Fourth-year Head Coach Jerry Slocum is one of just 16 active NCAA men’s basketball coaches to record more than 600 career victories.
    Now in his 34th season as a head coach, Slocum ranks sixth among active Division I mentors with 610 wins.
    Slocum became just the 47th individual in NCAA history to win at least 600 games as a head coach. He reached his milestone victory on Feb. 22, 2007, when the Penguins defeated Wright State.
    While he achieved a historic personal accomplishment, Slocum has always been about the success of his players and his program over the attention he receives.
    Slocum, who is the 12th head coach in school history, has tremendous energy around the basketball court and his passion for the game has shown in the way the Penguins have played under his tutelage.
    In his three seasons at YSU, three of Slocum players reached the coveted 1,000 point plateau and two have received professional contracts.
    Last season, Byron Davis, who ranked fourth in the Horizon League with 15.5 points per game, and John Barber each eclipsed the 1,000 point total during their final season of eligibilty.
    Vytas Sulskis set the YSU freshman record with 46 3-pointers and was named to the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Freshman All-America Team.
    In 2006-07, the Guins played a school-record 31 games, won seven HL contests while posting 14 overall victories. YSU won a postseason game for the first time since March 2003 and played host to a postseason tilt for the first time since 1995. In the five-point-or-less nailbiters, Youngstown State was 7-1 and all 14 wins came when shooting better than an opponent.
    During the year YSU had two three-game winning streaks in a schedule that featured three Big Ten foes, including NCAA finalist Ohio State. The Guins also earned victories over tournament participants Wright State and Eastern Kentucky.
    Guard Quin Humphrey became the school’s first two-time first-team all-conference selection and after his career signed a professional contract to play in Europe.
    In 2005-06, YSU had its first Horizon League first-team all-conference performer in Humphrey while Keston Roberts made the all-newcomer team. The Guins had the leading individuals in scoring, rebounding and assists in the League, only the second time in the league’s 26 years that a team accomplished that feat.
    Youngstown State showed no fear from the outside attempting a school-record 578 3-pointers while making 191 - the second most. The Guins cut way down on turnovers - the 368 was the fourth fewest ever - and were solid from the free-throw line making 70.6 percent - the fifth-highest ever by a YSU team.
    Slocum, who has the distinction of being the winningest coach at three different schools, was named YSU’s head coach on April 12, 2005. He hit the ground running and the program has been moving forward ever since.
    Slocum has been involved in almost 1,000 games as he enters his 34th season. Overall, he has a mark of 610-384 in his career coaching at four different schools.
    Slocum came to the Mahoning Valley after a distinguished nine-year tenure at Division II Gannon in Erie, Pa. He led the Golden Knights to a 179-78 record and six straight appearances in the NCAA Division II Tournament.
    His teams have been very successful on all levels during his career as a head coach. In his 34 years, he has had 25 winning seasons, while posting 19 20-win campaigns.
    Gannon finished first -- three times -- or second in the South Division of the GLIAC in each of his nine years.
    In 2000-01 and 2001-02 his squad tied for the South Division title after winning the outright crown in 1999-2000. In 2001, Gannon advanced to the GLIAC Tournament title game for the first time in school history losing to Grand Valley State.
    Slocum was named the GLIAC Coach of the Year following the 1999-2000 campaign after leading the Golden Knights to a 16-3 league mark. That season his team posted a 23-5 ledger setting his personal best at the school for wins in a season and winning percentage (.821).
    While at Gannon, he recorded his 500th career coaching victory against Edinboro on Nov. 20, 2001.
    He owned a .696 winning percentage at the school while averaging just under 20 wins per season.
    His players at Gannon earned numerous awards. He had six All-Americans, one Academic All-American, one Division II National Player of the Year (Troy Nesmith in 1997) and two conference players of the year.
    At Geneva, he was a consistent winner posting 20-win campaigns in his final eight seasons with the Golden Tornadoes. In his stint as head coach, he had a 202-81 overall mark for a winning percentage of .714.
    He helped the program make four NAIA Division I Tournament appearances during his tenure. The first came in 1989-90, which was the first time Geneva had qualified for the postseason event since 1956. He had two 28-win seasons (1992-93 and 1993-94) along with a 27-win campaign in 1991-92 while at Geneva.
    In his final year at Geneva in 1995-96, the Golden Tornadoes finished 24-7 and advanced to the quarterfinals of the NAIA Tournament. The previous year, Geneva was 26-6 and won a first-round game in the NAIA Tournament. The win marked the school’s first in the postseason tournament since 1956.
    His 400th career win came when Geneva defeated Montana State-Northern in the opening round of the 1996 NAIA Tournament. He picked up his 300th career victory against Ohio Valley early in the 1992-93 campaign. His 200th win came in his first game as the head coach at Geneva against Bethany in 1987.
    Slocum’s head-coaching experience began at Nyack College in Nyack, N.Y., from 1975 through 1987.
    He spent 12 seasons in charge of the Warriors’ program finishing with a 199-166 overall record for a .545 winning percentage. He ended his tenure strong winning at least 20 games in his final six seasons. His best campaign was a 25-8 mark in 1984-85. He was inducted into the Nyack Athletics Hall of Fame in October 2001.
    Slocum is a 1975 graduate of The Kings, N.Y., College where he earned his bachelor’s degree in Physical Education. He earned a Master’s Degree in Athletic Administration from the U.S. Sports Academy in 1987.
    Jerry and his wife Kim, have a son, Aaron, a daughter, Annelli and a grandson, Aidan.
    Aaron is an assistant football coach and special education teacher at Erie Cathedral Prep while Annelli is a paralegal in Youngstown.