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Watson Takes Pride in Defensive Role
January 24, 2008 --
By Tom Mieskoski
Cleveland State’s head coach Gary Waters believes defense wins championships. One of the biggest reasons for CSU (14-5, 7-0 Horizon League) being in first-place, one-and-a-half games ahead of Butler, is because of their tough in-your-face pressure defense.
One player in particular has played a key role by taking on the challenge of guarding every team’s best scorer. Breyohn Watson, a former walk-on, has taken on the role of CSU’s defensive stopper and he takes pride in it.
Because Watson is not a scorer he seldom gets his name in the paper like Cedric Jackson or J’Nathan Bullock. There are few statistical categories that measure Watson’s success on the court. For Watson, he will do anything to help his team win games.
"Every team needs somebody who can stop somebody. That’s a really big part of the team and I just took over the role," said Watson, who averages 4.6 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 22.2 minutes per game. "I take every challenge personally and I give 100 percent. I’m going against their best offensive player and I consider myself to be one of the best defensive guards on our team."
Last season, Watson walked-on to CSU’s program after playing two seasons at Mott Community College in Michigan. His first-year at CSU got off to a slow start. He came off the bench to play in 30 games, but was limited to 15.2 minutes per game.
During practice coach Waters gave him the nickname "bull’s eye" because he said everyone shot in his face (and constantly made baskets against him).
"On the first day of practice (this season) someone hit a shot and I told Breyohn, do you want to be called "bull’s eye," again? And he said, no, because that’s not going to happen this year," said Waters. "I got to give him a lot of credit he’s done a fabulous job defensively. His goal is to shut down their best defender and he takes pride in it."
When asked about being called "bull's eye," Watson laughs at the nickname and says it just motivated him to work harder.
Watson realized since he is not the best shooter the best way to get more playing time was to improve on his defense.
So in the off-season Watson said he worked on a lot of agility drills to keep in shape. His hard work paid off when he earned a scholarship during the summer.
"Defense is a lot of instinct and effort. If you put a lot of effort you will be able to stop somebody," said Watson, who has started every game this year. "I listen to what the coaches have to say. They have a lot of years of experience. So I listen to them and follow our game plan. I also watch a lot of film. So I see a lot of visuals on (the person I am guarding). I try to pick-up everything I can."
During CSU’s upset of No.12 Butler last week Watson was matched-up with Butler's sharp-shooting guard, A.J. Graves, who came into the game averaging 14.6 points per game. Watson held Graves to five points, shooting 2-for-11 from the field.
His next challenge will be to slow down UW-Green Bay’s 6-8 junior guard Ryan Tillema, when the Vikings travel to Green Bay today at 8 p.m. Tillema is averaging 11.9 points per game and is 14th in the Horizon League in 3-point shooting (.420 percent, 29-69).
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Win and We're In
March 11, 2008 --
By Ryan Aroney
Check your calendars. Although it may seem like 1986 with Cleveland State playing important basketball games into March, it is not. This is a new era of Vikings basketball that represents the resurgence of the often overlooked urban campus in the heart of Cleveland. The similarities to the magical run two decades ago are there, with the well dressed coach stalking up and down the sidelines, arms flailing with each swing in momentum, and the Vikings stunning the opposition with their swarming defensive pressure. Even the do-everything east coast point guard and the workman-like strongman in the paint are there. But this time it's not Mouse McFadden, Eric Mudd and the rest of Kevin Mackey's Run ‘n Stun crew. This year's Vikings are powered by Cedric Jackson and J'Nathan Bullock and they've led CSU to the brink of the Big Dance.
After a whirlwind last week of the season that saw CSU gain two-and-a-half games in the standings in the season's final three days, thus securing a double-bye into the Horizon League tournament semi-finals, the Vikings are on a mission to continue the ride. The mantra for Gary Waters and his Vikings all year has been to flip the script. Last year, in Waters' first season in Cleveland, CSU finished 10-21. The goal for this year was to finish 21-10 while ridding the players of the losing culture that had taken over the program after years of humility. Thanks to Saturday's victory in the semi-finals, the Vikings enter Tuesday's championship game with Butler at 21-11.
The script has been flipped. The Vikings are no longer the downtrodden program that was picked to finish ninth in the Horizon League's preseason poll. These Vikings come with a reputation of being well coached, hard-nosed and determined. Butler fans openly cheered against CSU in the semi-final game, opting instead to support in-state rival Valparaiso. This wasn't a sign of Hoosier brotherhood, it was Butler fans hoping their Bulldogs could avoid the inevitable dogfight that a rubber match with CSU was sure to bring.
The actions of the fans showed the respect that Waters has earned for his program in two short seasons. Now comes the championship game. The Vikings have a chance to tell their story to a national audience on ESPN, putting the finishing touches on this year's script, and proving that the January upset of the Bulldogs was no fluke.
Butler, and its fans, will be ready. The 10th ranked Bulldogs won what amounted to a no-holds-barred rematch in February. In this day-and-age of freshman phenoms and early entries to the NBA, Butler is as battle-tested a team as you'll ever see. Four seniors start for a Butler team that won last year's pre-season NIT before advancing to the NCAA sweet 16. All five starters returned this year to win the Great Alaska shoot-out en route to its current 28-3 record.
The intense match-up for Butler and CSU comes from opposing styles of play. Success for the Vikings comes from the defensive end of the floor, while Butler prides itself on its smooth flowing offense and potent outside shooting. Butler's Mike Green was named the Horizon League Player of the Year after averaging 14.6 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game. Green is supported by sharpshooters Pete Campbell and A.J. Graves and big man Matt Howard. Campbell killed CSU last year with a Wolstein record eight threes while Graves is coming off a 14 point (4-10 from three) effort in the semi-final match-up with UIC. Howard, a highly touted freshman from Connersville, IN, bullied the Vikings in the February rematch to the tune of 17 points and 8 rebounds. Three of CSU's big men committed two fouls a piece trying to stop Howard during the first five minutes of that contest.
CSU will have to slow down the Butler offense and keep the crowd from taking over the game. It won't be easy. Green is a wizard in the open court. Campbell, Graves and the rest of the Butler marksmen don't miss open shots. Howard is a bull in a china shop. With each made Butler basket the crowd noise escalates and bounces off the tin roof inside the 80-year-old Hinkle Fieldhouse until it amplifies to an excruciating crescendo.
Of course it won't be easy. Nothing for Cleveland State ever has been. If these new Viking heroes are successful in challenging every Butler shot while quieting the crowd, it will be 1986 all over again.
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A Resurrected Program
March 18, 2008 --
By Nick Camino
The 2007-2008 Cleveland State men's basketball team had their hopes of reaching the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 22 years ripped away from them at historic Hinkle Field House after losing to the Butler Bulldogs 70-55 in the Horizon League Tournament Championship game. While they may have lost the game, they held their heads high as they came ever so close to reaching "The Big Dance".
Yes, the Viking faithful who made the 344- mile trip were sad while a number of CSU players openly wept, but it was not merely because the team fell short to the 10th ranked team in the nation. It was more because their miracle season was brought to a sudden halt, in a season where nobody ever gave them a chance. Remember, before the season began they were chosen to finish ninth in the ten team conference. Wow!
At the beginning of the season, Head Coach Gary Waters instilled a motto into the team that he hoped could help establish a great foundation. It was crucial for a program that had not had a winning season since 2001. It was simple: "Flip the Script".
The new motto, an attempt to put an end to the 12 losing seasons and four coaching changes since Cleveland State's miracle Sweet 16 run in 1986. It reflected upon Coach Waters' first season, in which the Vikings went 10-21, and to invert those numbers this season to attain a 20-win season. Finally, the motto represented changing the losing culture mindset that has surrounded Cleveland State basketball for 19 years.
Well, it worked. Cleveland State finished the season with a record of 21-12, ended up with the second best regular season conference record, reached the Horizon League Championship final, and had some of the best attendance numbers in over eight years.
Team leadership: In covering over 20 out of the team's 33 games, it was evident throughout the entire season who the team leaders were. It all began with First Team All-Horizon League forward J'Nathan Bullock and Second Team All-Horizon League choice and All-Newcomer Team point guard Cedric Jackson.
All season, Bullock used his ox-like strength to overpower most forwards grabbing rebounds, playing in the post, and even squaring up and knocking down jump shots and occasional three-pointers to lead the team the entire season with 15.0 ppg. While Bullock gave the team its offense, Jackson provided a cat-like spark that Cleveland State basketball has not seen since Ken "Mouse" McFadden. "C-Jack", as his teammates call him, averaged 14.0 ppg and had 163 assists. The St. John's transfer led the Horizon League Conference with 86 steals as well.
Two valuable freshmen: In two years freshmen D'Aundray Brown and Norris Cole will be the leaders of this Viking program. This season they settled for helping propel CSU basketball to another level by having an instant impact at the guard and forward positions. While Cole saw his minutes at guard increase as the season progressed coming off the bench, Brown started at forward in the Vikings last 12 games and did not disappoint. Cole's ability to consistently score from anywhere inside the three-point arc coupled with Brown's tenacious defense and unselfish offensive mindset makes these two freshmen integral pieces for Coach Waters' plan in building a powerhouse basketball program.
It begins with coaching: All season long six individuals stuck with this team through many great moments while attempting to forget the not-so-great ones. Of course Waters deserves the credit for bringing in a number of new players and while winning basketball games this season, which may never be forgotten. Everywhere he has been as a head coach, Kent State, then Rutgers, and starting now at Cleveland State, successful teams have seemed to automatically follow with Coach Waters at the helm. There are a number of other coaches who work tirelessly in practice to make the players CSU puts on the floor prepared and ready to play. These coaches who seldom get the credit they deserve are Associate Head Coach Jayson Gee, assistants Larry DeSimpelare, Jermain Kimbrough, and Bill Buck, as well as graduate manager Kevin Sapara. All of them work hard devoting endless hours and time into making CSU a winner once again on the hardwood.
Frustrating times: As bad as the final loss to Butler may have been, there were some other moments this season that left people wondering, "What the heck is going on here?" The worst of these may have been a 78-68 home loss to Cal State Northridge; strange because the Vikings played well at home all season. Another damper to this unforgettable season was losing four conference games in a row on the road after starting a perfect 7-0 in the Horizon League. Perhaps the most frustrating of these was an 80- 63 loss to Ohio State at Quicken Loans Arena. The Vikings played their worst game of the season, while Jon Diebler of the Buckeyes had his best game of the season going 5-of-6 from threepoint range. Nevertheless, the Vikings were able to rebound from these funks very nicely, and made the season one to be remembered.
Don't forget the managers: Also with the team on a daily basis in Cleveland and on the road were managers David Amata and Eric "E" Whetstone who did everything from running the time clock in practice to making sure the clean team jerseys made it to wherever the team was playing at the time.
Farewell to seniors: Neither forward Kevin Francis nor Breyohn Watson played four years at Cleveland State, nevertheless their leadership on and off the floor during their senior campaign will never be forgotten. Both Francis and Watson came in last season having transferred from other schools. Their impact was felt immediately from the moment they downed Viking jerseys.
In two seasons with Cleveland State, Francis came off the bench more than any other player besides sophomore Joe Davis, and gave the Vikings a lift any time he was called upon. Watson started at shooting guard this season, using his long, athletic body to shut down some of the most prolific scorers in the country including Ohio State's Jamar Butler, Central Michigan's Giordan Watson, and Butler's A.J. Graves. While being a great defensive presence, Watson still hit memorable shots when his team needed him to. His three-pointer against Florida State lifted the Vikings over the Seminoles. His three-pointer against Valparaiso in the semifinals of the Horizon League Tournament helped CSU get by the Crusaders for the third time in just one season.
Quality wins: This season the team enjoyed wins over some top teams nationally as well as a number of quality conference victories. After beating Big East Conference foe South Florida 73-70 in the first game of the season, the Vikings defeated yet another ACC opponent, just as it had done the year before, shocking Florida State 69-66 in overtime. In conference play the Vikings had perhaps their biggest victory of the season defeating then No. 12 nationally ranked Butler 56-52 in Cleveland. Another memorable victory came when Kevin Francis hit a three-point shot with nine seconds left to defeat Wright State 65-63 in Fairborn, Ohio. In the ESPNU BracketBusters contest, Cleveland State destroyed Marist 59-44. They also defeated Valpo three times, once at home, once at Valparaiso, and once at Hinkle Field House.
Next season: Can anyone fault the Vikings for being excited for next season already? Despite losing Watson and Francis, the team returns everyone else and more. The team already landed California blue-chip recruit Trevor Harmon and returns leaders Bullock and Jackson, freshmen sensations Brown and Cole, and impact players Joe Davis, Chris Moore and George Tandy.
The team will host the # 22 nationally ranked Kansas State at the Wolstein Center as well as # 25 Kent State. Other non-conference games are still being scheduled, but rumors are flying around of possibly playing West Virginia, Cincinnati, and even Michigan State.
The reality: College basketball has finally returned to downtown Cleveland. With crowds of 17,540 and 5,640 coming out this season to see the Vikings play, it is evident that Cleveland will support a winner. Well, Waters delivered over 20 wins this season and was one win away from his team playing in the final field of 65.
The men's basketball program has been resurrected at CSU, now it's time for this once sleeping giant to come alive into something this institution has never had, a consistent winner.
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Waters Set to Shoot Atop Horizon in 2009
By Gavin Keenan
After leading CSU to its first postseason appearance in two decades, head coach Gary Waters made it clear he had no intentions of stopping there. While many may view the NIT berth as an event that comes around about as often as a lunar eclipse, Waters has already begun thinking of ways to improve upon his veteran team.
It was clear early in the year that the Vikings would turn heads when they opened the campaign in Florida with key wins over South Florida and ACC member Florida State.
“Those wins showed everyone this team was something to be reckoned with,” Waters said.
As the Vikings got in to Horizon League play, it was feast or famine for the cast of new faces getting acclimated with each other. They opened league play with a six game winning streak, which included home wins over Butler and Valparaiso. However, the winning streak was promptly followed by a five game losing skid that saw the Vikings fall to teams they had handily beaten a few games prior.
It was how his team responded to the losses that impressed Waters. The Vikings regrouped and proceeded to win seven out of their next eight games. The strong finish resulted in the Vikings reaching the finals of the Horizon League Tournament, where they ran out of gas down the stretch against Butler.
With this season’s success under his belt, Waters is looking to add some outside shooters in this year’s recruiting class. He stressed the lack of a consistent outside shooter as one of the glaring voids this past season.
“If you want to get better the next year, you have to add personnel,” Waters said. “Right now I think we’re pretty close but there’s still room to improve.”
Waters also went on to mention his desire for an inside post presence with the ability to score around the basket. While he doubts there will be a post player in the 2008 recruiting class, he believes we will see one in 2009.
“We’re working this thing in stages. Right now our focus is all-around players and then we will look for someone down low,” Waters said.
Off-season preparations continue this summer when Waters will take his team to Spain for a 10-day trip. The NCAA allows schools to travel abroad once every seven years. While in Spain, the Vikings will be practicing and playing against European competition.
The next order of business Waters would like to address for the upcoming season is finding a way to fill the seats. There were actual signs of life this season when the Vikings drew large crowds for the games against Butler and Valparaiso.
“It would be nice to get that curtain down,” said Waters, referring to the portion of the arena that is curtained off to remove the eyesore of thousands of empty seats.
The Wolstein Center has a capacity of around 13,000 and with the curtain it has been reduced to about 8,000. Currently, it is a small miracle to draw half of that, but Waters has a vision of fans packing the venue in the not so distant future.
Clearly, the only way to make that dream a reality is to schedule big name opponents and fill the win column.
Next year, the Vikings will again be hosting Butler and Valparaiso, but they have also added Kansas State and Kent State to the slate of home games. Both teams appeared in the NCAA Tournament this year and should be able to help with some attendance problems in 2008-2009.
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CSU Releases 2008-09 Schedule; Prepares For Spain Trip
August 8, 2008 --
By Tom Mieskoski
During Cleveland State's Wednesday (Aug.6) media day, CSU men’s basketball coach Gary Waters announced 29 games for the 2008-09 season. Waters also talked about CSU’s upcoming trip to Spain.
The Vikings (21-13 last season) have another tough schedule this season with nine games against teams that played in post-season tournaments a year ago, including four teams that made the NCAA Tournament.
The five games against NCAA qualifiers include home games at the Wolstein Center against Kansas State (Nov.22, John McLendon Scholarship Classic) and Kent State (Dec. 23). As well as a home-and-home series against Butler (Dec. 4 at CSU and Feb. 28 at Butler) and a road game at West Virginia (Dec. 6).
There are four games against teams that played in the Inaugural College Basketball Invitational: Washington, Richmond and a home-and-home series against Valparaiso (Dec. 2 at CSU and Feb.26 at Valpo).
“We feel we have a very tough schedule that will prepare us for conference play,” said Waters, whose 31-34 in two seasons at CSU. “We are trying to prepare these young men for a challenge that they have never faced before. We will probably be picked one of the top teams in the conference. So there’s no more sneaking up on anybody like a year ago. They have to bring it each and every game.”
