BLOOMSBURG STATE COLLEGE MEN'S BASKETBALL 1975-76 VARSITY BASKETBALL ROSTER 1975-76 Name Nos . Closs Ht. Wt. High School Hometown Bloomsburg BRIGHT, STEVE* 32-33 Sophomore 6'5" 210 Central Columbia CROUSE, KEVIN 30-31 Sophomore 6'3" 165 Cocalico Denver EVANS, RICHARD** 22-23 Junior 6'3" 185 Conestoga Wayne West York JOSEPH, RICHARD* 10-11 Junior 6'0" 155 West York McVEIGH, JOHN 12-13 Sophomore s'1 o" 150 Bishop McDevitt Flourtown Pl ERCE, SPENCE 14-15 Sophomore 6'1" 165 Freedom Bethlehem RADOCHA, JERRY** 44-45 Junior 6'5" 190 Red Land New Cumberlanc SLOCUM, JEF F 34-35 Sophomore 6'5" 190 Abington Heights Clarks Summit WILLIAMS, AL* 24-25 Sophomore 6'5" 170 Art & Design Brooklyn, N.Y. YANNI, RICHARD* 20-21 Sen ior 6'2" 170 Wissahickon Ambler ~ Lettermen Teom Co-Captains Head Cooch CHAS. CHRONISTER - 5th season (75-28) Assistant Coaches BU RT RE ESE - 8th seaso n Head Coach Charles Chronister is shown with his co-captains Jerry Radocho (left) and Rich Evans . .. 2 M IKE HERBERT - 11th season GARY TYLER - 1st season Tearn Manage rs JIM HOLLISTER M IKE SCH WARZ HEAD COACH After four years as head coach at Bloomsburg State, CHARLES CHRONISTER and his varsity players and coaches have compiled a 75-2B won-lost record for a very enviable .72B winning percentage. During this time, his teams have won numerous in-season tournaments, established 30 team and individual Bloomsburg State records, participated in four consecutive post-season tournaments, and had the first Bloomsburg State team to win the NCAA Regional Tournament and go on to Evansville for the National Championship Tournament! Chronister is active in the National Coaches Association as the Chairman of the Hall of Fame Committee for District II of the NCAA; is invited as a guest lecturer at many of the best basketball schools and camps in the East; in May of 1974 spent two weeks in Brazil presenting clinics to players and coaches; was a guest lecturer at the prestigious Medalist Coaches Clinic in Cherry Hill, New Jersey in October of this year; and during the summer of 1976 will direct the first HUSKY BASKETBALL SCHOOL on the campus of Bloomsburg State. A native of East Berlin, Pennsylvania, Chronister attended Bermudian Springs High School where he was a standout athlete. He matriculated at East Stroudsburg State College and played varsity basketball and baseball for the Warriors. He earned both his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Health and Physical Education at ESSC. "1 J. During the 1962-63 season at East Stroudsburg, he served as freshman basketball coach and guided the team to a 17-2 record. He went to Gettyburg after three successful years at Hanover (Pa.) High School. At Hanover, his jayvee and varsity teams were 59-9 while winning county championships and participating in the PIAA District Ill Class A playoffs. Cooch Chronister joined the Bloomsburg faculty during the summer of 1971 coming from Gettysburg College where he was the assistant basketball coach for four years. In addition to coaching the freshman team at Gettysburg, one of his chief responsibilities was recruiting talent for head coach Bob Hulton. This aspect of his coaching background has been most valuable to Bloomsburg State as he and assistant Coach Burt Reese have filled the team roster with outstanding athletes in their quest to maintain and improve one of the outstanding small college basketball programs in the East. Chronister is married to the former Carol L. Strausbaugh of Hanover, Pa. They have two daughters, Lee Ann, age B and Caryn Lynn, age 6. The Chronisters reside at 124B Old Berwick Road, Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania. DEPARTMENT HEAD DR. CONRAD A. BAUTZ was appointed Chairman, Department of Health, Physical Education, and Athletics in June , 1972 . A 1956 Brooklyn College graduate, he served at his Alma Mater in a number of capacities prior to coming to Bloomsburg. Dr. Bautz is responsible for the administration end supervision of the total physical education end athletic program ct the college, including varsity athletics. ASSIST ANT VARSITY COACH After coaching the Bloomsburg freshman teams to 83 victories against only 27 defects over a seven year span, BURT REESE moves into a different role with the basketball program. " While Burt did o fantastic job with the freshmen, the