Staff file photo / Neel Madhavan. Ursuline sophomore guard Jaylen Gunther put in a floater against VASJ during the regional playoffs last season.

YOUNGSTOWN — Ursuline just had its best season in nearly 30 years.

Facing a tough schedule, the Fighting Irish went 24-4, won the program’s first regional championship since 1994 and made an appearance in the state semifinals for only the second time in history of the program.

It was a historic season for the program, and with a core of returnees and a handful of new additions joining the Irish this year, head coach Keith Gunther believes Ursuline is capable of making a return to the final four of the ‘State.

“I feel like we took a step forward in terms of preparation and experience with some of these young guys,” Gunther said. “I think we felt like we left some things on the table that we didn’t do last year, so the hunger is back.”

Gone are last year’s seniors Jaden Payne and Geno Lucente, but the Irish have plenty returning.

Three of those returners – Jaylen Gunther, Noah Bell and Jace Riccardo – were only freshmen last year, but they each played considerable minutes and were a big part of why the Irish had the season they had.

Jaylen led the team in scoring, averaging 14.7 points and 6.1 assists per game. Meanwhile, Bell was a versatile presence on the court for the Ursulines, averaging eight points and seven rebounds per game, and Riccardo was a spark off the bench for the Irish, averaging 3.7 points per game .

Each of them is a highly touted prospect in the class of 2027. Now a sophomore, Gunther looks to them to help carry the team.

“It’s scary to see their progression,” Gunther said. “They’ve had great summers, and now that they’re back here, I think they feel a lot more comfortable.” No matter how well they played last year, everything was new to them. …Of course, they bought in and got it, and now I think they’re more comfortable with themselves. They’re not making the mistakes they made last year. I think they’re just more mentally prepared than last year.

This year’s seniors include DaShaun Will and Jared Klucinec.

“I just think those two guys need to bring their camaraderie and leadership,” Gunther said. “That senior leadership is going to be important.”

Will was the Ursulines’ point guard last season, and as the team’s best defender, he was often tasked with guarding the opposing team’s best guard. He averaged nine points and 8.8 assists per game last year.

“It will take a little time for DaShaun to get off the football field and get his basketball legs back, but we have a feeling that once he gets going, it will be hard for anyone to stop him,” Gunther said. “He’s a great defender, and he gets the play up and down so quickly.”

Klucinec is one of the players that Gunther believes can take a significant step forward this year and contribute more after averaging 3.4 points per game coming off the bench last season.

“Jared, he had a really good fall,” Gunther said. “He shoots the ball very well and plays extremely well. I struggled a little defensively in the first two scrimmages, but in the last scrimmage I was overly impressed with him. His shooting, his defense, his rebounding the ball – it’s starting to click for him.

Like Will, once football season ends, both Devonte Taylor and Rashad Harris are expected to rejoin the team. Neither played basketball last year, so both are newcomers. However, Taylor played significant minutes as a freshman when he was at Warren JFK.

Juniors Nick Markulin and Alex Simon will also contribute this season for the Ursulines, according to Gunther. They were on the varsity team last year, but have played primarily with the JV team in the past.

“These two guys came in, and it’s been really good for them to see some of these guys play football because now they’re getting game rehearsals,” Gunther said. “They have match reps all fall, they have match reps in our scrimmages. So I feel like those two are going to be major keys for us. Nick shoots the ball well and is improving defensively, while Simon is a great defender and is improving on the offensive end.

With the new additions, Gunther believes the Irish are deeper this year. Last season, the Ursulines’ main rotation consisted of eight players, but this year, Gunther says the Irish are capable of playing nine or ten.

Ursuline opens the season Nov. 30 at the Great Lakes Classic in Cleveland where it will face Lutheran West. The Irish also have teams like Struthers, Canfield, St. Vincent-St. Mary, NDCL, Mgr Hoban and Massillon on the program.

“It’s going to be a challenge. We intentionally wanted to strengthen it,” Gunther said. “We wanted to play teams of a certain size in case we had a chance to come back to Dayton and we wouldn’t be like a deer in the headlights like last year. You prepare your schedule based on what you think you can face in the tournament. We made sure to add everything we might see in our district, what we might possibly see at the regional, and if we get a chance to come back to Dayton.