Correspondent photo / Robert Hayes. YSU redshirt junior Rich Rolf goes up for a basket over Thiel's Kenny Ermat on Sunday at Zidian Family Arena in Youngstown.

YOUNGSTOWN — As an Ohio native that played at Centerville, redshirt junior Rich Rolf has made the most of his return to his home state this season.

Despite not signing with the Penguins out of high school, the prior connections he cultivated with Youngstown State’s coaches during his initial recruiting process paid off, as Rolf found his way to YSU after playing his first three years of college basketball at Charlotte.

“I had familiarity with Coach (Ethan) Faulkner and his staff,” Rolf said. “So I just felt comfortable making that decision to transfer here.”

As one of the team’s 11 newcomers to the program this year, Rolf has been a mainstay in the starting lineup since the season opener, as he’s become one of the Penguins’ primary contributors.

Rolf continued the strong start to his YSU career on Sunday, scoring in double figures for the fourth time in the last five games. He finished with 13 points, as the Penguins cruised to 103-52 victory over Thiel in their first game in more than a week.

“I think Rich is playing with a lot of confidence right now,” Faulkner said. “That’s something that, when he got here, we were really trying to get him to get that swagger back. He’s really playing well over the last couple weeks. Rich is a guy that just tries to do what you ask him to do all the time. He really understands how to play the game, understands when to shoot, when to pass and he’s just really doing a good job of scoring the ball efficiently for us.”

Rolf calls himself a “Swiss army knife,” someone that can do a little bit of everything for the Penguins, and he’s certainly lived up to that billing.

Through 11 games, he’s second on the team in both scoring and rebounding, averaging 11.0 points and 4.4 boards per game, plus he’s good for some steals and assists, as well.

“I always knew I had the ability,” Rolf said. “It was just about having a chance to show it. I got this opportunity at Youngstown, and I’m just trying to do my best that I can for my teammates and for the coaching staff. At the end of the day, we’re trying to win a championship, so any way I can do that, I’m just trying to help.”

Rolf’s skillset was on display Sunday against the Tomcats, particularly in the first half. He had 10 of his 13 points by halftime, while also assisting on a pair of 3-pointers by Bryson Dawkins and Vlad Salaridze.

In the second half, Rolf knocked down a three of his own, which was part of a 26-6 run during an eight-minute stretch as YSU pulled away.

“My teammates are just putting me in positions where I can help,” Rolf said. “If that’s scoring, if that’s facilitating, my teammates are just putting me in the right position to help out any way I can.”

Throughout the season, Rolf has been one of the most efficient scorers in the Horizon League. He’s shooting 54.8% overall and 43.9% from beyond the arc, both of which rank among the best in the conference.

He also hit the game-winning free throws on Dec. 3 against Wright State, had 20 points against IU Indy last week and 22 points on Nov. 24 against Georgia Southern.

“We need him obviously, with what he’s doing offensively and scoring the ball,” Faulkner said. “Him and Cris (Carroll), if you look at their numbers, they’re super efficient right now scoring the basketball, which are two of our higher volume guys. It’s leading to some really good efficiency from our team on the offensive end.

“But we need Rich to be a guy that contributes in all facets of the game, not just scoring, but really defending and rebounding, which is another thing we gotta continue to get better at. I feel good about where he’s at.”

After having a week off for finals, YSU is back in action this week with three games. After Sunday’s win over Thiel, the Penguins will make the short drive down to Moon Township, Pa., to face defending Horizon League champion Robert Morris on Wednesday, before returning home to host USC-Upstate on Saturday.

“Last week was finals week, so we had a lot of academic responsibilities to take care of. Really proud of Jason Nelson, Imanuel Zorgvol and (student assistant) Jack Pepperney — three guys in our program that earned their college degrees this week. Got their classes finished up, and got to walk across the stage,” Faulkner said. “(The week) allowed us to get in the gym and really have some practice time, which I think we desperately needed as we get into the season. You don’t get five, six days without a game very often. … So I thought we did that, we really took advantage of the week and had some great practices.”