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1
https://ysusports.com/news/2024/4/16/booth-davidson-join-ysu-womens-basketball-staff.aspx


Youngstown, Ohio -- Youngstown State head women's basketball coach Melissa Jackson has announced that Peyton Booth and Courtney Davidson will be joining her staff as she enters her second month as a Penguin.

"I am thrilled to welcome Peyton and Courtney to our Penguin family," Jackson said. "Not only are they exceptional basketball coaches, but they are also tremendous people who our young women will get to learn from each and every day. They both know Ohio very well, have established connections and will be able to hit the ground running from a recruiting standpoint."

Booth and Davidson will join Jason Pacanowski and Brice Margenthaler, who will remain at Youngstown State in their previous capacities.

Booth comes to Youngstown after spending the 2023-24 season as an assistant coach at Western Michigan. Before that, she was an assistant coach alongside Jackson for three seasons at Akron.

"Having worked with Peyton for three years, she knows our culture, the ins and outs of our system, and, most importantly me," Jackson said. "She is an exceptional teacher of the game with a high aptitude for scouting opponents. Our players will benefit from her knowledge and experience."

The Broncos were 12-18 overall and 7-11 in Mid-American Conference games in 2023-24 with Booth on the bench, and one of those victories was a 54-52 triumph over the Penguins at Beeghly Center. The Zips won 50 games in Booth's three seasons in Akron, including 17 in each of her final two seasons. She was first a graduate assistant at Akron in 2018-19, and she returned in 2021-22 as an assistant coach.

In her two seasons as an assistant coach, Booth coached four Zips who earned All-MAC honors, including 2022 MAC Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year Jordyn Dawson.

Booth is a native of Wadsworth in Northeast Ohio, and she played collegiately at New Hampshire.

Davidson is a daughter of Youngstown having played and coached at Ursuline High School, and she is joining the Youngstown State women's basketball staff for the third time in her career. She most recently served as the recruiting coordinator at Fordham in 2023-24.

"Over the years, I have watched Courtney grow in this profession," Jackson said. "She has always been someone who impressed me with her professionalism and how she cultivates relationships.  Courtney is super passionate about Youngstown! Having worked at YSU, she brings a great level of knowledge. I am also really excited for our point guards to learn from one of the very best in our business."

Davidson has been a Division I assistant coach for 11 years, and she has served as a recruiting coordinator for the last five. Her collegiate coaching career began as director of operations at Youngstown State in 2013-14, and she held the same role for a year at the College of Charleston in 2014-15. Davidson then was an assistant at Radford in 2015-16 and 2016-17 as the Highlanders won 42 games in two seasons, and she returned home to Youngstown for the 2017-18 and 2018-19 campaigns. The Penguins played in a postseason tournament in each of those seasons, and the 2018-19 squad won 22 games and earned an at-large berth in the Women's NIT.

Davidson's first recruiting coordinator opportunity was at Hartford in 2019-20 and 2020-21, and she held the same position at Loyola Maryland in 2021-22 and 2022-23 before moving on to Fordham in 2023-24.


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YSU Penguin Athletics / Re: NDSU TO MOUNTAIN WEST?
« on: April 12, 2024, 06:17:52 AM »
I thought that the mountain west was going away?

3
YOUNGSTOWN — Last season, Youngstown State’s defensive identity was based around its front seven.

The Penguins’ group of defensive linemen and linebackers made their living getting into opposing backfields to harass the quarterback and stop the run. As a result, YSU was 10th in the FCS in rush defense and 13th in total sacks.

Despite significant attrition this offseason on the depth chart, the Penguins are again hoping to maintain that same defensive identity as they prepare for the 2024 season heading into the final week of spring practice.

“We always gotta stop the run first,” defensive coordinator and linebackers coach John Haneline said after practice on Tuesday. “That’s this conference, that’s college football. Studies have shown that if you win the run game, you’re winning probably about 70-80% of your games — the passing battle, you’re winning about 40-50%. So that’s going to be the mentality, and with the transition of new guys, the biggest thing is teaching them how to make those plays.”