contributions he can make to the varsity team, if working fulltime with them, will be tremendous . He will continue to coordinate our recruiting efforts end hopefully enjoy the same success in the future that hos provided our program with outstanding athletes during the past four or five years. '' The preceding statement and the opinion expressed many times by Coach Chronister that Reese is the " best assistant coach anyone could wanl" should become more evident during the 1975-76 season. A native of Taylor, Pennsylvania, he received both his Bachelor of Science and his Master of Education degrees ct East Stroudsburg State College. At ESSC he assisted in the basketball and tennis programs cs a graduate assistant. After leaving ESSC, he joined the faculty of Old Forge !Pa.) High School where he was assistant basketball and football coach. He was next Athletic Director'. tennis, and assistant basketball coach ct Abington Heights High School, Clarks Summit jPa.) for 3'1, years. Reese, his wife Morion, and their six month old daughter Meredith reside ir. Scenic Knolls near Bloomsburg . FRESHMAN COACH During the past ten years, Dr. MICHAEL HERBERT hos served in numerous capacities on the basketball staff, and this season finds him cs the freshmen coach. Along with this added responsibility, " Doc" will continue to aid the varsity team as a practice and game assistant. His knowledge and enthusiasm for the game will be an even more significant asset to the program than it hos in the past! A native of Lansford, Pennsylvania, Herbert received his degrees at the University of Maryland and Lehigh University. He is a professor of Biology. STUDENT COACH After four successful years as a player for the Huskies, GARY TYLER returns as a member of the coaching staff working with the freshmen members of the program. Gary was one of the steadiest and fundamentally sound players to represent Bloomsburg, and it is hoped that the way he played the game can be transferred as a model to the younger people on the team. A native of Audubon, Pennsylvania, Gary was a three-year starter and played on teams which compiled an overall 57-21 record. SEASON'S OUTLOOK How does a team that averages twenty victories over a three year period and win a NCAA Regional Championship, fall to a disappointing 15-10 record last year? What might be a better question is-how does a team that graduated an All-American, record-setting center; loses a starter for the season due to an injury; drops a doubleovertime game at home; loses a game on a last second shot; plays perhaps the toughest schedule in the school's history (Old Dominion won the NCAA National Championship and four other opponents competed in postseason tournaments); play very inconsistent team defense; and yet win 15 games and participate in its fourth consecutive post-season tournament? Clearly, these are two ways of looking at the 74-75 season! " In many respects, last year was quite rewarding," states Coach Chronister. "We had some losses where we just played terribly, but on the other hand, we had some very good wins against what proved to be outstanding teams (Bucknell, Cheyney, Millersville, Slippery Rock). I hope we got some of the inconsistency out of our system, and we can settle down to playing the quality of basketball necessary to win against some very fine basketball teams. Thinking back on last season, I felt our seniors Mike Ognosky and Gary Tyler had just outstanding years. Mike established himself as the best free throw shooter in the school's history by hitting on 80.8% of his shots over three years. The team shot 74.7% which was also a school record for free throws. Both seniors were recognized as Honorable Mention All-Conference players. (Continued on next page) TRAINER 4 PAUL SLOCUM, a native of Massachusetts, was appointed Physical Therapist at BSC in the foll of 1972. