Youngstown, Ohio – Youngstown State men's basketball head Coach Ethan Faulkner met with the media on Tuesday morning to preview the start of the 2025-26 basketball campaign.

Youngstown State opens the year at Pittsburgh on Monday, Nov. 3, at the Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh, Pa.

The Penguins also play six of their first seven games in the month of November away from Zidian Family Arena. Youngstown State's home opener is against Penn State-Shenango on Monday, Nov. 10. Tipoff against the Lions is set for 6:30 p.m. at Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center.  

2025-26 Youngstown State Preseason Storylines
• Youngstown State is coming off its third straight 20-win season after going 21-13 in 2024-25. It marked the first time in program history that the Penguins posted 20-win campaigns in three straight seasons. Youngstown State posted a 22-10 mark in 2023-24. YSU went 24-10 in 2022-23 and won the first regular-season conference championship in program history.

• Ethan Faulkner (21-13 overall) is in his second 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 won a total of 119 games.

• Over the last four seasons, Youngstown State owns a Horizon League best 76 overall wins and a league-high 54 conference victories. The Penguins won 19 games in 2021-22, 24 during the 2022-23 season, 22 in 2023-24, and 21 in 2024-5. In league play, the Penguins won 12, 15, 14 and 13 games, respectively.

• Seniors Cris Carroll, Jason Nelson and Imanuel Zorgvol are all returning letterwinners for the Penguins. Carroll is Youngstown State's top returning scorer after averaging 9.2 points per game, including 9.9 points per game against Horizon League opponents. Carroll also scored in double figures 16 times. Nelson, who started 13 games last season, averaged 8.0 points and 2.7 assists per game and recorded 30 steals. Zorgvol missed the 2024-25 season but shot 72.7 percent from the field with 22 blocks in 2023-24.

• The Penguins will rely heavily on several transfer portal players, including Derrick Anderson, Bryson Dawkins, Drew King, Vlad Salaridze, Tyler Robinett, Rich Rolf, and Cam Polak. The Penguins also return redshirt freshman Shaheed Solebo and brought in junior college transfer Tae Blackshear and true freshman Jaiden Haynes, Markus Navarra, and Connor Swider.

• Sixth-year forward Vlad Salaridze was a valuable all-around performer, starting in 24 of his 32 games played at UT-Martin last season. He was the only NCAA Division I men's basketball player to record at least 300 points, 250 rebounds, 75 assists, 60 steals and 30 three-point field goals made. He also posted 10.8 points and 7.8 rebounds per game last season.

• Senior guard Bryson Dawkins was named First-Team All-Southland Conference after averaging 14.7 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. He was selected SLC Player of the Week (March 3) after dropping career-highs of 41 points and 10 rebounds against SFA, going 16-22 from field and 5-11 from arc in 36 minutes to help the Huskies clinch postseason spot (2/24).