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Dear Horizon League,

Congratulations on becoming a strong basketball conference.  You have teams like Green Bay who are ranked and seem to win a title every year.  You also have teams like Youngstown State University that you just don’t seem to know what to do with.  This season, you missed the mark just a hair, picking the Lady Penguins to finish eighth.  Good one.

I screwed up and felt horrible for only picking them to win 18 games this season.

This wasn’t your first big miss though.  in 2009, you selected Detroit’s Yar Shayok as the Horizon League Newcomer of The Year instead of Brandi Brown.  Despite Brown being ahead in virtually every category, you opted for the player from the team with more wins.  Didn’t know that was an award that went to the best new player on the team with the best record.  My bad.

I didn’t think you could do any worse, but I was wrong.  The very next season, Brown scored 597 points and led the league with a 19.9 average.  She ranked fourth in rebounding with an average of 9.2 rebounds per game.  She even led the league in double-doubles that year with 13.  She had to be a shoe-in for First Team Horizon League Postseason Honors, possibly even Player of The Year.  Your voting system failed once again as Brown got only second team.  My stomach hurts.

So here it is powers that be…

Brown finished her career with over 2,000 points.  She was only the second Penguin to ever do that.  She also finished her career as Youngstown State’s all-time leading rebounder.  She was your Player of The Week three weeks in a row.  She deserves to be your Player of The Year.  Please don’t embarrass the league and bypass Brandi Brown for an award she deserves again.
Sincerely,

Paneech

 

P.S.  Coach Boldon deserves some hardware too…  just saying. 

Youngstown State junior, Kendrick Perry, was named to both the offensive and defensive First-Team Horizon League Teams on Monday.

Perry and Ray McCallum of Detroit were pretty much neck-in-neck for conference Player of The Year Award,won by McCallum.  The junior guard for Detroit had a great finish, while Perry has been out of action for almost two weeks with a gimpy knee, making the choice much easier for those who voted.

Perry was named All-Horizon League First-Team after finishing second in the league in scoring with 16.9 points per game. He also led the league in steals for the second straight season with 2.0 steals per contest and was named to the All-Defensive Team with Eargle. Perry also ranked fifth in free-throw percentage (.848) and sixth in assists per game (4.1 apg).

Perry, who became the 33rd YSU player to score 1,000 career points, ranks 19th at Youngstown State in scoring with 1,247 points.

In league play, Perry was second in scoring at 17.6 points per game, first in steals at 2.4 per game, fourth in free-throw percentage at .849 and sixth in rebounding at 5.7 per game. He is just the second Youngstown State player to earn consecutive first-team honors. The last player to do so was Quin Humphrey in 2005-06 and 2006-07.

Youngstown State junior, Kamren Belin, was named to the Horizon League’s All-Newcomer Team on Monday.  Belin really flourished into a big role in his inaugural stint with YSU.

Belin averaged 12.3 points per game against league opponents.  He ranked third among league newcomers in scoring in league contests; third in 3-point field-goal percentage at .446; fifth in 3-pointers made with 37 and fifth in 3-pointers made per game with 2.3.

Belin is the first YSU player to be named to the league’s All-Newcomer Team since Eargle in 2010-11.

Youngstown State senior, Damian Eargle, was named the Horizon League Defensive Player of The Year on Monday.  If blocking shots were an art, Eargle would be Van Gogh.

Eargle led the league with 3.1 blocks per game overall and 2.9 blocks per Horizon League game. He averaged 11.8 points per game this season, also ranked fifth with 6.2 rebounds per game and fourth with 4.4 defensive rebounds per game.

Eargle, the 34th 1,000-point scorer in school history, led the Horizon League in blocks in 2011-12 with 116 and is the league’s record holder for most blocks in a career with 293. Eargle was also a 2012 Horizon League All-Defensive Team selection.

If Youngstown State is going to make a run in the Horizon League Tournament, which starts Tuesday, they will need to provide a much better effort than they did Saturday at the Nutter Center.  Wright State, picked by the “experts” to finish in the basement of the conference, improved their third place standing with a 72-45 conquest of YSU.

