The Town Crier

[PointGuard]

My editor, Tracy Tason, surprised me earlier this week asking how I’d like to spend Christmas in Green Bay, Wisconsin. He’s willing to spring for the bucks to cover the Penguins next road game, the beginning of conference play. With all the penny-pinching this newspaper does, it’s totally out of character but I guess shows that local interest is growing about this team. I’m not thrilled to be away for Christmas and even less so to be going to Green Bay in the freakin’ middle of winter, but there’s no way I can say no. So I guess it’s time to pack my bags and go on the first plane ride of my life. Flying, particularly in what could be freezing, storming weather, is making my stomach ache already . Think I will have to have a couple drinks before the flight to fortify my spirits with spirits.

Today, I found out that reserve SG Jermaine Harrington has been ruled academically ineligible for the rest of the season (and the rest of his career since he’s a senior). From what I’ve been able to ascertain from 3rd assistant Miguel Ward, Harrington has been tutored since September and still finished the fall term with a 1.9 GPA. Harrington has been playing over 15 mpg and has averaged 4.4 ppg. He’s been an important cog to provide depth at the guard positions. His loss means the Penguins will have to play Surpin, Jones and Lostetter more. Lonnie Holt, a sophomore is a possibility to get more time coming off the bench. But Holt thus far has only played in 3 games and less than 3 mpg in each of those games, so he may not yet be ready for prime time. Another option may be to have either of their SF’s (Delzell and Martin) put in a little time at the 2 position.

[Wayne23]

Green Bay is beautiful in winter!

[PointGuard]

Man, airports are scary places. Others told me to get to the airport a couple hours before my flight. I was sure they were pulling my leg, but did it anyway. Lucky I did. I had no idea where I was going once I got into the terminal. I finally got pointed in the right direction and made my way to the end of a freakin’ long line. The TSA guys and the people in line behind me got pretty upset since I had no idea what I was supposed to do. Had I known I was going to have to nearly strip down, I wouldn’t have worn lace-up boots and too many layers of clothes. After taking off my belt I had to hold my pants up with one hand to keep them from slipping down to my knees. That made it difficult to take everything out of my pockets while filling bins and shambling slowly along and I dropped stuff all over the floor. Then they made me pull my computer out of my bag so a couple other things fell onto the computer belt. My bag got looked at forever while it went through the x-ray machine. I didn’t know I couldn’t bring a lousy bottle of water onto the plane. They pulled it out of my bag and tossed it away while looking at me like I was Osama bin Bomber and re-scanned my bag. Then I stumbled through the machine taking a picture of my body as I felt my pants beginning to slip down with my hands raised the way they forced me to do. Next I had to put all my belongings back together and re-dress. By then I was a sweaty mess. I made my way to a bar and got a drink while my concerns about the forthcoming flight overwhelmed my brain and body. By the time I made my way down to the gate everyone else was onboard my flight. The airline employees seemed upset that I hadn’t gotten down to the gate earlier, but I just tried to avoid their glaring countenances. On the plane the overhead storage was completely full and it took me several minutes to try to stuff my bag under the seat in front of me, leaving absolutely no room for my feet. All the while, my seat mates were mumbling, particularly the one who was in the aisle seat and had to stand in the aisle while I wrestled with my bag. When I finally sat down in the middle seat with no room for my feet, I found I had no place for my body and shoulders either since they were crushed between two other big people. All the effort had only made me sweat more. I felt like a drenched dog and sat pondering what I was sure would be a terror-filled flight.

The plane seemed to taxi all over the entire airport as my dread increased. Then the engines roared and the plane bounced clumsily along the runway straining to get off the ground. My stomach sank as the plane finally lifted off. My mind said I was a fool not to have forgone the trip and to just have written a game summary story as if I had travelled to Green Bay. As the plane did a series of violent ups and downs in the inclement weather, I could only sit in silent panic. I ordered another drink and gulped it down. The drink worked wonders and I fell asleep, only to be awoken by a thunderous crash and slamming bump. In my awakening confusion, I was sure we were dying. I’m glad I didn’t scream like a little girl, since it turns out that the plane was merely reattaching itself to the runway at the end of my first plane ride. Wishing I could sprint off the plane and find the nearest restroom, I could only sit immobile in my seat as the aisle filled with other passengers awaiting the opening of the door. The line inched slowly forward before I could finally extricate myself shakily walk off the plane. Oh, and by the way, airports really should have restrooms right next to the gate.

