#HLMBB Preview: Youngstown State

November 02

Joey Yashinsky

Youngstown State Penguins

Last year: 13-21 overall, 5-13 Horizon League

Coach: Jerrod Calhoun (1st year)

Team Preview

If you’re a passionate fan of defensive slugfests, slow-down offenses, and final scores in the low-40’s, the new-look Youngstown State Penguins might not be your cup of tea.

Newcomer to the Horizon League Jerrod Calhoun is at the helm now and makes no bones about his preferred method of madness.

“We are going to press the entire game,” Calhoun said. “Whether it’s zone or man, we’re gonna be flying around. We’ll shoot a lot of 3s. We’ll have to be in great shape. This is a very, very difficult style to play against.”

Finding some type of balance within that chaos requires top-flight guard play, and lucky for Calhoun, he’ll be inheriting two of the Horizon League’s best in seniors Cameron Morse and Francisco Santiago.

Morse was a first-team all-conference player a year ago and begins this season right back on that list. He was the Horizon’s top scorer in league play last year, but his biggest play of all came not with a shot, but a pass. In the signature moment of 2017 Motor City Madness, Morse rose up for the game-winner, only to flip the script mid-scene, dishing to a wide-open Jorden Kaufman under the hoop for an easy layup and a buzzer-beating takedown of Oakland, the tournament’s top seed.

Santiago will be asked to engineer this run-and-gun attack. The 6-foot-1 guard is a tremendous playmaker (2nd leading assist man in the HL) and one of the best rebounders at his position, collecting more than five a game last year. You watch Santiago compete and it becomes hard to imagine there’s a single person in the gym that craves a victory as badly. It’s a trait that Calhoun has noticed already.

“Francisco Santiago is exactly what Youngstown is,” Calhoun said. “It’s a bunch of hard-working people that are going to give ultimate energy and ultimate effort. That’s what ‘Cisco does every single day.”

A player poised for a breakout campaign is Braun Hartfield, a silky-smooth 6-foot-6 guard coming off a very productive freshman season. He opened eyes during last year’s tournament opener against Cleveland State, cashing in five times from downtown and scoring 22 points. Hartfield’s length and athleticism will be critical assets to the Penguin cause. If he capitalizes on last year’s momentum and makes a major freshman-to-sophomore leap, Youngstown State suddenly becomes one of the most dangerous teams in this conference.

To reasonably run at this breakneck pace throughout the year, depth within the roster is a necessity.

Devin Haygood should take on a larger role this season. Haygood has long arms and at 6-foot-7, looks to be the perfect candidate to hunt for steals in Calhoun’s full-court press.

There is also buzz around the league about Tyree Robinson, an incoming junior college transfer. Robinson is just 6-foot-5, but Calhoun describes him as “a walking double-double.” There have been comparisons to Charles Barkley in terms of the ability to sky high for rebounds and dunks without being the tallest guy on the floor.

When Jerrod Calhoun took over at Division-II Fairmont State, his team was coming off an eight-win season. With him running the show, that total immediately jumped to 23. Then last year, Calhoun directed his charges to a 34-3 record and a spot in the national championship game.

Can a similar spike in victory total be expected in year one at Youngstown State? Only time will tell. But there are a few things you can be certain of.

The pace will be blistering; the scoreboard will be lit up like a pinball machine; and it will be a whole lot of fun to watch.

Motor City Madness
Support the Penguins at the 2018 Little Caesars Horizon League Basketball Championships March 2-6 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. Tickets can be purchased at campus box offices now and online starting December 15. For more information, click here.

#HLWBB Preview Schedule (10 am ET)

10/30/2017	UIC
10/31/2017	Northern Kentucky
11/1/2017	Youngstown State
11/2/2017	IUPUI
11/3/2017	Cleveland State
11/6/2017	Detroit Mercy
11/7/2017	Milwaukee
11/8/2017	Oakland
11/9/2017	Wright State
11/10/2017	Green Bay
11/13/2017	#HLWBB Preview

#HLMBB Preview Schedule (2 pm ET)

10/30/2017	IUPUI
10/31/2017	Cleveland State
11/1/2017	Milwaukee
11/2/2017	Youngstown State
11/3/2017	Green Bay
11/6/2017	Wright State
11/7/2017	Detroit Mercy
11/8/2017	UIC
11/9/2017	Northern Kentucky
11/10/2017	Oakland
11/13/2017	#HLMBB Preview