×

New staff works hard at getting acclimated

YOUNGSTOWN — Recruit, coach, converse, repeat.

The lives of Jerrod Calhoun and his assistant coaches aren’t as simple as one-word answers, but hectic as a last-minute filer on tax day.

The last half of April, especially with a new staff like Youngstown State’s, consists of recruiting trips to place like Dallas, Chicago, Virginia, Washington, D.C., and North Carolina, among others.

Time in the office is short, trying to grasp the day-to-day operations of running an NCAA Division I men’s basketball program.

For Calhoun, there’s time for his family, his son, Jordan, a sophomore at Villa Angela-St. Joseph High School, his wife Sarah and his two young daughters, Kennedy and Kendall.

Staying in touch through his iPhone is a mandatory part of the routine.

“I FaceTime them in the morning,” Calhoun said. “I FaceTime them at night. We try to set aside one day a week where they’ll spend a night in the hotel. I’ll spend four or five hours with them.

“Once they get to bed, that’s when I’ll make some recruiting calls.”

Calhoun and most of the other coaches live in dormitory-style quarters on the YSU campus, until they can secure their own homes.

The YSU staff is coming in from different locations, except Kevin Bruinsma (director of player personnel) and Danny Reese (administrative assistant), both holdovers from the previous staff. The others traveled in from other areas: director of basketball operations Mark Richmond from New York City, Calhoun and assistant coach Paul Molinari from West Virginia, assistant coach Jason Slay from Virginia and associate head coach Bobby Steinburg.

Steinburg, a former Kent State assistant coach, is commuting from Stow, about 40 minutes away, until he can sell his condominium.

There are not many things in Steinburg’s office, a Kent State backpack, a few papers scattered on his desk. Aside for a few brief meetings, not much is happening there. Coaches are out recruiting and having prospective players visit the campus.

Steinburg has to clean out his office in Kent, to get a few things off his computer, a refrigerator and a few things off the wall. Things accumulate even after less than a decade at one place.

“Getting condo ready to sell, it’s not easy, especially during April,” Steinburg said. “You got all this stuff going on. You’re trying to sign guys, getting to know the student-athletes we have here and get acclimated to the job, paperwork and all those things. At the same time, trying to get the house ready to sell and figure out what you’re doing down here.”

Calhoun said Sarah has been looking for a house and taking care of the home day-to-day operations.

“My wife is the unsung hero, most coaches’ wives are,” Calhoun said. “She really is.”

It’s a hectic time as these coaches get adjusted to Youngstown, but there’s little or no down time for that. It’s been almost a month since Calhoun was hired as YSU’s 13th head coach.

This staff has been on the go ever since with a main purpose, recruiting new players and working with the current players on the roster.

“You try to prioritize things on a day-to-day basis,” Calhoun said. “Right now it’s very chaotic. You have to tell yourself to keep fighting through. You have to keep reaching kids. You have to keep selling the vision of YSU basketball. You have to get kids on campus.

“I think our place sells itself. We have a beautiful campus, a beautiful arena, beautiful facilities. We have a fan base that is ready to get behind us.”

NEWSLETTER

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
     

COMMENTS

[vivafbcomment]

Starting at $4.85/week.

Subscribe Today