[PointGuard]

Green Bay Too Cold For Penguins
By Steve Porter

With the thermometer reading -2 degrees Fahrenheit and the wind blowing 20 mph from the north across Green Bay, Wisconsin, the Youngstown State Penguins took on the Wisconsin-Green Bay Phoenix. Before the game, Penguins Coach K. D. Durst said, “While the Phoenix have an identical 6-4 record to ours, they’ve played a much tougher schedule. Three of their losses were to Top 25 teams. And they have a very talented SG in Ross Lang. He’s averaging over 16 ppg and has scored over 20 points in 4 of their 10 games. So we need to figure out a way to keep him from breaking loose. Our being short-handed at the guard position is going to make that challenge even more difficult.”

Resch Center was nearly filled to capacity, possibly because it was much warmer inside that outside. And the partisan fans were vocal and enthusiastic.

The Penguins came out strong, knocking down their shots, and held the lead for the first 6-1/2 minutes of the game. At that point Wisconsin-Green Bay went on an 8 point run to take command. But even though the Phoenix were hitting well from all over the court and controlling the boards, the Penguins gamely held on to keep the game close. At the half the score was 44-38 in favor of Wisconsin-Green Bay. PF Rick Braswell came off the bench to score 11 points for Youngstown State, but PG Ross Lang had 12 points and C Nate Holloway had 11 points for the Phoenix.

In the 2nd half, Youngstown State couldn’t keep up with the hot-shooting Phoenix who hit 57% of their FG attempts. They fell behind by as much as 18 points. The game ended with the Penguins on the short end of an 83-74 score.

PF Rich Braswell scored 15 while grabbing 8 rebounds. PG Ryan Surpin and SG Josh Jones both scored 13. For Wisconsin-Green Bay, SG Ross Lang and C Nate Holloway each scored 18. Holloway also had 9 rebounds while Lang had 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals and 4 blocks.

Coach Durst said, “Our guys came out playing well and taking it to them, but it took a lot out of us and the Phoenix just wore us down as the game proceeded. Having both of our centers get in foul trouble early also made things tough for us. We double-teamed Ross Lang and he still hit 8 of 13 shots plus played exceptionally strong defensively. He was awesome.”

[PointGuard]

Puzey Propels Penguins
By Steve Porter

For their game against the Wright State Raiders one of the keys for Youngstown State was to stop their high scoring SG John Blanchard (18.8 ppg). They did it by working the ball to the man he was guarding and driving on him. Blanchard picked up his 2nd personal at the 13:47 mark and went to the bench. The Penguins held onto a small lead from the point until the end of the half when they were ahead by a 36-30 score. C Steven Puzey and SF Chad Delzell both scored 8 points in the half.

The Penguins held onto a small lead throughout the 2nd half and then pulled away late in the game to pick up a 70-57 win.

Topping the Penguins were C Steve Puzey with 18 points and 7 rebounds, SF Chad Delzell with 13 points and 6 boards, and SG Josh Jones with 10 points and 5 rebounds. For Wright State, John Blanchard scored 14 but only hit 5 of 14 FG attempts and was 2 of 7 from beyond the arc.

The win gives Youngstown State a 7-5 season record and it evened their Horizon League record at 1-1.

Asked about his productivity, Steven Puzey replied, “The guys were working the ball into me well. It feels good to put points on the board, but tonight was a good team effort. We were intent on controlling John Blanchard and we did it. Even though he got into foul trouble early, he came back into the game and still played 30 minutes, but we held him to 14 points and our defense limited him to hitting just 5 of 14 shots.”

As 2016 comes to an end, the Penguins have four players averaging in double figures: Ryan Surpin-11.6 ppg, Steven Puzey-10.8 ppg, Josh Jones-10.5 ppg, and Jamal Grady-10.3 ppg. Steven Puzey is their top rebounder with 6.2 rpg followed by Chad Delzell with 5.3 rpg and Jamal Grady with 4.6 rpg. Ryan Surpin is averaging 4.5 assists per game.

