Correspondent photo / Robert Hayes. YSU sophomore John Lovelace Jr. goes up for a layup against Cleveland State on Nov. 29 at the Beeghly Center.

YOUNGSTOWN — Youngstown State’s offense continues to grow and improve with each game.

After the Penguins’ victory over Bethany, head coach Jerrod Calhoun wasn’t satisfied with how his players were operating within YSU’s offensive system.

Then after the Westminster win, Calhoun indicated marked improvement in how YSU was making its reads and passes. And now the Penguins have also added their win over Navy on Thursday.

Sitting at 10-3, YSU is riding a seven-game winning streak — tying a school Division I record that was also matched in ’83-’84 and ’97-’98, and the Penguins have their scoring average up to 81.5 points per game.

“You go through the day-to-day, and then there’s some teams out there that put in a lot of work and they don’t get the results,” Calhoun said. “So we’re pretty fortunate that we’ve put in the work and the kids are seeing it firsthand. … As a coach, when you can get those results, you get more buy-in. The teams that lose in today’s world, they don’t get the buy-in from the players. So we just gotta keep plugging away. We’re a connected team right now. We’ve got a real high ceiling.”

One of the products of YSU’s offensive success is its scoring versatility.

Through 13 games, the Penguins have had six different players lead the team in scoring — Brandon Rush, Bryson Langdon, DJ Burns, John Lovelace Jr., Ziggy Reid and EJ Farmer.

“Any given night, we’ve got anyone of seven guys that can certainly go get 15-20 points,” Calhoun said. “Throughout the game of basketball, there’s so many possessions, you just have to read what the defense is doing and react.

“Then we have some guys that are different. Ziggy can shoot threes and he can post, DJ can handle the ball, he can post and he can shoot threes. We have a 7-foot-3 guy, nobody at this level has that. We have a guy in Brandon Rush that can score the ball, we have versatility off the bench with (Jaylen Bates) and (Imanuel Zorgvol) and EJ Farmer. We have steadiness at point guard with Brett (Thompson) and Bryson. So we’ve got a good combination of a little bit of everything, and I think that’s why this group can continue to get better.”

As a result of the versatility and the consistency, YSU also has six different players averaging at least eight points and 20 minutes per game.

“(We) just move the ball and get everybody involved,” Thompson said. “Because we’ve got more than one guy, we’re so deep, so it can just be anybody’s night.”

LOVELACE’S EMERGENCE

College players often make their biggest leap in ability from Year 1 to Year 2, and Lovelace is no exception.

“To see what he’s been able to do from Year 1 to Year 2, it’s a product of his hard work and I’m glad to see it,” Calhoun said.

The sophomore wing appeared in all 34 of YSU’s games last season, averaging 4.3 points and 2.1 rebounds per game. He was even named to the Horizon League’s All-Freshman Team, but this year, Lovelace has been even better.

He’s eclipsed the 20-point mark three times already this season, leading the Penguins in scoring against Lake Erie, Cleveland State and Bethany. Through 13 games, he’s averaging 9.0 points per game.

“Johnny is still learning and still adjusting to the game,” Calhoun said. “His work ethic is second-to-none and he plays with an extremely high motor. … As far as making shots, being one of the best defenders in this conference, being one of the best motors in this conference, I’d take John Lovelace up against anybody.”

RESERVE TO STARTER

For the first five games this season, Thompson came off the bench for the Penguins.

But in YSU’s road game vs. Dayton on Nov. 24, Thompson was inserted into the starting lineup. Since then, the Penguins are 6-1 and Thompson is now one of four players averaging in double figures this season at 10.3 points per game. He’s second on the team in total assists behind Langdon, and has the best assist-to-turnover ratio on the team.

The Penguins did something similar last season when they moved Bryce McBride from the bench to the starting lineup during the year, and it also worked out in YSU’s favor.

“I think anytime you can have more decision makers on the floor — I look at Brett as a point, he can play on the ball or off the ball, but you look at his assist-to-turnover it’s 3:1. He’s leading our team right now,” Calhoun said. “So he makes good decisions and plays with a real sense of passion and toughness. And I think it has helped EJ (Farmer) coming off the bench, so it was a win-win.”

With both Thompson and Langdon on the floor together, it gives the Penguins two primary ball handlers on the floor at the same time, which adds to the flexibility of what YSU can do offensively.

“You can get into offense quicker,” Calhoun said. “Either guy can bring it (up the court) — I like that. I think it gets other guys playing to their role — if it’s a catch-and-shoot guy, or if it’s a guy that plays out of close-outs or our post players and getting them on the block — I think it just steadies the ship a little bit.”

NEXT UP

YSU now has a few days off for the holidays, but will return to campus right after Christmas to prepare for the return of Horizon League conference play for the rest of the season.

The Penguins host Oakland in the second game of a doubleheader with the women Dec. 31 at 2:30 p.m.

nmadhavan@tribtoday.com