BEAVER TOWNSHIP — The 2020-21 basketball season marks the 92nd intercollegiate campaign for Youngstown State University.

As the 13th head coach in the school’s cage history, Jerrod Calhoun is one of just two head coaches to sports a double-figure improvement between his first and third seasons, the other being Dan Peters who improved 13 games from his first year when he went 5-21 in 1993-94, following that up with an 18-10 ledger the following year.

Calhoun still feels this year’s team, despite a coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that cancelled their CIT tournament bid last March and affected programs nationwide, can be something special.

“It has been a lot of hard work for a lot of people but the original class of Michael Akuchie, Naz Bohannon and Garrett Covington have been the catalysts from year No. 1 to year No. 4,” Calhoun told the Curbstone Coaches during Monday’s weekly meeting at Avion Banquet Center. “You then go to each class and obviously getting a guy like Darius Quisenberry was huge. It’s neat to see those guys grow, both on and off the court and I’m excited about taking an even bigger step this year.”

Calhoun said having last year’s season end so abruptly left everyone with an unfulfilled feeling.

“Initially, when our season ended and we didn’t get to play in the CIT, I think we were all devastated,” he added. “We didn’t get to fulfill what we worked so hard for and that was to play in a post-season tournament.

“We were set to host a couple games but our seniors didn’t get the opportunity to finish their careers like they had planned. Once the anger went away, we understood that we were in a global pandemic, that there was a lot going on around the country so our focus shifted to the players and their safety, how we could help them and get through these difficult times. There were a lot of zoom calls, multiple guest speakers and just connecting with them to make sure they were doing alright mentally since everyone was so isolated. We weren’t around each other and that’s just not normal for a team.”

Like their female counterparts, this year’s schedule will have its challenges.

“The Horizon League has decided on a back-to-back setting, whether that’s Friday-Saturday or Saturday-Sunday. That’s this year’s format,” Calhoun stated. “You won’t have the traditional schedule where you play a team at home then on the road.

“It’s going to be split right in half. You’ll play 20 games with 10 on the road in a back-to-back setting with the other 10 here in a home-and-home setting. Just the overall back-to-backs will be different, the way you’ll strategize and game-plan throughout the week will be so much different because you are playing 80 minutes of basketball in a very short period of time.”

The Penguins’ non-league schedule includes their hosting a tournament on Dom Rosselli Court.

“The non-league schedule we’re still working through but we’re fortunate in that we are set to host a tournament from November 27-29,” he noted. “We have West Virginia on Dec. 2. Other than those four games, we’re still working through the final three games.”

This year’s Penguins’ squad features eight upperclass leaders, which includes six seniors, two juniors and then eight freshmen.

The NCAA gave winter sports athletes another year of eligibility, giving them the chance return for the 2021-22 season.

“What we’ve got to figure out at the end of the year, probably not any time sooner, is what guys will decide to come back. In a perfect world, we’d have our entire team back because I think they could be very special,” Calhoun said. “I think that’s how you get good because you get a little bit older and guys gain experience. We’ve had those initial conversations with our six seniors.

“You always have to start with the seniors and try to explain to them the positives and the negatives of opting to come back next year. We’re continuing to recruit and already have a few commitments. I think the NCAA got it right because it will be different for every individual. Some guys might be ready to move on while some might want to come back. We’ll see how this plays out.”

YSU’s senior class includes Akuchie, Bohannon, Covington, Jamir Thomas, Christian Bentley and transfer Greyson Kelley while Quisenberry and Geoff Hamperian comprise the junior contingent.

“Naz has just become a total, complete player,” Calhoun said. “Pound for pound and inch for inch, he’s the best rebounder in the country in college basketball. He’s going to leave here with a chance to score 1,000 points and pull down 1,000 rebounds, which would make him the first player in YSU basketball history to accomplish that feat.

“Garrett is a two-time, Horizon League all-defensive team selection and is a lockdown defender. Michael has just continued to get better and is a big guy with the ability to make shots. Those three guys will be a huge key for us this season while Jamir showed flashes last year on the inside and is a very strong, physical post player. Christian is a combo-guard who also had a nice off-season while Greyson is a Division II transfer from Shaw University, a gym rat who averaged 20-plus points at the Division II level.”

Calhoun said Quisenberry has been dynamite since his arrival on campus.

“Darius went through the draft process last year which I think that was really good for him,” Calhoun stated. “He got to speak to those teams, they evaluated his game and he learned so much more about himself. He’s the one player who had access to a gym during this pandemic.

“Geoff does all the little things that give you extra possessions. He’s a great story, a kid who decided to walk on and earned big minutes last year. It just shows what you can accomplish when you work hard.”

The eight freshmen include local product Carson Ryan of Struthers High School, Shemar Rathan-Mayes, Alex Vargo, Myles Hunter, Will Dunn, Cheick Traore, Daniel Ogoro and Kenny Ganley.

Calhoun is looking forward to seeing the fans at the games.

“We are trying to get 900 fans into the Beeghly Center,” he stated. “I know that our athletic director, Ron Strollo, is working closely with local and state health officials and trying to get 15 percent of the capacity. They remain a big part of our success.”

Next Monday, Theresa Walton, newly hired YSU women’s lacrosse coach, will serve as guest speaker.