RAY SWANSON | Keystoner Rosselli tribute well deserved

Youngstown State University has had a number of top-notch basketball coaches in its storied athletic history. One, if not the best, was that little gray-haired gentleman by the name of Dom Rosselli.
When I first began as a sportswriter at The Vindicator, Dom was winding down his colorful career as Penguin mentor. He was not only an outstanding coach, but a gentleman, a class act. Oh, he got peeved at me on occasion for some of my stories on the Penguins that didn't sit too well with him and he'd let me know. I loved him for being candid and honest. He was truly a credit to the game.
Often times he would be seen in the Mercer County area, hoping to grab up some of the top talented players. He did claim a few too, in guys like Mike Magula, Steve Gergely, Tony Knott and Lou Fortuna, to mention a few. He was a regular at the Hoyle Tournament.
During my tenure at The Vindicator, YSU basketball coaches were Rosselli, John Stroia, Mike Rice and Jim Cleamons. All were top-notch coaches, however, Dom was in a class by himself.
At halftime of a recent YSU contest, YSU paid tribute to Rosselli who had coached the Penguins for 39 years while racking up 589 victories. A jersey was unveiled in his honor and a statue of him will be built in the Beeghly Center lobby. It's a fitting tribute to a great guy and a very talented coach.
Three-point records
Westminster and Waynesburg set a pair of NCAA Division III records for combined three-point goals and three-point attempts in a recent outing won by Waynesburg, 94-88.
The teams combined for 36 three-pointers (22 for the Titans and 14 for Waynesburg) and 103 three-point attempts, 77 by Westminster and 26 by Waynesburg.
Unbeaten season
The Hickory ninth grade girls basketball team, coached by Gary Swanson, recently closed out a 14-0 season with a victory over South Range.
The Hornets picked up momentum during the course of the season and thrived on a good solid defense that proved hard to penetrate. And according to Coach Swanson, he said he had an outstanding group of young girls this season that wanted to play the game.
At the conclusion of the South Range contest, team members were treated to a huge cake that carried the name of all the players. We'll keep you posted on these young girls as they make their way through the basketball program in future years.
Congratulations, and happy birthday, coach.
Vennis lauded
Give Mark Vennis a job and he'll go that extra mile.
The former Thiel College wrestling coach had earned his accolades down through the years and on March 5-6 he will be inducted into the Division III National Wrestling Coaches Association's Hall of Fame Class of 2004. He stepped down several years ago.
His induction will take place at the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III Wrestling Championships in Dubuque, Iowa.
The Tomcat mentor was nominated three times as the NCAA Division II Coach of the Year while being named the President's Athletic Conference Coach of the Year 11 times.
During his tenure at Thiel, Vennis had coached 15 All-American while 45 NCAA national qualifiers have been in his programs.