely will contribute more offensively, and Rick had some games where he showed great offensive skills. William got more play time near the end of this season and that should help him fit nicely into next season’s picture for us.

As I was mentioning earlier, I think we will be strong inside next year.

At PF we have both Aaron Tice and Rich Bramwell returning. Both of those players put some good numbers on the board this season and with the added experience and maturity, they’ll be a dynamic duo for us next season.

Jamal Grady is our most talented player. With him at C we are solid. But then Kent Jones just came on so strongly during the late stages of this season. So that added depth makes the C position a real strength for us this coming season.

We also have two walk-on players who will be juniors next season. Charlie Paben didn’t get too much time on the court for us at PF this season, but he definitely has some abilities that make him a good fill in at that position. Kevin Anderson played a little more than Charlie this season and did well for us in the limited spots he was in games. So he gives us even greater depth at C.

SP: Next year you’ll have 4 seniors so you’ll have a lot of scholarships to fill. Do you see that as an opportunity or a challenge?

KD: Its both of course, but more opportunity than challenge. I’m hoping we can pull in some very good new guys next year who will be ready to step in and give us a boost a year-and-a-half from now.

SP: Steve Simmons, your 1st assistant coach, has been handling the recruiting duties for you. Do you see that continuing?

KD: Yes, Steve has a few more years on his contract. I’m happy with his efforts and his knowledge and skills in recruiting. He’s finally going to have a chance to get out there and find us a GROUP of future players. Steve, along with A.D. Strong who’s handled our player development and been our primary bench assistant, and Kirk Smith, who does our scouting, will all be back. That continuity is important to me. 

SP: Who do you think will be NCAA Champ this year?

KD: All I know is that it won’t be us. Dammit!

[PointGuard 70]

Horizon League Teams’ Post-Season Tourney Results:

CIT Tournament:

Wisconsin-Green Bay, #3 seed in the South Region
Milwaukee, #5 seed in the West Region

Round 1: 
Wisconsin-Green Bay-76, Nevada-68
Milwaukee-63, South-Alabama-49

Round 2:
Western Kentucky-81, Wisconsin-Green Bay-56
Milwaukee-75, St. Joseph’s-63

Round 3:
Milwaukee-86, Holy Cross-68

Round 4 (Semi-Finals):
Milwaukee-69, NC-Wilmington-58

Round 5 (Championship):
Louisville-80, Milwaukee-53

NIT Tournament:

UIC, #7 seed in Midwest Region

Round 1: Miami (OH)-77, UIC-59

NCAA Tournament:

Detroit, play-in game for #16 in the West
Detroit-73, Campbell-71

Round 1:
Oregon-85, Detroit-73

[PointGuard 70]

Horizon League Awards Announced
By Steve Porter

The Horizon League announced their annual awards. Youngstown State’s Jamal Grady was named to the Horizon League 2nd Team All-Conference Team. Grady, the Penguin’s 6-11 center from Pomeroy, Ohio, averaged 13.9 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 2.0 apg, 2.0 spg, and 0.9 bpg during his sophomore season. Coach KD Durst said, “Jamal is very deserving of this honor. He has been a key player on our team during both of his seasons here. Not only is he an excellent player who buoys our team, but he also is a good student-athlete who possesses a 3.4 GPA majoring in Finance. He also worked hard to help develop Kent Jones, the freshman who backs him up, thus improving our depth.”

[PointGuard 70]

Posted by Wayne23 in the Wolverine Studios forums:

 

The Conference spokesman, Lefty Wright, announced at the press conference, "KD Durst is most emphatically NOT Coach of the Year!"

[PointGuard 70]

Wayne23 wrote:The Conference spokesman, Lefty Wright, announced at the press conference, "KD Durst is most emphatically NOT Coach of the Year!"

 

Following the end of the season, at a big surprise birthday party arranged for Coach Kendrick "KD" Durst, the beautiful and sexy starlet Ryte Rong in a dress with so much cleavage that it probably should be illegal is brought up to the dais and says, "I don't really know what that Looney Wright was talking about. Coach Durst is so ruggedly handsome that I'd like him to by MY Coach of the Year."

