PENGUINS HOLD NO. 5 SPOT IN PRESEASON POLL

Andrew Kopnicky, Sports Writer

YSU Men’s Basketball Team was ranked #5 in the horizon preseason poll. They are behind Purdue Fort Wayne, Northern Kentucky, Wright State and Oakland.

The football season is winding down so the vision of college sports is moving toward college basketball. If they finish top in the league, they have a good chance of making it to the NIT (Not In Tournament) bracket. The big tournament is March Madness.

Last year, the YSU basketball team made it to the second round of The Basketball Classic, in which they lost to Fresno State by a score of 80-71.

Coach Calhoun just extended his contract with the program for another 5 years.

“We’re excited about the upcoming season and what else lies ahead in the future,” Coach Calhoun said.

Throughout Calhoun’s years at YSU, his team won 12 conference games, which is the school record.

Jerrod does not plan on leaving anytime soon and is going to help rebuild the program.

“My family and I love being here at Youngstown State, and the Youngstown community has truly embraced us. We are grateful for the opportunity to lead this program and look to build upon the successes we have achieved here,” says Calhoun.

Last season, the team went 19-15 and finished 7th in the Horizon League. Calhoun is going into his 6th season at YSU.

The Penguins are looking to light up the scoreboard this year.

“I want to thank YSU President Jim Tressel, Athletics Director Ron Strollo, and our Board of Trustees for putting their trust in me to lead our team and their commitment to our men’s basketball program,” says Calhoun.

The YSU basketball team is led by Dwayne Cohill with 14.9 points per game last season.