“This is a tough way to go into the playoffs.”, said Jerry Slocum.  “This was probably our worst effort of the year,”

In the first half, Wright State raced out to an early double-digit lead with the help of 14 Youngstown State turnovers leading to 19 Wright State points.  The Penguins could only muster a 30% shooting percentage in the half, while the Raiders shot 61%, resulting in a 39-19 lead for WSU.  The Penguins finished the game with 16 turnovers.

Damian Eargle managed to score seven of the Penguins 19 points in the half.  The Raiders got nine points from Kurt Hess‘s high school friend, Matt Vest.  In fact, Hess, Torrian Pace, and Chris Elkins  (below) made the trip to Dayton on Friday.  Hess grew up in the area.

In the second half, D. J. Cole penetrated and dumped a feed to Eargle, who snared an easy basket.  The hoop made the score 47-28 with a shade over 14 minutes left to play in the game.  Four minutes later, the Penguins found themselves down 21, trailing 51-30.  Wright State was getting two or three chances each offensive possession with good offensive rebounding.

Kamren Belin hit threes on consecutive possessions to make it 59-38, but Wright State quickly regained control of things, capped by J. T. Yoho‘s bucket in the paint with 3:46 left to make it 64-39.

For YSU, Eargle finished the game with 11 points to lead the team.  Allen had 5 with 5 rebounds to lead the team, and Belin ended up with 8 points.

This year’s conference Cinderella, Wright State (19-11, 10-6), got 14 points from Jerran Young and 11 from Vest in the win.  As a team, the Raiders compiled 12 steals.

All the Penguins (16-14, 7-9) can do now is focus on Tuesday.  They cannot mope or dwell because  the next loss means “season over” for the team.  It also means the careers of Allen and Eargle will end.

Kendrick Perry shot around with the team during the pregame but was again held out. His status is unchanged and he will be reevaluated again before a decision is made about being in the Penguin lineup on Tuesday

Show support for the Penguins Tuesday and get to the Beeghly Center for their first-round playoff game.

After clinching a 2013 Horizon League Men’s Basketball Tournament First-Round home game on Tuesday, March 5, at the Beeghly Center, the Youngstown State Athletics Department has announced ticket prices for the postseason game.

Tipoff will be at 7:05 p.m. and the game will be on 570-AM WKBN, the Horizon League Network and tape-delayed on MyValleySports.

Reserved tickets are $10 and general admission tickets are $7. Group general admission tickets will $4. Tickets for Youngstown State students are free with a current and valid ID.

Penguin Club members and season-ticket holders have until the end of business, Monday, March 4, to purchase their tickets before they are released to the general public.

The opponent for the Penguins has not been determined.

For more information, please call the Youngstown State Athletic Ticket Office at (330) 941-1YSU (1978).

Goaltender Sean Romeo and blue liner Jimmy Mazza helped lead a stingy Youngstown Phantoms defense that allowed just three goals over a pair of wins this weekend at the Covelli Centre. The United States Hockey League took notice Monday, naming Romeo its Reebok Goaltender of the Week and Mazza its CCM Defensive Player of the Week.

Perhaps stealing the show, however, was Phantoms F Sam Anas.  The ESPN Top Ten list is usually filled with huge names from mostly nationally televised sporting events.  Anas checked in at #7 with his terrific between his own legs move.  The Youngstown Phantoms even got a little PR out of the clip.

It is a good time for the USHL entry from Youngstown.

“I’m extremely happy for both Sean and Jimmy,” head coach Anthony Noreen said. “Sean did a great job giving us a chance to win and was steady and calm all weekend. And Jimmy, he scores his first goal Friday and was physical and solid defensively both nights.

The Phantoms return to action Wednesday when they host the Chicago Steel in their annual School Day Game. Puck drop is set for 10 a.m. at the Covelli Centre.

