Messages

1

YSU Penguin Athletics / Re: Men's basketball vs Chicago State

« on: November 10, 2024, 12:10:17 PM »

Now how come the men's team lost all starters and still managed to win by 20 on the road against a d1 opponent.   Defense.  Yet the football team cannot even win one road game this year.  Mind boggling!

In addition to defense, there are a few more reasons.   

A Head Coach & Staff who have embraced the transfer portal since day 1 rather than view it as a bad thing.

A Head Coach & Staff who know how recognize & recruit talent from any level (high school or portal)

A Head Coach & Staff who also had the foresight to realize that Name, Image and Likeness are the keys to attracting & retaining players.  Again, rather than viewing it as a bad thing.

Say what you want, but great thing about NIL is EVERYONE can have a true voice and directly impact the rosters by contributing to NIL.  If everyone on this board sent $50 or $100 to The Penguin Collective https://www.thepenguincollective.org/, DP will be in a better position to assemble his next roster - which is already happening.

As difficult as it is to step back from emotions of yesterday's football embarrassment, now is the time to step up with your wallet if you want a better football roster next year.  The alternative will simply be more of the same - or worse.

Basketball raised nearly double what football did in NIL for this season.  Using the last few seasons and the benchmark, it's easy to see why we are now a basketball school.

2

YSU Penguin Athletics / Re: Basketball in one week

« on: November 08, 2024, 07:16:56 AM »

It's ridiculous that the men's game will not be rescheduled, it's only a 25 minute drive from one campus to the other...and YSU needs home games.

Who's choice was it to not reschedule?

Westminster Coach Kevin Siroki declined to reschedule - and may have burned a bridge.  This may be the end of the fan-favorite game going forward.

3

YSU Penguin Athletics / Re: Illinois State

« on: October 31, 2024, 10:14:03 AM »

The happiness that we feel after the victory on Saturday obscures the fact that this is the worst defense in the history of Youngstown State University. Can we outscore Illinois State? Well we did outscore North Dakota. But doing that each week, especially on the road in the MVFC, seems unrealistic.

Could not agree more with these comments.  Don't want to throw a wet-blanket on an OT win against a Top 10 team, but the reality is that we made one more play than they did.  Happy we did - and hopefully the entire YSU Team gets some confidence from it, but I can't see us winning more than one additional game the rest of the season.  And would not be surprised if we did not win any. 

4

YSU Penguin Athletics / Re: Basketball in one week

« on: October 31, 2024, 10:09:51 AM »

I hear Zorgvol is injured and may miss significant time. He was at the Halloween get together tonight in a boot

Zorgvol is out for the season with a broken leg.  He will be taking a medical redshirt.

5

YSU Penguin Athletics / Re: Stambaugh field light

« on: October 25, 2024, 07:09:16 AM »

Correct - they were replaced during the Eric Wolford years as a direct result of an ESPN site visit in preparation for a playoff season(s) - nationally televised game(s).  As we all know, that never materialized under Wolfie.

Cost was over $600,000  back then.  No university money went into the replacement - all money was privately raised from donors and a six-figure contribution from Penguin Club.

6

YSU Penguin Athletics / Re: Realistically What Can and Should Be Done!

« on: October 14, 2024, 10:40:07 AM »

For the remainder of this season, we could just keep venting with Fire Phillips and Fire Strollo chants, but we all know that is not going to happen. How about sharing some realistic suggestions for pathways to move out of this mess. I will start with these three ideas.

First, at the conclusion of the season dismiss the dc and all the defensive coaches. Then find the next Jon Heacock, a young, ambitious coach who has proven his ability as a dc at a lower level.  Bring him to Youngstown, pay him the top salary for a FCS dc, and give him nearly complete authority to build a competent defense. That includes huge input in the hiring of position coaches and the ability to purge the roster of all the current players who are clearly in over their heads at this level. Phillips won't like having his authority compromised, but he can always resign. Phillips deserves no say in the construction of a defense after the junk he placed on the field this season.

Second, inform the folks who run the Penguin Collective that all funds for the foreseeable future must be earmarked for football and men's basketball. I am a big supporter of women's sports, but they will have to wait until we move through this crisis.

Third, stop splitting so many scholarships. I don't have the exact figures, but we give out too many partials and hope to "develop" unprepared players. Out of the 63 scholarships, about 50 should be full, given to recruits or transfers that we know can play right now. Then take about 30 walk-ons who would try to earn one of the 13 remaining scholarships each year. We don't need 100 players, with the majority "projects" that will never help us.

