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16

YSU Penguin Athletics / UND week

« on: October 06, 2022, 06:21:07 AM »

Today’s article from Tribune/Vindy on the YSU-UND game:


YSU Scouting Report: North Dakota

LOCAL SPORTS
OCT 6, 2022

JOEL WHETZEL
Staff writer
jwhetzel@tribtoday.com
 
 

Correspondent photo / Robert Hayes Youngstown State SAM linebacker D’Marco Augustin keys in on Kentucky quarterback Will Levis. The Penguins host No. 22 North Dakota on Saturday at Stambaugh Stadium.

YOUNGSTOWN — Since the summer, this upcoming stretch in Youngstown State’s season has been looked at as the definining point.

So much so, that the Penguins had a sit-down with university president and one-time YSU coach Jim Tressel back in July to highlight these very weeks, beginning this week with Saturday’s contest against North Dakota.


“We talked in the summertime. We had a little seminar with President Tressel, and we talked about this point of the year, being possibly are we going to be 3-1, are we going to be 4-0, are we going to be 2-2, knowing that we have a homestand coming,” said YSU coach Doug Phillips. “So it wasn’t like this wasn’t discussed in July and in August. Knowing that, to climb to the top of the mountain, it takes one step. … So for us, it’s that process, and all that matters is taking that first step.”

That proverbial first step represents a big one. The Fighting Hawks come to Stambaugh Stadium ranked No. 22 in the latest StatsPerform FCS Top 25, and are fresh off an impressive 48-31 win over then-No. 7 Missouri State. The Fighting Hawks trailed 21-10 early on in that game before rallying to within 21-20 at halftime and then pulling away in the second half.

YSU, meanwhile, enters off of two straight losses and a big question mark under center. At halftime of last week’s game at No. 1 North Dakota State, Phillips pulled starting QB Demeatric Crenshaw, who was struggling to move the offense, and played Mitch Davidson during the second half.

Who starts Saturday is a “game-time decision,” according to Phillips.


Regardless of who starts, getting the pass game going is a must if the Penguins are to take any steps forward from last year’s 3-7 mark, and this Fighting Hawks team represents a good opportunity to do so.

UND’s pass defense gives up 286.4 yards per game, ranking it 104th out of 123 FCS defenses.

Then, too, the North Dakota run defense has allowed 149.8 yards per game, giving Jaleel McLaughlin and the rest of the Penguin tailbacks plenty of opportunity to make plays.

For his part, McLaughlin is coming off an impressive performance at NDSU. The senior rushed for 150 yards, by far his highest total against the Bison.

Phillips is expecting plenty of activity from the Fighting Hawks’ front seven.

“They have a lot of movement with their defensive front seven,” he noted. “They blitz, they come from all over the place, and they play hard.”

Receiver Latrell Fordham added, “They show different things up front, and they have really good corners out there.”

On the other side of the ball, the Fighting Hawks feature one of the most balanced offenses YSU will face this season. UND has run the ball 166 times and thrown it 160.

On the ground, North Dakota was tasked this offseason with replacing former All-American Otis Weah, who initially transferred to Missouri State before allegations of sexual assault from his time at UND reportedly caused MSU to rescind the offer.

UND replaced him with another Missouri Valley tailback, as they added Tyler Hoosman as a graduate transfer from Northern Iowa. So far, the senior has paced North Dakota’s run game with 422 yards and five touchdowns on 62 carries.

“He’s a physical back,” YSU linebacker Greg Benton Jr. said. “He runs behind his pads, and he’s definitely a good player. They’re utilizing him the same as they did at UNI. He’s a good back, so we have to put a body on him and no arm tackles.”

Isaiah Smith has shared the workload as a spell back for Hoosman. He’s racked up 223 yards and a score on 34 carries.

In the air game, junior Tommy Schuster is back under center for UND.

He’s been efficient to date, completing nearly 70 percent of his passes (107-for-154). He’s got 1,133 yards, seven touchdowns and has been picked off just twice.

His favorite target, to nobody’s surprise, has been Preseason All-MVFC second teamer Bo Belquist, who has 29 receptions for 314 yards and two touchdowns.

What makes UND’s pass attack difficult to defend, though, is once again its balance. The Fighting Hawks have five receivers with at least 10 receptions this season, and four have scored.

Garett Maag has 18 catches for 257 yards and two scores, while Smith has 12 receptions out of hte backfield for 143 yards.

“He knows how to deliver the football, and he’s poised,” Phillips said of Schuster. “If you don’t affect him — I can remember the spring season and last year, I remember you weren’t getting to him and that he gets rid of the ball. (It’s) almost like we saw game one (against Duquesne) where you weren’t going to get pressure and the ball comes out quick. We have to make sure somehow we affect him. We can’t allow him to just sit back there and pick us apart.”

