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You can say it was a fitting end to long-tenured career. On Tuesday, Jerry Slocum retired as the Youngstown State men's basketball coach.
Slocum, 65, arguably had the biggest win in his 12 seasons as the Penguins' mentor when YSU upset top-seeded Oakland Saturday in the quarterfinals of the Horizon League Tournament.
It was the first time the Penguins advanced to the semifinals of a conference tournament since the 1998-99 season in the Mid-Continent Conference -- almost two decades ago.
The Golden Grizzlies collapsed on the league's leading scorer, Cameron Morse, with the game on the line. He then found a wide-open Jorden Kaufman for the game-winning lay-up which was replayed on ESPN and social media.
The celebration only lasted until tip-off Monday against fourth-seeded Northern Kentucky, which split with the Penguins this season. From the tip, Northern Kentucky held off the upstart Penguins and thwarted two YSU runs to eventually reach Tuesday's title game against 10th-seeded Milwaukee, which also split with YSU.
Slocum started at YSU in 2005, taking over for current Kentucky assistant coach John Robic, who endured some tumultuous years in the Horizon League -- including a lengthy league road losing streak.
Slocum, who guided Nyack, Geneva and Gannon to many 20-win seasons, tried his hand at NCAA Division I basketball. He took on the job, like most coaches do, as a challenge.
Slocum posted 723 career victories including 142 at Youngstown State, which finished behind only legendary mentor Dom Rosselli in career wins at YSU and are the most Division I wins in school history. His career wins rank No. 35 in NCAA history.
It was at Oakland, back in 2013 before the Golden Grizzlies had joined the Horizon League, where YSU won its first-ever postseason tournament game -- not including postseason league or conference games. The Penguins advanced to the second-round of the CollegeInsider.com postseason tournament that season when YSU went 18-16. They were 16-15 the season before for the first back-to-back winning seasons in almost 30 years.
The year the Penguins went 18-16, YSU defeated Georgia and George Washington to open the season.
YSU also had eight 1,000-point scorers under Slocum -- Morse, Kendrick Perry, Quin Humphrey, Vytas Sulskis, Bobby Hain, Blake Allen, Damian Eargle and John Barber. Barber, Perry, Humphrey and Morse were named to all-Horizon League teams.
In addition, players like Hain, Humphrey, Perry, Eargle, Kamren Belin and others have gone on to play professionally.
Morse was the first Penguins player to score at least 700 points in a season with 711 this season.
"We are extremely grateful that Jerry Slocum served as our men's basketball head coach for 12 seasons," YSU Executive Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Ron Strollo said in a news release. "His passion for the game of basketball and his desire to work with our student-athletes on and off the court is unmatched."
"Coach Slocum has proudly served young people and the game of basketball in a brilliant fashion," YSU President Jim Tressel said in a news release. "His 723 career wins are legendary; however, his work ethic and class differentiate his amazing career. We're so proud that Jerry served our Penguins."
Now, it is up to these two individuals, and possibly a search committee, to ultimately bring in the next YSU coach, which is going to be interesting to say the least.
A national search to replace Slocum is under way.
During Slocum's tenure he's handled his program by stressing academics as much as athletics, bringing out a true student-athlete.
Slocum and his staff really wanted to turn things around at YSU. They came in here with a plan to change the culture of this program. For a couple of years, it almost happened.
I remember associate coach Mike Wernicki, who has been with Slocum all 12 years at YSU, telling me early on things were going to change for the Penguins. Truly, Slocum and his staff wanted that change. Unfortunately it only lasted a couple of years. He ended his 12-year stint at YSU with a record of 142-231.
However, the next coach does have a foundation, something Slocum didn't have when he started in 2005.
No matter what you think about the former YSU coach, I can say this for sure, he was a caring individual who treated his players with respect and worked hard for them. He wanted them to do the same in return. Slocum always was about family, his and his YSU players and coaches. He always cared about doing what was right, not what was popular. For this, he put YSU in a great light.
Now, he has time to spend with his wife Kim, who was Jerry's biggest supporter in the stands. He'll also get more time to spend with his son (Aaron), daughter (Annelli), two grandsons (Aidan and Micah) and granddaughter (Aislyn) -- time well-deserved for a man who devoted his life to others.
If you were ever lucky enough to see coach about a half-hour after home games, you'd see him working with his grandson, Aidan, who I'm sure is going to be a great high school player. Slocum never stopped coaching, or caring.
"After 42 years of head coaching, I have been blessed and honored to have coached so many great young men and the privilege of working alongside some great assistant coaches," Slocum said in a news release. "At this time I'm announcing that I'm retiring from coaching and have loved every moment that I was called 'Coach.' "