Youngstown State Basketball Teams Appear on ABC's Good Morning America

Nov. 1, 2008

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - The Youngstown State men's and women's basketball programs were the focus point of several segments of ABC's "Good Morning America" on Friday as the show aired live from YSU's Beeghly Center.

Five members of each team shot layups as YSU's Marching Pride played the fight song during the first segment, and the full squads were on camera behind co-anchors Chris Cuomo and Robin Roberts minutes later in the show.

Roberts, a former standout basketball player at Southeastern Louisiana University, also spoke with the women's team off camera about the importance of working hard on and off the court and enjoying the student-athlete experience.

"To have 'Good Morning America here' at Youngstown State was a great opportunity for the university, and it was an honor for our men's basketball program to be a part of it," YSU head men's basketball coach Jerry Slocum said.

"Today was a once in a lifetime opportunity for our team and staff to be on 'Good Morning America' during the most-televised presidential campaign in history," YSU head women's basketball coach Cindy Martin said. "Robin Roberts is a personal hero to many of the ladies on the team and me. She was a great collegiate player and prominent face of NCAA women's basketball, and she's a breast cancer survivor and a role model."

Roberts and Cuomo received YSU basketball t-shirts as tokens of appreciation.

GMA's stop in Youngstown was part of the show's tour of battleground states for next week's presidential election. Republican presidential candidate John McCain opened the show inside Beeghly Center, and his wife Cindy also made an appearance.

About 700 people were in the audience, including several sororities and fraternities. The Zeta Tau Alpha sorority spoke with Roberts about breast cancer awareness prior to its Pink Ribbon Cheer Classic at Beeghly Center on Sunday. The event has raised more than $222,000 for breast cancer awareness, research and education since 2001.

-- story courtesy of Youngstown State Sports Information Office

Youngstown State's campus has been on the national scene several times this year because of the presidential campaign. Today was McCain's second stop at YSU, and Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton have both campaigned inside Beeghly Center. The Rock the Vote tour was also on campus Wednesday as Sheryl Crow sang two songs and the Beastie Boys and Ben Stiller made appearances.