Correspondent photo / Robert Hayes Youngstown State forward Adrian Nelson puts up a contested layup during the Penguins’ game at Notre Dame on Sunday. Nelson has fit in well with YSU since transferring to the program.

YOUNGSTOWN — Adrian Nelson was in search of a new opportunity.

After a successful four-year stint at Horizon League foe Northern Kentucky, Nelson hit the transfer portal in hopes of a chance to “expand” his game using his COVID year.

Enter Youngstown State, which had initially recruited Nelson out of high school and was eager to reconnect with the forward. The Penguins were tasked with replacing talented forward Michael Akuchie, who graduated after a stellar career in Youngstown.

“I think I was his first call (when Nelson entered the transfer portal),” said YSU coach Jerrod Calhoun. “Coach Jason Slay and I, he’s down at South Florida now, we recruited Adrian really hard out of high school, and Detroit (Mercy) beat us out for him, and then he ended up committing to Northern Kentucky. So I’ve known Adrian (for some time). I know a lot of the people that know him, I know what he stands for. We loved him. We went in there, and we were really aggressive.”

Meanwhile, Nelson says he was looking for a program still in the Horizon League in addition to the right fit. He entered the portal in late March and committed to YSU on April 17.

So far, it’s been the exact fit he was searching for.

Through four games, Nelson is averaging 16.8 points and nine rebounds per game. His scoring has come in a variety of ways. He’s 3-of-7 from 3-point range, has driven to the basket well and has dominated in the post. In Tuesday’s 96-68 win over Grace Christian, he tallied 14 points and seven rebounds in 16 minutes of action.

It’s that versatility that made Calhoun eager to bring him on board to YSU, which now is 3-1 on the year.

“We really talked about how our style of play can help him finish his last year of college,” Calhoun said. “He was part of two championships at NKU, just an unbelievable career there, but the chance to expand his game, shoot threes, playing the perimeter, pass the ball and still utilize his low-post game. That’s really how we got him — that pre-existing relationship and just the chance to play in our five-out, open-post offense. … And you’re really starting to see him develop before our eyes.”

Nelson, who earned a degree in organizational leadership at NKU and is now getting a master’s degree in professional communications, said he feels like he’s “truly a wing,” and so he spent his summer working on his perimeter shot and ball-handling skills. Those have helped him play as a stretch forward for the Penguins, which haven’t been shy about giving Nelson — and anybody else on roster — the green light.

That’s helped Nelson find his way early on.

“When a coach gives you confidence, that’s when you really excel,” Nelson said. “So I felt like (Calhoun) believing in me and him letting me put in reps every day on the inside post and the wing, it’s really just helped me.”

Nelson’s contributions to the program go beyond his on-court stats, though, Calhoun notes. Nelson’s time at NKU included two Horizon League championships and one trip to the NCAA Tournament (the Norse would have gone to another if not for COVID-19), so Nelson brings a wealth of experience to the Penguins’ locker room.

“Winners know how to win, and Adrian has won a lot of college basketball games,” Calhoun said. ” … He understands what it takes day to day. Most high school guys don’t, most guys that don’t come from winning programs don’t understand it. It takes them months to figure it out. So if we’re having a bad practice or we’re not doing what we’re supposed to do and not playing to our standard, he gets it. He uses his voice, and he talks to guys.

“He’s a lead by example (player), but I think he’s getting more and more comfortable with his role here in Youngstown of not only being a really good player, but trying to become an elite leader. He really cares, and when your leaders care, that goes a long way.”