YSUCOACH AND PROGRAM
Youngstown State is still looking for its first success since joining the Horizon League. Sixteen league wins in five seasons is a depressing bottom line. Four conference wins last winter doesn't sound like much, and it wasn't -- the Penguins finished last in the league standings.
And yet, it marked progress. In fact, the Penguins doubled their league victory total from 2004-05 when they went 2-14 and got coach John Robic a ticket out of town. New coach Jerry Slocum was used to winning (179-78 at Gannon) so his first season at Youngstown required a different mindset. The Penguins won only seven games, the last of which came on Jan. 28. February was a black hole.
"We knew when we got here the challenge ahead," Slocum said, "but that never softens the pain of having to go through a year like that. You see progress, but you don't see the benefit of all your progress in the wins and losses column.
"But we thought we made some very healthy strides. For one thing, the infrastructure is so much better -- the locker rooms, the offices. We've got better work habits, our fundamentals are better. The level of play and the quality of kids we're recruiting, I believe all that is on the up-tick."
One bright light shining through the haze was 6-4 senior guard Quin Humphrey (19.2 ppg, 8.3 rpg). Humphrey led the Horizon League in scoring and rebounding, earned first-team all-conference and established himself as a leading candidate for Horizon player of the year in 2006-07. The question is whether Youngstown can garner enough respect to sustain Humphrey's candidacy.
Humphrey was Mr. Do-It-All last year, and more of same will be required. He shot 49.6 percent from the field, 74.0 percent at the free-throw line and .373 from three-point range. In one mid-season rampage, he scored 32 at UIC, 33 at Loyola and came home for 31 against Wisconsin-Green Bay.
The Ellenwood, Ga., product missed double figures in only one game and scored at least 20 points 11 times. He was the first player to lead the league in scoring and rebounding since 1992. Humphrey may have worn down late in the season as the double teams and box-and-ones took a toll. He needs his teammates to provide enough help this winter so that script won't be repeated. He has also worked hard in the weight room to prepare his body for the pounding and grabbing to come.
Humphrey's rebounding borders on the amazing. It's part vertical leap and part court smarts -- being able to anticipate where a shot will come off the rim. And don't discount pure hustle.
"Everybody's going to be coming to stop him," Slocum said. "We've talked about the mental preparation and mental toughness he has to have. We'll use him very similar to what we did last year. We're gonna push it to him and post him up and allow him to isolate a little bit, too. I think our system has helped him develop into the player he is. Now we've got to let him go and get out of the way."
PLAYERS
As for the supporting cast, two major contributors are gone, point guard Derrick Harris (8.5 ppg) and wing Dominique Crawford (10.8 ppg). Harris will be missed. He balanced a league-leading 147 assists against 62 turnovers and led the team with 38 steals. Crawford was the No. 3 scorer and the most accurate three-point shooter (.398 ) . He ended his career with a 37-point barrage against Loyola.
On the bright side, the two leading scorers return. Four other players who started at least 12 games last winter are back in a mishmash of a frontcourt. Plus, there's an impact transfer who will take over the playmaking duties.
The Penguins took on a different look under Slocum. They attempted a school-record 578 three-pointers. They goosed up the tempo. They won the overall rebounding margin for the first time in three years. And the four league wins tied a school record. Still, seven wins is seven wins.
Byron Davis is ticketed to run the team the next two years. Davis played two seasons at New Mexico State before transferring to Youngstown. He sat out last year, but practiced with the team and exhibited leadership qualities. The 6-2 Detroit native averaged 6.2 points and started 19 games as a sophomore at New Mexico State. As a freshman he averaged 5.4 and had 16 starts.
Davis was an all-city pick as a senior in Detroit and led Rogers Academy to a state title. Although Harris had some decent statistics at the point for Youngstown last year, Davis should be an upgrade. He's a better shooter and defenses won't be able to back off and dare him to fire it up.
"He'll be one of the better point guards in our conference," Slocum said. "He dominated us in practice almost every given day. The thing I'm also excited about is he's the kind of guy who makes everybody else better. When you have a point guard who can handle it and feed it and score, he can raise the whole level of our program."
Keston Roberts (14.0 ppg, 2.9 rpg) was Youngstown's other honoree last winter. The 6-4 senior wing guard made the league's all-newcomer team in his debut as a junior-college transfer. Roberts' season was even more impressive considering he had been away from the game in 2004-05 to attend to some personal issues back home in New York.