But, Phillips added, the Penguins also can’t defend every single thing UND will try to do, as it will cause the YSU defense to over-extend itself.

“One thing you cannot try to do — and if you do, they’re going to put 500 yards of offense up — is try to defend everything,” he noted. “We have to always go into a game and stop the run. That’s always going to be critical for us is to stop the run, and we have to eliminate the big plays, because they can put points on the board very quickly like you saw against Missouri State.”

PREDICTION

This game could go either way, but the Youngstown State defense and run game should do just enough to give the Penguins the edge.

Youngstown State wins, 27-24.

17

YSU Penguin Athletics / MBB starts practice

« on: September 27, 2022, 06:03:01 AM »

From today’s Tribune/Vindy

YSU searching for identity in preseason

LOCAL SPORTS
SEP 27, 2022

JOEL WHETZEL
Staff writer
jwhetzel@tribtoday.com
 
 

Staff photo / Joel Whetzel. The Youngstown State men’s basketball team comes together during practice on Monday.

YOUNGSTOWN — The talent is there, no question. So, too, is the hype.


But what remains to be seen for Youngstown State men’s basketball, considered by many to be among those in contention for a Horizon League title, is how this year’s group of transfers, returners and lone true freshman will come together.

The Penguins took their first step toward finding that answer Monday, as preseason practices across the country got underway in college basketball.

“This time of year, (we’re) trying to install things offensively and defensively, getting them in good shape,” said head coach Jerrod Calhoun. “I thought we had a really, really good day — very competitive. I really didn’t even know who won the day. We shared the ball; we value the ball. Defensively, we’re getting better. It’s the start of a fun journey, and it’s a fun time of year.”

The Penguins are coming off of a 2021-22 season in which they finished 19-15 and won a game in The Basketball Classic (formerly the CIT). Gone from that team are forwards Jamir Thomas and Michael Akuchie, as well as guards Tevin Olison, Luke Chicone, Owen Long and Daniel Ogoro.


To replace that crop, YSU hit the portal hard. The Penguins welcomed forwards Adrian Nelson from Horizon League foe Northern Kentucky and Malek Green from Cansius, and also nabbed guards Brandon Rush (Fairleigh Dickinson) and Bryce McBride (Eastern Michigan).

Youngstown State also picked up freshman guard John Lovelace Jr. through the traditional recruiting method.

Those five newcomers join a roster that brings back All-Horizon League Third Team selection Dwayne Cohill, as well as key contributors in forwards Will Dunn and Myles Hunter, as well as guards Shemar Rathan-Mayes and Garrett Covington, who entered the portal this offseason before opting to return for a sixth year at YSU.

“I think it’s a work in progress,” Calhoun said of how the group is meshing. “Anytime you’re bringing a lot of new guys together, it takes a little bit of time. But I think there’s a sense of urgency here in our program to take that next step, and I really like the direction of this group here in the preseason.”

From Nelson’s perspective, things are going well.

“I feel like it’s really a family here,” he said. “Everyone’s genuine. It’s been really welcoming, and from the top to bottom of the roster, I can tell we have a lot of talent. So we need to stay the course and keep working hard, and I know we’re going to have a special year.”

What Nelson says he’s noticed early on is how capable of scoring the roster is from top to bottom.

“We can all score the ball real well,” he said. “I feel like everybody, every play is aggressive. We can have pretty big nights.”

For Calhoun, the excitement is actually at the other end of the court.

“I think we’re deep, certainly a really, really deep roster, and I think an older roster. They enjoy playing with each other,” Calhoun said. “But our identity has got to be on the defensive end. We got to ramp this thing up, and we have to guard at a high level. We’ve got guys that are really capable of doing it, so that’s what I’m most excited about.”

What Calhoun and Nelson both say needs to happen now is determining roles.

“Everybody pretty much finding a role and understanding what we have to do to help the team win,” Nelson said. “Because, yeah, we can all score, but at the end of the day, we have to play together and play in our roles to get those victories.”

To that end, Calhoun said the Penguins are taking a team retreat this weekend.

“We’ll do some real identity exercises and spend a lot of time with each other away from basketball,” he said. “I think ultimately, we have to stay healthy. This time of year, you have to stay healthy, and just stay the course as you build a team. We have a lot of new guys and just have to continue to get better and enjoy the process. A lot of these guys, it’s their final go-around, so really value the days and get better each day.”

YSU opens its season Nov. 7 at Canisius.

jwhetzel@tribtoday.com

18

YSU Penguin Athletics / Andrew Ogletree

« on: August 21, 2022, 04:18:06 PM »

Just saw the bad news, Andrew Ogletree, YSU’s TE, drafted in the 6th round by the Colts, torn his ACL yesterday and is done for the season.

