From today’s Tribune and Vindy:
Penguins find success with transfer portal
LOCAL SPORTS
APR 20, 2022
JOEL WHETZEL
Staff writer
jwhetzel@tribtoday.com
A year ago, the Youngstown State men’s and women’s basketball teams picked up some of their biggest contributors from the transfer portal. They appear well on their way to doing it again this recruiting cycle.
On the men’s side, the Penguins added Dwayne Cohill (Dayton), Tevin Olison (Cumberlands — NAIA) and Chris Shelton (Hampton) last year via the portal, and Cohill and Olison cracked the starting five while Shelton regularly worked into the rotation.
On the women’s end, YSU picked up Lilly Ritz from Division II Wheeling and also nabbed Megan Callahan (Robert Morris), Paige Shy (Marshall), Lindsey Mack (Fairleigh Dickinson) and Lindsey Linard (Robert Morris). Callahan and Shy frequently started, while Mack and Linard came in off the bench in spurts.
Both programs have once again been active in the portal in 2022.
The men’s team picked up four transfers — Malek Green (Canisius), Bryce McBride (Eastern Michigan), Adrian Nelson (Northern Kentucky) and Brandon Rush (Fairleigh Dickinson).
Green and Nelson will feature in the YSU frontcourt this season, Green standing at 6-foot-7, 220 pounds and Nelson at 6-8, 225. Nelson averaged 6.9 points and 7.5 rebounds per game, while Green notched 10.9 points and 4.4 boards.
In the backcourt, McBride scored 11.6 points per game at Eastern Michigan, while Rush averaged 14.2 points and 3.0 assists per game at FDU.
Those transfers are in addition to incoming freshman John Lovelace (6-foot-7 G/F).
In a press release about the signings, Jerrod Calhoun said Tuesday, “I’m extremely excited about this year’s recruiting class. This class is a deep, talented, and versatile group that has a great mix of experience and youth. Our staff is ecstatic about the combination of our incoming class meshing with our returning players to continue building the positive momentum for our program.”
The women have added two players thus far, both with West Virginia roots.
Dena Jarrells, a 5-foot-7 guard, is coming in from Chattanooga, where she averaged 10.4 points per game and shot 35.2 percent from 3-point range last season. Additionally, Shay Kirby is joining the Penguins after scoring 7.2 points per game at Austin Peay. She stands at 5-foot-10 and shot 39.8 percent from downtown last year.
Of Jarrells, YSU women’s coach John Barnes said in a press release, “Dena is an outstanding ball-handler with a high understanding of the game. … She has deep range and can also create shots off the bounce. Her ability to score at all three levels while also making her teammates better will add a great dimension to our program.”
Barnes said of Kirby, “”Shay brings a new dimension to our team that is much needed. She has great size and athleticism for a perimeter player. Her ability to play pressure defense as well as shoot a high percentage from 3-point range will be invaluable to us next season.”
Of course, as the portal gives, it takes away. The men so far have seen Garrett Covington, Owen Long, Luke Chicone, Daniel Ogoro and Michael Lucarotti head for the exits, while the women have seen Kayiona Willis, Emma Randall and Lexi Wagner depart.
Of those, Chicone, Long and Ogoro saw time for the men (Covington would have been a season-long starter if not for an Achilles injury just three games into the year), while Wagner worked into the women’s rotation.
As we saw last season, though, both Barnes and Calhoun are able to find immediate replacements for those departing, and in fact, upgrades in spots. Mary Dunn was a standout for the YSU women, but Ritz was able to surpass her production off the bat and earn All-Horizon League First Team honors. On the men’s end, Cohill became a go-to player for the Penguins and picked up All-League Third Team honors.
Given Barnes’ and Calhoun’s track records of finding starting-caliber talent in the portal — and the track records of those they’re bringing in next season — both teams could be immediately upgrading once again.
jwhetzel@tribtoday.com
