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LOCATION: Youngstown, OH
CONFERENCE: Mid-Continent
LAST SEASON: 14-14 (.500)
CONFERENCE RECORD: 9-5 (t-3rd)
STARTERS LOST/RETURNING: 2/3
NICKNAME: Penguins
COLORS: Red & White
HOMECOURT: Beeghly Center (8,000)
COACH: John Robic (Denison '86)
record at school First year
career record First year
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ASSISTANTS: Gary Grzesk (Wisc.-Green Bay '94)
Derek Kellogg (Massachusetts '95)
Eric Skeeters (Coppin State '97)
TEAM WINS: (last 5 years) 18-12-9-20-14
RPI (last 5 years) 174-262-277-137-199
1998-99 FINISH: Lost in conference semifinal.
ESPN.com Clubhouse
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When Bob Huggins knocks on your front door, you open it up and let him inside for a cup of coffee. And, because he's such a good friend, when he chats you up about a job, you listen good and hard. And then you say yes. So it went for Dan Peters last spring, when Cincinnati head coach Huggins came calling. Peters had just completed his sixth season as Youngstown State's coach, a .500 record that emitted a distinct aroma of disappointment. He had served previously as an assistant under Huggins in the early 1980s, at Walsh College, and took over the team when Huggins departed; this year he will assist the Bearcats' head man again. In Youngstown, Peters had compiled a 78-87 record that included the school's first 20-victory Division I season and a Mid-Continent Conference Tournament championship-game loss, both occurring two seasons ago. More importantly, he gave the program a sense of purpose, enticing large crowds to Beeghly Center and laying the groundwork for a sustained approach to basketball, rather than the scattershot, year-by-year style that plagues too many up-and-down schools. Peters' successor at YSU is longtime Division I assistant John Robic, who brings an impressive pedigree to his new job. Robic apprenticed for two seasons under Larry Brown at Kansas, where he helped the Jayhawks to the 1987 Final Four and the 1988 national championship. John Calipari then lured him to Massachusetts, which proceeded to stage one of college basketball's most remarkable recent turnarounds. A hoops wasteland was transformed, and the Minutemen proceeded to reach seven straight NCAA Tournaments, highlighted by a Final Four appearance and a regional final. Robic stayed on when Calipari left for the NBA and served the last three seasons as Bruiser Flint's associate head coach.
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Blue Ribbon Analysis |
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BACKCOURT B BENCH/DEPTH C+
FRONTCOURT C+ INTANGIBLES C
Dan Peters fiddled with his lineup quite a bit last year, and it may pay dividends for new Youngstown State coach John Robic this season. Eight players return who played at least 13 minutes a game, and all have starting experience. Throw in the European trip from the summer and the Penguins won't be able to claim unfamiliarity with each other. Of course, the biggest change is at the top. Robic wants to actually, based on last year, he needs to open up the offense and create more chances. The Penguins defend hard and hit the boards with abandon; finding a way to score more is a good idea. The approach may create the biggest headaches for starting point guard Albert Crockett, a crack floor leader but not yet the scorer his coach envisions. It will be interesting to watch how Crockett handles Robic's heightened expectations. Elsewhere, YSU looks solid. There's little flash on this team, though, no one who appears capable of making the difference between a sturdy little .500 club and a legitimate league threat. Elmer Brown lives behind the arc; if he can find a way to score from elsewhere, he could be that guy. Until Robic finds out one way or the other, he will experiment a bit, trying some new things and seeing how it all falls out. "With a veteran team returning, I want us to peak for January, head into conference play with some momentum and feeling good about ourselves," he said. "I do not like to lose, but I do not set goals on wins and losses." That will change eventually. For now, the Penguins, deep and experienced but needing a go-to guy, shape up as a dark-horse Mid-Continent contender. |
The squad he inherits finished 1998-99 14-14. The Penguins played tough defense but had some trouble finding the net at times. In short, they were never able to capitalize on the 20-victory success of the previous year. Youngstown State provided a bit of optimism by closing the season strong, winning seven of eight before falling to Oral Roberts by 14 points in a Mid-Continent Tournament semifinal. Eight lettermen and three starters return to the lineup, and all of them saw substantial action last year. Robic is confident that their transition to his style will be a smooth one. "The program has taken huge steps," he said. "Dan Peters left the program in good shape." The Penguins averaged almost eight steals a game last season, and Robic likes what he has seen in terms of their defensive ability. He doesn't want to get locked into an offensive style just yet, but he has indicated a preference for the running game, though he also conceded, "If we have to play the halfcourt game, we will play that game." Opening up the offense isn't a bad idea. YSU averaged just 67.5 points, and had no double-figure scorers on its roster. Robic places considerable emphasis on his backcourt, and there the Penguins look strong. Returning at the point is one of last season's most pleasant conference surprises, 6-2 senior Albert Crockett (8.4 ppg, 1.9 rpg), a junior-college transfer who stepped in and played all 28 games, including 19 as a starter. Crockett totaled a sterling 117 assists (4.2 per game, second