| Slocum Completes Staff With Hiring of Byron Thorne |
| Monday, May 16 2005 |
| Courtesy of: |
| Youngstown -- Youngstown State Head Men's Basketball Coach Jerry Slocum announced on Monday that he has completed his coaching staff with the addition of assistant coach Byron Thorne. Throne, who most recently was the head coach of the Maryland Elite 17-Under AAU team, has nine years of experience as a collegiate assistant coach. "Byron is a native of Pittsburgh and has had coaching stints in New York and Maryland so he is well connected throughout those portions of the country," Slocum said. "He has handled a variety of duties throughout his coaching career and his personality compliments our staff and players well." Thorne was an assistant coach at Loyola (Md.) from 2000-01 through 2003-04 on Scott Hicks' staff. For the Greyhounds he handled recruiting, scouting, on-floor coaching and worked primarily with the perimeter players. He was an assistant coach at the University of Albany for three seasons (1997-2000) also for Hicks. The Great Danes moved from the Division II ranks to Division I during his tenure. His first assistant coaching position was with Division III Elmyria College from 1995 through 1997. Thorne said he is excited to join the Youngstown State coaching staff. "I look forward to working with the great staff that is in place here," Thorne said. "I've known Mike (Wernicki) and Brian (DePaoli) for awhile and Coach Slocum's track record of success speaks for itself. It is also a chance to move closer to my hometown and I hope we can continue to keep Coach Slocum's ways of winning in tact here." A graduate of Penn State-Behrend in Erie, Pa., Thorne was recently inducted into his alma mater's Athletics Hall of Fame. He finished his four-year career ranked first in career steals, second in points scored, third in assists and fourth in field-goals made. He earned his degree in management information systems from PSU-Behrend in 1994 before receiving his Master's in Education from Elmira in 1997. A native of Pittsburgh, Pa., Thorne graduated from Vincentian High School. |
| Penguins Release Intriguing 2005-06 Schedule |
| Friday, May 13 2005 |
| Courtesy of: |
| Youngstown -- In a schedule that features numerous intriguing matchups, new Head Coach Jerry Slocum's first game at Youngstown State will come in the state where he coached the past nine years when the Penguins tip off the 2005-06 campaign at St. Francis (Pa.) on Saturday, Nov. 19. The YSU Athletic Department released the entire 2005-06 men's basketball schedule on Friday. Overall, Slocum's first slate as the Penguins' head coach features four home non-conference games and seven road tilts, including the 2006 Bracket Buster matchup in February -- to go along with 16 Horizon League matchups. YSU plays five of its first seven contests on the road. After opening the season in Loretto, Pa., against the Red Flash, YSU plays its home opener against Slippery Rock (Nov. 23), before renewing local rivalries with Akron (Nov. 26) and Kent State (Nov. 30). The Rock and YSU have played every year since the 1996-97 season. The Penguins travel down Interstate 76 to face the Zips for the first time since December 1994. It will mark the 74th meeting in the series, although it will be the first between the schools in almost 11 years. Kent State, which YSU last played in December 2001, is back at the Beeghly Center while making a return to the schedule in what will be the 39th meeting between the programs. It marks the first time that the Penguins will face Akron and the Golden Flashes in the same season since 1959-60. YSU continues non-league action with a Sunday road game at Marshall (Dec.4) before returning the 2005 Bracket Buster meeting to Eastern Michigan on Dec. 7. YSU last played at Marshall when the Penguins were a member of the Ohio Valley Conference in December 1987. The last time the Penguins made a trip to Eastern Michigan was February 1989. A busy week before final exams concludes with a Saturday road game at St. Bonaventure (Dec. 10). The Penguins and Bonnies last met on the hardwood in January 1952. After finals week, the Penguins are back in action against Duquesne at the Beeghly Center (Dec. 17). The Dukes' last visit to Youngstown was in December 1951. YSU has played at Duquesne in two of the previous three seasons with the Dukes winning both meetings. Youngstown State then plays host to James Madison in the first-ever meeting between the two programs on Dec. 21 at the Beeghly Center. The first game following the Christmas holiday is a return trip to Siena for its visit to YSU last season. Last year, the Penguins and Saints played a four-overtime game at the Beeghly Center, the second-longest contest in school history. YSU has never played at Siena in what will be just the third meeting between the programs. Slocum's first Horizon League campaign begins on Dec. 31 with a New Year's Eve contest at UIC. YSU remains in the Windy City for the New Year to play Loyola on Monday, Jan. 2. The Penguins return home to face UW-Green Bay on Thursday, Jan. 5, before traveling up to Detroit on Saturday (Jan. 7). Following the four-games-in-eight-days stretch opening the league schedule, things calm down with four straight home games over a 19-day span. YSU plays host to Wright State on Jan. 12, Cleveland State on Jan. 14, Butler on Jan. 21 and UW-Milwaukee on Jan. 26. The last time the Penguins played four straight home games was in December and January of the 1998-99 season while the previous time YSU played four consecutive conference games at home was during the 1995-96 campaign. The Penguins face the daunting task of playing six of their final nine games away from the Beeghly Center. Of those nine, eight are league games and five will be on the road as dictated by the conference office. YSU takes to the road for contests at Cleveland State (Jan. 28) and at Wright State (Jan. 30) heading into the final month of the season. After a Feb. 2 home game against UIC, YSU plays at UW-Milwaukee on Feb. 9 and at UW-Green Bay on Feb. 11. The Penguins play host to Detroit on Feb. 15 before participating in the Bracket Buster event for the third straight season on Feb. 18. The final league road game of the year is at Butler on Feb. 22 before the regular season concludes on Feb. 25 against Loyola at Beeghly. |