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Calhoun connects with YSU hoops alumni
By Greg Gulas
YOUNGSTOWN
Youngstown State men’s basketball coach Jerrod Calhoun isn’t one to let grass grow under his feet.
The first-year Penguins coach is looking to immediately restore respectability to a once proud program and the time frame isn’t negotiable.
One of his goals is reconnecting with former players and coaches in order to make sure they feel welcomed back. To Calhoun, a solid alumni base is very important.
“I tell recruits that this isn’t just a four-year commitment, it’s a lifetime commitment,” Calhoun said. “Coaches nationwide will tell you that former players are crucial and so very important to a program.
“Alums are our backbone and every stop that I have ever made, I make sure to involve them,” he said. “The goal this year is to host an all-alumni reunion because I want them to see how things have changed from when they played, what we are currently up to and where we expect to be.
“The door is always open to them and I want to meet them all. I want them to know how appreciative I am of them having worn our uniform. We’re a sleeping giant, not just as a school but the entire city so it’s definitely a great time to be from this area.”
Several former players already have taken it upon themselves to lay that alumni foundation. On Sept. 15, a third annual reunion will begin with a mid-morning golf outing at Kennsington Golf Club and dinner at StoneBridge Grille and Tavern
The reunion will conclude Sept. 16 with a tailgate gathering before the football game with Central Connecticut.
Rich Denamen played for Coach Dom Rosselli from 1968-1972. He, along with Billy Johnson, Chuck Montgomery and Gregg Merrill, are the driving forces behind the reunion of which Calhoun will attend.
“I had four absolutely great years playing for Coach Rosselli, got a great education and wouldn’t change a thing,” said Denamen, who was head basketball coach at Austintown Fitch and is retired after serving as Austintown’s superintendent of schools as well as superintendent of the Mahoning County Educational Service Center. “People judge the program on wins and losses and having already met with Coach Calhoun and members of his staff, they are also about the little things as well.
“We want this reunion to be a yearly event, but most of all want very much to remain a part of the [basketball] program.”
The previous reunions have attracted a few football alums. Because Merrill played baseball, some former baseball players also may take part.
“This is a big undertaking for a coach and we realize that,” Merrill said. “To share the many memories once again with your teammates and others who have also played is what makes it so much fun.”
For the floppy-haired Johnson, who played from 1968-72 and still ranks eighth all-time with 1,726 points, the call from Calhoun’s office to reach out to past players was a long time in coming.
“I’ve been waiting for [more than] 40 years for that call, so when I got it this past spring saying that Coach Calhoun wanted to meet some of the former Penguin players, my eyes just lit up,” Johnson said. “Rich [Denamen] and I then met with him over breakfast and it was such a great time.
“He has so much enthusiasm and I loved what he had to tell us,” Johnson said. “Take it to the bank because I believe that he is going to win right now.”
Former Struthers High School standout Bob Patton (1967-71) was a freshman on the 1967-68 team that went 17-8 and will celebrate the 50th anniversary of that team this year.
A noted high school coach in Northeastern Ohio for three decades, Patton also was the head coach of the World Basketball League’s Youngstown Pride. He resides in St. Petersburg, Fla.
“We’ve been frustrated over the past 18 years because of a lack of communication between the basketball program and its former players,” Patton said. “Many of us reached out trying to send players YSU’s way, but were blown off.
“I’ve already had contact with Coach Calhoun,” Patton said. “He’s embraced us and that to me is so very important. I”
Ron Smith (1968-72) recently retired after 34 as general foreman at General Motors and works part-time at L.E. Black Funeral Home.
“I very rarely miss a men’s or women’s game and I am hoping that Coach Calhoun can turn this around,” Smith said. “To be able to reconnect with former players has been great. The wives attend and everyone has a great time.
“Meeting with the coach will also be fun.”
Two alums took the time to single out Rosselli’s impact that he had on their lives.
“Dom was special to me and so was the entire Rosselli family,” Will Teague said. “I grew up in Smokey Hollow and as a kid used to trick or treat at his parents’ house.
“The entire Rosselli family was special to me,” Teague said. “I have nothing but fond memories so coming back to be with old teammates with a chance to meet the new coach is going to be very special.”
Montgomery (1969-72) is athletic director at Hubbard High School.
“It is so nice to be welcomed back,” Montgomery said. “Older players tend to get lost in the shuffle and we’re all excited to see this new life in the program.
Coach Rosselli was special to me in that he saw something that other coaches didn’t and for that I will be forever grateful.”
For more information about the reunion, call the YSU basketball office at 330-941-3004.