Primarily a collection of news links about all 11 Horizon League teams on a daily basis, culled from online newspapers, school athletic websites, the conference website, and school newspapers, plus some other content from time to time.
I wrote about Youngstown State in a
Rauf Report
right before Christmas, and the Penguins are continuing to play at a high
level that is putting them in the mix to potentially win the Horizon for a
second straight season.
Jarrod Calhoun’s squad is continuing to improve, and one of the biggest
reasons why has been the emergence of 7-3, 190-pound freshman Gabe Dynes.
Dynes has seen his minutes fluctuate throughout the season but has become
one of my favorite players to watch because of the rim protection he brings.
His 15.9 block rate would rank second in the country (behind Ole Miss center
Jamarion Sharp) if he played enough minutes to qualify.
The freshman’s six blocks on Friday against Wright State helped change the
momentum of the game, which ultimately resulted in a big win for the
Penguins.
In addition to his rim protection, Dynes has shown the ability to be a very
good passer and has a deft touch around the rim. He obviously has to get
stronger, but he’s finding a way to impact games with his size and length —
giving Youngstown State an added dimension that many other mid-major teams
don’t have and struggle to defend.
It’s also a dimension the Penguins haven’t had under Calhoun. This is still
an offensively focused team, but last year’s team had the highest-rated
defense under Calhoun, which was still just 264th, per KenPom. This season,
they’re up to 168th (best in the Horizon) and Dynes will only play a bigger
role moving forward. That provides a legitimate reason to believe Youngstown
State can keep pace at the top of the Horizon and be a real factor in March.
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