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OFF THE BENCH
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Dallas Blocker of YSU drives around Lambros Svingos of Geneva.
By Pete Mollica
The 6-9 junior enjoys his role coming off the bench for the Penguins.
YOUNGSTOWN — If there is one thing that Youngstown State men’s basketball coach Jerry Slocum has been really pleased with this season it is the play that he’s gotten from his bench.
The Penguins have struggled to a 5-10 record and are 2-4 in the Horizon League, but the Penguins have gotten a lot of support off the bench.
One of those reserves who has played very well this season is 6-foot-9 junior Dallas Blocker.
Blocker came to the Penguins after two seasons with Cloud County Community College. He is a native of Topeka, Kan.
“We’ve been able to get some quality minutes out of Dallas this season and we expect to get a lot more before he’s done,” said Slocum.
Blocker has averaged 4.8 points and 3.3 rebounds in a reserve role for the Penguins in 12 games. He missed three games with a knee injury sustained in a game against Robert Morris, but has come back better than ever.
He’s averaged nearly 17 minutes of playing time this year.
He had his best game for the Penguins in the 80-70 win over UIC at Beeghly Center when he scored 11 points and pulled down eight rebounds.
Blocker was playing for Cloud County in a JUCO tournament last season when the Penguins spotted him.
“Coach Mike Wernicki was at the tournament and I was having a pretty good game,” Blocker said. “We talked after the game and set up a visit.”
“When I came for my visit, Jack Liles was my host for the weekend,” he said. “I really felt comfortable here and Jack really helped me a lot to get adjusted to Youngstown.”
Blocker, like the rest of the Penguins, feels that this team is much better than its record.
“Consistency has been our real problem,” he said. “We go out there and have four or five good stops and score some baskets off those stops and then we go into some sort of mental lapse and give them right back. We just need to be more consistent, especially on defense.
“I feel that we have one of the best offenses in the conference, but we’ve just got to improve on defense,” he said.
Blocker says that he likes coming off the bench.
“I really like that because I bring in a lot of energy and if I can come in and make a big impact then that’s even better.”
“I’ve been pleased with what I’ve accomplished here so far, but I feel that I can do a lot more,” he added. “I think that I’ve improved my game thus far, but I’m still looking to get better.”
The Penguins have a couple of tough road games this week beginning with a Thursday night contest in Milwaukee and then go to Green Bay on Saturday.
“These are two really big games for us. They’re both on the road, but [Slocum] says that he feels we play better on the road and we’re really looking forward to the trip,” he said.
mollica@vindy.com