YSU men's hoops gearing up for season

The Youngstown State men's basketball team is less than two weeks away from opening their season.

They scrimmaged Akron last weekend and closed out the preseason with another scrimmage this weekend against Mercyhurst.

"We still have a lot of improvements to make, and I think the guys are working hard," said first-year coach Ethan Faulkner.

Last season, the Penguins averaged 81 points per game, and with ten new players, that's a work in progress.

"I'm not real happy with our offense, but that's our job to figure it out," said Faulkner. "The players have to understand what we're trying to do offensively."

The Penguins don't have that superstar player, but Faulkner likes the balance.

"We can play small lineups, we can play big lineups, and we have a lot of versatility, so I'm excited about those options," Faulkner said.

The Penguins also have a renovated facility that fans will enjoy.

"This is something we've been looking forward to for several years, and now that it's done and seeing how it turned out, it's really, really nice."

The YSU women tip off the season Monday, November 4th, hosting North Dakota with the men and Westminster to follow