best in the conference) to only 62 turnovers, and was second on the team in steals (35). He hit double digits nine times and shot .333 from the three-point arc, a trend Robic would like to see more of. "Albert is a good lead guard," the coach said. "He is going to have to be patient on the floor. He is good with the basketball and he can score. My guards must be able to score." With the graduation of shooting guard DeVon Lewis the squad's second-leading scorer, though he took a step back last year YSU must find someone else to nail the outside shot, not to mention fill very large defensive shoes. The points should come from 6-4 senior Elmer Brown (9.9 ppg, 2.7 rpg), an all-newcomer pick by Mid-Continent coaches a year ago. In addition to leading the Penguins in scoring, Brown made 58 three-point shots, the fifth most in school history, while shooting .395 percent from behind the arc. He scored in double digits 12 times while playing in 27 games and starting nine times. "The thing with Elmer is that he cannot just settle on the three point shot," Robic said, issuing a challenge to his guard. "He would have more of an opportunity to score if he can create his own shot. If he has it going from behind the arc, he can take over. He has to find other ways to get a three-point look. You do that by driving and taking the ball to the basket. That alone can open up Elmer's game and give him some better looks." It's not that the coach doesn't recognize what he has in the backcourt. "Albert and Elmer are very athletic," he said. "They are two players that can create their own shots and score at any time." The starting guards look solid, and the backups seem good to go as well. Subbing for Crockett at lead guard will be 5-11 junior Ryan Patton (3.0 ppg, 1.1 rpg), who proved to be an effective bench player last season. Patton, who started once while appearing in 24 games, contributed 51 assists while committing just 23 turnovers. It's safe to say that he didn't hurt the Penguins while he was on the floor, although Robic would like him to bulk up a bit. A late signee, but one Robic is quite excited about, is 6-0 freshman point guard Marlon Williamson (Cass Tech HS/Detroit, Mich.), an all-city player for four years. Williamson averaged 17.5 points, 7.0 assists and 7.0 steals as a junior and senior, and helped his team to the Detroit city championship a year ago. Despite the solid players ahead of Williamson, Robic believes he could see more than a little action this season, especially if Patton is not up to the rigors of his system. "I think he will compete for a position this year as a freshman," Robic said. "He is a natural leader, an extension of me on the floor. He comes from an outstanding high school program. Coach Robert Shannon has produced 20 or more Division I players during the 1990s, so I know Marlon will be prepared." Two players will support Brown off the bench. Six-foot-two junior Craig Haese (5.7 ppg, 1.7 rpg), an all-around hustler, started nine times and hit 35 percent of his three-pointers while marking a career high in scoring. After redshirting last year, junior-college transfer Jeremy Jackson (Dean JC/Boston, Mass.), a 6-4 sophomore, will look to chip in from the outside as well. Jackson averaged 18.0 points as a junior college freshman and practiced with the Penguins for all of last year, which should help a great deal this year. Robic sees little difference between the two and three slots, which means 6-3 junior Andrew Hannan (8.2 ppg, 3.6 rpg) should see lots of time at off guard and small forward. An 18-game starter, Hannan made a team-best 44 percent of his three-point attempts and shot .480 from the floor, a respectable figure for a long-range gunner. In Mid-Continent games he was lethal, hitting for .559 from beyond the arc, and shows the kind of skills for which coaches would kill. "Craig Haese, Drew Hannan and Jeremy Jackson have showed me something (since) I have been here," Robic said. "They have been working extremely hard. If they keep working hard, they could really help us this season." Several players have the potential to step up in the frontcourt. The most likely candidate at the outset is 6-5 junior forward Desmond Harrison (8.6 ppg, 5.5 rpg), a strong rebounder and good shooter (.484 from the field). The team's third-leading scorer, he, too, has considerable experience, having started 16 games, and always finds a way to be around the basketball. "Desmond seems to find a way to score," Robic said. "He is always hustling for loose balls and understands the game pretty well." While Harrison plays well considering his size, YSU actually does enjoy some height up front. Six-foot-eight junior David Brown (4.4 ppg, 6.9 rpg) doesn't score a lot, but he hits the boards like a demon and blocked 22 shots last season, leading the Penguins in both categories. Brown is already second on the school's all-time shot blocking list, and will be counted on to maintain that presence in the middle again this year. Versatile big man Robbie Robinson (3.7 ppg, 3.0 rpg), a 6-9 senior, will slide in and out of the power forward and center positions. Playing mostly center, he blocked 18 shots, trailing only David Brown, and showed a nifty medium-range touch. "Robbie is good in the high post," Robic said. "He is so athletic for his size that he can take you off the dribble, (and) I have seen him drill 15-foot jump shots." Rounding out the frontcourt is 6-8 junior Jamal Price (College of the Desert/Palm Desert, Calif. & Portsmouth, Va.), an athletic player who redshirted last season, although he practiced with the team beginning in January. The Penguins got a head start on building some cohesiveness under their new coach with a 10-day European tour over the summer.
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