Setting the Scene
The Youngstown State men's basketball team opens the 2024-25 campaign against Chicago State Saturday, Nov. 9. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. Eastern at Jones Convocation Center in Chicago, Ill. The game will be broadcast on 570 WKBN and NEC Front Row.

Up Next
Youngstown State visits in-state foe and B1G member Ohio State Monday, Nov. 11. Tipoff is slated for 6 p.m. at Value City Arena.

Series vs. Chicago State
This is the 22nd meeting between Youngstown State and Chicago State in a series dating back to 1989, but its the first contest between the schools in 22 years. The Penguins own a 13-8 advantage in the all-time series, but the Cougars won the last meeting 81-72 on Dec. 1, 2002.  Youngstown State won the previous contests dating back to 1998. Youngstown State's last win over Chicago State was an 81-64 victory in Chicago on Feb. 1, 2001.

Scouting Chicago State
Chicago State enters the game with on 0-1 record after falling to Loyola (Chicago) 79-72 on Nov. 4. Gabe Spinelli led the Cougars with 13 points while Cameron Jernigan and Saxby Sunderland each scored 11 points. Chicago State shot 41.9 percent from the field and just 30.8 percent from 3-point range.

A Win Would...
* Improve YSU's 1-0 overall.
*  Mark Ethan Faulkner's first career win.
* Be YSU's 45th season-opening win.
* Mark the 14th win over Chicago State.
* Give the Penguins a road record of 1-0. 

Penguins Picked Sixth
The Youngstown State men's basketball team was predicted to finish sixth in the 2024-25 Under Armour Horizon League Preseason Poll after a vote by the league's head coaches, sports information directors and select media, the league announced. The Penguins garnered 272 points and one first-place vote.

Guins in Season Openers
This is the 95th season of Youngstown State men's basketball and the Penguins own a 44-50 all-time record in season openers. Last year, the Penguins lost to Louisiana, 72-62. Youngstown State's last season-opening win was a 92-81 victory at Canisius in 2022-23. 

Faulkner Era
Ethan Faulkner is in his first season as Head Coach of the Youngstown State men's basketball program after serving as the associate head coach for two years and three seasons as an assistant coach. During Faulkner's time at YSU, the Penguins have won a total of 98 games.

Road Warriors
Youngstown State begins the 2024-25 season with its first six games away from Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center. It marks the first time in program history the Penguins will begin a year with six consecutive games away from home.

Most Wins in HL
Over the last three seasons, Youngstown State owns a Horizon League best 65 overall wins and a league-high 41 conference victories. The Penguins won 19 games in 2021-22, 24 during the 2022-23 season, and 22 in 2023-24. In league play, the Penguins won 12, 15 and 14 games, respectively.

The Returners
Senior EJ Farmer, junior Imanuel Zorgvol and sophomore Gabe Dynes are the three returning letterwinners from last year's 22-10 team. Farmer appeared in 31 games and made five starts for the Penguins. He averaged 7.4 points per game and scored in double figures 11 times. Dynes was named to Horizon League All-Freshman Team and All-Defensive Team after leading the league with 61 blocks, which set the YSU freshman record. He also shot 70.6 percent from the floor and averaged 4.0 rebounds per game. Zorgvol played in 27 games and was credited with 22 blocks.

Fifth-Year Newcomers
Newcomers Nico Galette, Ty Harper and Siem Uijtendaal are all poised to immediately help the Penguins. Galette was a two-time all-conference selection at Sacred Heart the last two seasons. Last year, he averaged 13.5 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. Harper was an NAIA Second-Team All-American after averaging 20.2 points per game at The Master's. Uijtendaal averaged 13.3 points per game and connected on 46 3-pointers for an average a 2.0 made per game.

Home Sweet Home
Youngstown State has been quite protective of its home court over the last five seasons. The Penguins had won 15 straight regular-season home games and have won 23 of the last 28 overall. YSU has won 64 games at Beeghly Center since the start of the 2019-20 season and own a 64-21 mark during that time. Youngstown State is 28-5 at Beeghly Center since the start of the 2022-23 season. The Penguins are 22-3 in their last 25 regular-season home games.

Back-to-Back 20-Win Campaigns
Youngstown State is coming off its second straight 20-win season after going 22-10 in 2023-24. It marked the first time since 1963-64 and 1964-65 that the Penguins posted consecutive 20-win campaigns. YSU went 24-10 in 2022-23 and won the first regular-season conference championship in program history.

Penguin Portal Success
Over the last three seasons, Youngstown State has flourished during the transfer portal era. The Penguins own a record of 65-35 over the past three campaigns, and produced eight all-conference selections. Youngstown State has been tough to beat at home over the last three years posting a 41-13 mark.

Dynes Climbing Blocks Chart
Sophomore Gabe Dynes has been a tremendous rim protector last season for the Penguins. Dynes broke the YSU freshman blocks record of 39 after collecting three at Oakland on Jan. 17, 2024, and he finished the season with 61 blocks on the year. He was also the first player to collect at least seven blocks in a game since Damian Eargle in 2012. Dynes ranks sixth on the YSU single-season blocks list and became the third player in school history with at least 60 blocks in a year. Dynes also ranked third on the Horizon League freshman blocks list. He led the Horizon League in total blocks and 2.3 blocks per game overall. Dynes ranked 17th nationally in blocks per game. He also needs just 39 blocks to become just the fifth player in program history with 100 career blocks.

Galette Approaching 1,500 Career Points
Fifth-year senior Nico Galette has scored 1,351 points during his career and needs just 149 to reach the 1,500-point milestone. Last season, Galette scored 420 points, averaged 13.5 points per game and was named All-NEC Second Team. In 2022-23, he poured in 507 points for a 15.4 points per game average and earned first-team all-conference honors.

Harper Earned NAIA All-America Honors
Fifth-year senior Ty Harper was named NAIA Second-Team All-American after averaging 20.2 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game last season at The Master's. Harper also spent two years at Louisiana (2020-22) and one season at Eastern Washington (2022-23).

Nelson Named Top Frosh at Richmond
Junior guard Jason Nelson earned some high praise during his redshirt freshman season at Richmond. He was named Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year by HoopsHD during the 2022-23 campaign. Nelson averaged 8.0 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game. Nelson also played last season at VCU averaging 4.9 points and 1.7 assists per game. Over two seasons, Nelson has dished out 126 assists and 63 steals.

Beeghly Center Upgrades and Rebranding
Beeghly Center underwent several fan and student-athlete-focused upgrades in the offseason, and the arena has been rebranded as Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center to honor the benevolence of the Tom Zidian Family. The most noticeable upgrade is the seating project as new chairback seats were installed along the sidelines in the lower and upper bowls. Court-level seating was also added, and upgrades were made to the videoboard and sound system. In addition, YSU has named the south lobby the Fred & Lucy Moran/Window World Lobby. The upper reserved chairback seating sections on the east side of the arena have been named for the Hendricks and Kerola families. Similarly, the new floor seating has been named thanks to the continued support of the Spiegel Family. Additional contributions have provided new naming opportunities for The Jack Colonna Women's Basketball Locker Room, The Sperry Rongone Women's Basketball Lounge and The JP Daliman Men's Basketball Head Coach's Office.