Of the 11 defensive players that started YSU’s season finale against Villanova in the fall, just one remains on the roster — cornerback Jaylen Castleberry — whether that’s due to the transfer portal, graduation and/or completing their collegiate eligibility.

The pieces are there, whether it be depth players that saw significant playing time last season like junior defensive end Dawan Martin or newcomers like Tiffin transfer linebacker Antonio O’Berry, but now the Penguins have to find the best fits to retool and rebuild the defense.

“I always tell the guys during the first spring meeting, we need 22 starters because we’re going to be heavily involved in special teams and all those things,” Haneline said.

On the defensive line, Martin is a player that the coaches have been particularly high on with his length on the outside edge. He played in all 13 of YSU’s games, registering 13.0 tackles and 3.5 sacks.

The coaching staff expects his role to increase drastically this season, especially considering the leadership strides that he’s made, according to Haneline.

“I really love what Dawan Martin is doing, just from a technique and fundamental (standpoint),” head coach Doug Phillips said. “He’s a guy that’s played football, but he’s going to play a lot more football. Instead of playing maybe 20-22 snaps per game, he’s going to have to play 40. To see his technique and his fundamentals this spring is the best I’ve seen of him.”

Elsewhere on the defensive front, junior Deamontae Diggs has shifted from defensive tackle out to defensive end, while seniors Jaelen Crider and Hunter Allen are also competing for spots on the defensive line. Like Martin, Haneline also noted that Michael Voitus is filling a leadership void. Voitus saw time on special teams last year, but is another name in the mix on the defensive front.

But transfer additions O’Berry and Jabarrek Hopkins, from Marshall, are each fully in the mix on the defensive line, as well.

“These new guys — they were brought in to stagger those classes and play and do that stuff,” Haneline said. “They’ve shown growth from the first practice. Everything’s new for the new guys, like going to class and doing all those things. It’s all new, so they’ve done a great job just adapting into the culture.”

YSU likely incurred its most significant personnel losses at linebacker with the departures of Alex Howard, Greg Benton Jr. and D’Marco Augustin.

But junior Devin Johnson, senior Logan Pasco and sophomore Mike Wells are each back after getting snaps in reserve roles last season. Plus, the Penguins added Iowa State transfer Carston Marshall to also compete for a spot.

Haneline notes that players like junior Preston Zandier and senior Keon Freeman will also likely see their roles expand at linebacker.

“Devin Johnson is a guy who’s played a ton of football and he’s now learning how to control a game, identify things and take his game to the next level,” Haneline said. “Lining up out there, we know Devin knows the defense, he knows that in and out. But it’s about getting him to a level of communication with other guys and seeing things (out there). Alex Howard leaves and it gives Mike Wells a great opportunity to take strides. Then Logan Pasco, Keon Freeman and Preston Zandi — there’s been a lot of growth in the linebacker room.”

At the start of spring, the secondary looked like the group that had the most returning experience. But after cornerback Troy Jakubec put his name in the transfer portal Tuesday, that experience has decreased.

However, Castleberry returns at the other cornerback spot, in addition to Amarian Robinson at free safety, and the team’s leading returning tackler, strong safety Tyjon Jones, is back in the secondary. Also, according to the Penguins’ roster, Latrell Fordham has made the switch from offense to defense, moving from receiver to defensive back.

Like Martin, Jones is someone that has received a good deal of praise from the coaches.

“The key going into spring was focus and discipline, and I’m seeing that from our safeties,” Phillips said. “Tyjon Jones has had the best spring he’s had since I’ve been here. It’s not just athletic ability, but his focus and his leadership has really gone to the next level, and I want to continue to see that.”

Even with all the competition at almost every position, things still remain very much in flux for the defense. After the spring game on Saturday, YSU still has to go through another portal cycle, summer lifts and workouts and then fall camp in August.

Most, if not all, of the starting spots on defense likely won’t be determined or finalized until well into August.

“It’s still a learning process,” Phillips said. “I think we have talented players, it’s just putting it all together. A lot of guys are doing a lot of thinking. You can tell, the minute they grasp those types of knowledge, they’re going to play a lot faster then what they’re playing right now. … Be prepared now because when you get that opportunity, you gotta make the most of it.

