Special to Tribune Chronicle / Robert Hayes Youngstown State senior Noe Anabir, right, drives on a UIC player during this Feb. 16 game in Youngstown. Saturday, the Penguins lone senior is going to be honored.

Special to Tribune Chronicle / Robert Hayes
Youngstown State senior Noe Anabir, right, drives on a UIC player during this Feb. 16 game in Youngstown. Saturday, the Penguins lone senior is going to be honored.

It’s for Jerrod Calhoun’s wife, Sarah.

Anabir also had presents for Calhoun’s young daughters Kennedy and Kendall.

It’s what the 6-foot-8 native of Switzerland does. Not out of the ordinary for this Youngstown State University senior forward.

Calhoun, who is in his second year as YSU’s men’s basketball coach, was won over when Anabir came from Mesa (Arizona) Community College on a recruiting visit. He spent one season there and his freshman year at Kansas Technical College.

“We really liked what we saw on tape when we got a chance to meet him,” Calhoun said. “He just won me over with his presence. He’s done little things kids don’t do. He’ll come to my house and bring my wife a box of chocolates and flowers.

“I tease him all the time and tell him you’re making me look bad. He’ll bring things for my two little girls, just things most college kids don’t do. He’s not like most college kids. He’s a very unique kid. We’re going to miss him.”

Anabir is YSU’s lone senior and will be honored in Saturday’s regular-season finale against Cleveland State. Tipoff at the Beeghly Center is at 6 p.m. It will be the Penguins’ last home game this year as YSU plays a first-round Horizon League tournament game at a site to be determined next Tuesday or Wednesday.

As for Saturday, Anabir will be honored with his mother, Veronique, and stepfather, Marc, who are coming to Youngstown from Switzerland, at Saturday’s game.

Usually Calhoun sees these days as sad occasions, but it’s different with Anabir.

“I think this one it’s more joy because he’s going to leave here and this is just the start of a beautiful life he’s going to live,” Calhoun said.

Anabir has left an indelible mark on the YSU community in his two years with the Penguins. He’ll graduate with a degree in general studies, with a concentration in business and psychology.

Thursday, he was named to the Horizon League’s All-Academic Team with a 4.0 GPA during the fall semester. He carries a 3.95 overall GPA.

It’s hard to see Anabir without a smile on his face. That’s the kind of person he is, always willing to help his fellow man.

Either he’s helping a young person, trying to make them feel the best in what they’re doing. Anabir always has a complement in waiting.

His teammates. He always encourages them on the floor and from the bench.

“I think everybody likes me and I like them, too,” Anabir said. “That’s why I feel like I have a big impact on everybody. If you like somebody, it’s easier to have a big impact on them.”

Calhoun said every type of leader is different. Anabir leads by example and points people in the right direction.

“You’re talking about a young man who is going to be successful in whatever he decides to do,” Calhoun said. “He’s everything you want in a student-athlete. I think he leads by example and vocally.”

He averages three points and three rebounds per game, but there’s so many more intangibles Anabir does on the floor. He’s scored in double figures against Green Bay and Wright State for a team that is 12-18 overall and 8-9 in the Horizon League.

“He’s had some really big games for us where he scored the basketball,” Calhoun said. “Defensively, he’s been really, really good. He’s quietly went about his business and had a nice season. He’s a guy I’ll never forget because I think he’s part of the change, hopefully to get to eight or nine wins in this conference.

“We win on Saturday, he can say he’s on the second-most wins in the Horizon League in the history of our school. He’s a big part of it. Doesn’t get a lot of headlines, doesn’t get a lot of notoriety, but that’s who he is. He doesn’t worry about those things.”

The only thing he was worried about coming to the United State was getting noticed. Basketball and Switzerland don’t go hand in hand. That’s why he had to start at a junior college, to get noticed by NCAA Division I programs.

He started making highlight tapes, uploading them on YouTube and then he got the attention he craved his freshman year at Kansas Technical College. Eventually, Anabir made YSU take notice.

There are plenty of opportunities Anabir has after leaving YSU. Calhoun would like him to stay on and be part of the coaching staff, but going home to Switzerland is more likely. Playing in Europe is possible as well, but Calhoun would like him to continue to cultivate the culture of this program.

“I think he’d be really good,” Calhoun said. “Not only with recruits and families coming in, it’s always good to have a former player on staff. I think he’d be really good to continue his relationships with our current guys and young guys. We have so many young guys that we’re going to miss that leadership role he provides.”

There are many things this experience has brought Anabir. He’ll share some with his parents this weekend, going to the Kitchen Post in downtown Youngstown, Cracker Barrel for breakfast and touring the YSU campus. The main thing will be Saturday’s game.

That six-game winning streak from Jan. 30 at Oakland to Feb. 16 against UIC was something Anabir won’t soon forget.

“Everybody was happy during this time,” he said. “No lows, just straight highs. Everybody was happy and it was great. Even around campus, everybody was cheering you. ‘Hey. What’s up? Congratulations. Keep it going.’

“It was great to be part of the basketball team and the Youngstown State University.”