The Town Crier

[Wayne23]

WADDA YA NUTS!!! Ya coulda gone ta a bigger, better school for more money, a bigger budget... CHEEZ!!!

[PointGuard]

WADDA YA NUTS!!! Ya coulda gone ta a bigger, better school for more money, a bigger budget... CHEEZ!!!

Heh, well here’s some examples of coaches who didn’t jump at moving up to “bigger, better” schools and earning more money with a bigger budget:

Everett Shelton, 21 yrs and 328 wins at Wyoming

Doggie Julian, 18 yrs at Dartmouth with 3 NCAA berths

Pete Carril, 514 wins at Princeton with 11 NCAA berths (and creation of the Princeton Offense)

Edgar Diddle, 43 years and 759 wins at Western Kentucky

Jim Phelan, 49 yrs and 830 wins at Mount St. Mary’s

Clair Bee, 21 yrs at Rider and Long Island University, .824 winning percentage, 43 consecutive wins at LIU, invented 1-3-1 zone

Phil Woolpert, 243-168 record at San Francisco and San Diego including 60 game win streak (oh, do the names Bill Russell, Hal Perry and KC Jones ring any bells…Woolpert challenged convention by using those 3 black starters at the same time). After retiring he became a school bus driver in Sequim, Washington.

Oh yeah, none of those schools are big name NCAA schools or from power conferences.

KD Durst hasn’t created an offense or zone, but is getting known for his “Recruit like it means…EVERYTHING” philosophy.

[PointGuard]

Durst Makes Surprise Announcement
By Steve Porter

On the heels of his recent agreement to continue as head coach for Youngstown State, KD Durst announced that he will be marrying Jacqueline Potrero in early June. Those close to Durst seemed surprised by the news. Meg Laundreau, the administrative assistant for the Athletic Department, exclaimed, “This was a shock but definitely a pleasant one. KD keeps his private life very private so none of us knew that he was seriously involved with anyone. Jacqueline attends a lot of basketball and football games at YSU and has been an active member of the Penguins Colony so we all know and like her. We’re all excited by the news of their impending marriage and happy that KD’s found his soulmate.”

Ms Potrero is a graduate of Smith College and is Director of Marketing for Darnell Industries in Youngstown. She moved to the area two years ago when the company took over the Vorstadt Metals plant that had been vacant since 1979 in the midst of major deindustrialization that decimated the city and resulted in the loss of over 50% of the city’s population. Darnell has been a stabilizing factor in the city’s economy and has also been a major supporter of Youngstown State athletics.

Last year the NCAA investigated activities of Carlton Darnell, Vice President of the company and son of the company’s founder Bradford Darnell, due to allegations of possible improper actions involving recruits of the University. No action by the NCAA resulted from their investigation.

[PointGuard]

YSU Recruiting Cranks into High Gear
By Steve Porter

The Penguins basketball program recently stepped up their recruiting efforts with the aim of filling 4 scholarships that will come available at the end of this coming season.

Shannon Winn, the recruiting assistant for Coach KD Durst, said, “Following a year when recruiting was at a low ebb and we had but two scholarships to fill, we will now have four players graduating next May. PG Pat White, SG Matt Angner, and SF’s Colin Chambliss and Lee Pauly will complete their eligibility. While our strong interior core will remain intact, that means we need to bring in some strong perimeter players.”

Winn indicated that beyond making good use of the Midwest Recruiting Report, the team will be attending the Chicago Prep Revue. “We’re still focusing on recruits within the region but it’d be great to steal one or two good ones from outside the region so we’ll keep our feelers out there. Now that we’ve been to the NCAA Tourney the past 3 years, we’re beginning to get known a little outside the region. It’s still difficult to go up against the many great programs around the country that have much larger recruiting budgets, so we need to be smart, efficient … and aggressive,” Winn acknowledged.

[PointGuard]

Durst Cries "FOUL!"
By Steve Porter

The 2022-2023 basketball schedule for the Youngstown State Penguins was released today by the school’s athletic department. Only 2 of the team’s 9 pre-conference games will be at home.

@ Ohio
@ Gardner Webb
@ Massachusetts
@ Kansas State
DUQUESNE
@ George Mason
UTEP
@ Ball State
@ UNLV

“I asked Vic Morrissey for a ‘balanced’ schedule, but I guess he understood my request to be a ‘bad-assed’ schedule,” commented Coach KD Durst. “7 of 9 on the road. We’re going to have to play our asses off to come out of this with a decent record. But we wanted to play some good teams and getting good teams to come here to go up against us. I’m happy he was able to schedule a game with Gardner Webb, though. It will be fun to take on Steve Simmons team.” Simmons was an assistant coach for Durst before taking on the head coaching reins for the Bulldogs a few months ago.

