Web broadcasts are on the Horizon for Penguins

All the home games and all the Horizon away games will be live on the Internet.
By PETE MOLLICA
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
YOUNGSTOWN -- Youngstown State basketball fans are in for a treat this season.
Fans will have the opportunity to track almost all of the YSU games over the Internet this year.
Horizon League Commissioner Jon LeCrone helped the Penguins at their Basketball Tipoff Dinner Sunday at the DeBartolo Stadium Club and made the announcement.
All of the Penguins home games and all of their Horizon League away games will be broadcast live over the Internet.
Fans are urged to check in at the YSU website www.ysusports.com to get all the information.
"We've gone into partnership with CSTV to broadcast 144 events this year over the Internet," said LeCrone.
LeCrone, who was making his fifth trip to Youngstown for the Penguins tipoff dinner, said that he was excited about the coming season.
"We've been so happy to have Youngstown State as a member of our Horizon League family and I'm excited as I watch this program grow every day and see the strides you are making," he added.
LeCrone also indicated that the YSU women's team is this year's predetermined host for the Horizon League postseason semifinal and final tournament rounds.
The Penguins must get to the tournament semifinals in order to be the host. If they don't, the final two rounds will go to the highest remaining seed in the tournament.
Good experience
YSU's new men's basketball coach, Jerry Slocum, was introduced and he in turn introduced his team and coaches.
"This whole experience here at YSU has been and enjoyable one and the support I have received has been tremendous," Slocum said.
"In my 31 years of coaching I've never had a group of players so receptive to what we are trying to teach them," he said. "They want to be good.
"They've done everything we've asked them to do and they are all having a great time while they are doing it."
Third-year women's coach Tisha Hill also expressed her excitement about the upcoming season.
"We've got a lot of new faces on this team and along with the returning players everyone is working so hard," she said.
"We've been working to get our chemistry together and our veteran players are helping to make everyone that much better by going so hard in practice."
Exhibitions await
Both the men's and women's teams will hold exhibition openers Saturday at Beeghly Center.
The women will take on the Ohio Legends All-Star team at 5 p.m., and the men will follow at 7:15 p.m. against Geneva College.
Both teams will open the regular season on the road. The women play at Robert Morris Nov. 18 and the men are at St. Francis (Pa.) Nov. 19.
There are six scheduled doubleheaders at Beeghly Center. The first is Nov. 30, when the women play host to Saint Louis and the men entertain Kent State.
mollica@vindy.com