Willie Nelson will get a shot in the arm this Friday on ESPN’s Friday Night Fights. Nelson (19-1-1, 11 KO’s) will face Michael Medina at the MGM Grand Foxwoods in Connecticut.  The winner of this fight will get a shot against an elimination match winner with a potential title at stake.

Nelson last fought on September 15, winning a unanimous decision against previously unbeaten John Jackson in Las Vegas, will be representing Youngstown as he has been training at the Southside Boxing Club for just over a year.

Jack Loew calls his latest big-timer a gym rat and says he is very easy to train and will even run, lift, and do the things that some fighters try to sneak out of without supervision or being told to.

“He has had a great training camp”, remarked Loew.  “He knows what is at stake and is very eager to win.  He had some excellent sparring to get ready for this fight and has faced a few different capable sparring partners to prepare.”

Loew pointed out that Medina has three losses and two of them are to Vanes Matirosyan and John Duddy.  Matirosyan just fought a draw with Erislandy Lara, who will be in the eliminator fight against a yet-to-be named opponent.

“He is a tough kid who I think will be fighting with a sense of urgency like he knows he has to win this fight.”

If Nelson can win, the #5 ranked WBC light middleweight will vault up to at least #3 in the rankings because one of the fighters in the eliminator match will lose.

Youngstown State University came out like a ball of fire against league-leading Valparaiso.  After leading by as many as 13 and by seven at the half, YSU was outscored 40-24 in the second half.  Blake Allen knocked down 22, but the Penguins fell 73-64.

With the loss, YSU falls to 16-13 on the season with one game left to play at Wright State on Saturday.  The last regular season game could be played without Kendrick Perry who is still out with a knee injury he suffered at practice last Wednesday.  Perry will be evaluated again before a decision on his status is made.

Valpo got 21 points out of Ryan Broekhoff (below) and 14 more from Kevin Van Wijk on Senior Night.  The Crusaders improved to 23-7 on the season and avenged a loss to the Penguins in Youngstown earlier in the campaign.

Allen’s 22 points came on 8-16 shooting, including a 4-4 performance from the free throw line.  D. J. Cole poured in 15 points, and Damian Eargle had 12 points to go along with his three blocked shots.

YSU Coach Jerry Slocum knew the visit to Indiana would be a tough one.

“I am sure they [Valparaiso] will be ready for us”, said Slocum after Saturday’s Bracketbuster win.  “It is Senior Night there and they will be reminded that we beat them here.  They are a great team and it will be a very tough challenge.”

Give the Penguins credit for playing with a lot of heart without one of their most essential ingredients, in Perry, against the Crusaders.

Season finale happens at the Nutter Center on Saturday as the Penguins face Wright State, who also lost on Tuesday night, 60-55, at UIC.  I will be at the game and covering away, check here for results and photos.  Tip off for the final regular season game for 2012-13 is 2 p.m.

He is new to this neck of the woods, but Kamren Belin seems to be fitting in just fine.  Belin, a transfer from the State of Georgia, was recently awarded the Horizon League Player of The Week Award for a second consecutive week.  The versatile Belin has had a great inaugural campaign under Coach Jerry Slocum.  I recently interviewed Belin about many things.

Paneech: You are in Georgia playing basketball, and someone approaches you about transferring to Youngstown State University.  How did the recruiting work?

Belin:  I had to go to a junior college because I didn’t have everything ready for college yet.  I was already in touch with Youngstown State.  I put in two years there to get up to speed, but was in touch with Coach Mike [Wernicki] throughout the process. I came for a visit to this campus after I visited Stephen F. Austin.  There were three more colleges I was scheduled to visit, but I decided this was where I wanted to be.

Paneech:  Your role has changed a lot throughout the season.  You have started and have also been able to provide valuable minutes off of the bench.  Do you have a set role?

Belin:  My role seems to be getting bigger and bigger as each game goes by.  I have tried to assume a leadership role without stepping on any toes.  I think next year is going to be a very good year.  I have gotten to be very good friends with Shawn Amiker but feel a closeness with everyone on the team.

Paneech:  What are the differences between Youngstown and Georgia?