[PointGuard]

Recruiting Success for Penguins
By Steve Porter

The first recruit to commit to play for YSU next season is Doylan Anderson, a 6’1” SG who is a senior at Virginia High School in Virginia, Illinois. Anderson averaged 15.7 ppg with 3.6 rpg, 1.6 apg, 1.6 spg, and 0.7 bpg as a junior last season. Although ranked higher this summer, he presently is ranked #612 in the nation. The Penguins’ recruiting coach Shannon Winn said, “We’ve been impressed with Doylan ever since watching him at the Chicago Prep Revue where he was evaluated as one of the top 10 players at that camp. He has a nice outside shot and is a good scorer. He’s a very good passer and a sound ball handler. He plays solid defense and gets his share of steals. He’s an athletic kid who doesn’t cause problems.”

With three scholarships left to fill and the season about to begin, Winn indicated that the recruiting activity level will reduce. “We have a lot of recruits showing interest in our program but not yet ready to commit, so we’ll continue to make contact with the aim of increasing their interest level. Then this spring we can get acceptance of our scholarship offers,” advised Winn. He confirmed that their focus still remains on perimeter players.

[PointGuard]

Penguins Ready For Start of Season
By Steve Porter

With the first game of the season just a few days off, Coach KD Durst announced that the starting lineup for his team will be Pat White at PG, Matt Angner at SG, Colin Chambliss at SF, Donnie Williams at PF, and Will O’Neil at C.

“I guess the only surprise is that freshman Donnie Williams will be starting. We expected him to be a key reserve but he’s shown tremendous development during our practices this fall. He really has blossomed,” said Durst.

6’5” senior Pat White who transferred from Oregon after starting the entire year there as a freshman, has been the Penguins starting PG the past two seasons and averaged 11.0 ppg and 5.4 apg last year. Backing him up will be 6’2” sophomore Matt Stafford who averaged 3.2 ppg and 1.1 apg even though he played an average of just 6.5 mpg last season. 6’4” senior Blake Elleby, a walkon, may also see some time at PG.

6’5” senior Matt Angner, who started half the games least season and averaged 7.5 ppg after playing two seasons of JC ball not only will be the full-time starter but can also fill in at PG. 6’5” junior Noel Manley has seen limited action the past two seasons and averaged 1.4 ppg last year, but he’s expected to be the primary backup at SG this year. 6’4” freshman Mike Lofton, while unlikely to play much early in the season, maybe see more minutes as he gains experience at the college level.

6’3” senior Colin Chambliss, who has started every game at SF during his first three years with the team and who averaged 8.6 ppg and 5.8 rpg last season, will again be solidify the team on both ends of the court since he was the Horizon League’s Defensive Player of the Year last season. As in previous seasons, he likely will also see time at SG and PF due to his flexibility and capabilities. 6’6” junior James Asbury, who averaged 2.6 ppg last year returns as Chambliss’ backup. He is expected to be on the court more this year and could also see time at SG. 6’7” senior Lee Pauly, who split his time in the past at SF and PF and averaged 4.6 ppg and 4.4 rpg last year, is expected to do the same this season and continue to be a key reserve.

6’7” freshman Donnie Williams has shown scoring, rebounding, and defensive capabilities in practice at PF. But 6’8” junior Leroy Delea, who got limited playing time in his first two years at YSU, developed strongly over the summer and will be a key reserve this year and could start in the event Williams doesn’t produce as Durst expects. Besides Pauly getting playing time at PF, its possible that 6’6” walkon senior Lance Robinson may get some playing time.

6’8” junior Will O’Neil, who has been the Horizon League’s Player of the Year in both of his seasons with the Penguins, will again be the key player in the middle. O’Neil averaged 15.5 ppg and 7.3 rpg last year and was a very strong defender. 6’10” sophomore Andre Lilly, who started extensively at PF last year and averaged 8.2 ppg and 4.1 rpg, will be the primary backup at C as well as getting minutes at PF. 6’9” sophomore Morris Phelan, who averaged 3.9 ppg and 2.3 rpg as a freshman, again will get extensive minutes coming off the bench to fill in at C and PF.

Following three straight seasons as Horizon League champs, Youngstown State is the solid favorite to repeat to win league honors. UIC led by high-scoring SG Ronald Spruel and Wisconsin-Green Bay led by talented C Jamil Weekes are considered to be the top challengers to the Penguins this season.

[PointGuard]

[Successfully imported this DDSCB2018 association into DDSCB2019, so all future play will use the new version of DDSCB.]

[PointGuard]

Youngstown State Opens Season on the Road
By Steve Porter

Youngstown State’s men’s basketball took a 3-1/2 hour bus ride south to Athens, Ohio to begin their season by taking on the Ohio Bobcats. Following a season when they won 23 games and got to the 2nd round of the NCAA Tournament, the Bobcats slumped last season to a 14-15 record. Coach Mike Clagget said, “We went to post-season tournaments each of the first three seasons I was head coach for Ohio and it hurt last season when we had such a subpar record. We’re intent on turning things around this season and are excited to host the Penguins.”

