Staff photo / Neel Madhavan. YSU sophomore guard Jaiden Haynes (right) goes up for a dunk while being defended by freshman forward Luka Lokhmanchuk during an on-court workout on Thursday at Zidian Family Arena.

YOUNGSTOWN — At the end of last season, Jaiden Haynes found himself to be the last man standing.

Just like Will Smith standing alone in the Banks family’s empty mansion during the series finale of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, the sophomore guard was the only player left from Youngstown State’s 2025-26 roster who hadn’t exhausted his eligibility or entered the transfer portal.

This summer, Haynes is back for the Penguins, but now he has 13 new teammates, and he’s more motivated than ever heading into his sophomore year, especially after an up-and-down freshman season.

“It adds fuel to the fire,” Haynes said. “You play, and you practice with a group so much, and you learn to love those guys. For it to be your last game together, it’s just motivation for next year. You want to play hard so that moment won’t happen again, and instead of tears of sadness, it’s tears of joy when the buzzer goes off.”

Heading into last year, head coach Ethan Faulkner and the rest of the coaching staff had high hopes for the Atlanta native out of Moravian Prep.

Typically, the Penguins redshirt their freshman signees to give them time to adjust to the college game. But Haynes showed that he was ready to contribute right from the start.

And the long, fast and athletic 6-foot-3 guard seemed to fit seamlessly into the mold of what YSU looks for in its backcourt.

Haynes played sparingly during the first month of the season, but his minutes started to ramp up in December as the Penguins got into Horizon League play. By the end of January, he had earned his first career start against Green Bay.

He also started the next game against Milwaukee but sustained an injury that caused him to miss the next month of the season.

“As far as injuries, I battled a lot of injuries throughout the year,” Haynes said. “That didn’t go my way. But as far as playing when I was on the court, I feel like [the coaches] had their utmost trust in me and let me rock out.”

Haynes averaged 4.8 points in 16 minutes per game last year and scored in double figures against Green Bay, Wright State, Purdue Fort Wayne, Thiel and Penn State-Shenango.

He said the faith that the coaching staff had in him and the relationships he built with them were the biggest reasons he decided to return, and now that he’s back and healthy, the Penguins are looking for him to take that next step as both a player and a leader heading into the upcoming season.

“Really excited to have Jaiden back. I think he’s got a chance to make a huge jump this year,” Faulkner said. “Expect him to really be a guy that we can count on for leadership of our team. He’s been in our program and understands the standards and expectations that are here. With a new team, really trying to hold guys accountable to what that looks like here, and I think he’s going to have a big-time year for us.”

As YSU began summer workouts last week, Haynes reflected on his freshman season. At this time last year, he was getting his first taste of college basketball.

“When you’re in high school, you see it on TV, and it’s a dream. You always think you’re ready,” Haynes said. “Until June hits and you’re in your first summer workout. You’re running all hard, it’s crazy lifts, the coaches are yelling at you and your mind’s racing.”

Fast forward to now, and Haynes can see his improvement and the positive strides he’s made on the court.

“I would say everything now, definitely my mind has slowed down,” Haynes said. “Because as far as the freshmen this year, they’re way better than I was. My mind was everywhere. I was a little stressed out at first.”

Heading into his sophomore season, Haynes said he wants to have a bigger role, and he wants to be the leader that coaches are hoping for him to be in order for the Penguins to have success.

“I think he’s still learning how to do that effectively,” Faulkner said, “and that’s something, as a coaching staff, we gotta really empower him and educate him on how to do that the best.”

Haynes knows what YSU’s four new freshmen are going through right now and feels he can use his experience to help them as they adjust to college basketball.

“They ask questions, and I try to do my best to guide them because I was once in their shoes,” Haynes said. “I want to make their experience here at YSU the best college experience ever, and that’s what it’s going to take to win — a leader who’s going to make everybody feel like they’re at home.”