YSU's Sally Jr. breaks out on road trip

By BRIAN DZENIS

bdzenis@vindy.com

YOUNGSTOWN

John Sally Jr. is John Sally’s son, just not the one that most basketball fans think of when they read the name.

But the 6-foot-11-inch center for Youngstown State is related to John Salley, the former NBA player. He’s a cousin on his father’s side – a distant one.

“My dad told me he came to one of our family reunions back when he was going out for training with the military. He explained why his last name is spelled with an e,” Sally said. “I haven’t met him or anything.”

YSU fans will get their first chance to get a good look at the redshirt-freshman on Thursday when YSU hosts Milwaukee after he was a key piece in the Penguins’ (8-16, 4-7 Horizon League) 2-0 road swing in Michigan. Before last week, he averaged about two minutes a game if he even played at all. Then he scored 10 point and blocked four shots in 17 minutes during a 75-74 win against Oakland on Jan. 31.

In the next game, a 72-70 win against Detroit Mercy, Sally scored six points and collected four rebounds and two blocks in his first start for the Penguins.

“I’ve been patient. I’ve been trying to do what I can for my teammates to keep them excited and keep them in the game,” Sally said. “[Coach Jerrod Calhoun] just called my number. He thought I was ready.”

Sally’s emergence combined with Naz Bohannon putting in what Calhoun called “his best game as a Penguin” against Oakland (15 points, nine rebounds) played a major role in the team taking two in a row on the road.

“I think he’s one of the best teammates I’ve been around. [Sally] waited his turn and really produced in practice. He was thrown into the fire and he’s a guy that really cares,” Calhoun said. “When You have guys that really care about their teammates and the program, good things will happen for those guys and John is a good example of that.”

YSU sits a half-game back of Milwaukee to get out of the bottom two spots of the Horizon League standings where teams don’t make the League’s postseason tournament and it has its next four games in the Beeghly Center.

WEEKLY AWARD

Penguins guard Darius Quisenberry was named the Horizon League’s Freshman of the Week, the League announced on Monday. He averaged 18.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.5 assists in the Penguins last two contests. Quisenberry is averaging 12.6 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists a game on the season.

His 302 career points are the most by a YSU freshman since the team joined the Horizon League in the 2001-02 season.

VERSATILITY NEEDED

The womens basketball team has a tricky matchup while going for six wins in a row.

The Penguins (17-5, 9-2 Horizon League) travel to IUPUI on Friday. The Penguins bested the Jaguars, 70-52, on Jan. 5, but the home side has a decent resume despite losing its last two games.

IUPUI (13-9, 7-4) is coming off 66-59 loss to league-leading Wright State and previously defeated YSU nemesis Green Bay, 67-63.

“We’re going to have to play really well to beat IUPUI on their own floor,” coach John Barnes said. “They’re a super-talented team. They’re well coached, they’re solid on defense and a good scoring offensive team. It’s going to take a good all-around effort to win there.”

Senior guard Alison Smolinski broke the school’s career 3-point mark in the first game of the series and the team’s leading scorer will likely be counted on again to make big shots and a big help in that department will come from inside the arc. A key strength for the Penguins this season is balanced scoring. Smolinski leads the team with 13.5 points per game, but bigs Mary Dunn (13.4 ppg) and Sarah Cash (13.4 ppg) provide equally credible threats.

“It’s huge. They feed off each other. When Mary and Sarah score inside. It gets them more attention and it opens things up for our 3-point shooters and vice-versa,” Barnes said. “When we’re making threes, defenses can’t dig in and our post-players get to go one on one.”