CSU opens the season at home on Nov. 14 against Division III John Carroll. Then CSU will travel to Washington for a first-round game in the College Basketball Experience Classic (Nov.18). After returning home to face Kansas State, the Vikings will travel to Ft. Myers, Fla. to resume the CBE Classic on Nov. 24-26 with three straight games: Richmond, UMKC and Florida Gulf Coast.
ESPNU BracketBusters game will be on Feb.21 with the Vikings on the road. The Horizon League Tournament starts on March 3.
Three games are still to be added. One game is expected to be an exhibition game and CSU is negotiating an away game with Duquesne.
Spain trip:
CSU has been practicing since Aug. 1 preparing for next week's 10-day trip to Spain (Aug. 14-24). The Vikings will play four exhibition games, including two games against professional teams and two against club teams.
The first game is in Madrid against Illescas (Aug. 14, 11 a.m. EDT). Followed by two games in Valencia against Alginet (Aug. 19, 12 noon EDT) and Lliria (Aug. 20, 12 noon EDT). The trip will end in Barcelona against El Prat (Aug. 23, 12 noon EDT).
“I’m not worried about the outcomes. I’m more worried about the growth of the team,” said Waters. “The biggest reason (we are going to Spain) is to come together as a team and build more chemistry.”
Waters said there are three things his team needs to work on during the trip: transition game, half-court man-to-man defense and offensive execution. Waters also wants to see red-shirt freshmen Daitwan Eppinger and Joe Latas in some game action.
Under NCAA rules CSU can only take players that were on last year’s roster, so the Vikings have only 10 players making the trip. Because of the limited roster and CSU only bringing four guards, Waters doesn’t want to play anyone over 25-28 minutes per game.
The NCAA allows teams to travel to foreign countries every four years. Waters said he plans to continue going overseas every four years but it also depends on how many players are returning.
Some of CSU’s players are excited about the upcoming Spain trip.
“It’s going to be a learning experience for us going up against some pros,” said reserve center Renard Fields. "(The experience of Spain) should help us be a more cohesive unit when the season starts."
Last year’s first-team All-Horizon League forward J’Nathan Bullock said, “I think it will be a good experience for building team chemistry. We will have a lot of time to bond together as a team.”
Open practice to public:
Next Wednesday (Aug. 13) Waters said the public is invited to watch CSU scrimmage at 5 p.m. at the Wolstein Center.
Harmon update:
Waters said he is still waiting to hear from the NCAA about CSU’s eligibility appeal of freshmen guard Trevon Harmon. Waters was hoping to have Harmon for the Spain trip, but until the NCAA declares Harmon eligible, he can’t practice with the team.
Once he becomes eligible Waters said Harmon, who averaged 28 points, eight assists and six rebounds his senior season at Pasadena High School in California, would be on scholarship.
Moore news:
Senior center Chris Moore talked about the rumors during the summer that he might leave the program. “I needed to take some time away from the team during the summer. So I took some time for myself,” he said. “I came back, sat with coach Waters and now I’m ready to move forward as a member of the team.”
Moore also said he worked hard during the summer to lose about 15 pounds. His weight is down from 245 pounds to about 230 pounds.
J-Bull for three:
Bullock has been working hard during the summer to improve his 3-point shooting and it has shown in practice.
Working with assistant coach Larry DeSimpelare Bullock was sinking three-after-three from beyond the new three-point line (20 feet, nine inches, previous 19 feet, nine inches), during a four-minute shooting drill all around the perimeter.
“Coaches said if you want to get to the next level you have to improve (on your weaknesses),” said Bullock, who shot 32.5 (25-for77) percent from 3-point range last season. “There is no set amount, but I take about 250 threes (a day)."
November
14: JOHN CARROLL
18: at Washington (CBE Classic)
22: KANSAS STATE (John McLendon Classic)
24: vs. Richmond or UMKC at Fort Myers, Fla. (CBE Classic)
25: vs. Richmond or UMKC at Fort Myers, Fla. (CBE Classic)
26: vs. Florida Gulf Coast at Fort Myers, Fla. (CBE Classic)
December
2: VALPARAISO
4. BUTLER
6: at West Virginia
13: at Marist
16: OAKLAND
23: KENT STATE
30: at Wright State
January
3: at Detroit
8: LOYOLA
10: UIC
15: at UW-Green Bay
17: at UW-Milwaukee
24: at Youngstown State
29: DETROIT
31: WRIGHT STATE
February
5: at UIC
7: at Loyola
12: UW-MILWAUKEE
14: UW-GREEN BAY
18: YOUNGSTOWN STATE
21: at ESPNU Bracketbusters
26: at Valparaiso
28: at Butler
March
3: Horizon League Tournament, first round at campus sites
6: HL Tournament, second round site, TBA
7: HL Tournament, semifinals site, TBA
10: HL Tournament Championship, TBA
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The Mind of a Manager: David Amata's Blog From Spain
August 16, 2008 --
By: David Amata
We made it, only a few hours late which isn’t too bad for an international flight. Weather in Pennsylvania held us up at Hopkins for a few hours but luckily Continental held up our flight to Madrid for two hours so we weren’t stuck in Jersey for the night. I know Cedric was a bit upset as he already was calling friends and family letting them know he could be visiting.
Eric’s Chinese fortune was “Look for danger wherever safety is found” so after our flight to Newark went smoothly he was a bit nervous when we found lightening and turbulence en route to Madrid. Most guys watched What Happens in Vegas before catching some much needed sleep.
It never ceases to amaze me how far Coach Waters network reaches. Our tour guide Joe used to coach against Coach when he was still at Ferris State. Speaking of, one of his players now a teacher at a school in Madrid greeted us at the hotel. It was a bit of a surprise for Coach but again, it does not matter where we go, the man has friends.
The hotel rooms are pretty small but it’s not too bad. The bathroom is hidden in the wall and Kevin Sapara and I had a hard time figuring out how to use the lights but we’ll survive. Joe couldn’t figure out how to split the beds apart, luckily Renard figured out all you have to do is move the table. I wouldn’t want to sleep that close to Joe either.
Most guys are using the afternoon off to try some traditional Spanish cuisine. I think I caught them all heading to McDonald’s and KFC for lunch. Nothing like experiencing the culture, right?
We walked around the city for a bit and ran into Brian McCann and Eddie Benion. They were busy trying to find food, there’s a surprise. For those of you who don’t know Eddie, the man never goes hungry. It’s an interesting city with amazing architecture. I can’t wait to go exploring more in-depth. We’re off on a guided tour of Madrid and then dinner with the team.
Game got moved up to noon tomorrow this time so hopefully I’ll have some pictures to go along with my next entry. Check out Brian and possibly some players blogs at CSUVIKINGS.COM. Hopefully he’ll give my blog a little shout out on there.
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The Mind of a Manager: David Amata's Blog From Spain II
August 17, 2008 --
By: David Amata
Hola mis amigos!!! Sorry for the delay, I’d be lying if I said this was my top priority when I have the chance to enjoy Spain. The tour of Madrid was amazing. The architecture here is incredible. I’m going to talk to Ryan and try and get some of the pictures I have uploaded so be patient but know it’s on the way!
Our guide Ines took us around the city showing us all the historic hotspots. I wasn’t sure how much we’d all enjoy it but everyone was off the bus chasing down the next best photo. Whether it was a view of the palaces in the background of a team photo or a few guys posing with statues at the bullfighting ring, cameras were going the whole time. I wish I could explain the feeling but as one of our guys said, it is exciting but more than words can describe.
Our tour ended in the Plaza De Mayor which was the backdrop for the movie Vantage Point. While Vantage Point was shot in Mexico City, it was an exact replica of the plaza we were at. Coach decided to take the team to dinner there to enjoy the scenery and experience a bit of the culture.
To say dinner is slow in Spain is an understatement. After our first game I was talking to the two Americans who said that was probably the most difficult adjustment, the pace at which they live. Anyway, after about two and a half hours the guys headed back to the hotel after wishing Coach a happy birthday to rest up for the game. The guys were told not to sleep when we got in to combat jet lag so by 11pm here everyone was exhausted.
The staff stayed behind and enjoyed some birthday cake and “Cupleanos Feliz” led by our host Marta.
On to the morning….Not the best of topics. We woke up early (2:45 am Cleveland time) and after a quick breakfast the boys got taped and ready for the journey to Villescas. The interesting part of Spain is the minute we got outside Madrid there was nothing. Madrid doesn’t have a Rocky River, Oberlin or Strongsville.
We showed up to the high school gym with no lights on or anything. I joke….Sort of. I talked with Ed our chaperon and former coach who told us that this gym was nice for Europe. Anyway, after getting the lights turned on, Villescas shot the lights out. I expected Europeans to be able to shoot but their ability to create open looks surprised me.
I have to be careful how much basketball I talk about here, I am after all a manager which is basketball code for “I have no opinion.”
We kept it close for 32 minutes but they pulled away at the end with a run of I swear five or six threes in a row. At that point I felt like we were playing Butler circa 06-07. Sorry to remind you but it happened….
The best part of the trip for me is getting to watch guys like ‘Twan, E and Joe get some playing time. You all get to see Ced, Nate and those guys go to work during the games but I watch the other guys work just as hard only to have to wait for their chance to shine.
E started off pretty hot. I don’t think there’s anything that gets our team more excited than when he hits a 3.
Nate, Norris and Ced led the way in scoring. Would have been interesting to see how it would have played out without the early foul trouble. I read Brian’s blog and I’ll reiterate there is NO way a team does not travel the whole game. It’s a lot easier to penetrate and pitch when you get 3-4 steps.
Anyway, after the ride home we were given our per diem and told to be back by 11 for a team meeting. In different groups we all strolled around. None of us are taking this for granted, enjoying every moment possible. (As I write this though, Chris, Joe, E, Ced and I are watching a movie mid-afternoon).
It’s amazing how different things are over here. One thing that is not different, these guys get stared at wherever we go. “Kobe Bryant?” they ask Cedric, “Jason Kidd” they ask Schiele, not quite but definitely a few laughs along the way.
The most interesting part of anywhere is people watching. We all enjoyed watching people interact, try and speak English to us, and the different styles of Europe. Anyway I feel like I’m rambling but I could write for forever. We met up last night and ended with a real positive meeting. We woke up this morning for a meeting that I would say was an amazing team bonding experience. Everyone talking and interacting, it’s what this trip is all about!
We have the afternoon to ourselves before we head to Prado at 5 and onto a BULLFIGHT tonight. I’m definitely cheering for the bull and I think the guys are on my side. Should be an amazing experience. On my way to grab lunch with the movie crew, hope you all enjoyed.
Note: I struggle with writing this a bit. I'm basically just posting my journal entries for each day. Let me know what else you guys want to hear about and I’ll make sure to fill you in….As long as it’s stuff I can talk about of course.
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The Mind of a Manager: David Amata's Blog From Spain III
August 21, 2008 --
By David Amata
Thanks to Dre and E for finally breaking and buying the internet. Now I can finally post....
Hello from Valencia this time. Last night ended up being incredible. We began the night with an hour stop at the Prado museum. For those of you who do not know it’s the most prestigious art museum in all of Spain. We saw paintings by Rafael, Rembrandt and Goya. I do not profess to enjoy this sort of stuff but anytime you get a chance to broaden your horizons it is a good thing.
This is true unless….broadening your horizons means going to a bullfight. I’m so thankful for the opportunity to experience their culture but it’s something I will NEVER do again. Our guys enjoyed it for the most part however, an equal number was surprised when they actually killed the bull.
In my last blog I told you all I would be cheering for the bull. Well….Bull #2 got a few good shots in before he died. He cut the matadors hand open and trampled him once. These were the two times I cheered all night.
After the third bull died, we left and headed back to the hotel. Kevin Sapara (Graduate Assistant), Bobby Bossman (Video Assistant) and I headed to TGI Friday’s for a “quick” dinner. I wanted to grab the gyro D’Aundray was raving about but when we found out Friday’s had free refills Kevin made the decision for me.
At the restaurant we were able to catch up on the Olympics. While I’m so grateful for the experience, I wish the IOC had been more respectful and moved the Olympics up to accommodate me. Luckily we’ve been able to catch some of it albeit with Spanish announcers.
Let me just say the Madrid night life is interesting. There are such a wide variety of people you’ll see EVERYTHING. I found my favorite little spot, an Irish place called O’Connell’s. The people were very friendly and they had TV’s so I could catch up on the sports world.
The reactions to Americans are mixed. The people who do like us, LOVE us. It’s always nice to find someone who speaks the language. I ventured out on my own one night and if it wasn’t for a few American students I don’t know if I would have ever made it back. To say I’m directionally challenged would be polite.
I would like to thank the staff at Hotel Vincci Capital, O’Conell’s and the local tiendas (stores) for dealing with a group of twenty Americans who could barely speak any Spanish but sure had plenty of questions. I do know they won’t be reading any of this but it makes me feel better about myself for thanking them.
This morning we got up and boarded the team bus for Valencia. It was about a five hour trip highlighted by As Good As It Gets and Jumper. I don’t think anyone watched either movie though because we all were asleep before we made it out of the city. The five hour bus ride allowed us all to catch up on some much needed sleep.
Once we made it into Valencia we hurridly dropped off our bags and headed to a buffet. We did not have many options for lunch as when we arrived the city was on siesta or naptime. Note: If Americans want to adopt any part of Spanish culture siesta gets my vote.
I was excited as I finally found some Paella. I was told before I left I had to try it because it was a staple of Spanish cuisine. Unfortunately when I sat down Brian McCann informed me that this was a cheap imitation and I was merely eating some decent Spanish rice.
We quickly ate as we only had twenty minutes before our bus left for the Aquarium. This was an absolutely amazing experience. I have been to many aquariums before and I have always enjoyed myself but I had never been to one with a marine biologist as a tour guide. Ok so Eric Schiele is not a marine biologist but the man knows his fish and their friends.
We quickly formed a group of four with Dre and Norris and headed around the grounds. Eric is in the process of creating his own salt water tank so he knew nearly every species possible. His narration led to some amazing pictures for many of us.
You will all be excited to know that Norris is taking some video for the school. I do not know what it will be used for but I do anticipate you all being able to see it at some point….Well at least the part he actually video taped. An hour into the aquarium D’Aundray figured out that Norris had barely recorded anything all trip so we had a good laugh.
We were at the beluga whale tank taking a few pictures when one of the whales came right up to the glass for a photo opportunity. There are a few good pictures of guys with their new friend. Ryan if you’re reading this shoot me an email and let me know how I can get you some of these photos.
We were hoping to catch a bit of the dolphin show however, the night schedule included a practice so we boarded the bus and headed out. The gym was ridiculously hot and water was rationed carefully. As a manager all I’m really responsible for in practice is water, towels and keeping the floor dry. There was no water (Thanks Coach Sapara for making the run for me), there are never towels at the gym and the amount of sweat on the floor was reminiscent of the Rocky River.
Due to the wetness, Cedric did the splits luckily without any consequence or I may have been back in America that night. I spent much of the practice following J’Nate around. Let me be the first to tell you, the man is a walking puddle. Practice mercifully ended and we headed back for dinner on our own.
This trip has been very good for team morale. It’s good to see each group of guys changing daily, everyone is hanging out with everyone. We all ventured out tonight for dinner with Dre, E, Ced and Team TGI Friday’s heading to a pizza place.
Eric has got to be one of the funniest men alive. He’s willing to say the things everyone is thinking but no one is brave enough to say. If you ever get the chance to talk to him you’ll undoubtedly laugh. The locals were staring at us not just because those guys are so big, but because we were going crazy every five minutes thanks to Schiele.
The night ended pretty quietly. We searched and found a little “corner store” according to Ced. They do not have Walgreen’s or anything of the sort around here so finding a late night snack can prove to be difficult. Hope all is well back in America. Game 2 tomorrow.
PS- To my mom and dad, thanks for making this possible. I can not put into words how much I love you both and wish you were here with me. There’s another person I wish I had with me now and if they’re reading they know who they are….Or anyone else who knows me.
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The Mind of a Manager: David Amata's Blog From Spain IV
August 21, 2008 --
By David Amata
Hello from Valencia again. Sorry for the messed up timing of all this but the lack of free internet and the relative weakness of the dollar means I can’t afford to be paying $10 for an hour of internet access.
We woke up yesterday morning to the same breakfast as usual. I’m growing rather tired of yogurt and donuts but being a picky eater means its tough sledding across the Atlantic. Oh well, I’m in Spain I should quit whining right?
They boys headed out on a local walking tour while I headed off to find a Laundromat. In America I can get everything done in the hotel or within a short walking distance. Here it’s nearly impossible. Of the ten available in Valencia only three were open due to various towns as Marta called them having their vacation time.
I finally found a lady who I would later thank and call a saint who promised to get it done within twelve hours. Yeah, easy right? NOT HERE!
Marta took me back to the group and we met up at the town square. We passed by some beautiful buildings. I wish I had more of an understanding of the time and care needed to preserve such quality architecture but alas I can simply say WOW.
We entered two Catholic cathedrals mid-mass and saw some amazing artwork. Never missing the opportunity to make a dime, there was a souvenir shop at one of the cathedrals so Joe Latas and I took the opportunity to pick up a few gifts. We would have gotten yelled at for holding the group up however a big assist goes out to Mrs. Waters who hung back knowing that she could protect us.