“So we’re at that point going into the last week (of spring) that a lot of guys are fighting to earn a position in this program. That’s the part of spring I love. You see young guys mature and you’re seeing young guys grasp it in this last week. I want to see them hit the film rooms a little longer, so that come Saturday, they can play fast.”

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YSU Penguin Athletics / Re: Admin stop the nonsense posts
« on: April 08, 2024, 06:16:46 PM »
Unfortunately, they do not allow moderators to do that for some dumb reason. They only allow the administrator to do it and if I make other people administrator, they have complete authority so I really cannot do that. I went ahead and set it up. I think so that People have to be approved by me to join. We’ll see what happens. This should not affect anyone who’s already a member but let me know if it does.

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YSU Penguin Athletics / Re: Admin stop the nonsense posts
« on: April 07, 2024, 09:23:06 PM »
The only way to stop them is to make it so that all new people that join have to be manually approved. Trying to avoid it, but maybe we’ll just have to do it. It’s just that a lot of people read some thing for the first time and want to respond right away and that won’t happen.

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YSU Penguin Athletics / Re: It’s officially Football Season
« on: March 12, 2024, 11:40:27 AM »
If he only played in four games specially if they were the first four games of the season, he could play almost every down and get that game back. Sounds like he had some coaches that knew what they were doing.

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YSU Penguin Athletics / Re: YSU Baseball
« on: March 12, 2024, 11:34:35 AM »
I’m not saying keep him or let him go either way. But I am saying we seldom do any better than what we have have done this year and the first half of the season. And I can say he has contacts when if we ever had games of this stat or so many of them and one season?

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YSU Penguin Athletics / Re: Horizon League Coaches/Portal
« on: March 12, 2024, 11:32:48 AM »
We are playing a completely new style of basketball now. Call it portal play if you will. It’s going to do exactly what it did for us. He’s going to give you more wins on average, but there’s no way it’s gonna let you go into any preseason during season, postseason tournament and win. It’s just not there, I expected exactly what happened to us to happen I mean, maybe if we can get a couple more pre-and midseason tournaments under our belt will be more prepared but I still don’t think so. We have to stop making major adjustments to fit our players and start recruiting good players recruit players that fit our system try to go back to the old way as much as possible. 

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Well, if I go in and shut off the open registrations are where people have to send an email to register that will definitely correct it. But it will make it a pain for anybody who does want to sign up they’ll have to wait till one of us read it and accept them. The site is very safe not worried about that. The other option is to switch the brand of board that I use which I can definitely do. It’ll take a while but I’ve been thinking about it for quite a long time.

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YSU Penguin Athletics / Re: ndsu coach
« on: January 03, 2024, 01:59:29 PM »
I was reading in the dispatch that the salaries for position coaches is usually based on tenure. Coordinators and up have a salary structure.  At OSU, position coaches go from $300k to $515k

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With the transfer portal and NIL expect mass defections from our program and all of FCS,  Coaches will let us develop, cherry-pick and offer more NIL to our top performers.  Unless it’s fixed soon FCS will be a mess and the talent will be used to build depth and help programs that hire new coaches a way to win faster.  Maybe what needs to change is if a BCS school poaches a player then they need to pay a bounty to thst school for developing and then losing them.  I expect our left tackle will be gone after next season for sure. 

So if Phillips thinks he can develop kids to stay not happening anymore.

Good point and if you do develop the talent, that talent is going to leave. Then again we knew this right from the start. To hell with being fair to the players, they are not being fair to us. We recruited them, we own them. They are no longer amateurs. If they are not happy with an education, then why should we care? I think of those kids from Air Force in the armed services bowl. No NIL, no transferring in, no transferring out. You transfer out, you are AWOL and going to prison. If you quit the academy, you are now a private and going to clean plans for the next 4-years.

12
Crap!! Johnson and Wudke. There goes half our defense.

13
YSU Penguin Athletics / Re: Penguins Announce December Signees
« on: December 27, 2023, 04:05:08 PM »
Now come on guys. I am no basketball fan either, but I catch every Penguin game that I can. I support my school.