Belin:  Here, I am much more independent.  I am here by myself and feel like my decisions are my decisions.  I don’t have to wait to hear what my mom has to say and I get to be more of an adult here.  I was in Kansas for juco, but this is even more independent and different than that was.

Paneech:  Coach Slocum gets animated sometimes.  He stamps his feet and gets emotional when he doesn’t like a call.  Damian Eargle can’t hold back from smiling when he sees some of it, how do you stop yourself?

Belin:  It is kind of hard not to laugh.  When it happens, I always happen to see Damian smiling in my line of view.  We know as a team when to contain ourselves.  It’s the same in practice sometimes, things just get taken a little more personal during games.

Paneech:  What is the significance of the endless tattoos on your body?

Belin:  All of my tattoos are in dedication to my family.  My whole right arm is my grandmother and the women in my life, and my left arm is about my brothers.  I got some new work done on my back in honor of the tragedy that took place in Sandy Hook, Connecticut.  I don’t know what is next, I will probably get all of the shading done on my right arm.

Paneech:  You keep busy with practices, games, and classes, but there is that time in between that you have.  How do you spend that time?

Belin: My go to would be McDonalds.  It is convenient now because they put one in Kilcawley Center.  I usually get two McChicken sandwiches add cheese and bacon, a small fry, and a vanilla shake.  I’m not a soda drinker, so after practice, I usually go for a light blue Gatorade.

Paneech:  What has been your most memorable ‘on the court’ experience so far?

Belin:  I would say that it really wasn’t anything that happened on the court during a game yet.  So far, the most memorable thing would be boot camp.  You wake up at 5 a.m., struggle to get over here, and then you flip tires and run cone drills.  You sleep good at night.

Paneech:  What kind of things can you focus on after a loss to get back on the winning track?

Belin:  We need to handle pressure better.  It seems like when we lose games that we have a lot of turnovers because of the opponent’s pressure defenses.  Against Detroit, we lost by 41 the first game because we have not seen pressure like that.  When we went there for the second meeting, we handled the pressure better, but not well enough to win.

Paneech:  What is more impressive to you, that Damian Eargle now is the all-time blocks leader in the Horizon League, or that Kendrick Perry has a chance to be the Horizon League Player of The Year?

Belin:  Both of those are impressive things to think about.  I feel like if KP got the player of the year award that it would be something special not only for him, but for all of us as a team.

Paneech:  What do you want to study and concentrate on while here academically?

Belin:  My major is in Philosophy and my minor is in Sociology, but I might change that minor to creative writing.  One of the things I really enjoy doing is writing poetry. Philosophy helps get me into that type of mindset.  If I wasn’t in college, I would probably be trying to write, or I would be cooking somewhere to make a living.

Paneech:  Have you been late for anything since you got here?

Belin:  (laughs)  Yeah.  I was late for a team meal once.  I did not get to start one game because of it.  The coaches here are very good guys though.  They break things down before we start practicing to make sure we understand the gameplan and they let us have fun but know when to draw the line.

Paneech:  Does your family keep up with YSU hoops?

Belin:  A bunch of family members came to the Georgia game.  They came in for the two games last weekend (see picture above).  They are very supportive and watch how we do.

Paneech:  From the standpoint of a fan, you enjoy making a three point shot.  You put three fingers up to your head.  What is that all about?

Belin:  It is something that one of my favorite players, Carmelo Anthony, does after he hits a three.  So I just kind of took that from him and made it my own.  Blake [Allen] already knows I am coming for his new three-point record.

 

One Word Answers

Biggest Phobia:  Bugs.

Worst Habit:  Dunkin’ Donuts.

Favorite Junk Food:  Chips Ahoy Chewy.

Song On Your ipod That No One Would Guess:  Over My Head by The Fray.

Favorite Sport Besides Basketball:  Football – Tight End.

Favorite NBA Player:  Rudy Gay.

Who Would Win March Madness if YSU Wasn’t In? Syracuse.

Who Will Exit Early?  North Carolina, they are very overrated.

What Is The Worst Part of Practice:  Full-court layup drills.