YSU looks to challenge for Horizon League
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YOUNGSTOWN -- Heading into a new season, the Youngstown State women's basketball team is coming off a year in which it achieved several different program milestones.
The Penguins won 25 games, their highest win total since 1997-98, while also making it to Indianapolis to reach the Horizon League title game for the first time in program history.
With seven returners and five newcomers, including three transfers and two freshmen, YSU is looking to challenge for the Horizon League championship in head coach Melissa Jackson's third season leading the Penguins.
"That's ultimately our end goal, but I think this group has a lot of goals," Jackson said. "First and foremost is getting better, and I know that's a lot of coach-speak right there. But they want to withstand that regular season, so we know we gotta be playing our best basketball in March for the tournament. The grind of the Horizon League, there's a lot of good teams in our league, so we gotta bring it every single night because seeding is really important for the tournament.
"But also, we are competing for a championship in the regular season as well. So that's something that is on our mind, and also I think a big goal for this program."
YSU was projected to finish second in the Horizon League preseason poll, just like it finished at the end of the regular season last year.
A big reason for that is the number of returners that the Penguins bring back, which includes Erica King, Danielle Cameron, Hayden Barrier, Sarah Baker, Paulina Hernandez, Brooke Adkins and Dacia Lewandowski.
All of them, except Adkins, are now either juniors or seniors with plenty of minutes and experience under their belts. Jackson said she's already started to see that experience manifest itself in the team's two scrimmages.
"I think they're really competitive. In our two closed scrimmages, we've been put in some adverse situations early on, and they've responded really well," Jackson said. "So I think you see their experience in those moments, their maturity level. Obviously, it's still early, and we got a lot of room to grow. But I'm excited to continue to build the chemistry on the court. But what I see right now, I'm very happy with."
The transfer newcomers also bring their share of experience to the team. Fifth-year Jada Leonard already shined in the Horizon League last year at Cleveland State, while junior Gemma Walker (Saint Francis) and senior Mia Kalich (Seton Hill) each played significant roles and considerable minutes at their previous schools.
"Usually, now at this time, you don't really see a lot of returners, so I feel with that comes leadership in itself," Leonard said. "You have girls that have been here for three years. They know the system. They know what [Jackson] wants. Coming in as a fifth-year, you're able to be more receptive. You're never too old to learn, and I feel like one through 12 has done a good job just feeding off each other. Nobody's bigger than the program, and no one's too big to learn."
The two freshmen, Evelyn McKnight and Kaitlyn Turinsky, don't have prior college basketball experience, but they each figure to make an impact this season, especially McKnight, who Jackson calls "the most college-ready freshman" she's ever coached."
"Evelyn's a point guard, but can also play off the ball as well, and you'll see that from her this year," Jackson said. "She's got great basketball IQ and she's just a gamer in all honesty. Kaitlyn continues to get better every single day in practice, and she gets to go against what I think are two of the best post players in the Horizon League in Sarah Baker and Paulina Hernandez. We're going to expect some big things out of her for years to come."
On the court, everything still starts and ends with YSU's stout, physical defense. But offensively, the Penguins want to play more up-tempo and push the pace more in transition this season.
The roster's versatility will also allow them to play in a variety of different ways.
"We're never going to be a team that is just a 20-point scorer. We've seen in these scrimmages how versatile we are," Jackson said. "I think we'll have multiple people in double figures, similar to last year. On any given night, somebody can go off. They do a really good job of sharing the ball, and they're really starting to understand people's strengths and play to those strengths."
YSU opens the season tonight against Division III school Hiram at 6:30 p.m. at Zidian Family Arena. But after that, the Penguins will be tested right away when they face two MAC schools before a road trip out west to face Colorado.
"I think MAC opponents are good mid-major opponents to see where we're at," Jackson said. "We're going to continue to take it one day at a time, one practice at a time and obviously one game at a time. But these non-con games are really important for us to continue to get better every day."