19

YSU Penguin Athletics / YSU football starts Fall camp

« on: August 04, 2022, 05:36:59 AM »

From today’s Tribune and Vindy:

Penguins begin fall camp with excitement

LOCAL SPORTS
AUG 4, 2022

JOEL WHETZEL
Staff writer
jwhetzel@tribtoday.com
 
 

Correspondent photo / Robert Hayes YSU head coach Doug Phillips speaks to his team following their first practice of fall camp yesterday afternoon.

YOUNGSTOWN — The excitement was palpable Wednesday morning at Stambaugh Stadium, as Youngstown State began its fall camp ahead of of its Sept. 3 season opener against Duduesne and the rest of the 2022 season.

“It’s like Christmas morning; it’s like opening presents,” said YSU coach Doug Phillips. “But that’ll wear off, and then it’s like Groundhog Day because we’re going to do this for the next 24 days. To be able to overcome that adversity, the mental toughness side of it, that’s what I’m anxious to see. But we’ve had a hard offseason, so hopefully that prepared our kids for a hard preseason camp.”


The Penguins are seeking to improve from their 3-7 mark a season ago. Of those seven losses, three were to opponents which YSU led entering the fourth quarter.

Taking the next step begins with the offense, says quarterback Demeatric Crenshaw.

“It’s really on me and the offense,” he said. “If we click, I feel like we’re going to do really well.”

Crenshaw enters his sophomore campaign after earning Missouri Valley Football Conference Freshman of the Year honors last season. He accumulated 791 yards and six touchdowns passing and added 585 yards and seven touchdowns rushing.


He took first-team reps Wednesday, along with tailback Jaleel McLaughlin, who was named to the watch list for the Walter Payton Award, given to the top offensive player in the FCS. Up front, the Penguins return nearly all of last season’s starting unit, and each of the returners started in at least five games last season.

At receiver, Bryce Oliver hauled in a deep catch at one point during team drills. C.J. Charleston and Latrell Fordham, a transfer from Eastern Michigan, also worked into the mix.

Also of note on the offensive side, Alliance product Brandon Alexander has moved from quarterback to wide receiver. Springfield alum Beau Brungard is working out with quarterbacks behind Crenshaw and Mitch Davidson, who took second-team reps.

“They’re all looking good,” Crenshaw assessed. “The (offensive) line, I can’t wait to see what they’re going to do. They’re bigger, stronger, faster. So that’s what I would say jumps out to me.”

Defensively, the line also returns plenty of experience, including Dylan Wudke and James Jackson on the ends and Chris Fitzgerald, Hunter Allen and Andres Lehrmann, among others, are also back. The linebackers lost Grant Dixon, but brought in Western Illinois transfer Greg Benton, who joins a corps that includes Griffin Hoak, who had the second-most tackles on the team last year.

The secondary welcomed Ohio State transfer Marcus Hooker to its ranks Wednesday. He joins a unit that includes Warren G. Harding graduate Troy Jackubec as well as Quincy Lenton, Tyjon Jones and others with significant playing experience.

So far, Phillips likes how the Penguins have started.

“We’re lightyears ahead of where we were if you look at Day 1 a year ago to now,” he said. “That spring and what that allowed us to do with the kids, if you ask all of our players, their football IQs are up. They know the offense; they know the defense.”

Of the defense, he added, “We have to be sound. We have to be fundamentally sound. To come out here and work those fundamentals, that’s got to be the focus.”

And it’s that day-by-day process Phillips wants his team to focus on the most.

“If you go in the locker room, there’s not one opponent up on the schedule,” he noted. “We’re focusing on the Penguins. Where do we need to get better? Where do we need to build depth? That competition at every position and finding ways to come out every day and find a way to get better as a team (are the focus).”

20

YSU Penguin Athletics / YSU football - game discussions

« on: July 27, 2022, 05:43:05 AM »

From today’s Tribune/Vindy

A look into the 1st half of the 2022 season

LOCAL SPORTS
JUL 27, 2022

JOEL WHETZEL
Staff writer
jwhetzel@tribtoday.com
 
 

Correspondent file photo / Robert Hayes Youngstown State receiver Bryce Oliver snags a touchdown catch during the 2021 season.

YOUNGSTOWN — In some ways, the 2022 football schedule shapes up a bit easier for Youngstown State than last season. Don’t be fooled, though. The Missouri Valley, once again, is going to be tough sledding.


The Penguins open their season Sept. 3 against Duquesne. That’s the first of three nonconference matchups, as YSU hosts Dayton the following week and then caps its nonconference slate Sept. 17 at Kentucky.

That’s an extra non-con game compared to last season, in which the Penguins hosted Incarnate Word and then visited Michigan State before beginning MVFC play.

The MVFC slate this season won’t include Northern Iowa and South Dakota State, a pair of teams who have given YSU fits recently. Instead, YSU will host South Dakota and visit Illinois State in consecutive weeks.