Roberts got off to a great start, then faded toward the end. His challenge is to improve his consistency and avoid the 25-points-one-night, two-points-the-next night syndrome.
"Historically," Slocum said, "in my programs, junior college kids have tremendous second years. He had a positive year, but he's stronger and I'm encouraged about our future because so many of our quality kids are back with us."
With Humphrey, Davis and Roberts, Youngstown State looks solid on the perimeter: "I think our one, two and three will be very competitive and able to play head to head with anybody in our league."
There's less confidence inside. Another Penguin who needs to sustain his energy for an entire season is sophomore post Jack Liles (3.3 ppg, 2.8 rpg). Liles was thrown into the fire as a freshman. He averaged 15.9 minutes and got 16 starts. He has added some off-season strength to his 6-8 frame and the coaching staff remains enthused about his upside.
Junior Colin LaForme (3.0 ppg, 2.7 rpg) is the team's tallest player at 6-10 and worked hard in the off-season to upgrade his game. LaForme was disappointed with his production last year and should be more of a factor this season. One aspect he worked on was developing more confidence in his ability to finish around the basket.
Youngstown hopes to see improvement in all of the above inside men, but the door is open for JUCO transfer Chris Booth to make his mark. The 6-8, 235-pound Booth comes from Lincoln Land (Ill.) Community College, where he averaged 12.5 points and 8.7 rebounds.
Dwight Holmes (1.3 ppg, 1.2 rpg), a 6-6 senior, was the fourth member of the frontcourt who wandered in and out of the starting lineup last year. As his numbers suggest, Holmes isn't much of a scoring threat but holds his own on defense.
"Jack, Chris and Colin can all play the five spot," Slocum said. "We just need those three to average a double-double. Not one guy has to give it to us, but those three together do."
John Barber (7.0 ppg, 4.4 rpg) is a 6-6 junior forward who could really help the Penguins if he can be tougher and more consistent. Barber started 12 games last year but averaged 25 minutes. He tended to disappear at times, however.
George Cotal is a 6-5 small forward from The Bronx. Youngstown would be tickled to see him follow in fellow New Yorker Roberts' shoes. Like Roberts, Cotal sat out last year after helping Hostos (N.Y.) Community College win a NJCAA Division III national title in 2004-05. He can play any perimeter position.
"Barber, I think, was our most improved player from last year to this year," Slocum said. "He's had a tremendous spring and summer. I really look for John to have a breakout year. Then George coming in will help us on top of that."
Aleks Mrozik, a 6-7 guard out of Poland, was a late signee after Birmingham Southern downgraded its program to Division III. Mrozik played high school ball in Georgia and can back up at any of the perimeter positions.
The coaching staff is excited about signing freshman Devron Bostick, a 6-6 forward from Racine, Wis. However, the first-team all-stater didn't get eligible and it is hoped he'll be able to contribute later.
Mikko Niemi (1.0 ppg, 0.8 rpg), a 6-2 sophomore, saw spot duty as a freshman point guard from Finland and should reprise that role.
Another newcomer who could factor in at the point is Vance Cooksey, a 5-11 sparkplug out of Chicago. Cooksey can play up-tempo at both ends of the court but may be a red-shirt candidate with Davis entrenched at the point.
The Penguins get another transfer guard in the mix in 2007-08 when Sean Morris becomes eligible. Morris averaged 8.4 points over two years at Colorado State and is the son of NBA veteran Chris Morris. He'll have to be content to practice this winter.
The schedule is interesting, but it sets up for a strong finish if the Penguins aren't out of gas. They play 10 of the first 13 games on the road, but finish with 10 of the last 16 at home. The early lineup includes back-to-back trips to Michigan and Ohio State in November.
"We need to get better in all facets of the game," Slocum said. "I don't think we have a long way to go in any area, but we need to be fundamentally stronger, defend it and take care of the ball better."
BLUE RIBBON ANALYSIS
BACKCOURT: B+
BENCH/DEPTH: B-
FRONTCOURT: C-
INTANGIBLES: C
In his second year, coach Jerry Slocum will have more weapons at his disposal. The hope is that Humphrey will get enough support to avoid having to carry the team and, thus, wearing down.
Davis should be a strong addition and joins with Humphrey and Keston Roberts in a formidable perimeter unit. However, the post game is weak until proven otherwise.
Before Slocum arrived, Youngstown had trouble scoring. That changed last winter, but the Penguins were near the bottom of the league in most defensive categories. Liles and Barber must become more consistent for Youngstown to make progress.
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