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Dakota Wesleyan Univers ity, S. Dakota, and was awarded his Certificate of Physical Therapy from the School of Allied Medical Professions, University of Pennsylvania; he is licensed for the state of Pennsylvania . In addition to his trainer duties for the varsity and intramural programs, he also serves as physical therapist for the student body and members of the faculty. EQUIPMENT MANAGER Equipment Manager RON MORGAN joined the Bloomsburg State staff in September 1973 and since that time, the coaches and athletes hove enjoyed the benefits of a well-organized, first class equipment distribution facility. Ron is a native of Bloomsburg and hos been o long-time friend of HUSKY BASKETBALL. HUSKY PLAYERS TEAM CAPTAINS RICHARD EVANS - a 6'3", 185, junior, Wayne, Pa. After five games into the season last year, Rick was the team's leading scorer and rebounder. Then tragedy struck while playing in the Max Ziel Tournament at Oswego, New York. Rick injured his knee and the operation which followed turned what could have been No. 22 & 23 a great year on the basketball court into a winter of hard work rehabilitating the knee. As a high school player for Coach Gerald Gasser at Conestoga, Rick was honored as an All-Conference (Central League) and All-Delaware County player. As a freshman at BSC, he played in all 28 games as either a starter or fresh-line substitute and averaged 8.1 ppg and 6.2 rebounds. As a result of the injury, Rick only played in l O games during the 73-74 season, and in all fairness, the last five games were under the most difficult conditions as he was ploying more with desire than a healthy body. It came as no surprise to anyone that Rick was selected as a co-captain by the members of the team-a fitting tribute to a fine young man and outstanding player. Rick is enrolled in the School of Business. Year 1974-75, G 10, FG-FGA 36-83, Pct. 43.4, FT-FTA 8-9, Pct. 88.9, Reb. 69, Pct. 6.9, Assists 7, TP 80, Avg . 8.0. 1 JERRY RADOCHA - 6'5", 190, Junior, New Cumberland, Pa. Last season Jerry enjoyed what was perhaps the best year ever by a sophomore at Bloomsburg State. He led the team in scoring (18.3 ppg) and rebounding (l 0.6 ppg), received the most votes as a member of the All-Conference Tearn, was selected on the first team No. 44 & 45 of the E.C.A.C. Division II squad, was the MVP of the Max Ziel Classic, voted the MVP of the 74-75 team by his teammates, and is currently the 8th leading scorer in the school's history! Jerry played at Red Land High School for Coach Tony Carrozza and was accorded All-Conference and All-State honors while being selected as the Outstanding Class B player in the Harrisburg area. As a freshman at BSC, he started on the team that went to Evansville and was the second leading scorer (l 0. l' ppg) and rebounder (8.2 ppg). "I don't think there is a more complete player in our conference. Jerry must be given serious consideration as one of the finest college division players in the East and for All-American honors!" Jerry is a student in the School of Business. Year 1974-75, G 25, FG-FGA 178-367, Pct. 48.5, FT-FTA 101-126, Pcf. 80.2, Reb. 265, Avg. 10.6, Assists 88, TP 457, Avg. 18.3. STEVE BRIGHT - 6'5", 210, Sophomore, Bloomsburg, Pa. One of the big questions asked about last season 's team centered around Stevehow would the best local high school player in years adjust to college basketball? The answer was obvious to all that followed the Huskies during the year-no problems at all! As No. 32 & 33 a member of Coach Duane Ford's team at Central Columbia, Steve earned recognition as a second team all-state performer. The ability he had to score and rebound as a high school player carried over to his first year on " The Hill " and as he averaged 9.1 ppg and 6.7 rebounds. After the early season injury to Rick Evans, Steve started every game and gained valuable experience as he enters his second year at Bloomsburg State. Steve is a Dean's List student in the School of Business. Year 1974-75 , G 25, FG -FGA 94 -231 , Pct . 40.7 , FT -FTA 39-68 , Pct. 57.4 , Reb. 167, Avg. 6.7 , Assists 3 1, TP 227, Avg . 9. 1. KEVIN CROUSE - 6'3", 165, Sophomore, Denver, Pa. Kevin came to Bloomsburg via the University of Delaware. A transfer student, he will become eligible after the first five games of the season. At Cocalico High School, Kevin was the outstanding player for Coach Spence Henry on a team that won 30 games while No. 30 & 31 losing only 1! As a senior, he was recognized on the Lancaster County team and Honorable Mention - All State. Kevin has the ability to play both the guard and forward position-his good shot makes him a threat to score anywhere in the offense. A tough competitor, Kevin will be called on often to provide that winning edge for the Huskies. Kevin has aspirations for a career in medicine after his next couple of years here at Bloomsburg State College. RICHARD JOSEPH - 6'0", 155, Junior, West York, Pa . "The Rabbitt" can stick it! Last year 's second leading scorer can beat you anyway you want-a great jump shooter with good range, he can also take a man to the baseline and turn him everyway but loose. One indication of his versatility is the fact that he capNo. 