The Top 10 teams nationally in the polls are: Indiana, Syracuse, Wisconsin, Florida, Louisville, Kansas, Oklahoma, Butler, Notre Dame, and Wake Forest.

[PointGuard]

Mom was unhappy I wasn’t around for family Christmas. So I had to be sure to spend New Years with the family. Mom, Dad, sister Rose and brother John plus Rose’s and John’s families. Yeah, Rose and John…further examples of the Youngstown one-syllable naming regimen.

These family get-togethers always result in my mom opining in one way or another that I should be thinking about getting married. I just ignore her. Rose married when she was 19 and John when he was 21. At 26, my mother thinks I’m way too old to still be single…and not producing grandchildren for her. Rose has gifted her with 3 and John with 2. Both Rose and John (well mostly John’s wife) have forgone the one-syllable name tradition, opting instead for whatever name is the most popular the year each kid is born.

Rose’s husband has a good job so they’re doing pretty well financially. On the other hand, John has taken after my father, getting one low paying job, losing it, and going on to the next. So he and his family are barely scraping by. But dad, who always did physical jobs, thinks John is doing great whether it’s part-time construction work, warehousing, or whatever other job he can come up with. Dad doesn’t think much of my non-physical work. I think he feels it really isn’t a “job”…how can writing be a job?

Rose takes me aside. She wants to go with her husband on a second honeymoon to the Caribbean. Can I babysit her 3 kids and 2 dogs and their cat..and, oh yeah, their pet gerbil...for a week?

While we’re watching the Sugar Bowl game, John asks for the 20th time in the past 2 months why I can’t get him some free season tickets for Youngstown State basketball.

When you going to get married? When do we get our grandkids? When are you going to get a real job? Can you take care of our kids and pets? When you going to get me some free season tickets?

What more could a guy want from New Year’s Day, 2017? I let my mind wander to the Penguins next opponent: Valparaiso.

[PointGuard]

Penguins Can’t Find Hoop
By Steve Porter

Youngstown State’s first half of play against the Valparaiso Crusaders was U-G-L-Y. The Penguins his just 24% of their shots and turned the ball over 10 times. But Valparaiso wasn’t much better, hitting just 28% of their shots. The Penguins controlled the boards though, pulling down 30 rebounds compared to the Crusaders’ 17 boards. The score the break was Valparaiso-29, Youngstown State-27. PG Ryan Surpin scored 8 points plus grabbed 6 rebounds and dished out 3 assists in the half.

Horrendous shooting continued to plague both teams early in the 2nd half. But midway through the half, Valparaiso began hitting their shots and sprinted out to a 57-40 lead with 7:15 remaining. With the Penguins unable to shake their woeful shooting, the game was basically over at that point. The Crusaders went on to apply a 71-50 shellacking to Youngstown State.

The Penguins finished the game hitting just 22% of their shots and making 21 turnovers, although they did maintain a 48-40 rebounding advantage. Valparaiso improved their record to 8-4 overall, while their Horizon League record is now 2-1 which puts them in a 5-way tie for the league lead. Youngstown State is now 1-2 in the Horizon League which places them in a 5-way tie for 6th place. Their overall record is now 7-6.

Ryan Surpin hit for 11 points plus had 5 assists, 7 rebounds, and 2 steals. SF Chad Delzell scored 9 and grabbed 9 boards.

[PointGuard]

Penguins Ice Vikings
By Steve Porter

After playing well throughout most of the first half and holding as much as an 11 point lead, Youngstown State’s offense died and Cleveland State’s offense caught fire in the waning moments of the half. The result was that the Penguins trailed at the break 38-37. The Penguins’ two PG’s, Ryan Surpin and Tim Lostetter, both scored 7 points, but the Vikings’ high scoring SG Lloyd Sanders led all scorers with 12 points.

Cleveland State maintained a small lead in the 2nd half, but with 8 minutes to go and the game tied at 63-63, the Penguins went on an 8-0 run and then steadily increased their lead to win going away 82-67.

PG Ryan Surpin led the scoring for Youngstown State with 21 points. C Steven Puzey scored 15 while hauling down 8 rebounds. C Jamal Grady had 14 points and PG Tim Lostetter scored 12.

