Chicone to YSU is official

Mentor guard will be joined by West Geauga/ISA’s Irwin

Nov. 11 was national signing ceremony for countless number of high school athletes across the nation.

For Mentor guard Luke Chicone, he was at home on quarantine for contact tracing purposes because of COVID-19.

When he and the rest of his Mentor basketball teammates can continue practicing for the upcoming season is unknown. Starting Nov. 12, all classes at Mentor High School are virtual and winter sports are on pause, said Mentor athletic director Jeff Cassella.

It was still a day of celebration for Chicone and his family. That’s because the Mentor guard signed his official national letter of intent form, sealed it in an envelope and placed it in a mailbox, where it w ill event ua lly a r r ive at Youngstown State.

Last summer, Chicone verbally committed to Division I YSU, the alma mater of his coach Bob Krizancic ( where he also played). That commitment became official on Nov. 11, and Chicone couldn’t be happier.

“Yeah, it’s a huge relief, especially knowing I’m extremely undersized,” said Chicone.

Last summer when he verballed to YSU, the senior guard was 5-foot-9. Since then, he’s up to 5-10. Chicone said he’ll take it.

“I guess that’s a positive,” he said with a laugh.

T hat ’s because his dream since arriving at Mentor was to play D-I college basketball. YSU and Coach Jerrod Calhoun was the only school to offer a scholarship to the talented guard.

Last season as a junior, Chicone was a firstteam all-district pick and first-team All-News-Herald after he averaged 19.7 points, 5.6 assists and 4.8 rebounds per game.

Two games from Chicone’s 2019-20 season stand out. The first was a shot at the buzzer to defeat Medina, 81-80, in a regular-season game. The other was also against Medina, when he scored 39 points and had nine rebounds in a double-overtime Division I regional semifinal win.

After that game, however, the Cardinals’ season as well as all winter sports were cancelled because of the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Krizancic is thrilled his top player has a chance to compete at the D-I level.

“He’s as solid as they come,” said the Mentor coach. “A great decisionmaker, doesn’t turn it over, gets in the paint, attacks the basket, and so tough. And when he gets to the (free-throw) line, he shoots 85 percent.”

Chicone isn’t sure what position he will play at YSU, but there’s no doubt he see time at the point guard and shooting guard positions.

“I think (YSU) is getting a gem,” said Krizancic.

Chicone isn’t the only area boys basketball player who’s signing with YSU. Josh Irwin, who spent three seasons playing at West Geauga, will be a part of the same class with Chicone.

Irwin will play his senior year at the International Sports Academy in Willoughby. The 6-foot-7 forward averaged 22.7 points and 12.3 rebounds per game while making 62 3-pointers during his junior year with the Wolverines. Irwin earned second-team All-Ohio and first-team all-district honors and was a first-team News-Herald all-star.

Chicone and Irwin have been longtime AAU teammates.

“Very excited to be playing with him in college,” said Chicone.