 

Then while looking longingly at Coach Durst, Ryte breathlessly and slowly sings: "Happy birthday to yooouuu, happy birthday to yooouuuu, happy birthday Coach Kennnndriccckkkk, happy birthday to yoouuuuuuuu". She finishes by directly looking at Coach Durst with a long and smoldering smile, a slow batting of her lashes, and an almost imperceptible tracing by the tip of her tongue around her luscious red lips.

[PointGuard 70]

May 2018 Note

Rumor has it that B.J. Dennis, a talented player recruited from Pickerington, Ohio but who was redshirted as a freshman last season, intended to transfer. Apparently Dennis feuded frequently with teammate Rich Braswell last season. So much so that he poisoned his relationship with not only Braswell but the rest of the team. This caused him to seriously consider transferring. But Coach KD Durst, who is reported to have maintained a solid relationship with Dennis, convinced him that he was needed by the Penguins and has a good chance of being the team’s starting SG this season and talked him out of transferring. –Steve Porter

[PointGuard 70]

Penguins Ready to Recruit
By Steve Porter

As the 2018-2019 recruiting season gets underway Steve Simmons, YSU’s 1st Assistant Coach, said they need to fill four scholarships. According to Simmons their goal is to pick up two strong perimeter players who preferably have some height and a big man to provide depth at PF and C. For the 4th scholarship they hope to land the best player available regardless of position. Simmons said, “We’d like to get a couple good outside shooters but also need to focus on finding players who can play some solid defense. We simply didn’t get the job done defensively last season, and Coach Durst is adamant that he wants to change that in the upcoming season.” 

Simmons indicated the team already has identified some recruits who have interest in the Penguins’ program. “We’ll be following up with them and doing further evaluation as we expand our search to a much wider group of recruits, putting many on our watch list and then narrowing our focus as we assess their talent level and interest. This year we’ll continue to focus on the state of Ohio and the Midwest region. We don’t yet have the name or budget to effectively recruit nationwide,” explained Simmons.

[PointGuard 70]

Penguins Volunteer Post-Storm
By Steve Porter

Following the devastating tornado that wreaked havoc throughout the city of Pentoria, Ohio in late July, the member of the Youngstown Penguin basketball team banded together to lend their support. The team, along with its coaches, arrived to initially hand out relief supplies, then pitched in to help with damage cleanup. 

Chad Delzell, who was the Penguins starting SF the past two seasons, helped organize his team’s efforts. Said Delzell, “We all felt terrible about how the community had been destroyed and so many peoples’ lives wrecked. Our entire team was quick to commit to helping. When we arrived, the degree of devastation was even greater than what we witnessed on the TV news coverage. The tornado cut a wide swath across the entire city.” Coach KD Durst added, “I was really proud of how players led this volunteer effort and all the work they put in to help out wherever they could.”

The team initially stepped in to work with Red Cross’ efforts to distribute food, water, and clothing to people whose homes were destroyed. They then assisted the county’s public works department in removing debris and establishing some sense of order within the city. Linehan Murphy, who transferred last year and will be able to play this coming season, said, “We put in some long hours and I’ve never worked so hard my entire life. We all were dog-tired by the end of each day we were there.”

Charlie Paben, a walk on player for the team, provided an update on the team’s future plans. “We’re going back soon to pitch in to Habitat For Humanity efforts to rebuild homes of people who were uninsured. It’s going to be fulfilling to help them put their lives back in order and get back into their homes,” stated Paben.

Athletic Director Vic Morrissey announced, “YSU alumni and fans have really been impressed by what the team has done and have started a fund to provide materials for the team’s involvement in Habitat For Humanity house rebuilding.” Donations can be sent to the Penguins Colony via the Athletic Department noting they are for Pentoria Relief Efforts.

[PointGuard 70]

I’ve been going out with my most recent girl friend, Kay Saunders, for nearly 6 months now. Even though I wasn’t into it, she roped me into going to her parents’ house last weekend so I could meet her family. Let me just say, it was a long weekend. I felt like I was under a microscope all the time. Kay seemed happy with how it went, but I’m not so sure. Her brothers kept pushing me to get them free tickets for games, her mom kept trying to get me to eat more, and her dad just wanted me the hell out of his house (and probably his daughter’s life) as quickly as possible.