As we headed back to the bus we passed through an open air market similar to the West-Side market on W.25th in Cleveland. The difference being everywhere you looked there was ham. Not a huge part of most American diets, you can not take ten steps here without seeing it.
The sheer mass of the building was impressive but I wasn’t about to risk sickness by buying any of the produce….even if I do need snacks in the hotel room BADLY.
From there we went on a tour of Valencia by bus. The tour guide really knew what she was talking about, or at least the part of the tour I heard. Coach Waters claimed it was amazing proclaiming he’d seen ten times the amount of notable sights here compared with Madrid but I was just too tired. I fell asleep right after we passed by the beach.
After the tour we headed back to the hotel for some more much needed rest before pre-game meal. We returned to the same buffet from the day before where I again sat with my new lunch crew Eddie Benion (Head athletic trainer and food connoisseur) and Brian McCann.
I started to complain about the alfredo sauce I was eating when Brian explained to me that leaving anything on my plate was a sign of disrespect in Spain. Well sorry to the chef, I did not mean to be rude but I certainly was not about to finish my pasta but it’s probably my fault for expecting good Italian food.
From there I rushed back to my favorite laundry lady with the help of Marta to get our gear. With an estimated departure time of 6:30 for the game I arrived with plenty of time to spare….At 6:22. Oh well, got it done.
We headed out on the hour ride to face C.B. Alginet in game two of our tour. The gym provided to be even warmer than the practice gym from the day before. Even the staff changed shirts pregame. Pregame ceremonies included a traditional gift exchange.
We gave Alginet a peering Viking pin and a media guide, they gave us a bag containing four Valencia oranges. YES, I’ve finally got my room snacks I’ve so desperately needed.
The personnel for Alginet were incredibly helpful and friendly. One even remarked that he’d been following Brian’s blog on csuvikings.com which made Brian the happiest I’ve seen him in all my years at CSU.
As Alginet warmed up I must admit I think I underestimated them. They are a smaller team, a local team playing levels lower than Illescas from the game before but they were fighters.
I tend to get caught up in the game so I don’t remember too many runs or scores just the big plays. Cedric had a beautiful alley-oop to JB for a slam that drew OOOHS and AAAHS from the hometown crowd. You may have thought we were the home team with the amount of cheers we received.
The second quarter was highlighted by CMo posterizing at least one Alginet player and then receiving an alley-oop from Dre off the backboard on a fast break. Alginet hung with us for a bit scrapping and fighting to find a way to keep it at a respectable level between 12-15 points.
In the second half our size and strength wore them down leading to a 30+ point victory if I remember correctly. We just pulled into Lliria for game 3 so I’m going to have to take a break. I’ll finish up either during pre-game or on the ride home.
Post-game the city provided us with some appetizers and drinks as a thank you. Chris and I found our way to the soccer floor on the other side of the bleachers. Neither of us are good but it was fun to play with the local kids. It was interesting to see because we have outdoor basketball courts, here there were 15-20 kids playing at 11:30pm.
Back to the hotel we went to search out some much needed food. I had plenty of work to do but I ventured out to catch the guys on their way back from BK. The difference between Madrid and Valencia is Valencia closes up shop around midnight, people in Madrid won’t even come out until one or two.
Flipping through the channels it was interesting to see that there were plenty of German channels. I would have expected French possibly but not such a heavy German influence. However after some more Olympic recap I went off to bed.
I woke up this morning to a call saying anyone wanting to head to the beach needed to be down in the lobby in 15 minutes. I had too much work left from the night before so I rolled out of bed and got to work on preparing for tonight’s game.
Plenty of time with a blow drier and a nice breeze outside my window and the uniforms were “playable” for tonight. I found Eddie and we headed out for a day on the town. It’s been amazing here but our pace has been frantic. It was nice to take a slow walk around the city and not have to be ushered by a tour guide or staff member.
I finally found some Oreo Cookies N’ Cream ice cream and Eddie decided to sample a local cerveza. After we finished we met up with Dre, Norris and Brian for some lunch.
They told us the beach was beautiful and we were thankful to hear coach had changed the schedule so we could go tomorrow. My plan right now is to meet up with Mr. Cole and whoever else is interested and catch the sunrise on the Mediterranean.
We headed back to the hotel for a quick nap before pre-game meal. I know it seems like we eat frequently, we do, but the portions here are smaller and therefore it’s necessary. We headed to our buffet where everyone knows our name now (Dad there’s a Cheers reference for you).
At the buffet a few of us had heard about the tragic plane crash in Madrid. We all were shocked as we were there just a few days ago. Our hearts and prayers go out to the victims, their families and the city.
Guys got dressed, coaches got the game plan ready and off to Lliria for game 3. We arrived early to find a team of Canadian All-star girls/women (whatever you prefer to call college freshman) playing the local women’s team. The Canadians won by about 40 setting the tone for North American dominance tonight.
From the start the guys really came out with a different mentality tonight. It was great to see and we were all going crazy from the tip. I’ll leave the in-depth recap to Brian but we had more dunks in a two minute span of the second half than we had in any four games combined last year.
Schiele promised me at least four threes from the start of the game. Eric had none in the first half. I reminded him of this promise to which he said “Three for sure, you can put that in your blog”. I’d like to say he came through but alas no Eric Schieleeee for THREEEEEEEEEEE.
Renard had 11 and Joe had 12. Yeah you read that exactly right. Joe had a couple of nice post moves and Renard pounded the boards. I told Renard that he actually finished his first jump hook during his CSU career. He had to remind me that he actually made one against Loyola two years ago at home.
Post-game meal with the team was very nice. Lliria had two players from Sengal and we traded names trying to link either to Amadou Kondoul my good friend and former CSU graduate and graduate assistant coach. We were unable to find common ground but I swear if we’d be able to communicate more clearly it would have happened.
Joe and I spent the bus ride home joking with Coach D’s five year old son Tyler. Tyler and Briana (Coach Gee’s daughter) do an amazing job of providing some levity to me during the season’s most trying times.
Back at the hotel and we’re about to go grab some dinner. These post-game meals are great for getting to know people and experiencing a bit of the culture but they do nothing for the post-game hunger pains. Tomorrow is a beach and travel day so I don’t know if I’ll have a blog. I’ll do my best to just say hey.
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Men's Squad Hopes to Shock Nation: Vikings Looking to Make Post Season Run
By: Robert Ivory
Every year at this time on the campus of Cleveland State University many people are looking for a special sporting treat. Cabin fever has spread and the snow is yet to hit the ground on the shores of Lake Erie.
Who is the culprit for fans biting their nails and getting fever pitch?
CSU head men's basketball coach Gary Waters and his team of excellent stars, that's who. Waters, entering his third season as Vikings coach, has the campus ready to rock as expectations have skyrocketed since the team was able to 'flip the script' as Waters put it, this past season.
Coming off a 10-21 mark in the 2006- 07 season, the Vikings turned heads and put Cleveland State on the map after several convincing wins over SouthFlorida, Florida State, and especially their 56-52 home win over then the nationally ranked No. 12 Butler Bulldogs, Waters has continued a quest for success from his players. Now that the Vikings are not in a season in which they are looking to 'rebound' the team is determined to build on last season's 21-13 overall record, a Horizon League Runner-Up finish, and a trip to the NIT for the first time in 22 years.
Heightening the suspension is the nomination to win the Horizon League by Athlon Magazine. Starting the year will be the Vikings' traditional Viking Madness to introduce the players on Friday, Oct. 17 at 7:00pm. The excitement on campus is ready to explode as the team gets ready to tip-off in the upcoming month, and The Cauldron is there to walk you through the ins and outs of CSU men's basketball:
Team Motto: There was nobody in the Cleveland State family that did not know Waters' motto of 'flip the script' last year. Since they were able to successfully do so, Waters had to get creative again. "Do what we do, but do it better," Waters said of the driving words behind the team. These eight words may be the explanation for all the hard work the team has put into last year and this year. Nobody can deny the potential the team showed as they made it all the way to the NIT Tournament last season, therefore doing it better may be the big payoff for the team, and maybe an NCAA Tournament bid could be in the near future.
Team Goals: "The goal is to win the Horizon League and win a couple of games in the NCAA Tournament," senior forward J'Nathan Bullock stated as the main goals the team will be focusing on. The lofty expectations of winning the Horizon League will make many Viking fans surprised, but Waters knows what is in store of the talent in the league. "I think this league is up for grabs this year. We do have the potential to win this league," the head coach said.
Key Games to Watch:
Kansas State, Saturday, Nov. 22, 7:00 pm Wolstein Center: Ok, maybe it's not the same team as last year without PF Marcus Beasley, but this will be earliest test for the Vikings, playing a great quality team out of the Big 12 Conference. Last year Kansas State finished 21-10 (10-6 Big 12) and third in the Big 12, also beating the eventual National Champion Kansas Jayhawks 84-75 on their home court. Only one senior, 6-11 forward Darren Kent, is on the squad, but that means a young, energetic club for head coach Frank Martin's Wildcats.
Butler, Thursday Dec. 4, 7:00 pm Wolstein Center: Is there anyone in the Viking Village that doesn't remember what happened last time Butler played in Cleveland? Last year's 56-52 win rocked the packed house and the Viking faithful stormed the court, but the Bulldogs had the last laugh in the Horizon League Championship game at Hinkle Fieldhouse. Remembering what happened last year, the Bulldogs second year head coach Brad Stevens knows that they must win often to continue their 'Top 25' status, but their stock is on the decline. No seniors on the squad, a big drop off from last year's All-Horizon League first team, and the third highest scorer in Butler history A.J. Graves is gone. The Vikings need to start the Horizon League off on a good note.
West Virginia, Saturday Dec, 6, TBA Morgantown, WV: After battling with the Bulldogs, the forest green and white pack up and head three and a half hours south to face Bob Huggins' Mountaineers. It is the first time these teams have met in 30 years, with West Virginia 2-0 against CSU and have won by an average of 24 points. Junior Da'Sean Butler was cover boy for Athlon Magazine, the same publication that picked the Vikings to win the Horizon League, as they are expected to repeat their success from last year (finished ranked No. 17). Despite the obvious 'mountain' to climb, Waters is 4-3 against West Virginia in his coaching career.
Syracuse, Monday Dec. 15, 7:00 pm Syracuse, NY: Yet another quality team before the Christmas break. The Big East was not nice to these oranges as they finished .500 in the conference, but finished with 21 wins on the season. Hall of Fame head coach Jim Boeheim is in his 33rd year as coach and knows how to produce a winner. 20 win seasons are no stranger to the Orangemen, so the Vikings need to be careful, especially playing in the Carrier Dome. It is the first ever meeting between these two schools, but the last time CSU played in the Carrier Dome, they were winning games in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament in 1986.
ESPN O' Reilly Bracketbusters, Saturday Jan. 21, TBA Cleveland, OH: Last year's Bracketbusters was such a great result late in the year, how can this not be a key game? Not only did the Vikings play on National Television, but they also have the Marist Red Foxes, a quality opponent from the Metro Atlantic Athletic League (MAAC), on this year's schedule. Hopefully the Vikings will not end up being upset like Butler did last year and hurt their ranking at the end of the season.
Key Vikings: Without the following players, the Vikings would be wandering in the dark. Now with Waters in his third season, his recruits will stand out as the underclassmen play the quality ball the team needs.
J'Nathan Bullock, Senior, SF: Not enough good things can be said about this Vikings senior forward. The 6-5, 240 lbs. Bullock has been here in good times and especially the bad. Last season, Bullock always commented on how things have changed and he never wants Cleveland State to return to the program he came into in 2005-06. He is a quality forward who has the talent (led the team in scoring all three years) as well as the heart. As a senior, he will be the heart and the soul that the team needs. Voted as the Horizon League pre-season Player of the Year by the Athlon Magazine and will come ready to play every day. Will play small and power forward, but will be looking to be better on the defensive side of the ball.
Cedric Jackson, Senior, PG: Also knows where this team has come from, but has led the team in minutes played, 3-point percentage, assists and steals last season. Jackson was the key player at key times for the Vikings. "If Cedric is leading this team like he is capable of doing, then we have a very good chance to win this year," Waters said of his senior. Jackson, much like Bullock, will have to continue to put the Vikings on his back if they want to be as successful as they want to be. He is also looking to become homecoming king.
Norris Cole, Sophomore, G and D'Aundray Brown, Sophomore SF: The sophomore guards will be the young talent the team needs to win. "I look for them to be big contributors. We can't accomplish our goals without them providing their abilities to this team," Waters explained. Cole only averaged 14.4 minutes last year, but led the team in free throw percentage. Brown, who started 11 games and averaged over 22 minutes, will be looked on more for his talent around the perimeter.
Jeremy Montgomery, Josh McCoy, and Trevon Harmon, Freshmen: With Kevin Francis, Breyohn Watson, and Joe Davis gone, these three will be counted on as men to take up some major minutes throughout the year. Watson was the only of the three to start in more than eight games, but they combined for over 2,000 minutes. "Someone is going to have to step into those roles," Waters said, "And I see some of the freshmen doing that."
Prediction: The goals for the Vikings have been set and the team is ready to accomplish what has not happened in the program for several years, a trip to the NCAA Tournament. Butler's quality has been reduced and opened the gates for someone to walk in and take the league. If the underclassmen play to their potential, there is no reason the Vikings can't win it all. So much buzz was created by this team last year, there is no way they will flop on their face. Waters is a great coach and knows how to win. Hopefully, he can continue his winning tradition all the way into the postseason.
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New Quartet Of Recruits Set To Make Impact For Vikings
October 16, 2008 --
By: Ryan Aroney
Fresh off a 21-win season and its first post-season appearance in 20 years, Cleveland State has landed an excellent recruiting class. Head Coach Gary Waters filled his four open scholarships with an interesting variety of talent, including prospects from the St. Louis area, Chicago and Lansing, MI. Waters made the biggest splash during the late signing period when he landed Ohio JUCO big man Aaron Pogue.
The foursome is as diverse on the court as the cities from which they hail. The class includes a point guard, a pure shooting guard, a 6-7 wing and a 6-9 285-pound center with the potential to dominate.
The first prospects came during the early signing period in April when Jeremy Montgomery (Chicago, IL) and Charlie Woods (Lansing, MI) signed with the Vikings.
Montgomery, a 6-2, 170-pound guard out of Lincoln Park HS, is rated as a three-star recruit by rivals.com. Playing in the famed Chicago Public League, Montgomery scored over 1,000 career points and was a two-time all-league selection. Montgomery averaged 21.8 points, 6.2 rebounds and 6 assists per game, including over 60-percent from the field during his senior season.
"A guy that has to help us this year is Jeremy Montgomery," said Gary Waters. "He's a combo guard that can shoot the ball or run the offense. He can play some point for us this year and we need him to support in that role (off the bench)."
Woods, a 6-7 175-pound forward out of East Lansing HS, averaged 17.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 3.6 blocks per game during his senior season when he was a first team all-state selection by the Detroit Free Press. The long and athletic forward shot 78-percent from the line and 43-percent from beyond the arc while leading his team to its deepest post-season run in 50 years. Woods was named league player of the year by the Lansing State Journal and to the class A All-State Tournament team by MichiganLive.com while also being ranked as the third best wing player in Michigan by PrepSpotlight.com.
"Charlie Woods has all the potential in the world," said Waters. "He's a pretty good basketball player right now but he can shoot the heck out of the basketball. One day I expect him to be a really good player for us."
Two weeks after Montgomery and Woods joined the fray, Waters received more good news. This time around it came from Missouri in the form of Josh McCoy.
McCoy, a 6-4, 190-pound guard from Fort Zumwalt South High in St. Peters, MO, was a two-time member of the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association All-State first team. McCoy averaged 19.4 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 3.5 steals per game during his senior season when he lead his team to its second consecutive third place finish in the state tournament. McCoy was a three time all-league selection, including player of the year as a senior while twice being named first team all-metro by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. McCoy rounded out the honors with a spot on the Missouri All-Class Big Six as a senior. Also a stand-out on the gridiron, McCoy was the starting quarterback as a senior after being named first team all-league as a defensive back during his junior season.
"Josh has a lot of ability and he's a winner that comes from a winning program," said Waters. He can shoot the ball and he can also defend. If I can get him into our system and get him some confidence, then he can really help us."
The biggest signee, literally and perhaps figuratively as well, came in August when Waters reeled in Aaron Pogue out of Vincennes Community College.
The 6-9 285-pound Pogue was a star at Dayton Dunbar HS along side Daequan Cook and current Viking Norris Cole. While winning back-to-back Division II state titles, Pogue was being recruited by Arizona, Cincinnati, Florida, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Tennessee, and USC but instead landed at the JUCO level because of concerns about his grades. Pogue eventually made the grade but after being hospitalized with a gunshot wound during his senior year, he decided to enroll at Vincennes.
Now fully healthy, Pogue decided against his final year of JUCO ball and has enrolled at CSU as a sophomore. The talented big man is being treated as a transfer student and will have three years of eligibility starting with the 2009-10 season. Pogue averaged 7.1 points and 5.6 rebounds as a freshman at Vincennes, starting 14 times in 22 games.
