Danny Reese, a former men's basketball player at Youngstown State from 2011-13, is in his ninth season with the program and his third as an assistant coach. He spent the previous six years as Special Assistant to the Head Coach.
He was an integral part of the program’s first regular-season conference championship, first berth to the National Invitation Tournament, winning 119 games over the last six seasons, and three consecutive 20-win seasons for the first time in program history.
Reese played a key role in guiding the Penguins to six straight winning seasons for the first time in YSU's Division I era (since 1981-82). Over the last four years, the Penguins have won a Horizon League-best 54 conference games and a league-high 86 games overall. During that time, YSU has also won 51 games at Beeghly Center, and won a Division I record 14 home games in both 2022-23 and 2023-24.
Reese helped the Penguins to their third straight 20-win season with an overall record of 21-13 and a 13-7 mark in Horizon League play. Youngstown State, who won a Division I record of eight straight games, also advanced to the Horizon League Championship game for the first time in program history.
The Penguins made 299 3-pointers on the season, which ranked second on the single-season list, and scored 2,599 points for an average of 76.4 points per game.
Three players earned Horizon League postseason recognition in 2024-25. EJ Farmer led the Penguins with 15.1 points per game while Nico Galette posted 12.8 points and 7.3 rebounds per game, and both were named to the All-Horizon League Third Team. Gabe Dynes led the nation with 104 blocks and ranked second with 3.06 blocks per game, and he was named to the Horizon League All-Defensive Team.
In 2023-24, Reese helped the Penguins to their second consecutive 20-win campaign with an overall record of 22-10 in 2023-24. It marked the first time in YSU's Division I history with back-to-back 20-win campaigns. In 2022-23 he was effective in helping the Penguins to a school record-tying 24 wins and an overall record of 24-10.
During the 2023-24 campaign, Reese helped the Penguins to a 14-6 Horizon League record and a second-place league finish. Youngstown State scored 2,598 points on the year for an average of 81.2 points per game, which ranked second in the league. The Penguins also ranked second in the league in scoring defense allowing just 70.9 points per contest. The Penguins' 282 3-pointers in 2023-24 also ranked second in school history.
Three players garnered All-Horizon League postseason awards in 2023-24. Ziggy Reid and DJ Burns were named to the all-league second team while Brett Thompson was named to the third team. Gabe Dynes was named to the All-Freshman Team.
In his first year, Reese served as an administrative assistant in in the men's basketball office.
Reese's administrative duties with the Penguins included video operations, ass sting in academic support, community outreach, camps, and basketball operations.
Reese was a member of the Penguins first postseason tournament team in 2012-13 when YSU advanced to the second round of the College Invitational Tournament (CIT). During his two seasons with YSU, the Penguins produced a two-year record of 34-31.
Reese graduated from The College of Wooster, where he played baseball for two seasons, in 2015 with a bachelor's degree in history. He went on to earn a master's degree in management in 2016 from the University of Notre Dame.
He and his wife, Michelle, have four children, Danny, Eloise, Jack and Luke.
