COLLEGE BASKETBALL Williamson leader of youthful Penguins

The Detroit native is the only senior on this year's squad.
By PETE MOLLICA
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
YOUNGSTOWN -- When Marlon Williamson was recruited to Youngstown State to play basketball four years ago, he never really thought it would take this long to break into the starting lineup.
The 5-foot-11 inch senior guard from Detroit was used sparingly his first three seasons by coach John Robic. He was primarily a defensive specialist.
This season Williamson won the starting point guard position almost by default. He is the only returning senior on this year's team. He spent the last two seasons behind Ryan Patton.
But he said the wait has been worth it.
"It has taken a lot longer than I thought it would when I first came here, but if things continue to go the way that they've started out this year, the wait will be well worth it," Williamson said.
At St. Francis Wednesday
The Penguins are 2-1 going into Wednesday's contest at St. Francis, Pa. and have won two in a row, including an impressive 69-61 win over Toledo of the Mid-American Conference Saturday night at Beeghly Center.
Wednesday's game is a crucial one for the Penguins, who have lost their last 15 road games dating over two years.
Williamson played a big role in the win over Toledo, leading the team with a career-high 23 points and five assists, but he impressed Robic most with his floor play.
"Marlon's not going to shoot like that [7-for-10 from the floor, including 5-of-6 on 3-pointers] every game," Robic said. "But what impressed me most was the way that he moved the ball around the floor, especially in the second half and worked it inside to our post people."
Williamson is excited about the team's start.
"We won only five games all last season," Williamson said. "Everybody is working hard and the coaches have been doing a tremendous job preparing us for each game.
"I got hot against Toledo and everything started falling in," he added. "But defense is the key to the success of this team. "We're not going to score a 100 points a game, that's for sure, but our goal is to keep everybody to under 60 and then we feel we have a shot to win."
Always a contributor
Williamson has been a contributor to the YSU program every year, despite not starting.
As a freshman he played in 22 games and scored in 10 of them with a high of five points against Oakland (Mich.)
As a sophomore he played in 19 games, scoring six points against Chicago State and Western Illinois.
Last year he set career highs in every statistical category while playing in 27 games. He started at UW-Green Bay in place of Patton, who was ill.
He was second on the team with 32 steals and scored a career-best 11 points against Western Illinois.
"This team is only going to get better," said Williamson. "Saturday's win was a great confidence builder which we will carry over to Wednesday's game."
The Penguins return home Saturday to meet Buffalo at Beeghly Center. The game will be part of a doubleheader, following the YSU women's game against Toledo, which tips off at 5:15 p.m.
mollica@vindy.com