Here’s a week-by-week look at the first half of YSU’s 2022 schedule:


WEEK 1: DUQUESNE

The Penguins and Dukes have met four times, all of which resulted in double-digit Penguin victories at Stambaugh. The teams last collided in 2019, a 34-14 YSU win.

This season, the Dukes open a week before YSU does with a road contest at Florida State.

Duquesne is coming off a 7-3 season in which it went 5-2 in the Northeast Conference. The Dukes managed an upset of FBS-level Ohio in Athens during the campaign.

Back from that squad is lead rusher Billy Lucas, who as a freshman ran for 723 yards and six touchdowns. Quarterback Darius Perrantes also is entering his sophomore season after tossing for 1,620 yards and 17 touchdowns on a 139-for-233 season last year. Perrantes doesn’t run much — just 25 attempts a season ago, with his longest run at 11 yards.

The Dukes are tasked with replacing their No. 2 rusher, Garrett Owens, as well as their lead receivers, Cyrus Holder and Davie Henderson.

WEEK 2: DAYTON

The Penguins are 1-9 all-time against Dayton, but 1-0 since the 80s. Their last meeting in 2013 was YSU’s lone win, a 28-10 win at Stambaugh. Prior to that, the teams last played in 1977.

The Flyers went 6-4 last season, which included a 55-3 loss to Southern Illinois in Week 3.

Dayton loses its starting QB from last season, Jack Cook, but does return leading rusher Jake Chisholm (235 rushes, 1,033 yards, 14 touchdowns). Cook was the team’s No. 2 rusher.

Leading receiver Sam Bubonics hauled in 34 receptions for 477 yards and two touchdowns and returns for his redshirt sophomore year.

Dayton opens its season at Robert Morris in Week 1.

WEEK 3: AT KENTUCKY

The annual buy game will come against a team with plenty of Mahoning Valley ties.

UK is coached by Cardinal Mooney alumnus Mark Stoops, and associate head coach/tight ends coach Vince Marrow, also a Mooney grad, played at YSU before transferring to Toledo.

UK’s safeties coach, Frank Buffano, also went to Mooney and coached at YSU from 2010 to 2012 under Eric Wolford. Buffano also coached at Mooney in the 90s, and he was on Mooney’s 1987 state championship team.

Under Stoops, the Wildcats have undergone a bit of renaissance in football, and are fresh off a 10-3 season that concluded with a Citrus Bowl victory over Iowa.

Penn State transfer Will Levis returns for his senior season at quarterback after tossing for 2,827 yards and 24 touchdowns a year ago. However, he loses his top three targets from the receiving corps.

Leading rusher Chris Rodriguez is back after accumulating 1,379 yards and nine touchdowns on the ground. He and Levis each tallied nine scores, and Levis added 376 yards rushing.

YSU will receive $550,000 for the game, according to FBSchedules.com.

Week 4: Bye week

Week 5: at North Dakota State

On one hand, this is a really, really tough way to open the MVFC slate. On the other, at least YSU is getting it out of the way early.

The Bison are coming off yet another national championship, their ninth in 11 years. It wasn’t even a close game, as NDSU stampeded over Montana State, 38-10.

A season ago in Youngstown, North Dakota State made quick work of the Penguins, as the Bison led 21-3 at halftime en route to a 49-17 win.

NDSU returns plenty on offense, as quarterback Cam Miller and tailbacks TaMerik Williams and Kobe Johnson each are back.

Miller went 103-for-152 last season for 1,444 yards and 14 touchdowns and added 69 rushes for 280 yards and four scores.

Williams led the Bison rushing attack with 773 yards and 12 touchdowns, and Johnson added 671 yards and three scores.

Week 6: North Dakota

Here’s where a really important stretch to the season begins. Presumably, YSU will enter this game at 2-2. Over the next five weeks, YSU will face UND, Indiana State, Western Illinois, South Dakota and Illinois State — a slate that likely will determine how the 2022 season will be remembered.

The Penguins owe North Dakota after surrendering a 14-10 lead in the fourth quarter in a 24-21 loss to the Fighting Hawks, which went 5-6.

Quarterback Tommy Schuster is back for UND after throwing for 2,493 yards and 13 touchdowns on a 237-for-362 season last year, but tailback Otis Weah, by far the team’s leading rusher, transferred to Missouri State before a Title IX complaint over allegations of sexual assault at UND resulted in the Bears rescinding that offer.

However, leading receiver Bo Belquist is back after hauling in a team-high 52 receptions for 535 yards and five touchdowns in 2021.

Week 7: Indiana State

Another game last year YSU was in a season ago that got away from the Penguins in the fourth. Youngstown State led 17-14 before the Sycamores ripped off 14 unanswered points in the final quarter to win 28-17. ISU finished 5-6 last year.