With my parents living right here in town, Kay has met them several times and they think she’s great and have not so subtly indicated I should ask her to marry me. I’m not ready for that, though. I’m too young to be tied down. Besides most of my friends who married are already divorced and I don’t need to go through that. Also, this cheap newspaper still doesn’t pay me what I’m worth, so I have no money in the bank. That means I live from pay check to pay check and can’t afford to have another person to support, particularly with Kay working for minimum wage in retail.

[PointGuard 70]

Penguins Land Recruits
By Steve Porter

The Youngstown State Athletic Department announced today that they had received verbal scholarship commitments from two high school seniors to play next season for the Penguins.

LeRoy Delea, a 6-8 power forward from West Frankfort, Illinois will bring his very strong rebounding talents together with inside scoring threat. Last season for his Frankfort Community High School team he averaged 17.2 ppg and 8.2 rpg. Although ranked in the top 100 nationally early this summer, he now is ranked #101.

The second player coming to YSU will be Colin Chambliss, a 6-3 small forward from Girard, Ohio. Chambliss is regarded as a lock-down defensive player. Even though he’s only 6-3, he is a very good rebounder and scores well inside. He has good hands, being both a good ball handler and is a deft at stealing the ball on defense. As a junior on his team last season he averaged 13.4 ppg and 4.5 rpg. He was in the top 25 at the Chicago Prep Revue this summer when he was ranked in the top 100 nationally. His national ranking presently is #226.

First Assistant Coach Steve Simmons said, “We’re really pleased to have these two players coming our way. We think they will be big assets to our team. We’re actively working to lock down the remaining two scholarship openings. We have some good kids on our radar screen, but are also opening our sites to look beyond the region for guys who may have been overlooked.”

[PointGuard 70]

Practice Begins for YSU Basketball
By Steve Porter

“It was good to get the guys on the court today. We’ve got a full complement of players and all are in good shape physically,” advised A.D. Kenna, the Penguins’ second assistant coach. 

The team has twelve returning players who had time on the court in games last season plus SG B.J. Dennis, a freshman who redshirted last season, and PG Linehan Murphy, a transfer sophomore who was ineligible to play has year. Additionally, SG William Swan, an incoming freshman joins the team. Kenna said all three of those players are in the mix for significant playing time.

Kenna added, “Even though we have starters returning at all positions except shooting guard, I think there will be some keen competition for this season’s starting spots.”

Practice will be continuing throughout the rest of October and half of November. The team’s first game will be against Fairfield on November 14.

[PointGuard 70]

Penguins Season Opening
By Steve Porter

The Youngstown State Penguins have their season opener tomorrow. They travel to Bridgeport, Connecticut to take on the Fairfield Stags. Fairfield finished last season with a 17-12 record and is led by SG Brian Clemmons who averaged 15.4 ppg last season and PG Ferron Prosser who finished the previous season averaging 10.8 ppg.

Coach K.D. Durst said the starting lineup is still in flux at the guard positions. Starting for tomorrow’s game will be (ppg last year in parentheses):

PG-Tim Lostetter, 5-6 junior (9.0 ppg)
SG-Levall Hart, 6-3 junior (2.9 ppg)
SF-Chad Delzell, 6-8 senior (6.7 ppg)
PF-Aaron Tice, 6-6 sophomore (10.6 ppg)
C-Jamal Grady, 6-10 junior (13.9 ppg)

Coach Durst said, “This year’s team is definitely more experienced than ours last year at this point. Jamal Grady is our team leader and continues to develop his skills. He has a solid back up in sophomore Kent Jones (4.5 ppg). Aaron Tice came on strong the end of last season but is ably backed up by senior Rich Braswell (7.1 ppg). Chad Delzell was our top rebounder last season (5.9 rpg) but his backup, senior Rick Martin (4.7 ppg) is a good outside shooter. Levall Hart primarily played at the point last season, but has done well in practice at SG. B.J. Dennis, who was redshirted as a freshman last year, has really developed both on court and in his relationship with the team, and is challenging Levall for starting honors. While Tim Lostetter started for us last season at PG, sophomore Linehan Murphy who had to sit out last season due to transferring from Boston University, is making a serious challenge to work his way into the starting lineup.”

