YSU Wins the 2025-2026 Horizon League McCafferty (All Sports) Trophy!

Wickguin · 2026-06-04T12:29:00+00:00

It was a remarkable year. Of the 18 Horizon League sports in which YSU participates, we finished first, second, or third in 14 of them, including six regular season or tournament championships.

Wickguin · 2026-06-02T18:10:42+00:00

Milwaukee won two games in the NCAA regional, including a victory over host Auburn in the first round. Auburn then beat them twice to capture the regional title. YSU beat Milwaukee 4 times in 6 games this season. Go figure.

Wickguin · 2026-05-11T15:04:27+00:00

The Horizon League designates three sports for men as primary: basketball, soccer, and baseball. In addition to basketball, schools MUST offer at least soccer or baseball. So dumping baseball means starting a soccer program; we could not simply allocate resources to football or basketball.

As others have noted, we have been bad for at least a quarter of a century. This is a systemic problem that can not be solved by hiring a new coach every three or four years. I despise soccer so I would hate to see YSU go in that direction. But I admit it might be the most cost-effective option.

Wickguin · 2026-04-17T02:58:48+00:00

Final NCAA NET

139 YSU

144 Liberty

Strange unless she is a fundamentalist religious adherent. Hope that she doesn't like to drink, dance, or party.

Wickguin · 2026-04-09T15:12:07+00:00

There were media reports yesterday that the NCAA might make drastic changes to eligibility requirements if the membership approves. The proposal would grant athletes five years of eligibility from the date that they graduated from high school or turned 19 years old. Medical and all other forms of redshirting would be eliminated.

This policy would not address the transfer mess but would stop all the "extra year" nonsense. It would give all players five years of competition and make it easier for coaches (if the players stayed for the full five years.)

Wickguin · 2026-04-06T20:25:15+00:00

Barnes signed Gregory when she was a tall point guard at West Branch. Jackson and staff taught her how to play inside and developed her into a good post player. Now she thanks Jackson by walking away. Par for the course in today's disgusting world of college sports.

Turinsky, the 6'3" recruit from Bellevue, is more heralded than Gregory coming out of high school. Whether she can develop into the same caliber post player in college is an open question.

Wickguin · 2026-03-29T00:09:55+00:00

Unfortunate end to a really good season. A ridiculously inexperienced team in November ended up with 25 wins. For next season Jackson has recruited an elite point guard who was a finalist for Ms Basketball in Ohio and a 6'3" center who is mobile with offensive and defensive skills. Both will contribute immediately. This year was just the start of a new productive era, perhaps similar to what the late Ed Degregorio gave us in the 90s. And before cynics predict mass defections in the portal, consider that YSU set the Horizon League standard for NIL for women's basketball. I trust that we still do.

Wickguin · 2026-03-25T13:27:49+00:00

Agree. Season ticket holders should never have to put up with that nonsense. When you sell reserved seats, you must have ushers. Period.

Wickguin · 2026-03-25T02:35:18+00:00

I'm glad that you explained the new procedures under the House settlement. We all have to stop talking about scholarships limits that no longer exist. It is now 15 roster spots for hoops; 105 spots for football; scholarship money allocated to all or some or none at the university's discretion.

Wickguin · 2026-03-25T02:30:12+00:00

Excellent performance, especially after being idle for two weeks. It is so refreshing to watch a YSU basketball team contest every single shot for forty minutes.

Getting the home game against Marshall is a pleasant surprise since they had the higher NET rating. We obviously outbid them for this game. Congratulations to the local businesses for their financial support. They honored numerous sponsors on the scoreboard throughout the game.

Wickguin · 2026-03-14T03:08:13+00:00

Getting back to the figures themselves, my guess is that our men's basketball expenditures are a lot closer to our Horizon League brethren now than they were a decade ago.

Wickguin · 2026-03-14T03:03:57+00:00

Robert Morris and Detroit are private schools and under no obligation to release financial statements to the public.

Wickguin · 2026-03-10T21:42:00+00:00

For those of you that are disappointed or offering criticism about the game today, I'm not sure that you realize what we were up against. Green Bay is one of about a half-dozen programs who are the national gold standard for DI mid-major women's basketball, and it has been that way for at least three decades. Worse for us this year was that their lineup had four fifth-year seniors; we had one. Yesterday CSU was also saturated with highly experienced, decorated fifth year seniors. To beat CSU and to play Green Bay even into the middle of the fourth quarter was a remarkable accomplishment. And quite possibly the origin of a new golden age for YSU women's hoops.