"Aaron is a major recruit, a top 50 guy," said Waters. "He's a man out there. Aaron needed this year to get his body right, get his mind right, and to get refocused. He's going to really help us next year and he'll be a big key to any success we have. A kid that's 6-9, 275 with good feet is hard to stop. It's good to get him in now because he has a chance to fit in. He loves the school, he loves the players and the team has really embraced him."
Rounding out the class are two talented walk-ons in Tim Kamczyc (Strongsville, OH) and Ethan Anderson (Grand Rapids, MI).
Kamczyc was a special mention all-state pick as a senior when he averaged 26.1 points per game. The 6-6, 195-pound forward also played quarterback on the football team and was a second team all-state selection, throwing for over 2,000 yards on the season.
Anderson comes to Cleveland after playing only one season of organized basketball. A 6-8, 260-pound post player, Anderson picked up basketball last season at Lee Academy in Maine. Prior to the year of prep school, Anderson was an all-state tennis player at Grand Rapids High.
The six new faces will join four returning starters and eight letter winners from last season's 21-13 team that participated in the NIT. Two of the returnees, seniors Cedric Jackson and J'Nathan Bullock, have been tabbed as pre-season All-Horizon League first team choices. The Vikings open the season November 15th vs. Oakland.
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Vikings Sign Waters to New Five Year Deal
October 29, 2008 --
By: Ryan Aroney
With the start of the season just over two weeks away, Cleveland State has announced the signing of Coach Gary Waters to a new five year contract. The new deal will replace the final three years on Waters' original contract and will keep the head man in Cleveland through at least the 2012-13 season.
"The structure of this contract will allow us to do the things that we need to do as a program to make Cleveland State one of the best basketball programs in the country", Waters said.
The contract was negotiated to bring stability to the program and also with the goal of keeping Waters at CSU until his retirement. A unique rollover clause in the contract calls for an additional year to be added to the contract at the end of each season, meaning Waters will always have five years remaining on the contract.
"I am excited about the prospects of ending my coaching career at Cleveland State," Waters said. "I was brought here for a purpose, to not only revive this program but elevate both Cleveland State University and the City of Cleveland."
Immediately following the announcement, Waters received a commitment from JUCO big man Kevin Anderson. The 6-10 shot blocker from Dallas is the second of what is expected to be a four man class. Shaker Heights point guard Anthony Wells is already committed for the class of 2009. Waters can start to sign prospects during the early signing period that runs November 12-19.
"We have four recruits to sign for next year," Waters said. "We will definitely sign two during the early period and we could go as much as three."
Waters heads into the season with a career coaching record of 202-169, including 31-34 in two seasons at CSU. The 2008 Horizon League Coach of the Year has coached into the post-season six times with three teams during his 12-year coaching career. Last season's 21-13 Vikings squad that advanced to face Dayton in the NIT was the first CSU team to qualify for the post-season in 20 seasons.
CSU returns four starters and eight lettermen from last season and enter the year as the favorites in the Horizon League. Seniors J'Nathan Bullock and Cedric Jackson were named to the preseason All-Horizon League first team.
The Vikings open the season at home against Oakland on Saturday, Nov. 15 at 7 p.m. Fans can take advantage of a buy-one-get-one-free special by calling the CSU ticket office at 216-687-4848.
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Season Preview: '08-'09 Cleveland State Vikings
November 13, 2008 --
By: Ryan Aroney
The Cleveland State Vikings are set to start their most anticipated season in over a decade on Saturday night at the Wolstein Center. CSU returns four starters and eight letter winners from last season's 21-13 NIT team, including senior all-league picks J'Nathan Bullock and Cedric Jackson. The Vikings looked dominant in its lone exhibition with an 81-33 dismantling of John Carroll. Jackson played his normal all-around game with 5 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals in 26 minutes.
Even with all of the experience and excitement, Coach Gary Waters has some tinkering to do with the lineup.
"If all the cards fall right we could be in the NCAA's," said Waters. "We can't have injuries. We need a couple of people to step up who might not have been expected to step up. We lost three good players. Breyohn Watson was strong defensively, Kevin Francis did a great job coming off the bench and Joe Davis brought scoring. Now we need someone to step up and fill those roles."
Davis, a Warrensville Heights native, transferred out of the program and Francis graduated and is now playing overseas. The two combined for over 13 points per game off the bench, with Davis finishing just behind Bullock and Jackson in scoring and Francis providing energy and clutch shooting from his forward spot. Also graduated is Watson. The tough guard from Flint started every game and always locked up with the opposition's best scoring option.
Waters believes he has a replacement for both Davis and Watson built into the same player.
"I know Norris (Cole) can fill the scoring role, you look at the end of last year and he became our third scorer," said Waters. "What I want is for him to take over that defensive role too. He has the ability, he just has to keep working at it and get in the right mind-set."
Cole, 6-1 guard, finished off his freshman season on a tear. The Dayton native averaged 10.2 points per game over the last six games of the season and began to cut into Davis' minutes down the stretch. The sophomore led all scorers in the exhibition with 13 points on 5-of-10 shooting.
If Cole is counted on to become the third scoring option, it will mean moving him off the ball to play alongside Jackson in the starting backcourt. Speculation was that Cole would serve as the backup point guard while also splitting duties in the starting lineup to allow Jackson to roam free off the ball. Waters, however, has a different take.
"When (Cole and Jackson) are in there together, Jackson is our point guard. He's our guy at that spot," said Waters. "What I want to do is work on getting Norris away from playing point guard so he can concentrate on scoring and defense."
Keeping Cole off the ball opens a giant hole for CSU at the point behind Jackson. Waters and his staff are very high on freshman Jeremy Montgomery and he will need to make an impact immediately for the Vikings. Montgomery was a three-star recruit out of Lincoln Park high school in the Chicago Public League and he impressed in the exhibition, dropping 6 assists with no turnovers in 11 minutes of action.
"A guy that has to help us this year is Jeremy Montgomery," said Waters. "He's a combo guard that can shoot the ball or run the offense. He can play some point for us this year and we need him to support in that role (off the bench)."
The only other options at point guard are freshman Trevon Harmon and sophomore Eric Schiele. Harmon has yet to be ruled eligible and likely won't be allowed to play until December while Schiele missed much of his freshman season and is known more as a scorer than a facilitator. The 5-10 Schiele averaged 39.6 points per game as a senior at Waterloo high school, including 69 in one game.
Replacing Francis' role off the bench is a bit trickier. Last season Francis provided veteran leadership, consistent outside shooting and rebounding from his sixth man role. Francis nailed a game-winning buzzer beater at Wright State, drilled 4-of-5 threes in one game against Loyola and pulled down 13 rebounds against UIC last season.
"Now I have to find someone to fill Kevin's role," said Waters. "He provided a lot for us last year for that second group."
Ideally, Waters could bring multi-talented sophomore D'Aundray Brown off the bench. The diversity of Bullock to slide from his natural power forward spot down to the three position would allow Waters to start his two best bigs in seniors George Tandy and Chris Moore. Off the bench, the 6-4 Brown is strong enough to play as a forward and can create match-up problems similar to what Francis provided a year ago.
The problem with bringing Brown off the bench and starting Bullock, Tandy and Moore together is depth on the front line. Until a reliable fourth big man steps up to earn minutes, Waters seems reluctant to start all three big men together.
6-9 senior Renard Fields is an energy player that can provide rebounding and shot blocking but he has never played much and averaged only 7.6 minutes a season ago. Behind Fields is red-shirt freshman 7-footer Joe Latas. The Bedford-Chanel graduate is a work in progress that played very little in the open scrimmage and logged only 7 minutes in the exhibition.
A key to the depth of the Vikings will be Fields expanding his role and playing a solid 15-plus minutes as the fourth big in the rotation.
Until that time, it appears that Waters will go with a three guard starting lineup featuring Jackson, Cole and Brown with Bullock at power forward and Chris Moore at center.
Jackson is a candidate to win Horizon League player of the year this season. The 6-3 senior from New Jersey transferred in from St. John's last season and averaged 13.9 points, 4.9 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 2.6 steals per game. His 168 assists were second in CSU history and his 88 steals were the third highest total in CSU history and ranked ninth nationally. A key for this season will be improving his assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.28. If Jackson can play under better control and take better care of the ball, the Vikings will be hard to beat.
Bullock is the other end of the Vikings two-headed monster. The 6-5 forward from Flint averaged 14.8 points and 6.6 rebounds last season en route to being named first team All-Horizon League. Bullock has been a rock throughout his CSU career, starting 69 consecutive games which is just 17 off Mouse McFadden's school record. He also ranks 12th in school history in points scored with 1,238 and is one of only ten CSU players to score 1,000 points and grab 500 rebounds in a season.
Cole is a 6-1 sophomore that played in all 34 games a year ago while leading the team in free throw shooting at .817. Outside of picking up the scoring and defensive assignment this season, the athletic guard is also a natural leader. He won back-to-back high school state championships as a point guard and another as a quarterback for Dayton Dunbar.
Brown put together a very promising freshman season a year ago. The staff was familiar with the Youngstown native from an early age as Brown's father played for associate head coach Jayson Gee at Youngstown State in the eighties. Brown stepped in and started the final 11 games at small forward, capping a solid freshman campaign that saw him average 4.9 points and 3.7 rebounds per game.
Moore had an up-and-down junior season after transferring in from UC-Santa Barbara. The St. Edwards graduate started 23 games at center and averaged 4.9 points and 2.7 rebounds per game while shooting .558 from the field. The 6-9 Moore has good touch around the basket with range that can extend out to 16 feet but had trouble picking up Waters defensive schemes a year ago and lost playing time as a result. There were questions during the off season on whether Moore would return for his senior season but after rededicating himself and redefining his body, Moore is back in the middle and poised for a break-out senior season.
The sixth man role will fall to the Tandy. The 6-8 forward transferred in from Eastern Illinois a year ago and was a key member of the rotation, playing in 33 games with 15 starts at power forward and nine at center. The long and athletic Tandy was second in the Horizon League with 1.24 blocks per game and averaged 4.2 points and 4.2 rebounds in 18.6 minutes per game.
Beyond the six returning players with starting experience and Montgomery at backup point guard, minutes are up in the air. Fields will have a chance to earn his time and freshman guard Josh McCoy will have a chance to spread the floor with his outside shooting. Waters likes to go ten deep and it looks like Schiele's 11 point performance in the exhibition may have given him the inside track at spot number ten in the rotation.
Outside of playing time, there are many certainties. Waters' team will play hard, they will press and play tough defense, they will look to get out and run on offense and they will play an exciting brand of basketball.
After so many down years and countless rebuilding efforts, this year's Gary Waters led Vikings squad has realistic dreams of March Madness. It's hard to say for a team that hasn't reached the NCAA tournament since 1986, but anything less than an NCAA tournament appearance for this year's team will be an underachievement.
The exciting journey to March begins Saturday at 7 p.m. against Summit League favorite Oakland.
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Men's Basketball Preview: Vikings Eye Horizon League Title
November 15, 2008 --
By: Tom Mieskoski
Last season in just his second season as Cleveland State's head coach Gary Waters has quickly turned around CSU's struggling men's basketball program, which had only five winning seasons in the previous 16 seasons, and turned the Vikings into legitimate Horizon League contenders.
Picked to finish ninth in the Horizon League's preseason poll a year ago, CSU was the surprise team in the league, winning 21 games, and reaching the Horizon League championship game for the first time in school history.
Unfortunately, for CSU, last season came to a disappointing end with the Vikings losing the Horizon League championship game to Butler. Then an early exit in the first round of the National Invitational Tournament to Dayton ended CSU's promising season.
"It's a bitter taste (losing the Horizon League championship), but since that day our season has started," said senior forward J'Nathan Bullock. "We have been preparing and working hard every single day."
With four starters returning and eight lettermen back from last season's team, CSU was picked the preseason favorite to win the Horizon League.
"We don't pay attention to rankings, preseason polls or anything like that," said senior point guard Cedric Jackson. "We have some unfinished business. Our main goal is to win a championship. We have been working hard all summer. It all starts in practice."
Once again the Vikings will be led by their dynamic senior scoring duo of Jackson and Bullock, who were both named to the Horizon League's preseason first-team.
"(Cedric Jackson and J'Nathan Bullock) are on a mission now," Waters said. "They have to understand that this year they need to lead this team to the next level. We can't have a game where neither one comes to the table. We studied our schedule last year and (found out) in those five games we lost in a roll, only one game, one of them came to play.
"I looked at our team when both players come (to play) and we’re hard to beat. When one guy comes (to play) we still have a chance to win that game, but when none of them come (to play) we have a problem. They have to understand that they need to bring it to the table each and every game. They can’t be holding back."
The 6-1 Jackson is CSU's starting point guard and the team's best playmaker. Jackson is a Horizon League Player of the Year candidate, after averaging 13.9 points, 4.9 assists, 4.9 rebounds and 2.6 steals per game last season.
Jackson also turned the ball over 3.9 times per game. If Jackson wants to lead the Vikings to next level he needs to make better decisions with the basketball and cut down on the number of turnovers from a year ago.
"We go as Cedric goes," said Waters. "If Cedric is leading us we are a good team."
Bullock, who's 6-5, 240-pounds, led the Vikings in scoring and rebounding (14.8 points, 6.6 rebounds) last season. He has the versatility to play both power forward and small forward with the ability to score from both the inside or the outside.
"J'Nathan is one of the most unselfish kids I have been around in a long time. All he cares about is winning," said Waters.
The other starters are 6-4 sophomore D'Aundray Brown (4.9 points and 3.7 rebounds) at the wing and 6-1 sophomore guard Norris Cole (4.9 points and 1.4 assists) at the two-guard. The center position will be either one of two seniors, Chris Moore (4.9 points, 2.7 rebounds), who started 23 games last season, or George Tandy (4.2 points and 4.2 rebounds), who started 24 games last season.
Brown, a Youngstown Ursuline High graduate, is expected to be a defensive stopper this season, but also has the potential to develop into a third scoring option.
"D'Aundray Brown in my estimation is the most energized guy that I ever had," said Waters.
Cole, a Dayton Dunbar High graduate, is expected to fill the defensive hole left by Breyohn Watson graduating. Cole is a much better offensive threat then Watson, and could develop into a solid third scoring option taking some of the pressure off of Jackson and Bullock.
"Norris is the total complete package he can defend and score," said Waters.
The 6-9 Moore (St. Edward High) has lost 20 pounds from last season and is the early favorite to start at center. Moore is expected to provide a much needed post-presence in the block.
Tandy (Lincoln West High), who's 6-8, brings versatility to the front court with the ability to play both center and power forward. He will likely start the season coming off the bench and could fill Kevin Francis' (graduation) defensive role from a year ago.
Majority of the minutes off the bench should go to Moore/Tandy, 6-7 senior forward Renard Fields, and freshmen guards Trevon Harmon, Jeremy Montgomery and Josh McCoy.
Harmon, who was also recruited by Arizona State and Oregon State, will most likely be unable to play until mid-December because of initial NCAA requirements.
Montgomery, a three-star recruit by Rivals.com, is Waters hand-picked choice to be Jackson's back-up at the point.
McCoy, who has made 184 threes for Fort Zumwalt South High in Missouri, brings some much needed 3-point scoring ability.
CSU's bench could also see contributions from 5-10 sophomore walk-on guard Eric Schiele and red-shirt freshmen Daitwan Eppinger, a 6-6 forward and Joe Latas, a 6-11 center.
With CSU no longer in the underdog role, Waters made it his number one priority in the preseason to make sure his players understand that counter-punching should be in the past.
"Everyone we face is going to bring their A-game. So we got to understand we can't go down by 10 or 12 points and expect to win the game. We got to bring (our A-game) right from the start," said Waters.
Waters said he expects that a lot of teams this season will probably play zone defenses because they don't want Jackson or Bullock to beat them.
"When attacking a zone you need to know where to beat a zone at. Because if you don't (know how to beat a zone) you just keep going around the perimeter," said Waters. "Except for about two games last year, we were pretty good against zones because we know how to attack a zone."
Tonight the Vikings take their first step towards a Horizon League championship, opening the season at home against Oakland (Mich.). The Golden Grizzles out of the Summit League were 17-14 last season. Tip off is at 7 p.m.
CSU is offering a special ticket offer (buy one $8 ticket, get one $8 ticket for free) for tonight's game.
Tom Mieskoski's Horizon League predictions:
1.) Cleveland State
2.) Wright State
3.) Green Bay
4.) Loyola
5.) UIC
6.) Butler
7.) Milwaukee
8.) Valparaiso
9.) Youngstown State
10.) Detroit
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CSU Heads South For CBE Classic
November 24, 2008 --
By: Ryan Aroney
The Cleveland State Vikings are off to a 1-2 start during a tough opening stretch of the season. The Vikings sandwiched home contests with Oakland and Kansas State around a cross-country trip to Washington. After opening the season with a come-from-behind victory over Oakland, the Vikings are now on a two-game losing streak. It won't get any easier this week for CSU as the Vikings travel to Miami, FL for three games in three days during the CBE Classic. On the docket are St. Leo, Toledo and Florida International.
