Correspondent file photo / Robert Hayes Toledo transfer EJ Farmer drives the ball as Northern Kentucky transfer Immanuel Zorgvol defends during a summer practice. YSU recently completed a foreign tour in Spain, during which the Penguins won three games.

YOUNGSTOWN — Back from Youngstown State’s recent trip to Spain, head coach Jerrod Calhoun says the Penguins were able to get the most out of their international excursion.

YSU traveled to Madrid and Malaga, Spain, from July 18-28, during which the Penguins played three games. Youngstown State went 3-0, beginning with a dramatic 88-87 victory over the Madrid All-Stars the day after arriving. YSU then defeated The Embassy 75-71 before closing out its trip with an 80-74 victory.

In that opening victory, Merrimack transfer Ziggy Reid pulled down an offensive rebound in the game’s waning moments and scored on a put-back and an and-1 to win the game.

For Calhoun and his staff, one of the best parts was having the opportunity to play the entire roster from top to bottom. In fact, Calhoun said, YSU used three different starting lineups while it was away.

“We certainly got the most out of it,” Calhoun said. “I thought once we left Madrid and got to Malaga, we played at a much higher level on both sides of the ball. We played three guys that played in the top division of Spain in Malaga. They’re all bigs, so the size of these teams was extremely, extremely big, and we did a really good job.”

Of particular note, Calhoun was pleased with the defensive performances.

“I think we’re ahead of where I thought we were defensively. We can guard, we’re very interchangeable and very athletic,” he added.

With all of that, Calhoun gave a little preview of the 2023-24 campaign.

Between the depth and versatility, he noted the Penguins will look to play more press and up-tempo defenses since multiple players can fit in multiple positions.

“We’re going to be able to play a lot of guys, we’re very versatile,” he said. “We can play guys at multiple positions. We can switch ball screens, which we haven’t done a lot. I think defensively we’re going to be in a press and play an up-tempo style.”

Alongside Reid, Calhoun highlighted the performances of returning guard Brandon Rush as well as transfers EJ Farmer (Toledo) and DJ Burns (Murray State), as well as freshman walk-on Dante DePante from nearby Pittsburgh.

With being able to play so many players in that 10-day span, Calhoun also said it allowed the coaching staff to get a glimpse of how certain players process and retain information. That, he added, will allow his staff to spend extra time with players who will need more guidance.

YSU is off for the next few weeks, and will return to workouts Aug. 21. With three on-court games under their belt, the Penguins now have a baseline to work with as they prepare for a challenging nonconference schedule that includes buy games with Louisiana, Michigan and Dayton.

“I think our guys understand our system on offense. We want to find, create and keep advantages. We want to spray the ball ahead. Efficiency-wise, last year we were one of the most efficient teams in the country not just in scoring, but in shooting, passing and after timeouts. I think they understand the expectations,” Calhoun said.

“Defensively, they understand how we want to be disruptive. So I think you use all that stuff that you saw — we now have film of it. We can come back on the 21st, we can show them video of those three games and really teach. I think that’s what it’s about,” he added.

All of that has put YSU ahead of its normal offseason curve, and has convinced Calhoun that the NCAA should adjust its rules to allow for these types of trips every season for programs that can manage it. Presently, teams are allowed to go on foreign tours once every four years.

“With so many new players in the transfer portal and NIL, I think there should be some sort of rule change where teams that can afford it can go on a summer trip every year,” Calhoun said. “You get the bonding on and off the court. You get your 10 practices. Instead of playing scrimmages in the summer… just allow us to go on a foreign trip every summer.”