| Versatile Junior College Player, George Cotal Signs With YSU |
| Tuesday, August 1 2006 |
| Courtesy of: |
| Youngstown – Youngstown State men's basketball coach Jerry Slocum announced the signing to a National Letter of Intent by former Hostos Community College standout George Cotal (Bronx, N.Y.) on Tuesday. Cotal will have two years of eligibility remaining with the Penguins beginning in 2006-07. At Hostos, the 6-foot-5, 200-pound Cotal played four positions and as a sophomore helped the Caimans to the Division III National Championship during the 2004-05 campaign. He attended the school on a part-time basis during the 2005-06 academic year to earn his Associate's Degree and keep his final two years of eligibility intact. Slocum said Cotal, who attended Christopher Columbus High School, is a talented player who will fit in the YSU program well. "We are very excited to get a player of George's caliber at this point of the year," Slocum said. "He is a winner and tough hard-nosed competitor who comes from a great program and played for a strong coach at Hostos Community College. George is very talented in a lot of ways and will be able to play all three wing positions for us." Cotal said the relationship between his junior college coach and Coach Slocum helped pave the way for his signing with Youngstown State. "My coach has worked with and known Coach Slocum for a long time so it was an important factor," Cotal said. "Coach Slocum is a good person, a good teacher and a very fair person. When I came on my visit I spoke with him and Coach (Michael) Wernicki and they seemed like really helpful and cool people. I know I can learn a lot from them and get better. "I liked the whole campus, I really liked the facilities and basically just everything about Youngstown. Coach showed me all around and I really had a good time. I just fell in love with it." At Hostos, Cotal was a key part during the National title run his sophomore year. He was named to the All-Tournament Team as the Caimans defeated Joliet Community College 73-71 capturing the 2005 NJCAA Division III National Championship. In the title game, he scored 14 points and had four assists. In the quarterfinal victory over Montgomery, Cotal finished with 19 points and three steals, while in the two-point semifinal win over Minneapolis, he finished with 13 points and a team-high six rebounds. During the semifinal victory, Cotal made three key free throws in the final minute to help seal the victory. Cotal said being a part of a National Championship team is something he will never forget. "It was an unbelievable experience," he said. "Even to this day, I still can't believe it. We all just came together and played as a unit at the right time. When I look at the pictures and clippings it is just a great feeling. We didn't have as much talent as the other teams, but we worked good as a group and just outworked them." He was also impressive during the march to the Elite Eight as he was named to the all-tournament team during the Region XV Championships. In the title game he had 13 points following a 21-point, seven-rebound outing in a semifinal victory. The postseason run started as Hostos cruised to its second consecutive CUNY Athletic Conference Tournament title. In the championship game, Cotal finished with 10 points and five rebounds as the Caimans cruised to a 26-point win over Kingsborough. For his efforts during the regular season, Cotal was an honorable-mention All-Region XV selection. The Caimans finished his sophomore campaign with a 22-9 mark. As a freshman, he was part of a Hostos team which finished 23-9 and reached the Region XV semifinals. The Caimans won their first-ever CUNY tournament title in 2003-04. In the two game conference tournament he finished with 19 rebounds, including 12 in the semifinals. The opportunity to continue his basketball career at the Division I level is something that is very special to him. "I'm just really excited about the whole situation," he said. "To come where I come from and knowing that a lot of people around here don't get a chance, this is great for me. Just to get the opportunity to come to Youngstown State, to play Division I ball, to get my degree -- It couldn't have worked out better. "I want to come to Youngstown and do whatever to help the team win. If they need me to rebound, I'm going to rebound. If they need me to guard the best person on the other team, I'll do that. Whatever they need me to do, I'll do it. I'm all about winning. If I score three points and we win, I'll be happy. I want to bring my toughness and a work-hard attitude with me." He said he selected YSU over Manhattan, Saint Peter's and Idaho. |