The Vikings hope to right the ship the same way they did last year with an early season tournament in the state of Florida. Last year CSU opened the season 3-1, including victories over South Florida and Florida State, while taking part in the Glenn Wilkes Classic.
This year's trip starts Monday at 5 p.m. as the Vikings take on division II St. Leo out of the Sunshine State Conference. The Lions are off to a 3-0 start after finishing 14-15 a season ago. St. Leo is led by junior Jordan Prais. The 6-7 forward averages 22 points per contest on an astounding 82-percent (23-28) from the field and also chips in a team high 6.7 rebounds.
The Vikings turn around Tuesday afternoon to face in-state foe Toledo at 4 p.m. The Rockets are off to a 0-2 start after blowout losses on the road to #19 Florida and Xavier. UT has been led through two games by Tyrone Kent's 25 points per game. The 6-5 senior guard out of Chicago poured in a career high 37 points against Xavier.
The CBE Classic comes to an end for the Vikings Wednesday at 7 p.m. against host Florida International. The Panthers are off to a 2-1 start with victories over Eastern Kentucky and Monmouth and a loss at Washington. FIU is led this year by 6-3 guard Michael Dominguez who averages 14.3 points per game. The junior college transfer is shooting .417 (10-24) from beyond the three point line.
In order to turn things around the Vikings need to become more efficient on the offensive end, especially in the first half. Through three games CSU is shooting a chilly 22-percent (22-98) from the floor during the first half but has rebounded to shoot 45-percent (44-97) in the second half.
The two-headed attack on offense was expected to come from seniors Cedric Jackson and J'Nathan Bullock. Jackson is averaging 9.3 points and 6 assists per game but is struggling from the field (9-42 .214) and from three (0-14). Bullock has been solid while averaging 10.7 points and 6.7 rebounds but he too has been cold from the floor, shooting just 29-percent (10-35).
The offensive spark has instead come from two sophomores in Norris Cole and D'Aundray Brown. Cole is leading the team with 17 points per game. The Dayton native chipped in a career high 20 at Washington and followed with 17 against Kansas State. Brown is second on the team with 11 points per game and leads the team with 7 rebounds per game. The native of Youngstown is shooting 55-percent (12-22) from the floor.
This is an important week for CSU to possibly pick up some much needed wins. The Vikings return home after Thanksgiving for an early start to Horizon League play with important match-ups with Valparaiso and Butler. Following the conference tease, the Vikings hit the road for a non-conference grind through West Virginia, Marist and Syracuse.
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Big Week For Vikings
December 1, 2008 --
By: Ryan Aroney
Cleveland State returns home this week for two early-season conference games against Valparaiso and Butler. After starting the season 1-2, the Vikings won the CBE Classic-Miami Regional last week thanks to victories over Saint Leo, Toledo and Florida International.
For the first time all season CSU started to put it all together and play complete games while in Miami, but outside of the season-opening victory over Oakland, the Vikes have yet to defeat a quality opponent. The opening of Horizon League play will offer that chance in a hurry.
Previewing Valparaiso:
Valparaiso comes to town on Tuesday with a deceiving 2-3 record after dropping three competitive games to San Diego, Iona and La Salle in the Paradise Jam. The Crusaders have yet to play a true road game on the season after opening with back-to-back home victories.
Valpo freshman De'Andre Haskins has been impressive during the first five games of his career. The 6-4 guard leads the team with 11.0 points per game, shooting 43-percent from the floor (17-40) and from three (9-21) while also chipping in 4.4 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game. Haskins started the first three games but has come off the bench during the last two contests to lead the Crusaders in points against Iona (19) and La Salle (20).
Valpo interchanges two 6-8 big men in the post and this is a match-up that could give CSU trouble. The combo of Urule Igbavboa and Benjamin Fumey combine to average 17.2 points and 9.6 rebounds in almost exactly 40 minutes per contest.
Igbavboa is a senior that has started 71 games in his career and averages 8.2 points and 5.8 rebounds so far this season. The native of Oakdale, MN was a pre-season all-Horizon League selection after averaging 11.0 points per game on 55-percent shooting and a team high 7.3 rebounds per game last season. Fumey, a sophomore from Bremen, Germany, complements off the bench with 9.0 points per game on 61-percent (20-33) shooting.
Previewing Butler:
Butler comes to town on Thursday with a 5-0 record including victories over Drake, Ball State, Northwestern and Evansville. The Bulldogs have not fallen off despite losing five seniors from last season's Horizon League champion.
Butler has three players averaging double figures, led by sophomore Matt Howard. The 6-8, 230 pound center averages 12.8 points on 55-percent shooting (24-44) while adding a team high 6.0 rebounds per game. Howard was last year's Horizon League newcomer of the year and he had a great deal of success against Cleveland State, averaging 16.3 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.0 blocks in three games with the Vikings.
Howard is joined on the frontline by 6-8 freshman Gordon Hayward. The Brownsburg, IN native has stepped into the starting lineup to average 12.0 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. Hayward stretches the defense by shooting 50-precent (20-40) from the floor and 43-percent (9-21) from three.
Another freshman rounds out the trio of double digit scorers for the young Bulldogs. 6-3 guard Shelvin Mack is averaging 11.8 points per game and is coming off an 18 point performance against Evansville. The Lexington, KY native is second only to Howard in minutes played with 27.2 per game.
Reviewing Cleveland State:
While in Miami, CSU received quality minutes from backup point guard Jeremy Montgomery. The freshman averaged 8.5 points and 3.0 assists in 17 minutes during the last two victories. Starters Cedric Jackson (10.3 points, 6.2 assists), Norris Cole (12.8 points) and D'Aundray Brown (10.0 points 6.7 rebounds) have carried the offense this season but the trio has lacked a consistent threat to replace them off the bench. Montgomery will have another golden opportunity to earn minutes by helping out on Valpo's Haskins while each team's second unit is on the floor and by giving Gary Waters another body to choose from when looking to slow down Butler's Mack.
The Vikings also started to see the real J'Nathan Bullock during the CBE Classic. After getting off to a slow start, Bullock is now leading the team in points and rebounds with 13.3 and 7.0 respectively. Starting center Chris Moore followed up a 17 point (8-8 shooting) night against Toledo with a 2 point (1-3 shooting) night against FIU. Sixth man George Tandy has battled foul trouble during the early season en route to career low stats of 2.7 points and 2.0 rebounds per game. The Vikings will need Moore and Tandy to become more consistent in order to contain the formidable big men rotations of both Valpo and Butler.
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Vikings Set To Take On #11 Syracuse
December 15, 2008 --
By: Ryan Aroney
Cleveland State, coming of a 66-47 drubbing of Marist on Saturday, will take on 11th ranked Syracuse at the Carrier Dome tonight at 7 p.m. on STO. The Vikings offense has been hot and cold all season and it was hot over the weekend after a week-long layoff for final exams. CSU (6-4) will need to continue the momentum as they look to solve Jim Boeheim's notoriously strong 2-3 zone defense.
On the other hand, the defense for the Vikings has been consistent and stingy since the season's opening tap. The Orange enter the contest averaging 83.4 points per game. The Vikings surrender only 57 per game and are holding opponents to 38-percent (192-512) shooting. If the Vikings can turn this into a scrappy defensive contest, it has a chance at being competitive game, but CSU will have to find ways to penetrate the strong Syracuse defense that is holding opponents to 40-percent (239-598) shooting.
Even when the CSU offense has been productive, the perimeter shooting has been poor. The Vikings are shooting 26-percent (35-136) as a team from beyond the arc but they shot an improved 44-percent (4-9) on Saturday. Senior forward J'Nathan Bullock has turned into a reliable shooter from the outside and he leads CSU in three-point shooting at 40-percent, but Bullock has only connected on eight shots in 20 attempts.
CSU needs to see continued improvement from big men Chris Moore and George Tandy. Moore had a solid contest against Marist with 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting and it seemed as though the Vikings made a better effort to get the ball to the 6-9 St. Edwards graduate. Tandy has been an energetic force off the bench during the past four contests where he is averaging 6.0 points and 8.3 rebounds in 24.5 minutes per game. After struggling for most of last season and getting off to a slow start this year, Tandy finally seems to be returning to the form that made him the Ohio Valley Conference Freshman of the Year at Eastern Illinois in 2004-05.
The Orange enter the game 9-0 including victories over Florida, Kansas and Virginia. Syracuse is led on offense by sophomore guard Jonny Flynn. The 6-foot Niagara Falls, NY native leads the team in points (18.3) and assists (5.0) while shooting 53-percent (50-94) from the floor and 41-percent (14-34) from three. Flynn was the Big East co-Rookie of the Year last season.
The Syracuse frontcourt compliments Flynn and guard Eric Devendorf (14.0 points per game) very nicely with a pair of players capable of pulling down double-doubles on a nightly basis. Forwards Paul Harris (13.7 points, 8.6 rebounds) and Arinze Onuaku (13.3 points, 7.6 rebounds) are monsters on the glass and around the basket. The 6-5 Harris entered the season with 19 career double doubles and has already added three on the season. Onuaku is a 6-9, 258-pound beast that was second in the Big East and ninth in the nation a year ago with a shooting percentage of .628 and enters the game shooting a scorching 79-percent (50-63) from the floor. The Maryland native is an experienced red-shirt junior after missing all of his true sophomore season with a knee injury.
The Syracuse game marks the end of the hardest part of the CSU schedule that also featured Washington, Kansas State, Butler, and West Virginia. The Vikings return home and sandwich two winnable games in La Roche and Notre Dame (OH) around one final non-conference test with Kent State on December 23rd before going full swing into conference play.
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Waters Preparing Vikings to Face Kent State
December 22, 2008 --
By: Ryan Aroney
The Cleveland State Vikings and the Kent State Golden Flashes will meet in their annual contest Tuesday night at the Wolstein Center at 7 p.m. The series has gone in favor of Kent during the past decade but it is always a competitive game in Cleveland. The last time the game was played in Cleveland in 2006-07, Gary Waters pulled the 66-59 upset against his former squad in his first season with the Vikings. CSU is 4-2 on the season at home with the only losses coming to Kansas State and Butler and this year’s match-up offers one final tune-up for both teams before the New Year rings in conference play.
After upsetting 11th ranked Syracuse on Cedric Jackson’s marvelous sixty foot buzzer beater, CSU (8-4) returned home over the weekend to dismantle NCAA Division III La Roche 72-46. Senior J’Nathan Bullock continued his stellar play with 18 points and 8 rebounds in only 23 minutes. The 6-4 Flint, MI native averages a team high 14.3 points and 6.8 rebounds per game.
Twelve games into the season, Waters is still in search of a consistent rotation beyond his first seven players. In fact, CSU played only those seven in the win at Syracuse. The Vikings may be aided by the addition of freshman guard Trevon Harmon who became eligible on December 13th. A native of Pasadena, CA, Harmon was highly recruited out of high school, including Oregon State and Arizona State of the Pac-10, but eventually found his way to Cleveland while sitting out to gain his academic eligibility. The 6-1 combo guard registered 7 points and 4 rebounds on Saturday in his collegiate debut for the Vikings.
Even with the short numbers, the Vikings defense has been remarkable. CSU has held five of its last six opponents to 60 points or less and under 40-percent shooting. The Vikings are currently 29th in the nation with an opponents shooting percentage of .388.
Kent State (5-5) has returned to its traditional winning ways with two victories during the past week after an uncharacteristic five game losing streak. The Kent faithful won’t empathize much with the Vikings’ tough pre-season schedule as the losing streak started with Illinois, Texas A&M, Kansas and St. Mary’s and all five losses came within a nine day stretch. Kent played well during most of the five losses, losing by six points three different times and staying within range of Kansas until the final minutes, but poor offensive execution and free throw shooting down the stretch and a lack of rebounding ultimately did in the Flashes.
The red flag was raised on December 6th in a bad home loss to Western Carolina in which Kent blew a ten point lead in the second half. The loss dropped the Flashes to 3-5. Since that time, first year coach Gino Ford has guided his team to back-to-back victories over Youngstown State and UNC-Greensboro, but the Flashes have yet to put together two complete halves of basketball.
Kent is again led by reigning MAC Player of the Year Al Fisher. The 6-1 senior averaged 13.9 points and 4 assists a year ago and has upped his scoring average to 17.1 per game so far this season. The dynamic guard shoots only 30-percent (15-50) from three but is effective by penetrating and getting to the line. Fisher is an 83-percent (152-184) free throw shooter during his two-year Kent career. It will be an intense match-up when CSU’s Jackson, a great athlete and a physical defender that averages 2.8 steals after finishing ninth in the nation a year ago with 2.6 per game, goes head-to-head with the creative and ultra quick Fisher.
Fisher’s sidekick in the backcourt is Chris Singletary. The 6-4 Chicago native was a solid performer last year, averaging 10.3 points while shooting 56-percent from the floor and 40-percent from three en route to all-MAC recognition. Singletary’s shooting is down a bit this season but he has improved his scoring to 15.8 per game and is getting to the line an impressive 5.8 times per game while chipping in 4.1 rebounds per contest.
The wildcard for the Flashes is JUCO transfer Tyree Evans. The 6-3 guard became eligible at the semester break and quickly made an impact. In his debut against UNC-Greensboro, Evans poured in 21 points on 7-of-11 shooting and supplanted Fisher as Kent’s go-to man down the stretch. The Virginia native broke J.J. Redick’s state career scoring record and is third all-time in single season scoring behind only Allen Iverson and Moses Malone with 884 points. Evans was a high school all-American and a four star recruit out of Richmond.
Following the showdown with Kent State, the Vikings remain at home for their next contest against Notre Dame (OH) on Saturday December 27th at 1 p.m.
Eric McLellan contributed to this story
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Vikings Hit Road For Horizon League Play
December 29, 2008 --
By: Ryan Aroney
Cleveland State heads into the thick of the Horizon League schedule this week with a difficult road trip to Wright State and Detroit. CSU (10-4, 1-1) started conference play by splitting with Valparaiso and Butler in early December. After following with a loss at West Virginia to fall to 5-4, the Vikings are now in the midst of a five-game winning streak. Wright State is riding a winning streak of its own and was one of the pre-season favorites in the Horizon League while Detroit is undefeated at home and boasts a 20-1 all-time record against CSU in Detroit.
Throughout the non-conference portion of the schedule, the Vikings received big contributions from four players. All-League seniors J’Nathan Bullock and Cedric Jackson were expected to make the Vikings offense go, and for the most part, the pair has lived up to the hype. Bullock has been stellar in leading the team with 14.5 points and 7.1 rebounds per contest while also leading the team in three point shooting (14-35, .400), and free throw percentage (37-51, .725).
Jackson has stumbled out of the gate with his shooting from the floor (44-139, .317) and from three (7-38, .184), but the playmaking guard has recently shown signs of getting back to the attacking style that made him an all-conference selection a year ago and a pre-season candidate for Player of the Year honors in the Horizon League. Despite the shooting struggles, Jackson has stuffed the stat sheet on his way to averages of 9.3 points, 5.1 rebounds and 5.1 assists and is 16th in the nation with 2.9 steals per game.
The pleasant surprise on the season has been the emergence of sophomores Norris Cole and D’Aundray Brown. Cole has actually supplanted the slumping Jackson as the team’s second scoring option while also stepping up as the team’s defensive stopper. The 6-1 Dayton native is averaging 11.6 points and 2.5 assists while playing a team-high 30.5 minutes per game.
A native of Youngstown, Brown’s all-out hustling style exemplifies the type of player that Gary Waters looks to recruit. The 6-4 forward is averaging 8.4 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game while shooting 51-percent (48-94) from the floor. The hard nosed Brown unofficially leads the nation in floor burns from his repeated trips to the floor in pursuit of every loose ball.
The big men for CSU have been solid, with seniors Chris Moore and George Tandy combining to average 9.5 points, 8.9 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game in just over 40 total minutes. Moore, a 6-9 senior, has started every game in the middle this season and is playing with improved confidence while putting up 4.9 points and 3.3 rebounds per contest.
The 6-8 Tandy has become a dominant rebounder off the bench for the Vikings. Tandy pulled down a career high 13 rebounds in 24 minutes in the win over Kent and is second on the team for the season with 5.6 rebounds in only 18.9 minutes per game.
With the way CSU is suffocating teams with their defense, the Vikings figure to be in the Horizon League race down to the season finale at Butler. CSU has held nine-of-14 opponents on the season to under 40-percent shooting, including eight-of-the-last-nine. The pieces are in place to make a run into March, but the key to getting off to a fast start in the Horizon League will be getting the old Cedric Jackson back to help ignite the offense.
Previewing Wright State: Tuesday December 30th, 7 p.m. at Wright State’s Nutter Center
The first game of the week takes place on Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Wright State. The Raiders were picked to finish second in the Horizon League’s pre-season poll but got off to a horrendous start after all-league guard Vaughn Duggins was sidelined with a broken right ring finger. Wright State (6-7, 0-2) started the season 0-6 but has rebounded to win six-of-seven including victories over Oral Roberts, South Florida and Murray State to capture the San Juan Shootout last week in Puerto Rico. Wright State has learned to play without their leader and is playing good basketball during its current four-game winning streak. The Raiders only loss in the last three weeks came by 12 points at Wake Forest.
