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Penguins hope to bounce back from miserable Wisconsin trip
By STEVE WILAJ
YOUNGSTOWN
When the Youngstown State men’s flight took off at 7:30 a.m. on Friday for its matchup at Green Bay on Saturday afternoon, the Penguins — with a brief layover in Chicago — were expecting a six-hour trip.
But due to weather troubles, YSU’s flight from the Windy City to Green Bay got delayed — not just once, but seven times. Instead of arriving around 1 p.m., the Penguins didn’t reach Green Bay until 6:30 p.m.
So, yeah, YSU’s six-hour trip inconveniently got stretched to 11 hours. It’s been that kind of season for the Penguins (10-19, 5-11 Horizon League).
“It was just delay after delay after delay,” said 11th year YSU coach Jerry Slocum. “We were lucky to get there. We thought we were leaving four [YSU personnel/media] guys behind [in Chicago] and that they would have to take a car. But that’s life. It is what it is. Green Bay didn’t feel bad for us.”
The Penguins fell to Green Bay by 17 points. They were then routed at Milwaukee, 87-51, on Monday.
With two regular season games remaining, YSU hosts Wright State (17-12, 11-5) at 7:45 tonight at Beeghly Center, before welcoming Northern Kentucky (9-18, 5-11) to town on Saturday at 7:05 p.m. on Senior Night.
“I just want us to continue to get better,” Slocum said. “The discouraging thing for me is that there’s times that we’re really, really good. ... We’ll just try to build some positive momentum going into the playoffs [beginning March 5].”
Against Green Bay (18-11, 10-6), the Penguins — who Slocum called “gassed” — had a terrific first half. They shot 76 percent and led 57-45 at halftime, before being outscored 62-33 in the second period.
YSU then trailed Milwaukee (18-11, 9-7) by just six points at the 16-minute mark of the second half before running out of gas.
“Both games we really competed and played well in the first half,” Slocum said. “The second half in both games — in the Green Bay game it was a seven minute spell where we had eight possessions, five turnovers, three missed shots and the game was over. In the Milwaukee game ... we had it at two possessions and followed it up with four turnovers. Game over.
“We don’t really have a guy that has experience in a go-to situation — a guy that will settle you.”
Junior forward Matt Donlan (12.9 points per game) said it’s something the Penguins are still trying to figure out.
“Since we’re a little younger, I don’t think we have that level of maturity yet to stop some of those runs,” he said. “That kind of stuff just doesn’t happen with veteran teams. You have one [turnover], then you make sure you get a good play in the next time. You don’t compound those errors. I think that’s something we need to grow and learn.”
Sophomore guard Cameron Morse (19.6 points per game) would seem like the logical guy to step into the “go-to” role. But the player who was supposed to fill that part — senior forward Bobby Hain — is stuck on the bench.
Hain (12.4 points) has been out since Dec. 21 with a broken foot. He has missed all 16 conference games, is still in a walking-boot and his return this season is “not likely to happen” according to Slocum.
“That young man has a basketball future,” said Slocum, who added that Hain is receiving interest from numerous professional leagues. “Our primary concern right now is that he can get to the end of March and April and be 100 percent for tryouts.
“You say ‘Could you have rushed him back?’ But I’m not even touching that. It’s totally about that guy.”
Despite being unavailable, Hain — YSU’s lone senior and a 1,000-point scorer — will be honored Saturday.
“I think it’s clear we’ve missed Bobby,” Slocum said. “It’s Senior Night on Saturday and that will probably be more emotional for me with him than any other kid I’ve ever coached. It’s not because he’s necessarily the best player I’ve ever coached, but he’s the best person I’ve ever coached.”