1o & 11 tu red 113 rebounds last season from the guard position. Rick has an uncanny knack for being around the ball as it comes off the boards. One of his best games in 1974-75 was the ECAC Tournament when he scored a total of 38 points shooting well over 50 percent of his shots. Rick played for John Eyster at West York High School where he led his team into the P.I.A.A. Class A Tournament and received all- conference and all-state recognition. Currently he is enrolled in the School of Professional Studies. Year 1974-75, G 25, FG-FGA 148-324, Pct. 45.7, FT-FTA 30-41, Pct. 73.2, Reb. 113, Avg. 4.5, Assists 53, TP 326, Avg. 13.0. JOHN McVEIGH - 5'10", 150, Sophomore, Flourtown, Pa. After being the quarterback on the freshman team of a year ago that compiled a 12-4 record, John moves into the point guard position for the varsity this season. He demonstrated his ability and leadership qualities for this position during the 74-75 season No. 12 & 13 as he handed out 111 assists, played tough defense, and scored 7.2 ppg. A heady player, John's greatest assets will be a result of his ability to hit the open man ,and direct the team offense. John was an honor student and played high school basketball for Coach Ed Burke at Bishop McDevitt High School in Wyncote, Pa. SPENCE PIERCE - 6'1'', 165, Sophomore, Bethlehem, Pa. Spence was one of the "hot hands" on the freshman team last year and his improved ball-handling and defensive ~kills have earned him a place on this season's varsity team. As a freshman, he played in all 16 games and averaged 11.8 ppg, shot 83 percent No. 14 & 15 from the foul line, and handed out 46 assists. At the present time, his role for the varsity will be as a back-up capacity at the guard position. Spence is a graduate of Freedom High School in Bethlehem where he played for Coach Charles Dubbs. An Outstanding player there, he was named to the first team of the tough East-Penn League in which he was the second leading scorer. Spence is an English major in the School of Professional Studies. JEFF SLOCUM - 6'5", 190, Sophomore, Clarks Summit, Pa. Jeff is another one of the very promising sophomores on the 1975-76 Husky roster that will lead the depth necessary for a successful season. As a freshman, Jeff averaged 11.4 ppg while hitting on an outstanding 51 percent of his shots. He also found No. 34 & 35 time to pull in an average of 11.1 rebounds per game! "Too Tall" has shown great strides in his improvement in his defensive play and rebounding-the exact areas that the team may need help with as the season progresses! Jeff is a graduate of Abington Heights High School where he played on one of the many outstanding teams coached by Stan Majaika. He presently is an outstanding student in the Chemistry Department here at BSC. AL WILLIAMS - 6'5" , 170, Sophomore, Brooklyn, New York. Al was one of last season's freshmen that showed all Husky fans that good things were ahead-this year should be one of the many that Al brings his " city game " to Nelson Fieldhouse to entertain the BSC loyalist and harass their opponents. Al hos the -~:;;;.a-ยท~. type of game that enables him to go No. 24 & 25 inside to score and rebound, while still having the quickness and shooting ability to ploy facing the basket from 20 feet. Ploying in 19 varsity games during the 74-75 season, Al averaged 6.5 ppg and shot 86.7 % from the foul line hitting on 39 of 45 shots-look for on even better winter from him this time around! Al is enrolled in the School of Business achieving a 2.9 academic overage his freshman year! Year 1974 -75 , G 19 , FG -FGA 42-98, Pct. 42 .9, FT-FTA 39-45 , Pct. 86.7, Reb. 74 , Avg . 3.9, Assists 28 , TP 123 , Avg . 