In the absence of Duggins, Wright State is lead by a pair of players with ties to the state of Alabama. Junior College transfer Cory Cooperwood was a two-time Alabama Junior College Player of the Year at Wallace State CC and junior guard John David Gardner was an Alabama high school standout, originally playing for head coach Brad Brownell at UNC-Wilmington before both made the move north to Wright State.
Cooperwood has made an immediate impact for the Raiders. The 6-7 forward averages 10.3 points and 5.0 rebounds per game while shooting an even 50-percent (47-94) from the floor. The athletic forward plays with a ton of energy and excels on the offensive glass. Cooperwood averages nearly three offensive rebounds per game and has pulled down more than half of his total rebounds on the season on the offensive end of the floor.
Gardner is a smart player that knows how to get open and can shoot from long range. The junior has played in all 13 games, including 11 starts, and is shooting 47-percent (42-89) from the floor, 36-percent (8-22) from beyond the arc and 81-percent (29-36) from the line while averaging 9.3 points per game. The 6-4 guard plays a solid floor game as well, chipping in 3.6 assists with a nearly 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio and 1.3 steals per game.
The Vikings won at Wright State a year ago in a down-to-the-wire thriller that featured the since graduated Kevin Francis knocking in a game winning three with 11.7 seconds remaining. The victory catapulted CSU to an eventual second place finish in the Horizon League.
Previewing Detroit: Saturday January 3rd, 4 p.m. on STO at Detroit’s Calihan Hall
The road trip concludes Saturday at 4 p.m. at Detroit in SportsTime Ohio’s first CSU broadcast of the season. Detroit is off to a 4-7, 0-2 start under first year coach Ray McCallum but the Titans are 3-0 at Calihan Hall. The Titans are 20-1 all time against the Vikings in the city of Detroit with the only blemish coming from last season’s 74-64 CSU victory.
Detroit’s best player on the young season has been Xavier Keeling. Keeling played as a freshman at Indiana before transferring to Wallace State CC in Alabama where he was a teammate of Wright State’s Cooperwood. The bruising forward was averaging 12.4 points and 6.6 rebounds in seven games before aggravating an off-season injury to his left foot.
Detroit has missed Keeling’s production, but even when he was on the floor, the Titans were led by junior point guard Woody Payne. The 5-11 left hander averages 8.5 points, 3.7assists and 2.3 steals per contest and is counted on to lock-up the oppositions best scoring guard. Payne is not shooing well on the season but he’s quick off the dribble and excels at penetrating. The veteran started 21 games last year and has started every game this season while averaging a team-high 33.0 minutes per game.
With Keeling on the sideline, Detroit’s best front court player has been junior Thomas Kennedy. The 6-7 junior college transfer is averaging 10.2 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. The highly sought after Kennedy was McCallum’s first recruit after leading Mott CC to back-to-back junior college national championships.
At the conclusion of the Detroit contest, the Vikings return home next week for a Thursday game with Loyola and a Saturday game with Illinois-Chicago. It will be a great opportunity to get out and see the Vikings as the Cavs are off and both games feature double-headers with the CSU women starting at 5 p.m. and the men tipping off at 7:30 p.m.
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Vikings Return Home For Two Key Contests
January 7, 2009 --
By: Ryan Aroney
Cleveland State returns home this week to take on the Horizon League’s two Chicago schools after splitting the two-game road trip to Wright State and Detroit. Thursday’s contest brings Loyola to the Wolstein Center on a hot streak while Saturday’s match-up features the UIC Flames and the league’s best player in Josh Mayo.
The Vikings (11-5, 2-2) will be without the services of sophomore D’Aundray Brown as he misses his second straight game with a shoulder injury. Brown, the catalyst of the Vikings defensive attack, is expected to miss up to three weeks. Senior forward George Tandy started in Brown’s place at Detroit and responded with 9 points, 6 rebounds and 2 blocked shots. Tandy will be looked upon to continue his improved play in the expanded role.
Previewing Loyola, Thursday 7:30 pm:
Loyola (9-6, 1-2) did not play a game outside of Illinois during the month of December and won seven-of-nine games in the process. The Ramblers claim victories over Western Michigan and Georgia on the season and defeated Green Bay on Monday on two last second free throws by guard J.R. Blount.
It’s not the first time that the veteran Blount has won a game for the Ramblers. The 6-1 senior has started 82 consecutive games and is averaging a career best 15.9 points to go along with a team high 4.1 assists. Blount is not a great shooter from three (4-29, .138) but he’s an accomplished scorer that has averaged double figures in all four years at Loyola. The Milwaukee native averages 16 points in five career meetings with CSU, including a career high 27 as a sophomore in 2006-07.
Blount has been joined during the past six games by senior Leon Young. The 6-6, 235-pound forward missed the first 11 games with a broken right hand before returning to post averages of 10.8 points and 6.8 rebounds. The native of Long Beach, CA has come off the bench in all six contests and is shooting 55-percent (23-42) from the floor.
An interesting player for Loyola is senior Justin Cerasoli. The 6-5 guard originally signed and played at Seton Hall as a freshman before transferring to Mississippi as a sophomore. The native Chicagoan eventually transferred again, this time returning home to provide some sharp shooting for the Ramblers. Cerasoli stretches the floor and averages 11.2 points while shooting 36-percent (18-50) from three.
Previewing UIC, Saturday 7:30 pm:
UIC (8-5, 1-2) was picked to finish third in the pre-season Horizon League poll. The Flames have lost three-of-four and are coming off back-to-back home losses to Milwaukee and Green Bay. UIC has already knocked off Vanderbilt and Georgia Tech on the road this season, so the Vikings will need to be up to the test.
As always, the Flames are led by Josh Mayo. The senior guard averages a league high 19.5 points per game while adding 3.6 assists and shooting 43-percent (43-99) from beyond the arc after finishing 7th in the nation a season ago by shooting 47-percent from three. The 5-11 Mayo possesses one of the purest strokes in all of college basketball and he is not afraid to let it fly, as his 14 shot attempts per game can attest. Despite his small size, Mayo can create his own shot with a trigger-like release and he’s adept at using a head-fake to get into the lane to finish or get to the line. Mayo is also an 89-percent (46-52) free throw shooter.
Complimenting Mayo on the inside is one of the league’s better big men in Scott VanderMeer. A 7-foot center, VanderMeer is UIC’s all-time leader in blocked shots and a two-time member of the Horizon League all-Defensive team. The native of Dyer, IN came up big in UIC’s two upsets, grabbing 11 rebounds at Vanderbilt and leading the way with 19 points and 7 rebounds at Georgia Tech. On the season, VanderMeer is averaging 13.4 points while leading the Horizon League with 9.0 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game.
Something will have to give Saturday night as the Flames come into the week averaging 69.8 points per game, which is good for third in the Horizon League, while the Vikings surrender a league best 55.1 points per game.
Following the home stand, CSU heads back to the road and into Wisconsin to take on Green Bay and Milwaukee.
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Vikings Look To Stay Hot On The Road
January 15, 2009 --
By: Ryan Aroney
Cleveland State is back on the road this week after sweeping a two-game home stand against Loyola and UIC. The Vikings put in two good performances last week, first dominating the Ramblers 76-50 before holding the league's leading scorer in Josh Mayo to 6 points on 2-of-10 shooting in a 79-69 victory over the Flames.
This week's action has the Vikings visiting Green Bay on Thursday and Milwaukee on Saturday with both contests being broadcast live by SportsTime Ohio at 8 p.m.
With sophomore D'Aundray Brown out with a stress fracture in his ribcage, the Vikings altered the starting lineup and found another weapon in guard Trevon Harmon. The freshman from Pasadena, CA scored a career high 17 against Loyola and is averaging 10.7 points per game in the three games without Brown in the lineup to bring his season scoring average up to 8.4.
Even with the emergence of Harmon, the mainstay in the lineup has been J'Nathan Bullock. The senior from Flint, MI broke Mouse McFadden's school record on Saturday by starting his 87th consecutive game.
Previewing Green Bay: Thursday 8 p.m. on STO at the Resch Center in Green Bay
Green Bay (11-5, 4-1) is a veteran group that is led by three seniors in Ryan Tillema, Mike Schachtner and Terry Evans that have combined for over 3,000 points and 250 starts throughout their careers.
Tillema, a 6-8 guard, missed the first seven games of the season but has returned to lead the team in scoring at 16.3 per game on 48-percent shooting (46-97), including 44-percent from three (25-57). The native of Randolph, WI is a career 40-percent (180-457) shooter from outside the arc.
While Tillema roams the outside, Schachtner and Evans hold down the forward spots for the Phoenix and are third and fourth on the team in scoring. The 6-9 Scachtner averages 11.1 points on the season but the two-time all-Horizon selection has been streaky with his scoring. Schachtner is averaging only 6.5 points during the last four contests.
The 6-5 Evans averages 10.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.9 steals per game in 33.5 action packed minutes. A native of St. Louis, MO, Evans is a three-time Horizon League all-Defensive team member and the reigning Defensive Player of the Year.
Previewing Milwaukee: Saturday 8 p.m. on STO at U.S. Cellular Arena in Milwaukee
Milwaukee (10-6, 5-1) has won seven of its last nine games but dropped its first league contest last week in overtime to rival Green Bay. The Panthers are off to a surprising start, currently sitting a half game behind first place Butler in the Horizon League standings after being picked to finish sixth in the pre-season poll.
Milwaukee is led by a pair of guards with JUCO experience in Tone Boyle and Avery Smith.
Boye, a 6-2 junior, is averaging team highs in points (14.8) and minutes (35.9) in his first season for the Panthers after transferring from Highland CC. Boye is shooting 39-percent (35-91) from three and compliments his outside shooting by getting to the line nearly five times per contest.
The veteran for the Panthers is Smith. The play-making guard played his freshman season at Garden City CC before becoming a staple in the Milwaukee lineup during his sophomore and junior seasons. Smith averaged a team-high 15.5 points per game in 2006-07 but was kicked off the team prior to the start of the next season for an undisclosed violation of team rules. After sitting out all of last year, Smith is back on the team and making things happen. The 6-3 guard is averaging 14.4 points and 3.0 assists per game while shooting 45-percent (73-164) from the floor and 44-percent (18-41) from three.
The Panthers also bring a big man off the bench that is quite possibly the most entertaining player in America. Junior forward James Eayrs checks in at 6-7 340 pounds and averages 8.5 points and 4.1 rebounds per game. The great thing about the giant Eayrs is that he has attempted over 50 three pointers on the season and is shooting 37-percent (19-52).
Viking Voyage Set For Friday January 23rd to Youngstown State:
The Vikings play only one game next week after returning from Wisconsin. The game is Friday January 23rd at Youngstown State and will be broadcast live by ESPN U at 9 p.m.
A charter bus is scheduled to take CSU fans to and from the game. For 25 dollars, fans receive one game ticket, a replica CSU jersey and pizza and pop on the bus.
The bus will depart the CSU Wolstein Center at 7 p.m. and arrive at the Beeghly Center at YSU at 8:30 p.m. for the 9 p.m. tip off. The bus will return to the Wolstein Center following the game.
Contact the CSU athletic office at 216-687-2094 to register.
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Vikings Renew Rivalry With Youngstown State In Front Of National TV Audience
January 22, 2009 --
By: Ryan Aroney
Cleveland State plays only one game this week and it’s a nationally-televised contest at Horizon League rival Youngstown State and the ESPN U cameras figure to draw out the largest crowd of the season for the Penguins.
CSU (13-7, 4-4) is coming off a disappointing road trip into Wisconsin that saw the Vikings drop two straight. CSU was handled easily by Green Bay 65-40 and only a furious seven minute rally got the Vikings into the game in a 77-75 loss at Milwaukee as CSU trailed by double figures for much of the night.
The Vikes were dealt a scare at Green Bay when J’Nathan Bullock left the floor with a foot injury. Luckily for CSU, the steady Bullock was back in the second half to keep the team’s hopes alive for an eventual run through the Horizon League.
Although CSU isn’t off to the hot start that many predicted, the Vikings are not out of the running and last season serves as a perfect example. The Vikings lost five straight league games last season from January 24th to February 7th to fall to 7-5. CSU then rebounded to win five-of-six to finish in second place in the Horizon League at 12-6.
It’s a long road ahead for the Vikings, but these players already proved that they can’t be counted out too soon.
Previewing Youngstown State: Friday 9 p.m. on ESPN U at the Beeghly Center in Youngstown
Youngstown State (5-12, 2-6) is coming off a 78-61 loss at Green Bay as the Penguins were also swept in the state of Wisconsin. Despite the record, YSU has proven to be a tough out at home.
The Penguins are a young group that includes three seniors with only one of the seniors playing more than seven minutes per contest. The lone senior contributing at all is Jack Liles with his modest 8.1 points per game. The youth movement for YSU is led by a pair of junior college transfers in Kelvin Bright and Sirlester Martin.
Bright, a 6-4 guard out of Silver Springs, Md., transferred from Hagerstown CC after playing as a freshman at Robert Morris. The well traveled Bright has started every contest for the Penguins and is leading the team in points per game despite shooting only 38-percent (86-225) from the floor and 29-percent (18-63) from three. Bright’s 14.2 points per game rank fifth in the Horizon League.
The other newcomer for YSU is Martin and he’s a force on the glass. The 6-7 native of Memphis is a transfer from Walters State CC and is leading the team with 7.4 rebounds per game while also chipping in 9.5 points on 44-percent (67-152) shooting. The 7.4 boards rank second in the Horizon League.
Another player for the Vikings to keep an eye on is junior DeAndre Mays. The 6-2 guard scored a career high 22 points against Green Bay and is averaging 10.5 points and a team high 3.5 assists per game.
The Vikings finally return home next week for contests with Detroit on Thursday January 29 and Wright State on Saturday January 31. Both games start at 7:30 p.m.
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CSU Looks To Get Back On Track
January 29, 2009 --
By: Ryan Aroney
Cleveland State returns home this week after two weeks on the road. The time away was not kind to the Vikings as CSU dropped three straight contests to fall to 13-8, 4-5.
The first half of the Horizon League schedule was not an easy draw for CSU. The Vikings started league play by hosting Valparaiso and Butler. Because of a contracted game with West Virginia, the Valpo game had to be moved back from Saturday to Tuesday with Butler schedule for Thursday. The slight adjustment to the schedule allowed Butler to enter Cleveland with a full week to scout the Vikings, while CSU had only a single day to turn around from the game with Valpo.
The Vikings also played five road contests to only four at home during the first half of the conference season. Two of the home games, Valpo and Butler, were played in early December before the conference season got into full swing in January, meaning CSU has played five of its last seven conference games on the road. CSU also lost defensive standout and fourth leading scoring D'Aundray Brown to injury just as the conference schedule started back up and the defense has looked lost and the lineup has been in flux ever since.
Detroit comes to town on Thursday for a 7:30 p.m. tip off at the Wolstein Center. Detroit enters in last place in the Horizon League with a record of 5-14, 0-9 and would seem to be the perfect remedy for the Vikings' losing streak. CSU downed the Titans 53-44 in the first meeting in Detroit.
The Titans are led by Thomas Kennedy and Woody Payne. At least one member of the duo has led Detroit in scoring in 13 consecutive games with Kennedy averaging 11.9 points on the season and Payne chipping in 9.3. Kennedy is coming off a 24 point, 9 rebound performance in a victory over Chicago State.
Payne led the way in the first meeting with CSU with 10 points and 4 assists. J'Nathan Bullock led the Vikings with 12 points and Cedric Jackson added 8 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals in a team-high 38 minutes.
Wright State comes to Cleveland on Saturday for a 7:30 p.m. tip off at the Wolstein Center. The Raiders handled CSU 71-62 in the fist meeting at Wright State. The Vikings were held to 36-percent (20-56) shooting, including a dismal 15-percent (4-27) from three.
Wright State enters the week ranked second in the nation in scoring defense at 54.6 per game and 13th in field goal percentage defense at 37.7 percent. The Raiders are red hot, having won 12 of its last 14 contests to improve to 12-8, 6-3. The only two losses in the last 14 have come at two nationally ranked teams in Wake Forest and Butler.
Wright State was led by Cory Cooperwood's 15 points in the first meeting. Todd Brown added 13 points and 9 rebounds for the Raiders. CSU was led by J'Nathan Bullock and his 23 points and 9 rebounds. Norris Cole contributed 18 points, all coming in the second half.
Thursday starts the second half of the Horizon League schedule for CSU and it's time for the Vikings to put it all together. If CSU plans to make a run, it has to start now. There is no time to get healthy, no time for freshman to adjust to the college game, and no time for the schedule to even out.
It's time to stop with the excuses and start with the winning.
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Waters Plans to Bring Back Home Court Advantage
By Tom Mieskoski
There once was a time when opponents feared coming to play Cleveland State in Cleveland.
That magical era was from 1973-1991, when CSU used to play their homes games at Woodling Gym, which is located inside the Physical Education Building.
