The Penguins never really got it going last year but they did have some injury issues including missing their top player, senior Leo Mogus, for more than half of the season. It also has some weaknesses with a lack of the kind of athleticism that defines D-1 basketball.  The team with the cool nickname really did not have the ‘wings’ to get off the ground.  This became obvious early on when Coach Dom Roselli’s team lost their first 10 games before finally beating Kent State at home.  It did not get much better and Roselli and the admin was looking for answers.  This will be the legendary coaches last season and I guarantee you that old gambler wants to go out with a bang. 

The thing is the Penguins do have some talent.  Not an awful lot but some.  Especially up front.  There is a plethora of big guys who will not be returning but put the Penguins on the map.  At least at the lower divisions.  Hometown hero Herb Lake is a solid inside player who knows how to play.  Lake is a tremendous rebounder who will take a charge and sets a mean screen.  Lake is as thick as Superior and does not spreading his girth around.  This square headed banger does not score often but does not miss many either.  Lake may be the toughest guy not only in Youngstown but in Ohio.   And that is saying something as this team is filled with very physical players.  But being tough is not all that Lake has to offer.  Lake is a very solid player with good overall skills who loves to play.

Maybe the most talented player on the roster is the aforementioned big man Leo Mogus.  He is at least the best all-around athlete.  Mogus had a legendary all around sports career and is just the type of guy who might get a chance at the next level because he is a true stud.  Undersized for a post Mogus teamed with Lake to form a formidable pair of post players since they arrived three years ago.  Mogus can score, defend, pass and rebound but he tore up his knee in early December and nobody knows if he will be back to full strength.  He got a medical redshirt for last year (they seem to be giving those out like candy nowadays) and will return. There is only one true legend from this town and his name is Mogus, but will he be back to his phenomenal form.

Fellow senior Will Teague missed a lot of his junior year as well but has the size to intimidate in the paint when healthy.  This 6’10 post poses an imposing view when he is planted in the key on defense. Teague is a gentle big man though who is too passive and can’t seem to stay healthy.  Speaking of big men who can dominate a game that leads us the biggest enigma on the team in sophomore center Ricky Tunstall.  Tunstall is a horse inside.  He has some skills as well.  He can block shots and has a decent back to the basket game.  He does, however, have the tendency to take a night off. Or Two. Or Three. His motivation is his problem.  Like a lot of big men, Tunstall does not work hard enough and gets by on size and natural talent.  He has the potential to be something really special especially in this league but needs to work to get better.  Senior Dave Culliver might be the most talented big man on the roster and can dominate games but is undersized for post. Roselli is counting on this skilled big man to play the three this year which may not work.  Roselli has implied the same with Mogus but this seems like extreme measures after a bad year.  Mickey Yugovich is another big man who is undersized and produced decent numbers.  This Grandpa Munster looking dude is way too skinny for this level but did have a good season for the Penguins and the kids love him (well they love his name but who doesn’t).

Senior two guard John McElroy was the main go to guy on the perimeter.  McElroy can flat light it up.  He scored 42 in a game versus Western Michigan and was on pace to averaging 15 points a game.  He was pushed by a couple of youngsters and Roselli cut back his playing time late or he might have led the team in scoring.  He is an athletic wing who can light it up from beyond the arc or getting to the hoop.  He will be missed. 

Fellow Senior wing Tony Knott is also a terrific scorer but was nowhere near athletic enough for this level of play.  Roselli stuck with him way too long as he should have went with some of his young kids on the wing.  This kid from Ferrell is extremely gifted at getting to the hoop and drawing fouls and then converting free throws. 

Thank Goodness the best player on the team will be coming back again after breaking out as a sophomore.  Mogus’s injury opened the door for Covington and he drove right through becoming the leading scorer and rebounder on the team.  The primary scoring option on the Penguins is the aforementioned Junior Jeff Covington.  Covington has a good all-around offensive game and the kind of body that is perfect for the battles in the paint of this glorious game.  This smooth lefty is a terrific low post player and really showed in his third year that he has the goods. At six seven he is a natural power forward and dominates when he gets the ball down low with a variety of moves that showcases his power. He is also a solid rebounder who plays bigger than his 6’7 height and 210 pounds.  Covington hangs out primarily around the basket but he can hit jumpers as well up to about 15 feet.  He earned first team all-league honors and could be the best player in the conference this year.  

Running the show this season for the Penguins was junior Billy Johnson.  Johnson is a terrific distributor who shares the wealth and can really drive.  He loves to penetrate and is just as likely to score as pass.  Roselli found this kid when he was coaching the baseball team (he used to do both) in Canton on the black top and brought him to Youngstown to be his point guard.  He has not disappointed as this talkative youngster is a natural leader.  He might not have the athleticism of some of the point guards in this league but he gets the job done with guile and skill.   This kid can score but his best attribute is his passing as Rosellis said ‘this kid handed out more assists than a traffic cop in downtown New York City.’  Roselli did try to get someone to replace Johnson throughout the season but nobody was quite as good.   Fellow Junior Terry ‘Playboy’ Moore is a terrific passer but is not quick enough to guard Division one point guards.  Johnson and Covington form the nucleus of the team for next year.  Seniors Roy Kroll and Charlie Moore got shots as well and did okay.  Moore has always been a terrific defensive player but his ballhandling skills were not up to par.  Kroll is a leader but he was not as gifted offensively as Johnson in the long run.  Sophomore Burce Timko also got some time and can pass and might push the two seniors for the backup job.  This was an ongoing issue for this team as Roselli went through 17 different players, of course some of this was due to just trying to find some guys who could play at this level.  Other guards who got some time were seniors Red Jones and the awkwoodly named Joe Nigro plus junior Gerald Parks coming up from JV finally.  These guys can score a little but are nowhere near the offensive players McElroy and Knott are.  The two Rons were part of this and will be back as backup forwards.  Ron Allen’s brother Dick is a 3rd Baseman for the Phillies and this kid plays baseball as well. He was useful last year with all of the injuries but he has made it clear he will be pursuing a shot he has been given by the Cardinals for next spring.  Smith is a 6’4 leaper has had two years being the leading scorer on JV and is ready to prove he can play at this level.  There is a whole slew of second year forwards ready to move up from JV led by Tilman Bevely who had some huge games last year and can light it up from three and go inside. 

The Youngstown State Penguins are not world beaters. The Penguins are not high flyers but can at least paddle along if they can get some talent and for gosh sake Ohio has talent.  Bouncing around leagues for the last few years has not helped but there should be more in the cupboard than Roselli has accumulated being the coach here since the NAIA dominance.  The sad thing is about the future of this program is that Roselli relied on his upperclassmen for most of the year before he pulled the plug and started playing the young kids. There realistically should be enough talent up front especially with the best player in the program’s history coming back after injury. If he has any left in the tank.  In Leo Mogus’s absence sophomore Jeff Covington stepped up and became the main man.  Covington will be playing the four mainly next year (we all hoep) and will lead this team in scoring and rebounding again.  Now if he can help march these Penguins away from ridicule into contention that would be a major achievement even on those mighty broad shoulders.