6.5. RICHARD YANNI - 6'2", 170, Senior, Ambler, Po. Rich is the lone senior on the 75-76 Husky squad and the experience he gained as a member of a number of very good post teams should prove to be invaluable as the season progresses. Always possessing the ability to score, he hos demonstrated a very hustling, No. 20 & 21 tough brand of defensive ploy over the lost two years. Lost season Rich was utilized as the third guard in the Husky attack and averaged 6.0 ppg while many times being called upon to defense the opponents best offensive guard. As a high school player, he gained All-Conference and AllState recognition by leading his Wissohickon team to a 25- l season. A very good competitor, it is hoped that his aggressive style of ploy will provide a model for the younger members of the team . Rich is a student in our School of Business. Year 1974-75 , G 22 , FG-FGA 58-141, Pct. 41 .1, FT-FT A 16-21 , Pct. 76.2, Reb. 35 , Avg. 1.6, Assists 25, TP 132, Avg . 6.0. 1974-75 VARSITY RESULTS asc 60 67 71 77 79 72 71 80 72 79 79 105 72 Lock Haven East Stroudsburg Bucknell Trenton St. Waterloo Kutztown Mansfield Monmouth American Int. Roanoke Old Dominion York Cheyney OPP. 51 83 53 50 57 62 74 93 67 83 107 75 65 asc 88 65 100 89 70 60 78 73 66 76 71 81 West Chester Shippensburg Millersville Kutztown Mansfield East Stroudsburg Cheyney Shippensburg West Chester Millersville Slippery Rock Cheyney Record, Won 15 Lost 10 Penna. Con/. Record, Won 8 Lost 6 OPP. 79 66 79 52 85 62 8B 70 59 66 70 86 1974-7S RECORDS ESTABLISHED TEAM RECORD 74 .7% Highest Free Throw Percentage CAREER RECORD llndividuall 80 .8% Free Throw Percentoge (Mike Ognosky) 1974-7S SPECIAL HONORS TEAM Max Ziel Classic Champions, Oswego, New York Hosted the ECAC Division 11 Post-Season Tournoment - 4th consecutive post-season tournament for the team. Mike Ognosky All-Tournament Team Max Ziel Classic Honorable Mention All-Conference Gary Tyler Honorable Mention All-Conference Jerry Radocha Most Valuable Player, Max Ziel Classic ECAC Weekly All-Star Team (twice) First Team All- Conference (most individual votes) ECAC Division 11, First Tearn Team Most Valuable Player FRESHMAN TEAM ROSTER 1975-76 Name Nos. Ht. 6'2" Bucher, John 34.35 Jacobs, Lee 52-53 6'5" 12-13 5'9" 20-25 6'0" 30-31 6 1 3" 32-33 6'2" 22-23 6'2" 14-15 6'2" Kelsh, Thomas Krawchuk, Jan Lonoconus, Al Reitnour, Miles Roth, Jeff Smith, William Wt. High School 180 215 150 170 165 185 150 175 Ephrata Hometown Ephrata Central Bucks-East Doylestown St. Joseph Metuchen, NJ Palmerton Palmerton W. Hazleton W. Hazleton Oley Reading McCoskey Lancaster Valley View Archbald Coaches: Ml KE HERBERT & GARY TYLER 1975-76 SCHEDULE November 24 November 29 December 3 December 6 December 10 December 13 December 29-30 January 9-10 January 12-13 January 17 January 19 January 21 January 24 January 28 January 31 February 4 February 7 February 9 February 11 February 14 February 18 February 21 Barbados National Tearn . . . . . . . . . at Lock Haven ... . ................. Messiah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mansfield . .. .... . .... .. . . ... . .. at East Stroudsburg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . at Sh ippensburg . ... ... .. . . .. .. . . .. at Lemoyne Tournament (Syracuse, NY) at Governor's Classic (Trenton, NJ) . . . Keystone Invitational (Bloomsburg) . Cheyney . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . York . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . at West Chester . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Millersv ille . .. . .. .. . .... .. . . ... . Kutztown .................. . .. . at Mansfield . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . East Stroudsbu rg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Shippensburg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . at Wilkes . . . ..... . . . .. . . . .... .. ... at Cheyney . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A lumni .... . ..... . . .. . . ... . . ... at Millersville . . . ............ . ..... at Kutztown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H A H H A A A A H H H A H H A H H A A H A A COLLEGE FACTS Location: BLOOMSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA Enrollment: 4,700 Colors: MAROON AND GOLD Nickname: HUSKIES President: DR. JAMES H. McCORMICK Athletic Director: DR. CONRAD A. BAUTZ Director of Public Relations and Publications, KENNETH C. HOFFMAN Sports Information: GEORGE J. EGET Telephone: 389-3411 (Office) Telephone: 784-1558 (Home) Member: NCAA, PC, ECAC Home Court: NELSON FIELDHOUSE Capacity: 4,000