Lead rusher Peterson Kerlegrand is gone after running for 830 yards and five touchdowns last season and 151 yards and two touchdowns against YSU. Gone, too, is starting quarterback Anthony Thompson, who threw for 1,326 yards and eight scores. He ran for a pair of scores against YSU, as well.

However, playmaker Dante Hendrix is back at receiver. He led ISU with 42 receptions for 447 yards and three touchdowns despite playing in just six games.

21

YSU Penguin Athletics / WBB new players

« on: June 25, 2022, 08:51:43 AM »

From today’s Tribune/Vindy:

Once AAU teammates, 4 former WV HS stars back together at YSU

LOCAL SPORTS
JUN 25, 2022

JOEL WHETZEL
Staff writer
jwhetzel@tribtoday.com
 
 

Submitted photos / From left, Dena Jarrells, Paige Shy and Emily Saunders sit together during an AAU game as members of the West Virginia Thunder. That trio, plus fellow teammate Shay-Lee Kirby, have rejoined forces at Youngstown State.

YOUNGSTOWN — Down in the hills of the Mountain State, a prominent AAU program — the West Virginia Thunder — has been churning out plenty of Division I talent over the last several years.


Among the successful teams to come through the Thunder program was the Class of 2019, which included plenty of eventual D1 players.

Now, four of them — Paige Shy, Emily Saunders, Dena Jarrells and Shay-Lee Kirby — have reunited in Youngstown after going their respective ways for their collegiate careers.

“It kind of seems so surreal and crazy, like no way that’s going to actually happen,” Shy said. “And now here we are again. It’s still so surreal, and I can’t wait for us to all get out there. It’s going to be so much fun.”

Shy started the trickle into Youngstown State a year ago when she joined the Penguins from her hometown school, Marshall University. In her debut season with the Penguins, she played in 29 games and scored 8.1 points per contest.


She’s especially excited, given that this core had a stellar final year together before departing for their respective schools. Jarrells, who was Shy’s high school teammate at Huntington St. Joseph’s, estimates the AAU group lost just three games in their final two seasons together.

“We had a crazy good season our last year. We didn’t lose many games, and it was super fun,” Shy said. “The chemistry we had, it says a lot that we’re here now. You can tell how close we were, and that was three or four years ago. Here we are again, still talking as best friends. So I feel that the chemistry we had is really important, and it’s going to carry over to the team this year.”

Jarrells was the first of the 2022 transfers to make her decision, which she announced April 4. She previously played at Chattanooga, where she spent three seasons. In her final season last year, she scored 10.4 points and added 2.7 assists in 30 minutes of playing time. She appeared in 28 games.

As it turns out, YSU was Jarrells’ first D1 offer back in high school.

“The timing just didn’t add up for me,” Jarrells said. “So I feel like all along, maybe if things didn’t go well at (Chattanooga), I could end up back at Youngstown because of the experience in the recruiting process with them I had been through the previous time. I feel like I already had a relationship with (the program), so it wasn’t something I had to build up.”

That relationship, along with YSU’s recent successes, are what caught her attention when she entered the portal — particularly because of the amount of winning she had become accustomed to in high school. In addition to the AAU program’s successes, Jarrells and Shy won two Class A state championships and finished as runners-up the other two years of their high school careers.

After her coach at Chattanooga, Katie Burrows, stepped down after posting a 46-68 mark in four seasons and a 7-23 season in 2021-22, Jarrells felt it was time for a change.

“I was going through a tough situation at Chattanooga with my coach leaving and everything, and when it comes down to it, I was ready to spend the last few years (of my career) in a winning program. That’s what I was looking for,” Jarrells said. “Most of the schools that contacted me, I kind of let them go because they were in the rebuilding stage, too. I didn’t want to return to something I just left, and Youngstown really caught my eye.”

So far, she feels the fit is right.

“I feel like we have a great group as far as everyone on the team goes, and I’ve gotten to know the girls. I really feel like I fit in here,” she said.

Two weeks after Jarrells made her announcement, YSU announced it had added Kirby from Austin Peay. A graduate of Parkersburg, Kirby was the West Virginia Player of the Year in the 2018-19 season and scored 7.2 points per game in the 30 contests she appeared in last season with the Governors. She won back-to-back Class AAA state titles at Parkersburg High.

The transfer process was a new one to Kirby — much different than getting recruited out of high school.

She fielded a few calls early on, but her end goal was to head closer to home. Parkersburg is just under three hours from Youngstown.

“Once (YSU) reached out, and obviously seeing that Paige was already here — to come home and play with your best friend, that’s something I’m looking forward to,” she said.

Kirby figures to fit into YSU well, as she features as a defensive and 3-point specialist. She knocked down nearly 40 percent of her shots from long range last season.

