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Photos courtesy of YSU Athletic Communications \/ Madison Chapman. YSU redshirt senior forward Faith Burch (left) puts up a jump shot, while sixth-year senior guard Casey Santoro (right) brings the ball up the floor during a drill during a team practice on July 9 at Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center.<\/p>\n
YOUNGSTOWN \u2014 No one on Youngstown State\u2019s roster has played more college basketball than redshirt senior forward Faith Burch and sixth-year senior guard Casey Santoro.<\/p>\n
In her three years at Cleveland State, plus last season with the Penguins, Burch has played in 88 games. Meanwhile, across five years at Kent State and Florida Gulf Coast, Santoro has played in 120 games. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve been around the game for a minute, and we\u2019ve been to different programs,\u201d Burch said. \u201cI feel like we can give that type of edge, that type of education to the ones that are coming up.\u201d<\/p>\n
After the graduation of Jewel Watkins, Malia Magestro and Haley Thierry, YSU needs Burch and Santoro to fill that leadership void as the team\u2019s most experienced players.<\/p>\n
Plus with a roster filled with largely redshirt freshmen and sophomores, Burch and Santoro\u2019s experience is valuable, even though most of those young players picked up a ton of experience last year.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re still young, right?\u201d head coach Melissa Jackson said. \u201cThat\u2019s why it was so important to bring the experienced transfers in.\u201d<\/p>\n
Those young players were thrown into the fire last year. YSU dealt with a handful of season-ending injuries, and out of necessity, the Penguins played their young group significant minutes throughout the season. <\/p>\n
But the experience they gained last year was important, and with a full offseason with Jackson and the coaching staff, YSU moved at a much quicker pace because everyone knows what to expect and how things work.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis will be their second year. They had a lot of playing time last year, so that\u2019s going to be really good for us this year,\u201d Burch said. \u201cSo nothing\u2019s really going to be new for them. It\u2019s just giving them a little bit more push to really exceed the expectations of who they want to be.\u201d<\/p>\n
Burch is known for being vocal and outgoing on the floor with her teammates, characteristics that she\u2019s grown into and developed since her time playing in high school at Warren G. Harding. <\/p>\n
During her time with the Raiders, Burch always engaged with her team, but she tended to be more reserved than she is now.<\/p>\n
\u201cFaith is definitely a very vocal leader and I think that\u2019s good, but we also lead differently,\u201d Santoro said. \u201cI think it\u2019s good to have multiple leaders on the team that lead in different ways.\u201d<\/p>\n
Burch has also played for Jackson longer than anyone else on the team, having played for her with the Penguins last season and again the year before when Jackson was an assistant coach at Cleveland State.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m a granny now,\u201d Burch said with a laugh. \u201cBut I\u2019m just excited. This is my last year, so I\u2019m ready to just put it all on the floor. I\u2019m excited to play with this team. We\u2019re going to be really good this year. (Last year), we showed a little glimpse to the whole Horizon League of what we can be. Now we have everybody back and even a little bit more people, so I\u2019m excited.\u201d<\/p>\n
Like she said, Santoro, however, is a little bit different in her leadership approach compared to Burch.<\/p>\n
\u201cCasey has been a silent leader out there right now. But I think as she gets more comfortable and accustomed to everything, her voice is going to really come out,\u201d Jackson said. \u201cShe has picked up on things really quickly, and I\u2019m not surprised.\u201d<\/p>\n
As one of the team\u2019s newcomers, Santoro is using the team\u2019s workouts and practices this summer to acclimate herself to the program and learn YSU\u2019s system. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve just been trying to get accustomed to our offense, and honestly, each other,\u201d Santoro said. \u201cI think that\u2019s the biggest point we\u2019re trying to make right now is getting used to working with new teammates and running the system right. I think it\u2019s going really well and we\u2019ve been making great progress.\u201d<\/p>\n
As a point guard, Santoro\u2019s responsibilities are unique. As Jackson\u2019s floor general on the court, Santoro has to constantly communicate with the bench and the players on the floor so that she can relay and facilitate play calls. <\/p>\n
Jackson also said she wants to play faster this season, particularly on offense in transition. That responsibility will fall on Santoro\u2019s shoulders as she facilitates the Penguins up and down the court.<\/p>\n
She also has to know and be in-tuned with each of her teammates\u2019 tendencies so that she can get them the ball in different positions around the floor.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt takes time, but I\u2019m just sitting back and observing and learning my teammates,\u201d Santoro said. \u201cI\u2019m a point guard, so I have to know all my teammates and how to play with them and get along with them and lead them. This is my second time doing it, so I\u2019m used to getting to know people. (I\u2019m) just being open-minded to anything honestly and willing to get to know new people.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n CLEVELAND \u2014 Steven Kwan singled home Bo Naylor with two outs in the eighth inning for the go-ahead run, lifting …<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n LAS VEGAS \u2014 New year, new slate, no outside noise.<\/p>\n That\u2019s the mantra in Happy Valley, despite James Franklin …<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n