By Dylan Lux / The Jambar
The wait is over, as the NCAA’s men’s basketball season is underway — which means the Youngstown State University men’s basketball team isn’t far behind.
This offseason was a busy one for YSU, as former Head Coach Jerrod Calhoun, who spent seven seasons with the Penguins, moved out to the Mountain West Conference to become the new head coach of the Utah State University men’s basketball team.
The ’Guins will be under new management this season, as Ethan Faulkner, former assistant coach and associate head coach, will lead Youngstown State into the 2024-25 season.
Faulkner said he is excited about the opportunity to be YSU’s head coach, but knows the season isn’t just about him.
“[I’m] super honored to be head coach and obviously excited about that opportunity, but this season’s not about me,” Faulkner said. “It’s about our guys and trying to maximize the potential of our team.”
Faulkner said he wants to focus on the team’s shooting heading into the opening games of the season.
“The biggest thing is, we have to shoot the ball better,” Faulkner said. “We haven’t shot the ball from three that well and we’ve got some really good looks. Execution wise, we’ve got some things to clean up.”
Youngstown State welcomed nine new Penguins to the men’s basketball roster over the offseason, including three Division I transfers and two true freshmen.
Joining the ’Guins for the 2024-25 campaign are fifth-year seniors Nico Galette, Ty Harper and Siem Uijtendaal, juniors Cris Carroll, Juwan Maxey and Jason Nelson, sophomore Kevin Hamilton and freshmen Elijah Guillory and Shaheed Solebo.
The Penguins had six returning athletes, including key members such as sophomore Gabe Dynes and senior EJ Farmer.
Dynes was named to Horizon League All-Freshman and All-Defensive Teams. Dynes led the Horizon League with 61 blocks and 2.3 blocks per game in his first collegiate season.
Being one of the returners for YSU, Farmer said the team wanted to establish their culture with the new players right away.
“We’ve been talking about it since before the new guys even came … the guys that were returning — we were saying how we have to start the culture, from the spring workouts to now,” Farmer said.
He said the new members of the team adjusted well to Youngstown State.
“By the time the new guys came in, we showed them the ropes and everything we’ve got going on around here and they picked it up pretty well,” Farmer said.
In an anxious fashion, the men’s basketball season opener against Westminster College was postponed due to a power outage. The reschedule date is to be determined.
Currently, the season opener is set for 8 p.m. Nov. 9 in Chicago. The team will take on Chicago State University, who is a brand new member of the Northeast Conference, as they were independent for two seasons before joining the conference.
The matchup will be broadcast live on NEC Front Row and 570 WKBN.