Of rejoining her AAU teammates, she added, “There’s really nothing better. There are so many young girls that are looking up to this, and it’s just an inspiration.”

Finally, on April 21, Saunders announced her decision to transfer to Youngstown State from SEC powerhouse Tennessee and bring the talented quartet back together in full.

“When I entered my name in the portal, it was instantly hectic. My phone was blowing up when I didn’t give my number. I gave my email, and half of that was my email going crazy around the time of finals, so it was really hectic,” Saunders explained.

In addition to YSU, she was considering Big Ten programs Illinois and Indiana as well as Big 12 program Oklahoma.

“The one thing Youngstown definitely had over those schools was the fact I had an opportunity to come here and play with my best friends,” Saunders said. “I just feel like they have a good thing going here, and the program is on the come-up. They won the regular season (Horizon League title) last year, which is obviously very attractive to recruits, and the coaching style, I love it. It’s a completely different thing than I’m used to, but it’s just really exciting because it’s a brand new chapter.”

Saunders was perhaps the most decorated recruit of the four in high school. A product of Wyoming East, also the alma mater of recently graduated Penguin Gabby Lupardus, Saunders was a four-star prospect and the Gatorade West Virginia Player of the Year in 2019, among plenty of other accolades. Wyoming East won a state title and finished as runner-up in three of Saunders’ seasons there.

Saunders entered the portal knowing what she was looking for.

“I want to win, I want to play and I want to have fun,” the 6-foot-5 forward said. “They win here, and they play really, really well.”

Then, too, there was the opportunity to rejoin her former teammates.

“That last game (with the other three), I will never forget it. We were crying tears because we had lost, and it was just sad because it was the last time I was going to play with these girls,” she said. “Flash forward four years later, and we’re back together. We won a lot when we were together, and we had that chemistry on and off the court. I feel like that’s definitely something the fans can look forward to, because we’re good when we’re on the court together, and on top of what’s already here — very talented — so there’s a lot to look forward to.”

Saunders and Lilly Ritz figure to make perhaps the best 1-2 frontcourt punch in the Horizon League this year, as Ritz is coming off a season in which she averaged 17.8 points and 10.5 rebounds in league play and earned All-Horizon League First Team and All-Defensive Team honors.

“I feel like Lilly and I together, that’s going to be tough (for opponents),” Saunders said. “And as a whole (team), I feel like the chemistry is there. Off the court, the chemistry is 100 percent; on the court, the chemistry is 100 percent. It’s going to be amazing.”

All of this said, none of the newcomers are taking anything for granted and know putting in the work will determine their success more than anything.

Kirby noted, “Playing-wise, practice is going to show everything. Nothing is (given). They said just come in and work, and your spot will be determined by what you do in practice.”

Saunders added, “The work ethic here with these girls is unmatched at any school I was really talking to. Since I’ve been here, we’ve gotten in the gym every single day. Dena has had practices in the mornings, and I work in the morning, but she’ll still come to the gym with me every night. That just proves how much this game is important to us, and how much we want to win.

22

YSU Penguin Athletics / Covington returns to YSU for the 6th season

« on: May 20, 2022, 06:01:08 AM »

From today’s Tribune/Vindy:

Youngstown State’s Garrett Covington to return for 6th season

LOCAL SPORTS
MAY 19, 2022

JOEL WHETZEL
Staff writer
jwhetzel@tribtoday.com
 
 

Correspondent photo / Robert Hayes YSU's Garrett Covington shoots a three-pointer. After entering the transfer portal, Covington is returning to YSU for a sixth season according to head coach Jerrod Calhoun.

YOUNGSTOWN — Garrett Covington will return to Youngstown State for his sixth season with the program, head coach Jerrod Calhoun said Thursday.


Covington was part of Calhoun’s original recruiting class, and began with the Penguins in the 2017-18 season.

He had entered the transfer portal after this past season concluded, but after some time decided to return, Calhoun said. Covington played in just three games in the 2021-22 season before suffering a season-ending achilles injury.

“We’ve been talking the last couple days, and he really wants to be in Youngstown,” Calhoun said. “He had a chance to go home (to Indiana) and looked at other universities, and he wants to come back and finish his career at Youngstown State.”

Covington has averaged 9.8 points and 4.0 rebounds per game in his career at YSU.


The Penguins originally were planning on not having Covington and took in four transfers and a freshman recruit as part of this offseason’s recruiting class. But, YSU still had one scholarship to give.

The incoming class includes transfers Bryce McBride (Eastern Michigan), Adrian Nelson (Northern Kentucky), Malek Green (Canisius), Brandon Rush (Fairleigh Dickinson) and freshman John Lovelace Jr., a native of Milwaukee.