The Penguins’ defense shone in the first half. YSU held onto a small lead for the first 10 minutes as the Bobcats’ SG Alojzy Wieruszowski kept Ohio within reach by scoring 10 points. Then the Penguins’ offense caught fire and they began to pull away. With 7 minutes remaining in the half the lead expanded to 34-16. When YSU drove ahead 43-20, it sucked the air right out of the Bobcats’ fans in Ohio’s Convocation Center forcing the Bobcats to call a timeout to try to stem the Penguins’ momentum. When the buzzer sounded ending the first half, Youngstown State was in solid control 50-30 as they outshot the Bobcats 59% to 36% and forced Ohio to make 13 turnovers while making just 6 themselves. C Will O’Neil scored 12 points in the half to lead YSU’s attack. Ohio’s Alojzy Wieruszowski also scored 12.

The Penguins cruised to a 31 point lead midway through the 2nd half and then coasted at the end of the game to come away with an 86-66 thrashing of Ohio. Youngstown State dropped in 49% of their shots while Ohio managed just 38%. The Penguins out-rebounded the Bobcats 43-28 and held a 20-15 turnover advantage. YSU scored 36 points in the paint while holding Ohio to just 12 points in the paint and also held a 14-4 advantage on fast break points.

C Will O’Neil scored 16, grabbed 5 rebounds, handed out 3 assists, and had 3 steals and a block. SF Colin Chambliss scored 11 while hauling down 8 boards. PG Pat White scored 10 and dished out 5 assists. SF Lee Pauly had 9 rebounds in just 12 minutes on the court. Ohio’s SG Alojzy Wieruszowski scored 20 and had 7 rebounds, a steal and 3 blocks.

“We had a great team effort tonight,” said Coach KD Durst. “Eleven of our players put points on the board and we got good production from all 5 positions with both starters and subs contributing. It’s always nice to put a W on the board, especially in our season opener.”

When asked about his reaction to starting in his first collegiate game, PF Donnie Williams replied, “I was pretty excited at the tip-off, but the guys got me right into the flow. That got rid of the butterflies, and I was happy to be able to contribute.” He finished with 5 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, a steal and a block.

[PointGuard]

Ex-Assistant Coach Takes on Penguins
By Steve Porter

Youngstown State’s game last night against the Gardner-Webb Bulldogs pitted the Penguins’ head coach KD Durst against his former 1st Assistant Coach Steve Simmons who was hired to be the Bulldogs’ head coach after last season.

Coach Simmons announced prior to the game that SG Justin Daniel, who scored 23 points for Gardner-Webb in their season opener, would start but see only limited action due to an injury to his calf. “Not only are we taking on what I know to be a formidable opponent, but we have to do it with our star player injured. When I arrived on campus back in May, I also found out that our best interior player was out for the season with a torn MCL. Talk about being snake-bitten,” said Simmons.

The Penguins shot extremely well in the first half, hitting 61% of their shots, but Gardner-Webb knocked down 56% of their shots and kept the game close by sinking 8 of 12 3-pointers. The half ended with YSU on top 45-41. C Will O’Neil put 14 points on the board in the half, but the Bulldog’s SF Kevin Felder scored 12. Early in the half, PF LeRoy Delea went down with an injury and went to the locker room for the rest of the game.

Gardner-Webb pulled ahead 50-49 with 17 minutes to go as the offense sputtered for the Penguins. YSU played as though in a daze and fell behind by as much as 5 points before rallying to regain the lead with less than 10 minutes remaining in the game and following a time out when Coach Durst could be seen shouting at his players. Will O’Neil then began carrying the Penguins with Will seeming to score at will. With 4:37 remaining, he drove to the hoop to put the Penguins ahead 77-66. The Bulldogs continued to melt down and the Penguins scored their second road victory to the tune of 93-74. Youngstown State held a 61% to 49% shooting advantage, a 16-9 turnover advantage, and controlled the boards 35-22.

C Will O’Neil scored 31 points while pulling down 6 rebounds, dishing out 2 assists, and getting 2 steals and 2 blocks. SF/PF Lee Pauly came off the bench to score 11, SF Colin Chambliss hit for 10 as did reserve PG Matt Stafford. PG Pat White handed out 13 assists. For Gardner-Webb, SG Justin Daniel was on the court 18 minutes but could only manage to score 6 points. SF Kevin Felder scored 15 to lead the Bulldogs offensively.

“Steve Simmons is doing a heck of job coaching the Bulldogs. They outplayed us for the first 30 minutes. He’s really getting the best from the talent pool he has, but I’m not surprised by that. We finally got untracked in the last 10 minutes, primarily due to the leadership of Will O’Neil. He just took the team on his shoulders and carried them to victory,” said Coach KD Durst. “This is the 2nd straight game that Matt Stafford has come in and provided some instant offense. Pat White did a good job of court generalship.”