Youngstown, Ohio – Youngstown State head men's basketball coach Ethan Faulkner has finalized his first recruiting class.
Joining the Penguins for the 2024-25 campaign are fifth-year seniors Nico Galette, Ty Harper, and Siem Uijtendaal, juniors Cris Carroll, Juwan Maxey, and Jason Nelson, sophomore Kevin Hamilton, and true freshmen Elijah Guillory and Shaheed Solebo.
"We are extremely excited to welcome nine new players to our program," said Faulkner. "I want to thank our coaching staff who worked relentlessly to make sure we have the roster we need to compete at the top of the Horizon League.
"We have added guys from high school to different levels of college basketball, all who will have a major impact on our team. Most importantly, we have added the right people who are going to represent our university in a first-class manner. We are eager and motivated to continue to take YSU men's basketball to new heights."
Galette, a 6-foot-6 forward, is a transfer from Sacred Heart. Galette was a two-time all-conference selection and scored 1,351 career points at SHU. Last season, he averaged 13.5 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game.
Harper, a 6-foot-3 guard from The Master's, was a 2023-24 NAIA Second-Team All-American. Harper, who began his college career at Louisiana, scored 668 points with 121 rebounds and 81 assists and averaged 20.2 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game last season.
Uijtendaal, a 6-foot-6 forward from Canisius, averaged 13.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.5 steals per game last season. He scored in double-figures 18 times, highlighted by a season-high 25-point effort in a win over Iona.
Carroll, a 6-foot-6 forward from Coffeyville Community College, averaged 18.8 points and 7.7 rebounds per game last year. He made 69 3-pointers last season and scored in double figures in 28 of 30 games.
Maxey, a 6-foot-1 guard, spent two years at Macomb Community College and scored 901 points and made 178 career 3-pointers. Last season, Maxey scored 570 points and averaged 16.3 points per game and made 106 3-pointers.
Nelson, a 5-foot-10 guard, spent last season at VCU after transferring from Richmond. Last year, he scored 183 points with 62 assists and 56 rebounds and averaged 4.9 point, 1.5 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game. At Richmond, he was named the Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year by HoopsHD after averaging 8.0 points and 2.0 assists per game.
Hamilton, a guard from Akron, Ohio, spent the 2023-24 season at Arkansas Fort Smith. He averaged 1.1 points and 1.0 rebounds per game and scored a career-high seven points against Dallas Baptist.
Guillory, a 6-foot-5 guard from Moon Township, Pa., was named the Class 5A Player of the Year and earned Class 5A First-Team All-State honors. Last season, he averaged 21.1 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.7 steals per game...Led Moon to first WPIAL championship since 2017.
Solebo, a 6-foot-4 guard from Chicago, Ill., was named Honorable Mention All-State and scored 1,000 career points. He earned All-City and All-Conference honors and averaged 15.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.3 steals per game in 2023-24.