Coach K. D. Durst praised his team’s overall play and said, “Two things that stood out tonight were that we hit 9 of 18 three’s and also that we turned the ball over just 8 times. We’ve been working on those two aspects of our game, so it was nice to see our guys put what we’ve been practicing into action tonight. We had a tough time gaining control of this game for 32 minutes, but I was impressed how we took control and maintained it throughout the final 8 minutes.”

Youngstown State now is 8-6 this season and 2-2 in the Horizon League, good for a 10-way tie for 2nd place.

[PointGuard]

Penguins and Panthers Battle To Very End
By Steven Porter

Using a stout defense, the Youngstown State Penguins built a 25-13 lead over the Milwaukee Panthers. At that point the Penguins offense went stone cold. The Panthers got back into the game and by the end of the half had cut Youngstown State’s lead to 27-25. The Penguins held Milwaukee’s shooting to 24% in the half. C Jamal Grady led the Penguins offensively with 8 points.

The Penguins maintained control throughout most of the 2nd half, but could never pull away to a safe lead. With 51 seconds remaining, Milwaukee scored inside to take a 62-61 lead. The Penguins missed a shot with 34 seconds remaining, but Milwaukee turned the ball over with 24 seconds to play. The Penguins moved the ball around and freed Jamal Grady for a 15 foot jumper that dropped through the silk with 8 seconds on the clock giving them a 63-62 lead. Milwaukee broke through the Penguins tight full-court press to put up a desperation 3 with the klaxon ringing as the ball clanged off the front of the rim.

Youngtown State’s thrilling road victory gives them a 9-6 record. Their 3-2 record in the Horizon League put them in a 5-way tie for the conference lead.

C Jamal Grady led the Penguins with 16 points and 8 rebounds. SG Josh Jones and C Steven Puzey both scored 12.

Coach K. D. Durst said after the game, “Milwaukee’s a good team and to come away with a win on their home court shows how tough our team fights. Our guys put together a strong defensive performance holding the Panthers shooting to just 35%.” Durst was asked about Steven Puzey and Jamal Grady, who both are averaging in double figures and scored well in tonight’s game. He responded, “We’re so fortunate to have two excellent centers. Both of them put in an all-out effort the entire time they’re on the court, so it’s necessary to spell them to keep fresh legs on the floor. There’s really no let-down when either of them is catching a breather on the bench. As a senior Puzey provides good leadership to the entire team. We knew Grady was good coming in as a freshman, but his development has been exceptional. Together they’re averaging over 21 ppg and nearly 11 rpg.”

[PointGuard]

Penguins Post Third Straight Win
By Steve Porter

Last night Youngstown State’s basketball team hosted the Detroit Titans. The Titans won their first two games this season, then suffered a 9-game losing streak, but buoyed themselves by winning 2 of their last 3 games. So the question was, which performance level would they bring when they took on the Penguins?

The question was answered early when the Titans hit 7 of their first 10 shots and jumped out to a 17-11 advantage at the 13:13 mark of the first half. Even though the Penguins shooting went cold for the next 8 minutes, they remained in the game as Detroit turned the ball over (12 turnovers in the half). Then in the final 5 minutes, Youngstown State fought to trim the lead and pulled ahead late in the half to go to the break on top 37-35. SG Josh Jones led the Penguins attack with 10 points, 4 assists, and 4 rebounds.

The Penguins played solidly throughout the 2nd half and built a 12 point lead with 6 minutes left. They then held the Titans off to record a decisive 79-69 victory. Even though the Penguins only hit 38% of their FG attempts, they out-rebounded the Titans 39-34 and had just 11 turnovers compared to 21 by Detroit.

All five starters for Youngstown State scored in double figures. SG Josh Jones had his best game of the season with 24 points, 4 assists, 5 rebounds, 3 steals and a block. PG Ryan Surpin scored 15, SF Chad Delzell and C Steven Puzey eachg tossed in 11 points, and PF/C Jamal Grady added 10.

Youngstown State now has a 10-6 season record and they have the 75th best RPI in the nation. They are 4-2 in the Horizon League which puts them in a tie with Oakland atop the league standings. The Penguins host Oakland Monday night in a tussle to break the tie.