Ethan Faulkner

Faulkner was a standout point guard at Elliott County High School in Sandy Hook, Kentucky,^[1] winning the 16th Region Tournament MVP three years in a row. He and his twin brother, Evan, had led the Lions to the Kentucky Boy's Sweet 16 tournament three years in a row.^[2] As a senior, he led the Lions to the state semi-finals, where they were defeated by eventual state champion Holmes Junior/Senior High School 67–57. He scored 19 points, with 7 assists and 6 rebounds in the game.^[3] He was named to the Kentucky Boy's Sweet 16 All-Tournament Team.^[4]

Faulkner committed to the Northern Kentucky Norse men's basketball team as a senior in 2008.^{[citation needed]} In his first year at Northern Kentucky University, Faulkner was originally part of the starting lineup of the Norse, but was eventually moved to a reserve role. He averaged 4.0 points per game, as the team eventually lost in the third round of their conference tournament.^[5] Faulkner had 6 points and a single assist in their final game of the season.

He was again relegated to a bench role as a backup to senior Malcolm Eleby. Faulkner started only three times during his sophomore year, but played in 28 games. On February 2, 2011, he scored a career-high 12 points against Missouri S&T. He averaged the sixth-most minutes-per-game on the team (19.3), was third in assists (1.64). He averaged 4.1 assists, 2.4 rebounds, and 0.4 steals per game.

Faulkner played college basketball at Northern Kentucky before beginning his coaching career.^[6] Following stints coaching at Northern Kentucky, Mount Vernon Nazarene, and the University of the Cumberlands, Faulkner joined the Youngstown State coaching staff in 2019 as an assistant coach.^[7]

On April 1, 2024, Faulkner was named the next head coach at Youngstown State, replacing Jerrod Calhoun.^[8]