Wednesday, January 21, 2009
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IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Sophomore Vance Cooksey will lead the Penguins against Cleveland State in a nationally televised game on Friday at Beeghly Center.
By Pete Mollica
YOUNGSTOWN — On Friday night, the Youngstown State men’s basketball team will take on Cleveland State in a Horizon League contest at Beeghly Center.
Any time that the Penguins and Vikings meet, it’s a big game since Cleveland State is the closest league member to Youngstown. A rivalry has developed for many years.
What makes Friday’s contest even more important is that the game will be televised nationally over ESPNU. Tip-off is set for 9 p.m. at Beeghly.
This will be the 70th meeting between the two teams, the Penguins’ oldest and longest rivalry. To make things more interesting, the Penguins hold a one-game advantage, 35-34, since it began in 1930.
YSU coach Jerry Slocum, in his fourth season, has a 2-4 record against the Vikings. That includes a pair of losses last season when the Vikings made it to the Horizon League championship game before losing to Butler. Cleveland State played in the NIT postseason tournament.
Slocum and the Penguins (5-12, 2-6 Horizon) have lost three straight. The Vikings (13-7) are a disappointing 4-4 in the conference after being selected as the league’s preseason favorite. Cleveland State has lost two straight.
Several weeks ago, Slocum showed up for a conference game with UIC sporting a mustache and goatee and the Penguins won. Three losses later, the goatee is gone.
“A couple more losses and the mustache will be gone too,” Slocum said.
Slocum knows his team needs a victory, but Cleveland State is in the same boat.
“We know that we’re going to get their best shot Friday,” he said. “We’ve got to score more points; we did not play well offensively last weekend in Wisconsin.”
Friday’s game is part of a nine-game regular season deal the Horizon League has with ESPN. Eight are carried on ESPNU. This is the sixth game in the series.
“Any time that you can get an ESPN game televised on your campus it is a big plus for both the university and the conference,” Slocum said.
With the Penguins struggling, attendance has been down. YSU athletic director Ron Strollo is concerned the game won’t draw enough fans for the league to give the Penguins another shot.
Promotions are under way including free pom poms to the first 2,500 fans attending along with free white YSU T-shirts to the first 750 YSU students.
The game has also been promoted as a “white out,” asking everyone in attendance to wear white shirts to the game for television purposes.
mollica@vindy.com