During the Woodling era CSU dominated opponents compiling an incredible record of 123-21 (.854-winning percentage, CSU played one home game at Woodling in 2005 as part of their 75th-year anniversary of basketball).
For the start of the 1991-92 season, CSU moved their basketball home games to the brand new state-of-the-art, 13,500 seat Convocation Center (since renamed the Wolstein Center).
CSU has had some success at the Wolstein with a record of 115-98 (.540 winning percentage), but have fallen on hard luck with only one winning season (7-5, 2004-05) at home in the past five seasons.
Second-year head coach Gary Waters has a vision to make the Wolstein into a home field advantage.
“We will have to do well at home. This is where we have to build part of our identity. People have to know this is one of the toughest places to play in the country,” said Waters. “That’s what happened at Kent, Rutgers and Eastern Michigan. Before I got here there was no competitiveness at home. People just didn't care. People need to be a part of the game and a part of us. See, when you get down to those close games, the crowd is what helps you get through those close games.
“Someday, I want the crowd to stand on their feet until the other team scores and be stomping and screaming. I remember one year (at Kent) where the away team didn’t score until the 12-minute mark. That place was like a nightmare, people were screaming and shouting. That’s what I want people to do. I want this to be the most difficult place to come into.”
The Vikings (4-2) hope to build on Saturday’s 67-57 season opening home victory against Division III cross-town rival John Carroll. CSU plays five of their next six games at home.
“(This home stand) is going to be a test for us because we know we have to protect our house,” said junior guard Cedric Jackson, who leads the Vikings in scoring at 19.2 points per game. “(John Carroll) is going to be a building block to start these games here.”
Cal State Northridge comes to town on Wednesday night for the return trip of last year’s ESPNU BracketBusters game. The Matadors (3-0) should give the Vikings a challenge as they are third in the nation in scoring, averaging 95 points per game.
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Vikings Winning with Defense
December 9, 2007 --
By Tom Mieskoski
Defense! Defense! Defense! That’s what coach Gary Waters has been preaching to his team since he took over the head coaching duties at Cleveland State. The players are buying into Waters’ defensive philosophy and the Vikings are the early surprise team in the Horizon League at 7-3, 1-0.
“I thought our guys executed our defensive game plan and I thought they played highly disciplined in the things they needed to do on defense," said Waters about Saturday's victory over Youngstown State. "It’s all about the defense."
The Vikings defense held the Penguins to 35.8 (19-53) percent shooting from the field, and 33.3 (4-12) percent from beyond the three-point arc, forcing the Penguins into 15 turnovers that led to a 20-11 advantage in points off turnovers. They clamped down on Byron Davis, YSU’s leading scorer (15.1 points), holding him to six points on 2 of 12 shooting. The Vikings also had a season high 11 blocks.
“I don’t think we did anything different. We pressured the ball, all five guys helped each other out on the drives and double-downs, so it was a team defensive game today,” said Cedric Jackson, who led the Vikings with 21 points, 10 assists, two blocks and three steals.
CSU has held opponents under 45 percent shooting in eight of 10 games and are second in the Horizon League in field goal percentage defense holding opponents to .413 percent. Only Valparaiso is better at .393 percent. They’re first in the Horizon League in rebounding, grabbing 37 a game.
Waters has done a good job programming defense into the minds of his players. At the press conference after the game, all the players wanted to talk about was defense.
George Tandy was asked if this was CSU’s best game of the year. “We have a lot of good games like this, but we always try to focus on our defense. I wouldn’t say this was our best game, but it’s one of the best,” said Tandy, who led the Vikings with five blocks.
Jackson was asked does defense lead to offense or good offense lead to defense. “Defense definitely leads to offense because if you can shut a guy down and they can’t score. And get it out in transition it will be easy baskets,” said Jackson.
With wins already against a Big East school (South Florida) and an ACC school (Florida State), CSU’s defense will be challenged when they take on last year’s NCAA runner-up Ohio State (Big Ten) Tuesday, December 18, at the Q.
Waters gave the players off until Thursday to concentrate on final exams. On Thursday the Vikings will have a light practice, and they will prepare hard for the Buckeyes on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday.
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Vikings and Buckeyes Square Off Tonight at the Q
December 18, 2007 --
By Ryan Aroney
Cleveland State faces its biggest basketball game in two decades as The Ohio State University comes to Quicken Loans Arena on Tuesday. Sure, CSU has played better opponents in the past, most notably last season's trip to Columbus to face these same Buckeyes. But for the rebuilding Vikings, the chance to recapture the magical relationship they once shared with Cleveland's rabid fan base has never been so close.
After making an improbable run to the NCAA sweet sixteen in 1986, CSU has been pushed off the front page of Cleveland's sports scene. Since head coach Kevin Mackey's arrest and dismissal following the 1990 season, CSU has only managed the occasional blip on the radar. An embarrassing arrest here and there, a winning season or two, and a near upset of North Carolina are all that's left to show for the program's past two decades.
Through coaches Mike Boyd, Rollie Massimino, and Mike Garland, CSU never made a positive breakthrough with the community, and most importantly, on the court. Rock bottom came in the form of a 10-18 record in 2005-06, marking CSU's fifth straight losing season and tenth in the previous 13 campaigns.
CSU looked to turn it around with the hiring of Gary Waters heading into the 2006-07 season. The veteran coach returned to Northeast Ohio with some promises and a plan. Separating Waters from his predecessors, the promises are ringing true and his plan is showing signs of coming to fruition.
At Waters' introductory press conference he talked about the importance of recruiting the Cleveland area. He inherited a roster that included only one scholarship player from Ohio, with zero hailing from Cuyahoga County. In one season, Waters has permeated the roster with local talent. The roster now includes eight Ohio players, five from Cuyahoga County.
At that same press conference, Waters stated his desire to bring a defensive mindset and hardnosed style of play back to the shores of Lake Erie. He also talked about the importance of building a fan base and making the community appreciate the only division one college in town.
Putting his plan to work, the 2007-08 Vikings are a scrappy bunch that have already won two games against power conference teams, with early season victories over South Florida of the Big East and Florida State of the ACC. The defensive mindset is obvious, as CSU is holding opponents to 41 percent shooting and forcing 17 turnovers per game.
As Waters continues to move down his checklist of promises, the program has focused its attention on the Ohio State game as the next big opportunity to leap back into the forefront of Cleveland sports.
The Vikings are coming off their best game of the season, a 77-54 beating of Horizon League rival Youngstown State in front of the biggest home crowd of the year. CSU shot .646 (31-48) from the field and handed out 27 assists on the 31 baskets while holding YSU to .358 (19-58) shooting. The victory moved CSU to 7-3 overall.
The Vikings are led by explosive point guard Cedric Jackson (Columbus, N.J.). The junior transfer from St. John's leads the team in scoring (17.9), assists (5.4) and steals (3.1). Pre-season All-Horizon League forward J'Nathan Bullock has lived up to the hype so far this season. The 6'5" junior (Flint, MI) is second in scoring (14.5) while leading the team in rebounds (6.4). Adding a scoring punch as the sixth man is sophomore guard Joe Davis (Warrensville Heights, OH). Davis comes off the bench to average 10.3 per game.
The three top scorers now look to lead a young but talented roster into its biggest game of the rebuilding effort. For a team looking to reverse last season's 10-21 record, one game in December won't decide if they make the NCAA tournament.
What the game does offer is a glimmer of hope for a resurgent program, an opportunity for Gary Waters and his players to show off their exciting style of basketball, and a chance for the fans of Cleveland to realize that finally, there's again a positive reason to pay attention to Cleveland State basketball.
News & Notes:
Deyontae Culpepper, a 6'8" senior PF/C from Rhodes High School in Cleveland, has signed to play at CSU starting next season. Culpepper will be the only incoming freshman for 2008, but his early commitment has allowed the coaches to focus their attention on the recruiting class of 2009. CSU currently has six juniors on its roster, so there will be plenty of scholarships available.
Sophomore guard Eric Schiele becomes eligible starting with Tuesday's game. The former High School All-American averaged 39.6 ppg as a senior at Waterloo High School. Schiele had to sit out after transferring from a prep school.
CSU's only victory over Ohio State came at Quicken Loans Arena as part of the 1994 Rock-N-Roll Shootout. Cleveland State is 1-5 all time against the Buckeyes.
The Cleveland Fan
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Upstart Vikings Get Set to Host #12 Butler
January 15, 2008 --
By Ryan Aroney
It was a monumental week for Cleveland State as the Vikings pulled off two road upsets to set-up a home showdown with nationally ranked Butler on Thursday night at the Wolstein Center. The Vikings now stand 12-5 on the season with a perfect 5-0 conference record to lay claim to first place in the Horizon League.
Looking to exercise the demons of past CSU teams, this year's bunch traveled to Detroit-Mercy and did something that no other CSU team had been able to do, win in the city of Detroit. The Vikings came into the game 0-19 in UDM's Calihan Hall and 0-20 overall in Detroit. The game started out like many from the past, as the Vikings came out sloppy. The early offense consisted of ugly turnovers and forced shots while the defense gave up easy baskets on the other end of the floor.
In another example of what separates Gary Waters' CSU teams from those of the past decade, the Vikings were able to toughen up in the face of adversity and clamp down on defense in order to get back into the game. Sparked by two straight baskets from J'Nathan Bullock and a three pointer
CSU trailed by two at the half, 31-29, and the game remained tight through the first nine minutes of the second half. With the game tied at 40 with 10:56 remaining, Jackson stole the ball from UDM's John Good and raced up court for an acrobatic lay-in. The junior point guard was fouled on the drive and converted the three-point play to put the Vikings ahead for good, 43-40.
The rest of the game featured Waters' trademark half court defensive pressure. UDM could only muster contested shots and desperation threes for the majority of the half as CSU held the normally hot shooting Titans to 22-percent shooting from three (4-18). UDM entered the contest ranked fourth in the Horizon League, shooting .399 from beyond the arc.
Bullock and Jackson continued their streak of leading the Vikings in scoring. At least one of the two playmakers has led CSU in scoring in 12 of 16 games heading into the Wright State contest. The pair scored 16 a piece, while Jackson added eight rebounds and five assists.
All season long, Waters has talked about holding serve at home and stealing some on the road. After getting over the hump in Detroit, CSU looked to sneak up on another opponent Saturday night, as CSU traveled to Dayton to take on defending champion Wright State. The Raiders have been tough at home, having handed Butler its only loss of the season in the Nutter Center.
CSU started the game out of control and quickly fell behind in what looked to be a mirror image of the UDM game. Jackson picked up two quick fouls and the Vikings had no answer for WSU's Jordan Pleiman under the basket. WSU jumped to a 16-3 lead with 13:24 remaining in the first half.
With Jackson on the bench, the responsibility of running the offense went to Norris Cole. The freshman from Dayton Dunbar had over 60 family members and friends in the crowd and he did not disappoint. Cole settled the offense down in the half court and even added some offensive firepower of his own. Cole played 14 first half minutes and scored five points after coming into the game averaging 12.8 minutes and 3.9 points per game. Cole and the rest of the bench did its part in cutting the halftime deficit to five, 36-31.
The second half was a dog fight as both teams played hard-nosed defense and the crowd became raucous. The difference in the game for CSU was the big men. The Vikings rallied behind the tried and true game plan of feeding Bullock under the basket. Bullock found early success in the paint but was forced outside because of WSU's weak side double teams. The athletic 6'5" forward used the defensive adjustment to his advantage as he found his way to the rim and the foul line with an array of one-on-one drives from the wing.
Bullock was aided by the play of George Tandy. The 6'8" junior transfer from Eastern Illinois helped neutralize Pleiman while adding nine points, seven rebounds and three blocks. After scoring six of the game's first ten points, Pleiman finished with 15 and became a non factor down the stretch.
The final five minutes of the game featured seven lead changes and three ties and it came down to the final 25 seconds. Trailing 63-62, CSU subbed in Kevin Francis and looked to get the senior reserve an open look. The play worked to perfection, as Joe Davis came off the Francis screen and found the forward on the pop for an open three. Francis nailed the shot to give the Vikings the lead 65-63.
WSU had one final possession, and in front of 6,477 screaming fans, D'Aundray Brown blocked Todd Brown's attempt at the buzzer.
Although the Raiders shot a high percentage from the floor, the Vikings were able to limit WSU's chances on offense by crashing the glass. Led by Bullock and Tandy, CSU out rebounded the Raiders 34-24, with 21 of the Vikings' boards coming on the offensive end.
Bullock again led the team in scoring while notching 12 points and 11 rebounds. The double-double was the ninth of Bullock's career. CSU's bench outscored WSU's 34-4. The reserves were led by Davis with ten, Brown with eight and Cole and Francis with seven a piece.
The Victory sets up Thursday's Horizon League one-versus-two match-up as Butler comes to town ranked 12th in the current AP poll.
News & Notes:
Previewing Butler:
In the Horizon League Preview edition of this column, it was mentioned that CSU had three keys to winning in conference play. The Vikings needed maturity from its young guards, a third big man to step up off the bench, and improved perimeter defense.
Since that time, Cole has grown in his role as backup point guard, creating opportunities to rest Jackson and even making it possible to play the natural shooting guard off the ball at times. The other freshman guard, Brown, has averaged 7 ppg and 3.7 rpg during the current four game winning streak. After missing the Loyola game with a leg injury, Brown has come back to average 18.3 minutes per game off the bench.
Kevin Francis, looking to solidify his role as the third big man in the rotation, has averaged 8.0 ppg and 5.3 rpg over the same span. Included in those games is a 14 point outburst vs. Loyola which included a career high four three pointers and a 13 rebound effort vs. UIC.
The perimeter defense, which at times has been a weakness for the Vikings, has become a strength during the winning streak. CSU is now ranked third in the Horizon League in three-point percentage defense, holding opponents to 34-percent.
The key to beating Butler will be continued improvement on the defensive end. CSU can not allow Butler any open looks and the Vikings can not fall behind early as they have had a penchant for doing during the winning streak. The Bulldogs are too good a team and have been in too many battles to let the Vikings overcome a double-digit deficit.
CSU Promotions:
Thursday you can stop in at the Boneyard before or after the Butler game and get a free beverage when you present your game ticket.
Saturday is take-a-kid-to-the-game day. Kids get in free with any paid adult ticket. All Saturday's are family fun day at the Wolstein Center, featuring KidZone, dollar hotdogs and promotional give-aways.
Coach Waters on WTAM:
The Coach Waters Radio Show returns to the air this week, this time on WTAM. The program will air Monday or Tuesday nights from 7pm-8pm for the remainder of the year. Hosted by Andre Knott, the show will run through March 25th.
The Cleveland Fan
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Vikings Ready for Horizon League Showdown
January 16, 2008 --
By Nick Camino
I confess, the night of Feb. 8, 2007 continues to haunt me.
That evening, just a little less than a year ago, the nationally ranked Butler Bulldogs came into the Wolstein Center and set a conference record by nailing 20 three-pointers en route to a 92-50 victory over the CSU men's basketball team, the worst loss in Gary Waters' first season as the Vikings head coach.
The following day, Sports Center on ESPN replayed all 20 treys against the Vikings, and anchors Stuart Scott and Linda Cohn continually poked fun at Cleveland State. Classless indeed, however it still bothered me.
This Thursday Jan. 17, 2008 the Bulldogs return to the scene where they literally "shot the lights out" for a 7:30 P.M. Horizon League Conference showdown with conference leader Cleveland State, yes you read that correctly, Cleveland State is in first place as of this writing. The Bulldogs are currently ranked 13th in the nation, boast a record of 16-1, and are off to their best start in school history. Despite losing former head coach Todd Lickliter who took a job at Iowa, the Bulldogs have picked up right where they left off after falling to eventual NCAA Champion Florida 65-57 in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament last season. They return virtually their entire team to the hardwood from last season, with all five senior starters.
Although not much has changed for the nationally ranked Butler Bulldogs, a great deal has for Cleveland State. The Vikings are currently in first place of the Horizon League, yes, ahead of Butler, and off to their best start since the 1992-1993 season.
It is evident that Coach Waters who promised change, has reenergized the once lifeless program back to its feet, and heading straight for the goals he professed upon his arrival to Cleveland during the summer of 2006.
Already this season Cleveland State has defeated Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) power Florida State and Big East Conference foe South Florida. The Vikings defeated Chicago State, a team who defeated them last season, and also won on the road in Calihan Hall defeating the University of Detroit, where CSU was 0-20 prior to the game, a record that dated back to teams representing Fenn College (Cleveland State University before 1964).
The ten new faces Coach Waters and his coaching staff have brought in this season have blended well with the returning veteran players from last season's squad. They have fused together to make for a very exciting basketball team on Euclid Avenue.
Through 17 games the Vikings have been led by junior point guard Cedric Jackson and junior small forward J'Nathan Bullock. Jackson's elusive style and floor leadership have helped the St. John's transfer tally 15.2 ppg and over 81 assists this season. Bullock, who is approaching the 1,000 point mark for all time points in CSU history is averaging 14.5 ppg and six rebounds per contest.
Other players who have contributed to create this winning atmosphere are seniors Breyohn Watson and Kevin Francis, juniors George Tandy and Renard Fields, sophomore Joe Davis, and two exciting freshmen in Norris Cole and D'Aundray Brown.