“Our recruiting class was terrific, and Garrett and I talked about that,” Calhoun said. “He’s willing to accept any role he has. We built this team thinking he wouldn’t be back, but he provides us one of the best on-ball defenders in our conference, if not the country. He’s played a lot of basketball, understands our system and wants to go out a winner. He gives us that veteran presence.”

jwhetzel@tribtoday.com

23

YSU Penguin Athletics / NFL draft

« on: May 01, 2022, 06:32:20 AM »

From today’s Tribune/Vindy

YSU TE Ogletree drafted by Colts

LOCAL SPORTS
MAY 1, 2022


YOUNGSTOWN — Youngstown State tight end Drew Ogletree was drafted in the sixth round by the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday. He was the 192nd overall selection.

Ogletree, a Dayton native, caught 40 passes for 391 yards in two seasons as a Penguin. Last season, he had 28 receptions for 282 yards. At Findlay, where he played from 2016-2019, the 6-foot-6 target hauled in 91 passes for 1,147 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Ogletree is the first Youngstown State player to be drafted since Derek Rivers and Avery Moss were taken in the third and fifth rounds, respectively, in the 2017 draft.

After the draft concluded, fellow former Penguin Grant Dixon, a linebacker, was extended an invitation to the Colts’ rookie mini-camp.

24

YSU Penguin Athletics / Naz

« on: April 07, 2022, 06:55:15 AM »

From today’s Tribune Vindy:

Chasing his next dream

Former YSU hooper Bohannon declares for 2022 NFL Draft
LOCAL SPORTS
APR 6, 2022

JOEL WHETZEL
Staff writer
jwhetzel@tribtoday.com
 
 

Clemson's Naz Bohannon (33) drives downcourt during an NCAA college basketball game against Notre Dame on Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2022, in South Bend, Ind. (AP Photo/Robert Franklin)

In the annals of professional football, some of the sport’s more notable tight ends came from a limited college football background, and instead came from basketball.


Antonio Gates played basketball at Kent State before turning in a 16-year career with the Chargers, Jimmy Graham played just one season at Miami after spending four seasons on the Hurricanes’ basketball team and has been in the NFL since 2010, and Marcus Pollard didn’t play any college football before signing with the Colts and enjoying a 13-year career in the league.

Now, former Youngstown State hooper Naz Bohannon hopes to accomplish the same.

Bohannon, who spent four years with YSU before playing last season at Clemson as a graduate transfer, entered his name into the NFL Draft and has been training in the meantime.

“The opportunity kind of presented itself as I was still in (basketball) season,” explained Bohannon, who scored 1,236 points and snagged 990 rebounds in the red and white. “I’ve been real close to a basketball agent I’ve been talking to over the past couple of years that I met through a trainer who I was actually working out with in Youngstown. He reached out to me saying he had a buddy who was a football agent that was looking for guys who fit a certain profile and could make the transition over to football if need be.”


Though he excelled as a basketball player, Bohannon is no stranger to the gridiron. In high school, Bohannon played as a linebacker, defensive end and tight end at Lorain.

So, Bohannon decided to go for it, but not before finishing his season with Clemson. The Tigers finished 17-16 after getting knocked out of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament by eventual champion Virginia Tech. Over the course of the season, Bohannon averaged 5.7 points per game and played about 21 minutes per contest.

“We all talked about what was next as far as an opportunity presenting itself and how to prepare me to be able to be ready for that opportunity when it did come,” he said.

Not long after the basketball season ended, Bohannon went to Clemson’s Pro Day, where his height and weight were measured and he “showed up … just to show face, kind of create a buzz, let a couple teams know what it was we were doing and what it was we’re trying to pursue.”

There’s been some buzz, Bohannon said, and some teams have taken notice and expressed interest.

Now, he’s reshaping his body to put back on some weight. He checked in at 6-foot-6, 232 pounds at Clemson, but has targeted getting back to about 265.

“I don’t have to get to 265 tomorrow — that’s unrealistic — but something I could compete at,” noted Bohannon, who earned his degree in business administration at YSU and studied athletic leadership at Clemson.

Bohannon also is focusing on producing great drill times because he doesn’t have film from college like his peers.

The hope is to get drafted, but if that doesn’t happen, Bohannon explained he would target rookie minicamps next.

“It’s an opportunity that way to really get in front of some guys and show what it is I can do,” Bohannon added.

As he focuses on the on-field stuff, Bohannon’s agent is taking care of things behind the scenes — contacting teams and drawing interest. The pair talk a couple times each week about what to go about doing next.