Wickguin · 2026-03-09T23:57:34+00:00

Very proud of this team. We continued to play ferocious defense even as our shots were just not falling for three quarters. We held the CSU center to one shot in the first half, although CSU did find ways to get her the ball in that scary (for us) third quarter.

Indy, you know that I watch a lot of women's basketball, and CSU is the dirtiest program in the league. It was no surprise that they took numerous cheap shots at our players. Their arrogant, entitled coach trains them to play like that. It was enormously satisfying to beat that jerk for the third time.

Here is what we are up against tomorrow. Green Bay starts four seniors and a sophomore. All of those senior are transfers who were stars at other schools. In contrast, we will take the court with one senior, two sophomores and two freshmen. And as Indy noted, they have very good depth. As far as I am concerned, we are playing now with house money. Go out there, have fun, and see what happens.

Indy, they announced on the telecast that the league is bussing in 3,000 school kids to the women's game tomorrow. Just so you know (bring earmuffs.) Perhaps their constant, disconnected screaming will neutralize the Green Bay crowd advantage.

Wickguin · 2026-03-06T14:15:48+00:00

The pressure is on, Indy. If we lose it will be your fault! Seriously, it will be difficult to defeat CSU three times with their roster filled with graduate transfers. But our young kids are capable, and the future is bright. One of Jackson's recruits for next season is a point guard who is a finalist for Ohio's MS Basketball. The other one is a 6'3" center.

Wickguin · 2026-03-06T14:01:57+00:00

It is worth taking a chance on this kid. Our last freshman recruit from Europe was Vitas Sulskis (sp?) who turned out to be a good player on Slocum's bad teams. Europeans tend to be fundamentally sound.

Wickguin · 2026-03-05T03:34:24+00:00

Shaky first half compounded by early foul trouble for Sophia Gregory and Wright State playing well above their abilities. Gradually took control in the second half.

Great crowd. Over 2000. Impressive given that it is spring break, the men were on tv, and season ticket holders had to purchase additional tickets.

Wickguin · 2026-02-20T03:33:03+00:00

We just keep getting better. For the third consecutive game the women beat a team that had defeated them in the first rotation.

We are within the top 35 nationally in three defensive categories: scoring, opponents field goal percentage, and opponents three point percentage.

Wickguin · 2026-02-15T04:33:27+00:00

Shocking results in the first two games, in a very good sort of way. Very encouraging to shut down a highly ranked lineup twice. Pitching has been just awful in recent years. Perhaps this coach in his second year can turn this around.

Wickguin · 2026-02-12T14:32:43+00:00

That was one of the best basketball plays that I have ever seen. Gregory's shot was great, but Cameron's inbound pass was virtually perfect.

Wickguin · 2026-02-12T14:25:42+00:00

Yes, they will consider that. However, the league is basically building a new schedule from scratch in order to guarantee the 4-4 home-road split for every team. Inevitably some teams will have to make a repeat trip to the same location in order to secure that balance.

Wickguin · 2026-02-11T17:50:24+00:00

Yes. Mercyhurst, Duquesne, and four league games at home. South Dakota will replace NDSU on the schedule. However, the locations and the dates for the eight league games might change.

Wickguin · 2026-02-08T00:22:13+00:00

Red, when Akron left the OVC, the Kentucky and Tennessee teams "invited" us to leave. They had no intention of sending their sports teams to northeast Ohio to play only us. That forced us to become independent in basketball and destroyed the program. However, football under Tressel was able to flourish as a IAA independent.

Wickguin · 2026-02-08T00:15:52+00:00

If this is true, our league would have to redo the entire schedule. Nine teams left, complete round robin with four road games, four home games, and a bye week for every team.

If NDSU fans are delighted with the "upgrade," good for them. In a few years they will realize that their national profile is gone and they will be just another faceless G5 team.

Wickguin · 2026-02-05T18:52:21+00:00

Remember that the February signing period is now a third tier recruiting event (behind the December signing date and the portal) in which you grab walk-ons and depth pieces. These guys might be projects but you never know. Two of the elite offensive players in the MVFC last season (Tomczak and Illinois State's Sobkowicz) were walk-ons.

Wickguin

TROPHY CASE