Correspondent photos / Robert Hayes. YSU forward DJ Burns (55) puts up a shot on Sunday against Northern Kentucky, while Penguins forward Ziggy Reid (1) looks to score during a game on Jan. 12 against Wright State.

YOUNGSTOWN — Youngstown State has a history of versatile forwards coming through the program during head coach Jerrod Calhoun’s seven-year tenure.

First there was Naz Bohannon, then came Michael Akuchie, and finally the Penguins had Malek Green and Adrian Nelson last season.

Now this year, YSU has the frontcourt duo of Ziggy Reid and DJ Burns. In their short time in Youngstown, both have already left their mark on the program.

“Ziggy has been phenomenal, DJ has been phenomenal,” Calhoun said. “It’s been our specialty. I don’t know what it is, but we’ve had really good forwards in my seven years here. We’ve gotta finish this thing out, but I think Ziggy’s as good as any forward, and I think DJ Burns is as good as any forward in the league. With Ziggy’s scoring, DJ transporting the ball, DJ rebounding the ball, their versatility — these guys give us a different feel.”

Both Reid and Burns have similar styles of play, and as a result, it allows them to play off of each other well on the floor. They both can operate on the block down low, attack the glass, play off the dribble, handle the ball, hit shots from three and make the passes within the offense all over the court.

Calhoun said that versatility comes from the “knowledge of the game” that the two have developed in all their years of playing.

“Most guys can’t be efficient if they don’t know the game,” Calhoun said. “You can have the most talented player, but if he doesn’t understand coverages — they make the reads. They read the defense. They get the ball where it’s supposed to go. (These) guys are kind of a point-forward. We haven’t had two guys up front that can really pass, catch, shoot and drive the ball on the same team. … These two guys are certainly different than most teams at our level. So I think it’s their IQ — that’s what makes them special.”

While both are new to YSU this season via the transfer portal, they both have a wealth of experience playing college basketball.

Before coming to YSU, Reid had already started 84 games and played in 115 during his collegiate career. He was a three-year starter at Merrimack, where he averaged 14.2 points and 4.1 rebounds per game before transferring to YSU. Now this season, Reid has been one of the Penguins’ steadiest, most consistent performers, especially in recent weeks.

“I feel like that helped me out tremendously, just knowing my pace and knowing the speed of the game,” Reid said of his experience level. “I think I learned that last year, just learning how to control myself, not go too fast and play at my own pace. I also feel like the amount of minutes I played over the last three, four years helped me out, as well, playing against different guys at different levels.”

He leads the team in scoring at 14.2 points per game, which ranks 12th in the Horizon League, but he’s also been YSU’s best three-point shooter — knocking shots down from beyond the arc at a 46.2% clip, the sixth-best mark in the country. Reid has also eclipsed the 20-point plateau three times in the last six games.

“The main thing has just been finding a rhythm within the offense,” Reid said. “I feel like I’m starting to find the spots I need to get to, which is inside-out. My team has done a great job getting me open looks. I feel like just the collective group, everybody has helped my game elevate to the next level.”

Like Reid, Burns also had a significant amount of experience playing at Murray State before he arrived in Youngstown. Burns had 66 games of starting experience under his belt from his final two seasons at Murray State, and in the 32 games he started last season for the Racers, he averaged 8.8 points and 6.6 rebounds per game.

He’s improved in just about every statistical category this year with the Penguins. Burns is fourth on the team in scoring, averaging 11.8 points per game, but he leads the team in boards, with 9.4 rebounds per game. With those numbers, Burns has been the best rebounder in the entire Horizon League this season, and is 33rd in all of Division I.

Burns’ 11-point, 11-rebound double-double on Sunday against Northern Kentucky was his 12th of the season, which ranks sixth in Division I.

“It’s the dog in me, simple as that,” Burns said. “I’m from New Orleans, Louisiana, where nothing is given and everything is earned, and I carry that with me every day of my life — from practice, to never taking a day off, to games. You have to be the toughest team and you have to be the toughest guy. Me and my teammates too, we’re some of the toughest players you’ll see out there — diving, (getting) loose balls and (being) emotional. That carries a team, and that’s what my job is. And I’m going to do it to the best of my ability every single night and every single day.”

nmadhavan@tribtoday.com