When asked where he thought his team would finish in the Horizon League, Durst deferred answering but said that he thought Green Bay-Wisconsin, UIC, and Detroit all had strong returning lineups. “All three of those teams have 2-3 returning starters who averaged in double figures and probably should be pegged as pre-season favorites. We’ve been working hard to solidify our defense so we can be more competitive,” stated Durst.

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Penguins’ Opener Forgettable
By Steve Porter

The Penguins fell behind the Fairfield Stags by 13 midway through the first half and then struggled throughout the remainder of the half to try to get back into the game. They narrowed the gap slightly but still trailed 42-35 at the break. C Jamal Grady led YSU’s scoring with 11 points.

Things didn’t improve for YSU in the 2nd half as the Stags steadily expanded their lead, putting the ball game out of reach for the Penguins who were drubbed 82-63. 

Youngstown State was led offensively by C Jamal Grady’s 14 points while PG Linehan Murphy came off the bench to score 12, and PF Aaron Tice hit for 10. 

Coach KD Durst tersely said, “We worked hard on defense during practice and to see it still be so porous (allowing the Stags to hit 58% of their shots) was disappointing. I guess it’s back to the drawing board for us. Making 19 turnovers, most of those in the 2nd half, kept us from being able to come back. And our outside game was nearly non-existent except for Linehan Murphy late in the game. We have a lot of work to do.”

Reserve C Kent Jones strained a calf muscle and is likely to miss the Penguins’ next game.

[PointGuard 70]

YSU Makes Big Red See Red
By Steve Porter

Again the Penguins’ defense was like a sieve allowing Cornell to take an early lead in last nights game. But YSU fought back to gain it’s first lead with 12 minutes to play in the half. The lead joggled back and forth the remainder of the half, but Youngstown State took a 46-43 lead to the locker room. Both teams hit over 50% of their shots. C Jamal Grady poured in 16 points to lead the Penguins while PF Rick Braswell added 11.

The Penguins held a small lead throughout most all of the 2nd half and then expanded their led to double figures in the final 5 minutes, winning by a score of 90-79. Both teams hit 53% of their shots but YSU had just 6 turnovers compared to 13 by the Big Red. 

C Jamal Grady dropped in 20 points and PF Rick Braswell and SF Rich Martin both scored 16. For Cornell, PF/C Jason Williams topped all scorers with 21 points.

“It took us a while to get untracked, but I’m pleased with how our guys scrapped to come back in the first half and then doggedly held onto a lead in the 2nd half even though Cornell was shooting well,” said Coach K.D. Durst. He went on to add, “With Kent Jones unable to suit up due to a leg injury, we moved Chad Delzell inside a few times to fill some of the minutes Kent would have played and he did well for us. But we got good play at all positions from 10 or 11 of our guys so this was a true team effort. A win on the road is always nice to get.” When asked about his team’s defense, Durst responded, “It’s a work in progress.

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Home Cookin’ Good for Penguins
By Steve Porter

In last night’s home opener against the 1-1 Richmond Spiders, the Youngstown State Penguins started Linehan Murphy at PG and Rick Martin. Durst said, “Both Linehan and Rick have been shooting well so they deserved a start. In adon to shooting well, Linehan has handled the ball well. While Rick is primarily a SF, he played a little at the 2 position last season, but he will probably also play some at the 3 tonight as we attempt to control the Spiders’ high scoring (21 ppg) SF Jarvis Jefferson.”

Chad Delzell drew two Jarvis Jefferson into two quick fouls. After taking a 9-2 lead, both Delzell and Jamal Grady also were saddled with 2 fouls apiece and went to the Penguins’ bench as Richmond closed the difference to 9-8. YSU moved back into a comfortable lead until fouls mounted up against them. When the half ended, the Penguins led by a scant point at 34-33. C Jamal Grady and SG/SF Rick Martin both had 7 points, but Grady also had been charged with 3 fouls in the half.