“He made a promise to me that as hard as I work physically, he’ll work in the offices with the scouts and getting things done,” Bohannon said. “He has a lot of connections and a great network, so he’s going to try to get in touch with somebody from all 32 teams to try to make the best way possible for it to make sense and make it happen for me.”

jwhetzel@tribtoday.com

25

YSU Penguin Athletics / YSU vs IUPUI

« on: February 19, 2022, 05:33:46 PM »

YSU 74 IUPUI 61
Played against a team with only 6 players. YSU only led by 3 points with few minutes to go. They were finally able to pull it out.
Tough win.

26

YSU Penguin Athletics / YSU vs UIC

« on: February 17, 2022, 08:57:04 PM »

YSU overcame 11 points deficit twice in the 2nd half to beat UIC 88-79. Cohill and Akuchie both had a great game

27

YSU Penguin Athletics / YSU vs Detroit

« on: February 11, 2022, 09:45:44 PM »

YSU won 82-69. Akuchie had another great game.

28

YSU Penguin Athletics / YSU vs Oakland

« on: February 09, 2022, 09:10:51 PM »

MBB: YSU over Oakland 78-71 tonight. Cohill had a good game.

29

YSU Penguin Athletics / 2022 Hula bowl - YSU’s Ogletree

« on: January 24, 2022, 08:55:33 PM »

From Tribune- Vindy today:

YSU’s Ogletree shines at Hula Bowl

Earned Player of the Game honors, hopes to continue football career at the NFL level
LOCAL SPORTS
JAN 24, 2022

JOEL WHETZEL
Staff writer
jwhetzel@tribtoday.com
 
 

AP. Team Aina tight end Andrew Ogletree (81), of Youngstown State, catches a pass in the end zone for a touchdown in front of Team Kai linebacker Drew White (40), of Notre Dame, in the Hula Bowl Jan. 15 in Orlando, Fla.

FORT MYERS, Fla. — Though his time at Youngstown State has concluded, Drew Ogletree is hopeful that his football career has not.


The former Penguin tight end has been training in Fort Myers, Florida, and on Jan. 15 competed in the Hula Bowl, a showcase for NFL hopefuls. Ogletree had a strong showing throughout the week, and capped it with two impressive receptions for 30 yards and a touchdown during the game itself, in which he was given Player of the Game honors.

As such, his draft stock may be on the rise.

“Personally, I thought I had a great week of practice, a lot of praise coming from my teammates, my coaches, and then during the game, I hadn’t scored (for YSU) all year, so just getting in the end zone was a different feeling,” he said.

Originally, Ogletree thought he was headed to the College Gridiron Showcase, but a phone call the day before he left for Fort Myers changed that plan. So, on Jan. 9, he arrived in Orlando for practices and went to work with Team AINA.


It was a busy week. In addition to practices, Ogletree would have meetings with scouts and take cognitive tests. Some days, he said, he wouldn’t get back to his room until after 11 p.m.

When he met with scouts, Ogletree noted that it mostly was for them to gather background information about him.

“Just to clear up some loose ends they might have, or if they’ve never contacted you before, just to start that conversation to learn about your personal life,” he said. “They’re going to ask some football questions, so you have to know your favorite play, favorite games, best games to watch, your worst games to watch, too.

“There’s just a lot of getting to know you personally and what type of person you are, what type of leader you are, and what type of fit you would be in that team.”

Though he can’t specify who he’s spoken with, Ogletree did say he’s heard from “a good amount of teams.”

On the practice field, Ogletree enjoyed getting to know his teammates, which came from all over the college football landscape. He also spent the week getting coached by Jonathan Hayes, a former NFL tight end and coach who spent his playing career with the Chiefs and Steelers and coaching career with the Bengals.

Then, the week culminated in Ogletree’s performance during the game itself. In addition to his touchdown reception, the tight end snagged a hard-earned catch up the seam in the red zone.

When Ogletree scored, it happened to be in front of his mother and some other friends and family.

“Just to see that was amazing,” he said, adding, “Having a camera on me, I got to shout out my son and my brother and just tell them I missed them and wished they were down there. So I loved it.”

He also drew praise from his opponents.

“When I made that big catch up the seam, the linebacker that was guarding me goes, ‘Hey great catch.’ and I appreciated it. So just the love, the genuine love I felt from everyone was amazing.”

Now, Ogletree is continuing to train with Jordan Luallen at X3 Performance in Fort Myers with his eyes set on the NFL. He’ll have another chance to showcase his talents as part of a Pro Day in early March, too.

If it doesn’t work out, he’d like to get into some sort of investigative work with law enforcement, such as with the FBI or as a detective. His degree is in criminal justice. That said, he wants to cross that bridge when he gets to it.

“Just going to train, train, train until my Pro Day, and then see what happens there,” he said.

The link to the Hula bowl on YouTube is shown below:

https://youtu.be/fC8M9cVGxzA

30

YSU Penguin Athletics / YSU vs WSU

« on: January 15, 2022, 09:18:13 PM »

Give the team lots of credit pulling this one out at the end 90-87