YSU basketball veterans pleased with new system
Tribune Chronicle / John Vargo Youngstown State’s Devin Haygood works on a drill Friday during a practice at Beeghly Center.
Tribune Chronicle / John Vargo Cameron Morse fires up a 3-pointer during YSU basketball practice Friday at Beeghly Center.
Tribune Chronicle / John Vargo Youngstown State’s Devin Haygood works on a drill Friday during a practice at Beeghly Center.
Tribune Chronicle / John Vargo Cameron Morse fires up a 3-pointer during YSU basketball practice Friday at Beeghly Center.
Trending
YOUNGSTOWN -- Devin Haygood hunched over following Friday's individual workout at the Beeghly Center.
The soon-to-be Youngstown State University junior forward said he hasn't been this energized since he was at Lincoln High School in Ypsilanti, Mich.
Haygood couldn't stop smiling either.
The constant shooting, mostly behind the 3-point arc, and motion kept him in what could be called a Youngstown state of mind.
"I feel like I'm working muscles I haven't worked in two years," Haygood said.
Senior-to-be shooting guard Cameron Morse knows YSU's up-tempo style on the offensive and defense end requires this perpetual motion. No down time whatsoever.
"We've got to be in really good shape to play this kind of style, getting up and down," Morse said. "We're wearing the defense out. Come second half, the other team should be tired.
"Come the last 10 minutes of the game, we're going to be ready. We're going to be in shape. We're used to this style. It's going to help us in the long run."
As much as physical stamina is part of this process, communication is even more essential.
Senior-to-be point guard Francisco Santiago said when the defense breaks down, that verbal edge is what helps his team overcome those scenarios.
Last season, he said a few guys talked. This year, everyone speaks, even the guys on the bench.
"It'll help a lot because we're going to get up in guys a lot," Santiago said. "Just off the strength, somebody is going to get beat. We've got to help that guy and talk him through it. If I got his, he'll go get mine. He can't do that if we're not talking to him."
For the first time in quite a while, YSU plans to dictate the tempo.
"He (coach Jerrod Calhoun) asked me today what we want to work on," Santiago said. "I said defense because that's where we struggled the most. I like what we're doing defensively. Trying to get up in people and play to our tempo instead of playing their tempo. I like it so far."
Haygood said the muscle memory is not there through the workouts, getting used to a new system.
He's trying to make the adjustment. Haygood sees his teammates getting aggressive. It's become normal, even through two practices.
Even shooting 3-pointer after 3-pointer has become a good routine.
Fairmont State, Calhoun's former team, shot more than 29 3s per game.
"That's a lot of 3s," Haygood said. "That's like Golden State. If we're going to let them fly, we've got to put them in."
Making more shots, while of course playing defense, eventually leads to winning, and people coming back to the Beeghly Center -- something he hopes comes to fruition.
Haygood said he's tired of seeing empty red chairbacks -- something he saw quite often his first two season. He added there's a good reason to fill those reserved seats each home game this season.
Haygood feels positive energy each and every time he's been at the Beeghly Center since Calhoun and his staff took over.
"It feels the depression or the sadness from losing is out of the gym now," Haygood said. "It feels like we're about to start winning. Everybody is coming together. You can feel how excited everybody is. It lifts you up, one guy lifting up another guy every single day -- something that's new to this gym."