What realistic suggestions do you have? Please keep the "fire" rants (appropriate as they are) in a separate thread.

Wanted to clarify the comment made about informing the Penguin Collective to direct all funds to Football & Men's Basketball.  A donation to the Penguin Collective is no different than a donation made to the Athletic Department, Penguin Club or YSU Foundation.  The person making the donation specifies where they want their donation to go. 

2024 Penguin Collective NIL contributions designated for football total a little under $190,000.   MBB NIL contributions are a little over $330,000.

Totally agree with comments on splitting scholarships.  More full scholarships will help bring & retain the players.  DP needs to try something different as the on-field results speak for themselves. 

7

YSU Penguin Athletics / Re: YSU to Name Ethan Faulkner MBB Coach!

« on: April 02, 2024, 08:46:15 AM »

Molinari is probably going to USU and not sure about the other two.  Coach Faulkner has a lot of work to do between recruiting and putting together a coaching staff.  Almost forgot he has to rerecruit the players from last season.

Paul Molinari, Manny Robinson and Ben Asher are all going to Utah State with Coach Calhoun.  Utah State press conference today to introduce Jerrod

8

YSU Penguin Athletics / Re: YSU new WBB head coach

« on: March 22, 2024, 03:28:40 PM »

Was that comment about the YSU President search process meant to be sarcasm?

9

YSU Penguin Athletics / Re: Horizon League Tourney Seeding

« on: February 29, 2024, 12:49:10 PM »

Here's the math...

YSU will finish as the #2 seed in the Horizon League Tournament with a Green Bay loss to Milwaukee.

YSU will finish as the #3 seed in the Horizon League Tournament with a Green Bay win over Milwaukee.

10

YSU Penguin Athletics / Re: NIT

« on: March 14, 2023, 05:07:19 PM »

What is the injury status of Malek Green?  If he can not play, it might get ugly real fast.

Malek will be playing

11

YSU Penguin Athletics / Re: NIT

« on: March 13, 2023, 10:23:15 AM »

Zero chance that YSU will host a home game.

Shows how much I know..lol.
Thank goodness for the NCAA Wrestling Event in Stillwater!

12

YSU Penguin Athletics / Re: NIT

« on: March 12, 2023, 09:31:45 AM »

Zero chance that YSU will host a home game.

13

YSU Penguin Athletics / Re: Calhoun

« on: March 10, 2023, 07:08:53 PM »

Good post chez,

I think that coach has done a good job but not quite ready for the big time yet. Not sure what he makes since the extension but he needs to be paid as much as his peers.

Let's not fool ourselves...there is plenty of interest in Coach Calhoun from other programs.

When Coach signed his extension, he did so with essentially no salary increase.  That kept him at 10th lowest out of 11 Horizon League Coaches.   IF (that's a BIG IF) the YSU Board of Trustees were to double his pay, it would still only put him in the middle of the pack. Is that enough to keep him - who knows - but I personally hope they at least recognize that we've had him on the cheap this entire time. 

But there's a lot of questions in my mind:

Can the Penguin faithful live in a post-Tressel era where the basketball coach makes $100,000 a year more than the football coach?  Heresy!!!   

Just imagine how the YSU Faculty Union will play this one ahead of this year's contract negotiations.  Does our new President and Board want the heat?

Does Coach have unfinished business at YSU?  Yes. 

Has has he done enough be paid like the other top Horizon League Coaches?  Absolutely.

I hope the YSU Board of Trustees https://ysu.edu/board-of-trustees/member-profiles decides Coach is worth keeping around for a little longer.  And if they do, maybe Jerrod will be like Tressel and wait for the "right" job.

14

YSU Penguin Athletics / Re: Detroit

« on: March 04, 2023, 04:02:44 PM »

Maybe after hard-fought, emotional games Calhoun should be responsible for having both Teams meet at center court, sit in a circle, join hands and lead them in in a chorus of Kum Ba Yah. 

15

YSU Penguin Athletics / Re: Detroit

« on: March 03, 2023, 04:45:51 PM »

Cohill said something to Davis in the shake hand line and that is what started it.    It seems like Cohill lost his composure even after the game.  Calhoun needs to set him straight.   We cannot make same mistakes against NKU

SAHDPanda said it right.  DC plays with emotion (good and bad).  But remember, it was Davis that initiated the physical contact in the post game handshake line. If he doesn't do that, things don't escalate.
Our students were wrong to throw things, no doubt about it, but that's a direct result of Davis' behavior.