With the game tied at 58-58 and 8:17 to play, Jamal Grady fouled out. The Spiders scored the next 5 points. With the game on the line, YSU tightened its defense and pulled ahead 72-68 with just under 2 minutes to play. Following a time out, the Penguins worked the ball to Rick Martin who drove toward the basket and pulled up to shoot a 6 footer that failed to drop, but he was fouled on the shot. Martin calmly knocked down both free throws to put YSU on top by 6. With 56 seconds left and the Penguins on top 74-68, Richmond fouled Linehan Murphy giving YSU a chance to make it a 3 possession game. Murphy missed the front end of the 1-and-1 and the Spiders grabbed the rebound. Richmond called atime out, then brought the ball up quickly and launched a long 3 that swished through the hoop to cut the lead to 3 points. Rick Braswell missed a shot from the middle of the key but was fouled. He sunk both free throws to put YSU ahead 76-71 with 34 seconds to go. Richmond put up another quick 3 but it was off the mark and they were forced to foul Aaron Tice. Tice made them pay by hitting both shots to build the Penguins’ lead to 7 points with 22 seconds remaining. The Spiders missed another quick 3 and Youngstown State came away with a 78-71 victory. The Penguins hit 54% of their FG attempts and improved their record to 2-1 even though C Jamal Grady played just 13 minutes and SF Chad Delzell just 18 minutes due to foul trouble.

SG/SF Rick Martin led the Penguins’ scoring with 16 points, hitting 5 of 7 FG’s (including both of his 3-point attempts) and 4 of 4 from the foul line. And PF Aaron Tice scored 13, grabbed 8 rebounds, and had 3 steals and 2 blocks.

“It’s good to win in front of our home crowd. I can’t deny that I was concerned when Richmond immediately took a 5 point lead right after Grady fouled out. But my guys responded so well and regained the lead. What impressed me most though, was that we only allowed the Spiders to hit 40% of their FG attempts plus forced them to make 19 turnovers. Richmond has a good team. Without that kind of D we wouldn’t have won this game,” said Coach K.D. Durst.

Rick Braswell said, “I’m happy with whatever minutes I get on the court. But I haven’t had many starts so when I get one it feels really good. With Chad getting tagged with fouls tonight, even though I started at the 2, I ended up playing more time at the 3. But we’ve got a lot more depth this season and Coach knows what’s best for us to have a chance each game, so however he wants to use me is fine. I know he’s had to put up with some of my antics in the past, but he’s been consistent and I know even with the challenges I’ve presented that he’s been in my corner.”

[PointGuard 70]

Penguins Mess With Texas
By Steve Porter

In their foray into Texas, a big question entering the game against Prairie View was whether the Penguins could control the Panthers’ high scoring center, Jasper King, who came into the game averaging 22.7 ppg as well as hauling in 9.0 rpg.

In the first half, the Penguins outshot the Panthers 50% to 36% and controlled the boards to the tune of 22-12. YSU held a small lead through most of the half and expanded it in the final 5 minutes to finish the half ahead by a 41-31 score. C Jamal Grady scored 12 points while grabbing 6 rebounds.

Youngstown State continued to shoot well in the 2nd half and held onto a double digit lead for most of the half. The Penguins finished strong to give Prairie View an 83-68 trouncing. Not only did the Penguins hit 53% of their FG attempts but they dominated on the boards 37-22. The win improved their season record to 3-1.

C Jamal Grady finished with a double-double, scoring 19 and picking off 12 rebounds. PF’s Aaron Tice and Rick Braswell both scored 11 points. The Penguins held the Panthers’ Jasper King to 15 points and 6 rebounds.

Coach KD Durst said, “Our guys played well the entire game. Every time Prairie View tried to cut into our lead, we responded and kept them from making a serious run.”

[PointGuard 70]

Penguins Sport 4 Game Win Streak
By Steve Porter

Defenses dominated early in last night’s game between Youngstown State and visiting Missouri Valley. After 8 minutes of play the Penguins has hit just 3 of 12 shots while the Bears were 1 for 12 with 4 turnovers and the Penguins led 11-2. At the end of the half, YSU led 35-24 primarily due to their 29-18 command of the boards. C Jamal Grady led the Penguins offensively with 12 points.

In the first portion of the 2nd half, Missouri State cut the lead to 6 points, but Tim Lostetter came in off the bench to ignite the Penguins’ offense. Midway through the half YSU led 57-39. The Penguins went on to crush the Bears 83-61. YSU outshot Missouri State 52% to 34% and out-rebounded them 45-27.

Leading the Penguins’ onslaught was C Jamal Grady who scored 30 while pulling down 9 rebounds. PG Tim Lostetter scored 18 points in 16 minutes of court time. PF’s Rich Braswell and Aaron Tice both added 10 points.

