YSU has rugged 2006-07 schedule

The Penguins will play 10 of their first 13 on the road, including Ohio State and Michigan.
By PETE MOLLICA
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
YOUNGSTOWN -- Last season, his first as men's basketball coach at Youngstown State, Jerry Slocum spent much of the time trying to teach his team how to win.
This season might even be a bigger challenge for Slocum, considering the strength of the schedule.
YSU will open the season at its earliest date in school history (Nov. 8) and will play 10 of its first 13 games on the road. Included in that stretch are trips to Michigan and Ohio State, a possible matchup with Michigan State, and Kent State.
"A friend of mine looked at that schedule and asked me 'What nut put this together?' " Slocum said. "I laughed and told him, 'You're looking at him.'
"It's a very challenging schedule, one that we're very proud of and one that has helped us in recruiting. It's a very positive thing and we're excited about it," Slocum said.
Back-to-back
The Penguins play Michigan and Ohio State back-to-back, Nov. 22 and Nov. 24, respectively, and when asked if this might be a bit much for the program, Slocum laughed.
"There's never going to be a good time to play those two teams," he said. "It's the way the schedule panned out and it falls around the Thanksgiving holiday so it should enable a lot of our fans to get to those games.
"You have to take a look at your program and where you want to be," Slocum said. "Our attitude has never been to run and hide, we want to look at the best teams in the country and then to be able to compete with them."
The Penguins will also get an early look at the Horizon League, playing at Illinois-Chicago Dec. 2 and at UW-Milwaukee Dec. 9.
More favorable
The second half of the schedule is more favorable, with 10 of the final 16 games slated to be played at Beeghly Center, including eight Horizon League games.
"If we are able to survive until Dec. 30 things might just get a little easier," Slocum said. "It will be especially to our advantage in the conference schedule.
The Penguins were 7-21 in Slocum's first season, but the Penguins were in most of those 21 losses right up until the end.
"I think that you will definitely see more depth on this year's team," he said. "We've had a good recruiting year and we will continue to be on the road over the next month looking for more talent."
The Penguins return eight players from last season's roster, with only one, forward Alex Sanchez, not returning.
A ninth player, junior guard Byron Davis, who transferred a year ago to YSU from New Mexico State and had to sit out last season, will be ready to step into the point guard position.
Four new recruits
Slocum has brought in four new recruits and three of them will be eligible for the 2006-07 season. They are 6-foot-6 forward Devron Bostick of Racine, Wis.; 5-11 guard Vance Cooksey of Chicago, Ill., and 6-8 junior college forward Chris Booth of Lincoln Land Community College, who will have two years of eligibility remaining.
The fourth signee is 6-0 guard Sean Morris, who transferred to the Penguins from Colorado State and will sit out this season with two years of eligibility remaining.
Leading the list of YSU returnees is 6-4 senior guard Quin Humphrey, a first team All-Horizon League standout who led the conference in both scoring (19.2) and rebounding (8.3) last year.
Senior guard Keston Roberts, who made the league's all-newcomer team, also returns after averaging 14 points a contest.
College Hoops Classic
The Penguins will open the season against Central Michigan as part of the 2K Sports College Hoops Classic in East Lansing, Mich.. The possible matchup with Michigan State -- the Penguins could also play Brown -- is the next night. YSU could advance to the tournament semifinal and finals at Madison Square Garden Nov. 16-17.
The Penguins' home opener is set for Nov. 19 against Slippery Rock.
mollica@vindy.com