YSU men’s basketball newcomers hope to ‘prove their worth’ | News, Sports, Jobs

Staff photo / Neel Madhavan
YSU guard Jamar Livingston, right, is defended by forward Japhet Moupadele during a drill in practice on June 25 at Zidian Family Arena. Both Livingston and Moupadele are among the Penguins’ eight transfer additions for the upcoming season.

YOUNGSTOWN — With 13 newcomers to the team this year, the Youngstown State men’s basketball team finds itself with a roster of players from a variety of different schools, corners of the country and even from around the world.

They each bring different attributes and skillsets to the Penguins’ program, but the one consistent characteristic that they have is a desire to win and to prove themselves at the highest level.

“We’ve got some guys that played backup roles last year that really have a chip on their shoulder to try to prove their worth in terms of the production on the floor,” YSU head coach Ethan Faulkner said. “We feel good about the roster that we’ve put together. A lot of work to do, but excited about moving forward over these next six weeks.”

In recent years, the Penguins have made a concerted effort to bring in older, experienced players out of the portal — players in their last year or two of eligibility.

But after their struggles last year, YSU has slightly adjusted that approach. Of the team’s eight transfer additions, seven have at least two years of eligibility remaining, which, along with its four freshmen, gives the roster a distinctly youthful flavor.

“I do like that we’ve got younger guys on our roster,” Faulkner said. “We want to be the most competitive team in the country. We want to be the toughest, nastiest team in the country, and I think in order to do that, you gotta bring guys here that have that as part of their DNA. Those are the guys that I relate to best as a coach.”

Dom Aekins (Duquesne), Jayden Tyler (Wofford), Jermaine Coleman (St. Thomas) and Japhet Moupadele (San Jose State) each played reserve roles at their previous respective schools and averaged less than 15 minutes per game.

So when they entered their names into the transfer portal, they wanted to find a spot where they felt like they could make more of a contribution. For them, YSU seemed like the place where they could realize their potential.

“My main reason was just to showcase my talent,” Aekins said. “Last year, I felt like I didn’t have the chance to do that. So once I hit the portal, and I saw Coach [Faulkner] call me, text me, it just caught my mind right then. I felt like this was the right place for me, so this is what I chose, and I’m happier.”

A Columbus native who played at Walnut Ridge High School, Aekins was already familiar with YSU’s coaching staff, having crossed paths with them on the recruiting trail in Ohio.

“We’ve been talking since I was 16, so everything’s always been there,” Aekins said. “I knew I could trust them and they could trust me. Plus, being not too far from home was a big deal for me.”

Moupadele is one of the Penguins’ three players from overseas. Before playing for San Jose State, he played for France’s U19 national team in the FIBA World Cup in the summer of 2024. That caused him to join the team late, and by then, he was already behind in learning the system and building chemistry with his teammates.

With a full offseason this year, Moupadele is hoping he can play to his potential and be a significant contributor for YSU.

“It was a little bit hard for me because American basketball is very different than European basketball,” Moupadele said. “I want to win this year. I like the new team. We are a lot of [younger players], so we are the same age, and that’s a really good thing.

“I want to give everything on the court, make good plays, play with my team and enjoy the years. I think if I work hard, go to the gym, even after practices, even after the off days, I can improve my level and be better for the season.”

In the cases of Kelvin Amoako (UIndy), Linus Holmstrom (VMI) and Jamar Livingston (Walters State), they each played starting roles for their respective former teams. But they wanted the opportunity to play at a higher level of competition — with Amoako coming from Division II, Livingston from JUCO and Holmstrom coming from a struggling Keydets team.

“I just want to keep seeing myself develop, especially being a kid who was under-recruited for everything. Being able to be here in this position is good for me,” Amoako said. “So I feel like I’ve always had that chip on my shoulder. Here, we hold everybody accountable. So it’s like, you’re either tough and you’re good, or you’re going to learn to be tough and you’re going to be held accountable, which helps build toughness.”

Like Moupadele, Holmstrom also played in Europe (Sweden) before coming to the U.S. At VMI, basketball often split time with military-related activities, and Holmstrom decided he wanted to focus more on basketball.

“Last year, I had a pretty big role with VMI, so it was more of, how can I keep that same role and go up in level, play at a higher level?” Holmstrom said. “I think everybody here on the team wants to play professionally. So that’s what drives all of us to be the best versions of ourselves. And I think that’s the key: If you want a winning team, you need people to be really motivated.”