43
S. Dakota haunts Calhoun
Three-loss weekend has YSU at 2-5
By Brian Dzenis
YOUNGSTOWN
Sioux Falls, South Dakota continues to be an unfriendly place for Jerrod Calhoun.
Youngstown’s State’s men’s basketball coach traveled there last year as Fairmont State’s head coach for the Division II NCAA national championship game and lost.
This year, the Penguins were swept in the Mount Rushmore State, going 0-for-3 with losses to Northern Colorado, Mississippi State and South Dakota to fall to 2-5.
Each game was its own adventure in ways to lose a game. Last Friday’s contest with the Bears was a continuation of what is a disturbing trend: struggles at the free throw line.
The Penguins were 9-for-23 during that 80-67 defeat. For the season, YSU is the fourth-worst team in the nation at shooting free throws at 56 percent.
“You can’t even find an adjective for it. Free throws are one of the first things that you learn when you start playing basketball,” forward Naz Bohannon said. “We’ve been shooting free throws as long as we’ve been playing and to miss so many to point where the misses were more than what we lost by.
“It’s like garbage.”
Then against Southern Miss, the Penguins turned the ball over 18 times in a 71-64 loss. Finally, YSU was flat-out beat, 81-53, by South Dakota.
“I think our kids were emotionally drained. They were tired and they were playing a very determined and very good South Dakota team,” Calhoun said. “I said it out there: I think that team will play in the NCAA tournament. That was the best team we faced so far.”
Things don’t get easier from here. After Wednesday’s contest against Robert Morris, YSU is hitting the road for its next six games. That stretch includes stops at Big East teams DePaul and Butler as well as Indiana.
The next game at the Beeghley Center is Jan. 4 against Milwaukee, which will be the teams second game of Horizon League play.
“I told that the kids that we have 30 days to get ready for Horizon League action. The thing that I like about after this Saturday, we play one game a week for the next month,” Calhoun said. “We’ve got to get a lot better. If you look at our league as a whole, we’re ranked 30 out of 32 conferences in Division I basketball.
“I say that not to be negative about the Horizon League, but what I try to do with our guys is give them some hope and let them know that conference play is around the corner,” he said. “If we don’t get any better between now and conference, it doesn’t matter what league you play in.”
As for Wednesday’s game, Robert Morris (3-3) represents a team in a similar to the home side. The Colonials have a lot of roster turnover with no seniors on the roster and 11 new players.
“They’ve made some drastic changes and they’re coming here on a three-game winning streak,” Calhoun said.
As for fixing the Penguins’ free throw issues, they’re willing to try anything.
“You got to be open to anything. If it goes to changing the routine coming up — if we have to shoot granny style — I don’t how how we have to shoot it, but I know we have to make them,” Bohannon said.