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YSU Penguin Athletics / Re: Penguins Announce December Signees
« on: December 26, 2023, 07:45:59 AM »
YSU is about as far from a basketball school as you can get. Basketball does determine most of what a university will do though. Conference affiliation, interest, etc. YSU was only a "player" that year we knocked off Butler twice during one of the years they made the NCAA final. Slocum was the darling of ESPN.

However, with the portal and major changes in college football approaching, basketball will probably become a thing of the past at many schools.

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YSU Penguin Athletics / Penguins Announce December Signees
« on: December 22, 2023, 10:49:52 AM »
Remy Bose
Linebacker
6-1, 210
Gateway High School
Pittsburgh, Pa.

High School: Was a first-team all-conference selection as a junior…two-time all-conference selection…coach was Don Holl.

Brandon Chambers

Brandon Chambers Jr.
Safety
5-11, 181
Farrell High School

High School: Was a standout running back and safety…named a District 10/Region 3 All-Star as an all-purpose back
and defensive back…Farrell defeated Mercyhurst Prep to win the District 10 Class 2A title…scored on a 54-yard run
in the game…won district title in two straight seasons…as a junior rushed for more than 1,000 yards and caught
11 passes for 150 yards and three touchdowns.

Antuan Gardner
Antuan Gardner
Running Back
6-0, 205
Niles McKinley High School
Niles, Ohio

High School: First-team All-Ohio Division IV selection as a senior…named the NE-8 Conference Player of the
Year…named the Trumbull County Coaches Association Player of the Year…rushed for 2,479 yards on 297
carries and scored 31 touchdowns in 2023…averaged 8.3 yards per rush…caught 10 passes for 209 yards
and two scores…named the Big 22 Player of the Year by WYTV…in the playoffs, rushed for 471 yards and
scored six touchdowns on 29 carries against Ashtabula Edgewood…the win over Edgewood was the Red
Dragons' first playoff win in 23 years…rushed for 4,746 yards and scored 61 touchdowns during career.

Stephen Henderson
Stephen Henderson
Linebacker
6-1, 210
Shaker Heights High School
Cleveland, Ohio

High School: Played defensive end/outside linebacker and tight end…had 42 tackles, with 23 solo stops
as a senior…had eight TFLs, highlighted by six sacks…forced two fumbles and had two fumble recoveries.

Dallas McCracken
Dallas McCracken
Offensive Lineman
6-4, 265
United High School

High School: First-team All-Ohio Division VI selection as a senior…had 54 pancake blocks as a senior…added
46 tackles along with 10 TFLs and six sacks…was a first-team All-Quad County pick…three-time first-team
All-Northeast Inland All-District Division VI selection…helped lead United to 17 wins over the last two
seasons and a pair of playoff appearances…played offensive and defensive line…started 43 games in
his career…recorded 142 pancake blocks during career…in 2023, Golden Eagles posted a 10-2 record and
won the Eastern Ohio Athletic Conference title…coach was D.J. Ogilvie…also is a standout wrestler finishing
runner-up in the 2023 Ohio Division III Championships as a heavyweight…is United's first Division I recruit in
26 years.

Devaughn Perkins
Devaughn Perkins
Defensive Tackle
6-0, 295
Cathedral High School
Indianapolis, Ind.

High School: First-team All-City Offensive Lineman as a senior…named to the Indy Star Super Team…Irish played in the Class 6A state semifinals in 2022…coach was Bill Peebles.

Colin Seibert
Colin Siebert
Quarterback
6-4, 190
Brecksville-Broadview Heights High School
Cleveland, Ohio

High School: Second-team All-Northeast Lakes District selection as a senior…threw for 2,108 yards
and 16 touchdown passes in 2023…rushed for four scores…also plays basketball.

Brendan Tabachnick
Brendan Tabachnick
Defensive End
6-5, 265
North Royalton High School
Cleveland, Ohio

High School: Was a standout defensive end and tight end.

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