Effort key for YSU’s season

By Jon Moffett

jmoffett@vindy.com

YOUNGSTOWN

It’s a pivotal week for the Youngstown State men’s basketball team.

The Penguins have the runners-up for the NCAA national championship and the Horizon League’s second-best team in back-to-back games. And if the team is going to compete against the big boys, head coach Jerry Slocum knows one things is crucial to success: effort.

The Penguins (7-14, 1-10 Horizon League) took Butler down to the wire earlier this year. The Bulldogs (14-8, 6-4) escaped with a 84-79 victory at home and will now travel to play at the Beeghly Center. The Bulldogs fell two points short of eventual champion Duke last March.

After Butler is a Valparaiso team that is behind only Cleveland State in the conference standings. The Crusaders (16-6, 8-2) also defeated the Penguins earlier this season at home.

Slocum said if his team can put together 40 solid minutes against both teams, the results could be different and in the Penguins’ favor.

“Our margin of error is not where it needs to be for you to take five or seven minutes off in a game,” Slocum said. “We played both of those teams well at their places; for 40 minutes against Butler and about 28 or 30 minutes against Valpo. We’re working at it and trying to get it done and go in a positive direction.”

These 80 minutes may be the most crucial on the Penguins’ remaining schedule. Both opponents have been the measuring stick in the conference in recent years.

Slocum knows it’s going to be a long week. But he is also prepared for a long week. When asked what it would take to match the effort of the previous meeting, Slocum said he wasn’t sure, but hopes it can be duplicated.

“I wish we could bottle it. We talked about that today,” he said. “We just played harder than they did. And on top of that, we just made shots. Anytime you play really, really hard and then makes some shots it’s a good thing.”

Junior guard Tre Brewer said the team can do anything it wants —as long as it wants to win.

“We’ve got to give a great effort every single game and complete every single game, not just ‘big games’ because every game should be a big game, really,” he said. “But we just have to play hard every single game.

“Especially in our league. If you don’t play for even two minutes, you don’t play a complete game, a team can run away with that at any given time,” he added.

Brewer, who scored a career-high 17 points in a loss to Loyola, said the Penguins are better than their record. He added that the team is close to “clicking” and making a strong push.

“Our team can hang with the best of them. But at any given time, we can also not hang with the best of them,” he said. “I think at any given time we can be good. We just need to get that right click and then we’ll be off. But until then, we’re struggling.

“But when we do, we’ll be cool,” he added. “I think it’s going to happen, and I think we’re getting closer and closer ... It’s a slow process, but we’re getting there. I’m positive about that. We’re getting there.”