Youngstown State men’s basketball gets summer workouts underway as trip to Spain awaits
Penguins get summer workouts underway as trip to Spain awaits
LOCAL SPORTS
JUL 13, 2023
JOEL WHETZEL
Staff writer
jwhetzel@tribtoday.com
YOUNGSTOWN — A year ago, plenty of starpower. This year, plenty of depth.
Youngstown State had another busy offseason in the transfer portal, this time assembling a roster that includes just two players from last year’s rotation and nine newcomers.
Such is life these days in college basketball, and the YSU coaching staff says it likes what the portal yielded once again.
“It’s very similar to last year,” YSU coach Jerrod Calhoun said. “We had some specific needs. Obviously this year was a little bigger class. The biggest thing I looked for in the portal was for guys that have won. We certainly have done that. … We’ve got a lot of guys that are used to winning. We wanted to get old, and we’ve got one of the oldest rosters in college basketball.”
Indeed, of the nine new faces, four transfers — Brett Thompson (Tennessee Tech), Bryson Langdon (Northern Kentucky), Ziggy Reid (Merrimack) and DJ Burns (Murray State) are fifth-year seniors, while another, Jaylen Bates (Florida A&M) is a fourth-year senior. EJ Farmer (Toledo) is a junior, while David Wilkerson (JUCO) and Imanuel Zorgvol (NKU) are sophomores.
The Penguins also added freshmen Christian Kirkland, Dante DePante, Gabe Dynes and Anthony Breland.
Burns was part of a 32-win team at Murray State, while Farmer won 27 games at Toledo. Meanwhile, Horizon League journeymen Zorgvol and Langdon have been to the CAA Tournament with the Norse.
“These kids know what winning looks like,” Calhoun said. “They know what a college basketball season is like and how long it is.”
It’s a deep that figures to be deeper than last year’s NIT team, although there may not be as much stardom at the top.
“Last year, we had a lot of star power guys, and this team now, we’re more individualized. We have a lot of different people who do a lot of different things coming together as a team to try and build something that’s going to be special,” said guard Brandon Rush, a starter from a season ago and one of the two returning Penguins. John Lovelace Jr. is the other, and also figures to play heavily into YSU’s mix again.
Rush added, “Right now, it’s kind of hard to tell who would be the starting five because of all the good players we have right now.”
That’s a sentiment Calhoun echoes.
“We got our full roster here, everybody’s healthy. It’s been good early on,” he said. “There are so many guys, and everybody brings something different to the table. I just love our length, our versatility. It’ll be our deepest team we’ve had here, and certainly one of our biggest.”
The group is preparing for a 10-day trip to Europe, as the Penguins will visit Spain beginning July 18 and return July 28. During that time, they’ll play three games. As an added bonus, YSU also will be able to link up with former program star Kendrick Perry, who is playing professionally in Spain.
YSU gets 10 full practices to prepare for the trip, an added bonus and an opportunity to build early chemistry. Teams are allowed to embark on this sort of trip every four years, according to Calhoun.
“It’s been really, really good. You’re learning a lot about each other,” Calhoun said. “We’re going to go to Madrid for two days, and then we’re going to Malaga — it’s actually the same city that Kendrick Perry … plays in over there for their professional team. We’re really excited about this trip.”
While there, YSU will compete against some Spanish pro teams and professional players and will play under FIBA rules. And while the Penguins certainly are looking to compete and win games, it’s the relationships that Calhoun is focusing on in order to get a running start into the 2023-24 campaign.
“I think more importantly than the games, it’s really the camaraderie, the chemistry and getting to know one another,” he said.
jwhetzel@tribtoday.com
