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Keene provides lift for YSU men
By Joe Scalzo
YOUNGSTOWN
Youngstown State men’s basketball coach Jerry Slocum wants to use the next two games to see what his younger players can do.
That hasn’t been a problem with Marcus Keene.
Keene, a 5-foot-11 true freshman guard from San Antonio, came off the bench to score a career-best 20 points in YSU’s 85-69 loss to UMass on Sunday.
“Marcus is a very gifted offensive player,” Slocum said. “He’s probably as far along as a freshman in terms of offensive skills that I’ve coached in a really long time.”
But?
“The concern with Marcus is he’s got to get better defensively,” he said. “You can’t score 20 and give up 20. With freshmen, that’s always the case. You have to get them to understand the significance of how hard you have to play at both ends of the floor.”
Sophomore Bobby Hain can sympathize — Slocum said similar things about the 6-10 post player last year — but he’s made strides this season. Hain had 14 points and 10 rebounds against UMass, his second straight double-double.
“We showed that we can hang with teams like that,” said Hain, whose team shot just 37 percent from the floor. “I feel like if we would have hit even half our shots, we would have won the ballgame.
“After seeing that performance ... we feel like we’re a top team to compete with.”
The Penguins’ schedule is a little easier this week. YSU (4-1) will play host to a pair of Division III schools — Thiel on Wednesday and Westminster on Saturday — before playing the meat of its non-conference schedule.
“One of your motivations is to play to your standard,” Slocum said. “Play to the level you want in terms of execution. If we do execute well, we’ll be able to get some young guys some playing time.”
This is the second straight year YSU is playing back-to-back games against Division III opponents. Last year, the Penguins beat Geneva 93-50, then beat Hiram, 71-44, at the Covelli Centre.
The Hiram game was supposed to be the first of many Covelli games — it was dubbed the Downtown Round Ball Classic and there was talk of bringing in a team from the Big Ten or the ACC — but Slocum said those plans have stalled.
“We’ve had conversations with them and we’re trying to get a Division I game down there for next year,” he said. “To be honest, I’m not 100 percent certain where it’s even at right now.
“I think it’s a goal for the Covelli Centre and for us to try and make something happen. They’ve got their schedule and we’ve got our schedule and we’re trying to fit something in. It’s a work in progress.”