#HLWBB Preview: Youngstown State
Joey Yashinsky
Youngstown State Penguins
Last year: 9-21 overall, 5-13 Horizon League
Coach: John Barnes (5th year)
Team Preview
By Joey Yashinsky, Horizon League Contributor
The 2017-18 Youngstown State Penguins could very well be the most improved team in the Horizon League. And it’s not because of an influx of transfers or a slew of new faces. John Barnes’ crew will add two of the conference’s top players (Sarah Cash & Nikki Arbanas) simply by waiting patiently for past injuries to heal.
The on-court contributions that Cash and Arbanas will provide cannot be understated. The most glaring weakness for Youngstown State last season came on the defensive end -- Cash and Arbanas were the team’s toughest defenders two years ago and will make scoring on the Penguins a tall order once again. Cash was a pre-season first-team All-League pick a year ago. Arbanas led the entire conference in 3-pointers made with 89 in 2015-16. Their combined return to form completely changes the outlook for this Penguin colony.
And while having such critical pieces missing in action can be difficult, there is often a silver lining in the opportunity for growth it naturally creates for others.
Alison Smolinski had an excellent sophomore campaign, pacing the team in scoring and leading the Horizon League with 85 3-point baskets. Her and Arbanas make up what could be the Horizon League’s most dangerous duo from the outside. Coach Barnes has said that he thinks Smolinski could have an even better year shooting the ball with all the talent now being added around her.
Providing assistance for Cash on the inside will be the league’s reigning Freshman of the Year, Mary Dunn. A skilled post player at 6-foot-3, Dunn was downright unstoppable at times during her first collegiate season. She was gashed on the defensive end at times, but after diligent conditioning work in the off-season, she’s expected to be much stronger on that end of the floor, too. If Barnes and his staff can figure out a way to get Dunn and the veteran Cash on the floor together, it could spell real trouble for the rest of the Horizon League.
It goes without saying that any team with so many offensive weapons needs a confident point guard to run the show. Enter Indiya Benjamin, one of the most decorated guards in Youngstown State history. She has led the conference in assists each of the last two years and could very well make it three with all of the talent on the Penguins’ roster. Benjamin is no slouch herself in the scoring department, either. She poured in nearly 12 points per game last season and shot a blistering 85% at the foul line, a hugely important asset when trying to salt games away in the final seconds.
The Penguin rotation could be further deepened by a pair of talented freshmen. Anne Secrest is a forward with good size (6’0”) that will help to spell Cash and Dunn up front. Chelsea Olson is a high-powered guard from Wisconsin that broke her high school’s all-time scoring record. If Arbanas needs a little time to reach full strength, Olson could see major minutes early on.
If a previous win-loss record entering a new season was ever misleading, this would be it. You look at this roster and it is most definitely not a nine-win team; it’s a post-season team, and a dark horse to compete for one of the top spots in the Horizon League.
There’s as much buzz and excitement surrounding a Youngstown State hoops season as there’s been in a long time. And it’s not hard to see why.
Motor City Madness
Support the Penguins at the 2018 Little Caesars Horizon League Basketball Championships March 2-6 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.
Tickets can be purchased at campus box offices now and online starting December 15. For more information,
click here.
#HLWBB Preview Schedule (10 am ET)
| 10/30/2017 |
UIC |
| 10/31/2017 |
Northern Kentucky |
| 11/1/2017 |
Youngstown State |
| 11/2/2017 |
IUPUI |
| 11/3/2017 |
Cleveland State |
| 11/6/2017 |
Detroit Mercy |
| 11/7/2017 |
Milwaukee |
| 11/8/2017 |
Oakland |
| 11/9/2017 |
Wright State |
| 11/10/2017 |
Green Bay |
| 11/13/2017 |
#HLWBB Preview |
#HLMBB Preview Schedule (2 pm ET)
| 10/30/2017 |
IUPUI |
| 10/31/2017 |
Cleveland State |
| 11/1/2017 |
Milwaukee |
| 11/2/2017 |
Youngstown State |
| 11/3/2017 |
Green Bay |
| 11/6/2017 |
Wright State |
| 11/7/2017 |
Detroit Mercy |
| 11/8/2017 |
UIC |
| 11/9/2017 |
Northern Kentucky |
| 11/10/2017 |
Oakland |
| 11/13/2017 |
#HLMBB Preview |