Jamal Grady said, “The guys were working the ball inside very well tonight. We out-muscled them in the paint.”

[PointGuard 70]

Penguins Butt Rams
By Steve Porter

Rhode Island came into last night’s game with a 3-2 record with one of the losses being a close one to Duke.

The Rams led by as much as 7 points in the first half, but a late rally by the Penguins put YSU on top 43-39 at the break. PG Tim Lostetter scored 11 and had 4 assists in the first half for Youngstown State.

The Penguins scored the first 9 points of the 2nd half to open a 13 point lead. The Rams roared back to cut the lead to 56-52 with 11-1/2 minutes to play. Four minutes later the Penguins had re-established their 13 point lead. YSU held on from there on to come away with a resounding 87-75 victory. The win was their 5th in a row. 

PG Tim Lostetter fired in 17 points while dishing out 6 assists. SG B.J. Dennis scored 14, SG/SF Rick Martin had 12, SF Chad Delzell and C Kent Jones both scored 11, and C Jamal Grady added 10. Chad Delzell also pulled down 9 boards.

Coach K.D. Durst said, “That was a much tougher game than the score would indicate. The Rams continually threatened and had a couple good runs. We had a good team effort and Tim Lostetter has now had two very strong games in a row.”

After 6 games, Youngstown State is scoring 80.7 ppg (33rd best in the nation), but has given up 72.7 ppg. They’re averaging 34.7 rpg while their opponents are averaging just 27.7 rpg. Jamal Grady’s 16.7 ppg and 7.0 rpg lead the team.

In other Horizon League action, the Detroit Titans won a 90-87 thriller on the road over highly favored Illinois. Illinois was 7-0 prior to playing the Titans. Detroit now has a 4-1 season record and is led by last season’s Horizon League Freshman of the Year, William Rogers, who is averaging 16.5 ppg and 8.2 rpg thus far this season.

[PointGuard 70]

Penguins Comeback For Naught
By Steve Porter

The visiting UL-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns (3-1) presented a unique challenge with three players averaging over 15 ppg, making it difficult for the Penguins to focus on any one player.

The Ragin’ Cajuns started slowly hitting just 1 of 11 shots as YSU pulled away to a 12-2 lead in the first 7-1/2 minutes of play. The Penguins held a double digit lead for much of the first half but let UL-Lafayette get within 2 points late in the half. When the half time buzzer sounded, YSU led 34-28. C Jamal Grady scored 10 points in the half.

UL-Lafayette took a 36-34 lead two minutes into the 2nd half. With 14 minutes to go, the Penguins trailed 49-40 as the Ragin’ Cajuns bombed away from beyond the arc. With 7 minutes left, YSU was down by 13. The Penguins closed to within 2 points with 3:50 remaining. At the 2:10 mark, Rich Braswell was fouled. He sunk both free throws to tie the game at 70-70. UL-Lafayette stole a pass and scored on a breakaway to put them ahead by 2 with 36 seconds to go. YSU called a time out to set up a play freeing up Jamal Grady who received a pass inside and turned around the defender to kiss in a shot off the glass tying the game with 27 seconds remaining. On the ensuing possession PF Chris Gross of UL-Lafayette hit a baseline jumper and was fouled on the shot. He made the foul shot to give the Ragin’ Cajuns a 3 point lead with just 16 seconds to go. Following a time out by YSU, Rick Martin put up a 3 that bounced off the rim and the Penguins fell by a score of 75-72. Even though outshot by the Penguins 49% to 42%, UL-Lafayette dominated the boards 39-24 giving them 16 more FG attempts than YSU. The loss dropped the Penguins’ season record to 5-2.

Leading the scoring for Youngstown State was C Jamal Grady with 22 points. The only other Penguin in double figures was SG B. J. Dennis with 11 points. SG William Hyle led UL-Lafayette’s 2nd half charge and finished with 20 points.

“We were just out-hustled in the 2nd half and they completely cleaned our clocks on the boards,” said Coach KD Durst. He added, “We let them catch fire from outside and fell behind by too far. We then had to fight hard to tie the game, but simply ran out of gas in the last couple minutes of the game.”