Slocum eyes 1,000 games over 34 years

By Pete Mollica

He brings a 611-388 record into Thursday’s Valparaiso game.

YOUNGS-TOWN — Youngs-town State men’s basketball coach Jerry Slocum wasn’t aware that Thursday night’s game against Valparaiso in the Horizon League opener at Beeghly Center will be the 1,000th game of his head coaching career.

Slocum, who is in his 34th season as a head coach, has a career record of 611 wins and 388 losses.

He is 31-64 with the Penguins, now in his fourth season.

“I guess it’s significant, it’s significant that I’m an old guy,” quipped Slocum.

“I know that I still love doing what I’m doing and that I really love practice and preparing for a game now more than the actual game itself,” he said.

When asked if he remembered his first game as head coach, Slocum paused and then said “No I don’t.”

“It was more than 30 years ago and obviously if I don’t remember it was probably a loss,” he laughed.

“I do remember how I got my first head coaching job and it was an unusual story,” he said.

Slocum began his coaching career at Nyack College in 1975.

“I know I was very young and the head coach left the team eight days into practice and I was around so I got the job,” he said. “It was supposed to be a one- or two-year thing until they could get somebody. They was 30 some years ago and I’m still going.”

Slocum coached at Nyack from 1975-87, compiling a 199-166 record before moving on to Geneva College in Beaver Falls, Pa., where he coached from 1987-96, posting a 202-81 record.

His final coaching stop before YSU was at Gannon College in Erie, Pa., where he went 178-83 from 1996-2005.

Slocum is one of 16 active coaches with 600 or more wins and he ranks sixth in terms of wins by a current Division I coach.

In 33 seasons he has had just eight losing years — three of them have been in his first three years at YSU. Four others came in his first five years at Nyack. In between, a span of 25 years, Slocum had just one losing season, in 1987-88 at Geneva.

He’s had 25 winning seasons and 19 seasons of 20 wins or more and over his 33 years he has averaged 18.5 wins a season.

“It’s something that I’ve always wanted to do and I will keep doing it as long as I continue to enjoy what I’m doing,” he said.

mollica@vindy.com