Thursday night's Horizon League Showdown at the Wolstein Center is likely to draw Cleveland State's highest attendance numbers this season besides the Ohio State game which was played at Quicken Loans Arena and drew 13,000 people.
3 Keys for a CSU victory:
1. Stop Bulldogs PG Mike Green: Everyone who "thinks" they know about Butler basketball will tell you to cover shooting guard A.J. Graves; he is the most dangerous player on the floor. Not so fast. After watching nine games this team has played, it is clear that everything is run through senior point guard Mike Green.
All season Breyohn Watson has successfully shut down team's leading scorers, so he will most likely cover Graves and can hopefully help shut him down. However, another Viking player needs to step up defensively to cover Green, if not, it will be yet another long night at the Wolstein Center.
2. Guard the perimeter: This is pretty simple. If the Vikings do not cover the three-point arc, the Bulldogs will attempt to break their year-old record. Six players on Butler's roster are capable of hitting treys, and they cannot be left alone or CSU will pay the price. Thus far Cleveland State has continued to do a nice job covering the perimeter, that will be even more important this Thursday.
3. J'Nathan Bullock: CSU point guard Cedric Jackson will have his hands full with his match-up with Green and Watson and Graves will be battling all night. However, there is one interesting match-up that may truly favor the Vikings. Bullock will be guarded by freshman Matt Howard who has filled the roll of Pete Campbell who the Bulldogs lost to graduation.
Bullock needs to exploit Howard's not-so-stellar defense early on. Yes, Howard is two inches taller, but Bullock plays much bigger and relishes an opportunity to shine on a large stage. If Bullock can hit his three-point shot consistently as he has all season, and also use his ox-like strength to work an inside offensive game and defend the low post inside, the Vikings just may be in position to knock off their first ranked opponent in the new Gary Waters era.
The Cauldron
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Waters has Vikings Ready to Attack the Bulldogs
January 17, 2008 --
By Tom Mieskoski
The last time Butler played Cleveland State at the Wolstein Center a year ago the Bulldogs set a Horizon League record with 20 3-pointers, routing the Vikings 92-50. Last year the Bulldogs were ranked the ninth best team in the country, and CSU was struggling through a 10-21 (3-13 Horizon League) season.
“They were in a zone last year as a team. Everybody was flowing. (When everyone is in a zone) there is nothing you can do,” said CSU coach Gary Waters. “The only positive is if they get into a zone today, we can still defend.”
With a revamped roster featuring 10 newcomers, Waters is hoping for a different outcome when his squad faces off with the No.12 Bulldogs at CSU’s Wolstein Center tonight at 7:30 p.m. CSU (12-5, 5-0) leads Butler (16-1, 5-1) by a half-game in the Horizon League standings. The Vikings are off to their best league start since 1992-93 season under Mike Boyd when they went 22-6, 15-1 in the Mid-Continent Conference.
“Our perimeter defense is three times better then last year. We’re a better rebounding team. This year we’re leading the league in rebounding, last year we were last in rebounding,” said Waters. “We have a better inside (game) and we have a better second five (Kevin Francis, Renard Fields, Joe Davis, Norris Cole and D’Aundray Brown).
The Bulldogs return almost everyone from last year’s Sweet 16 team and are led by their dynamic backcourt duo of Mike Green (15.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.7 assists) and A.J. Graves (14.6 points). Pete Campbell, who scored a career-high 28 points, hitting eight 3-pointers in last year’s blowout, provides the Bulldogs with instant offense off the bench averaging 10.5 points per game.
Waters said Butler’s team is much better then the team they faced last year because of the inside addition of freshman forward Matt Howard (13.1 points and 5.6 rebounds). “I thought last year they were average inside. If you put emphasize on their perimeter shooters (this year) this kid will hurt you,” said Waters.
So what does CSU need to do to come out with the upset victory?
“First, we have to bring our A-game and we have to defend. Our objective is to take away their identity, which is shooting 3s and running their offense. If we can do that we have a chance. If we can’t take away their identity then we will struggle,” said Waters. “Second, we have to go inside and score. That’s our strength. Third, we have to get out in transition and finish. If we have to rely on our outside shooting we will be in trouble.”
GAME 18 No. 12 Butler (16-1, 5-1 HL...6-1 Away) at Cleveland State (12-5, 5-0 HL...6-2 Home)
Date: Thursday, January 17, 2008
Time: 7:30 p.m. EST
Site: Cleveland State's Wolstein Center
Series: Butler leads, 21-5. BU has won 13 of the last 15 games in the series.
Probable Starters:
F No. 54 Matt Howard 6-8, 225, Fr. (13.1 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 23.2 MPG... Four-star recruit by Rivals.com… Turned down scholarship to Indiana to play at Butler… 14th in Horizon in scoring, 14th in rebounding, 2nd in offensive rebounding (2.71,) 2nd in Field Goal percentage (.584,) 8th in free throw percentage (.802,) fourth in blocked shots (1.18)
G/F No. 32 Drew Streicher 6-8, 205, Sr. (5.2 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 29.6 MPG)
G No. 1 Julian Betko 6-6, 200, Sr. (5.5 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 26.8 MPG)
G No.4 A.J. Graves 6-1, 160, Sr. (14.6 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 2.0 APG, 35.4 MPG... 10th in Horizon in scoring, second in free throw percentage(.886,) tied fifth in steals (1.47)
G No.10 Mike Green 6-1, 184, Sr. (15.4 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 4.7 APG, 34.7 MPG... Sixth in Horizon in scoring, second in assists, third in assists/turnover ratio (1.95,) 12th in rebounding, 14th in free throw percentage (.735,) 10th in steals (1.29,) 13th in 3-point percentage (.422)
Key Reserves:
F No.34 Pete Campbell 6-7, 205, Sr. (10.5 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 21.6 MPG...20th in Horizon in scoring, tied for seventh in 3-point percentage(.444)... Campbell hit eight 3-pointers and scored a career high 28 points in last years game at the Wolstein Center).
G/F No.21 Willie Veasley 6-3, 200, So. (4.2 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 16.5 MPG)
G No.3 Zach Hahn, 6-1, 170, Fr. (2 PPG, 0.8 RPG, 9.6 MPG)
G No.2 Shawn Vanzant, 6-1, 165 (0.8 PPG, 0.9 RPG, 8.5 MPG)
Tale of the Tape:
RPI: Butler (20); CSU (66)
Scoring: BU (69.6, 5th HL); CSU (71.7, 2nd)
Scoring defense: BU (57.8, 1st); CSU (65.3, 3rd)
FG%: BU (.450, T4); CSU (.450, T4)
FG% Defense: BU (.446, 6th); CSU(.422, 2nd)
FT%: BU (.766, 2nd); CSU (.710, 5th)
3PT%: BU (.395, 3rd); CSU (.298, 9th)
3PT% Defense: BU (.322, 2nd); CSU (.350, 6th)
Rebounds: BU (29.2, 9th); CSU (36.4, 1st)
Rebounds Defense: BU (29.1, 1st); CSU (31.4, 3rd)
Assists: BU (12.88, 6th); CSU (13.18, 5th)
Steals: BU (6.29, 7th); CSU (8.24, 1st)
Blocks: BU (2.59, 8th); CSU (3.76, 2nd)
Turnovers: BU (10.7); CSU (14.5)
Notes:
Butler ranks No.12 in both the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today polls. Butler is ranked No.1 in the Mid-Major poll...Only North Carolina (17) and Kansas (17) have more wins then Butler... They're off to their best start in school history after 17 games (16-1)... Freshman forward Matt Howard was named Horizon League Player of the Week on Monday...Butler ranks third in the NCAA in fewest turnovers per game (10.7)... Their only lose of the season was to Wright State (43-42) at the Nutter Center...
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Vikings Celebrate Upset, Look Forward to Valpo
January 19, 2008 --
By Tom Mieskoski
When the students rushed onto the court to celebrate with the player’s Cleveland State’s 56-52 victory over 12th-ranked Butler it became official after 15-years of mediocre basketball CSU’s once prestigious basketball program is back.
This was CSU’s only regular season victory against a ranked opponent in the 77-year history of the program. They’re 2-26 all-time against ranked opponents with their only other win coming against Indiana in the 1986 NCAA Tournament.
“That was a beautiful feeling,” said J’Nathan Bullock when asked about the students rushing onto the court. “In my first year here you had the other team at the game, us at the game and the refs. That was a beautiful feeling to have a supporting cast. They really got behind us and pushed us to victory.”
Since coach Waters took over the men’s basketball program he’s constantly talking about building a foundation, the importance to hold serve at home, and building a fan base that becomes the sixth man on the court.
“We are trying to establish a foundation. Now I think it will help people understand that there’s some good things happening at Cleveland State,” said Waters. “We want to bring more people to the game, it will only help us and (beating Butler) is going to help us in recruiting.”
In his second year as coach he brought in 10 newcomers that have helped laid the foundation down through their identity, which is defense.
Last year when Butler came to town as the ninth-ranked team in the country, they hit a Horizon League record 20 3-pointers in a 92-50 blowout. Waters told the media on Tuesday prior to Thursday game that their main objective was to take away Butler’s identity, which was 3-point shooting.
That’s what CSU did as Butler shot six-of-23 (26.1 percent) from 3-point range. Five of Butler’s six 3-pointers came from Pete Campbell, who connected on five-of-seven attempts from downtown. Campbell hit eight 3s in last year’s game at the Wolstein Center.
“A couple of times we missed our switch and (Pete) Campbell hit the open 3s. Later on in the first half we eliminated the switch and (told D’Aundray Brown to) stay on him and he only hit one 3 after that,” said Waters.
Beating the 12th-ranked team in the country was a good start to turning the Wolstein Center into the toughest place to play in the nation. The 5,352 fans in attendance Thursday night truly were a sixth man on the court helping the Vikings bring energy during clutch time.
“I thought the crowd was fabulous. They didn’t sit on their hands. There was a point when (Butler) tied the game and (the fans) started hollering and screaming, Let’s Go, Let’s Go,” said Waters. “Before when we didn’t have (the fans screaming) you can continue to go into a downward spiral. I thought they brought energy to the arena. It would probably have been a different outcome if (the fans) weren’t there.”
If you take out the Ohio State game, which was played at the Q, the Vikings are 7-1 at the Wolstein Center this season. They’re undefeated at home (3-0) in Horizon League games. Their only lost at the Wolstein was to Cal State Northridge. The CSN Matadors are (13-3, 5-0 Big West) and in first place in the Big West.
“It’s a big, big step to making this a homefield advantage,” said Waters. “When you’re at home you have to take advantage of your home domain. This was a home game that we had to hold serve if we wanted to compete in this league.”
The Vikings have little time to celebrate as Valparaiso (13-5, 5-2 Horizon League) comes to town on Saturday night. Tip-off is at seven p.m.
“It feels good (to beat Butler,) but when tomorrow comes we know we have to get ready for another game. When 12 o’clock hits (the celebration) is over,” said Cedric Jackson.
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Confidence Key in Vikings Resurgence
January 26, 2008 --
By Nick Camino
Confidence, it may be the single most important ingredient in athletic competition. Believing in one's own ability and prowess can ultimately be the difference between winning and losing.
Well, January 17th at the Wolstein Center, the Horizon League Conference leading Cleveland State men's basketball team had both confidence and believed they could defeat the 12th ranked team in the country. That is exactly what they did, handing the Butler Bulldogs a 56-52 defeat to remain undefeated in conference play.
With 5,635 Viking faithful fans behind them, Cleveland State stunned the nation and improved their record to 2-26 against ranked opponents. Their last victory came 22 years ago on Mar. 14, 1986 when Ken "The Mouse" McFadden's bunch conquered the General, Robert Montgomery Knight, and the 16th ranked and third seeded Indiana Hoosiers in the NCAA Tournament.
Although this time it was not Kevin Mackey leading Clinton Ransey, "The Mouse", and Clinton Smith onto the floor for Cleveland State. Instead the fresh new faces of Cedric Jackson, J'Nathan Bullock, and George Tandy leading the Vikings with their ever-positive leader, head coach Gary Waters, willing them to the biggest Cleveland State win in over 25 years. As for the Vikings, they felt they could do it all along.
When I arrived to the Wolstein Center an hour before tip-off that night I passed reserve guard Joe Davis in a hallway near the arena. After he greeted me, I responded in an upbeat but not too confident voice, "Are you guys ready Joe?"
Quicker than I would expect, he stopped his bouncing, upbeat stroll, looked me in the eyes and said, "Oh we're ready alright."
He then proceeded in the opposite direction, and as I walked into the arena, I thought about his answer. He seemed confident, but by no means was he cocky. A new positive attitude had been instilled into Davis and his fellow teammates, that suddenly gave them confidence to believe that a victory against the 12th ranked team in the country was certainly attainable.
The next two and half hours following our encounter could not have been more perfect. In a game where defense was the Vikings strongest weapon, they forced the same team that hit 20 three-pointers a year earlier, to a miserly six-of- 23 (.261) shooting from beyond the three-point arc, and executed an efficient offense against their Horizon League foes.
After Butler star point guard Mike Green nailed two free throws to bring the stunned Bulldogs within two points of the lead at 50-48, Jackson was left open on the right wing and buried a three-pointer to put the Vikings up by five, a lead Coach Waters felt comfortable with.
"I knew we were going to win the game when we were up five," Waters explained. "[Butler] had a hard time scoring and we were going to get enough opportunities."
Then, after a circus shot by Butler's A.J. Graves, the Vikings finished off the consensus conference favorite at the free-throw line courtesy of Bullock and Tandy.
With excited students and hungry fans storming the court, Cleveland media members could not help but smile from ear-to-ear, and ESPN claimed Cleveland State shocked the NCAA basketball world. Yet the team and Waters did not seem surprised at all with the final outcome.
Yes, this win was huge, but the team felt they could beat Butler all week, Tandy said. "As long as we do what we need to do, we can win any game we play," Tandy explained. "It's a great feeling when you have people who support you and want to see you have success."
Despite being out coached and his team outplayed, 31-year old Butler head coach Brad Stevens knew Cleveland State was a tough squad.
"You watch Cleveland State on tape and it's easy to see how good they are," Stevens said. "They play hard and with passion and Coach Waters has done a great job with the program."
Coach Waters came into the program and told all who would listen that these first two seasons he wanted to build a foundation for the re-birth of Cleveland State basketball. However with a confident bunch, a number of big wins under their belt, and some very skilled players, this team is doing more than setting the groundwork of a revitalized program; they are making a strong case for postseason play.
Judging from the attendance this past Thursday night, I don't think the city of Cleveland has a problem with that, in fact, I think they love it.
The Cauldron
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Waters Looking to Pull Vikings Through Adversity
February 9, 2008 --
By Tom Mieskoski
After four straight disappointing defeats on the road, Cleveland State’s coach Gary Waters changed the starting line-up on Thursday night, inserting freshman guard D’Aundray Brown in place of junior forward George Tandy.
The new line-up had the same result as the Vikings longest losing streak of the season continued, as the Wright State Raiders defeated the Vikings, 55-49, at the Wolstein Center.
The Vikings (14-10, 7-5 Horizon League) have lost five straight games and are now into a three-way tie for third-place with UW-Milwaukee and Green Bay.
While the Raiders (16-6, 8-4 Horizon League) took over sole possession of second-place after winning their seventh straight game.
Trailing the Raiders by six at the half, 30-24, the Vikings came out flat in the second half as they struggled against WSU’s 2-3 zone.
The Vikings tried to penetrate their zone, but they could not get any penetration or any good looks at the basket. CSU’s inability to solve WSU’s zone led to the Vikings passing the ball around the perimeter and settling for a lot of long jump shots.
Which led to CSU shooting 28.1 percent (9-for-32) from the field and 16.7 percent (2-for-12) from 3-point distance in the second half.
"We struggled against (the zone). We passed it around. We tried to penetrate it. Right now we are not getting it done offensively. We are missing every open shot we get," said Waters. "Since the Milwaukee game our strength (defense) has become our weakness. Teams are driving against us. We have to do a better job containing our guys."
Despite CSU’s poor shooting their defense kept the game close in the second half. CSU was down five, 50-45, with 2:43 left in the game.
But the Vikings could not hit a shot down the stretch, missing four 3-pointers, a jumper and a lay-up. WSU maintained the lead by shooting 50 percent (10-20) in the second half.
"We didn’t play well at all today and it was still a five-point game. That’s what was so disappointing," said Waters. "If we would have played well just a little bit, we would have had a chance to win the game."
WSU scored the first 10 points of the game and never trailed in the game. They held a 15-2 advantage with 15:07 left before halftime.
That’s when the Vikings responded with a 12-0 run to cut the lead to one, 15-14, with 11:31 left. WSU went on to outscore CSU, 15-10, the rest of the first half.
Sophomore guard Joe Davis (11 points,) Cedric Jackson (10 points,) and J’Nathan Bullock (seven points,) combined to shoot 7-for-34 for the Vikings. Brown, making his first collegiate start scored 10 points, shooting 5-for-7 from the field.
The Raiders were led in scoring by sophomore guards Todd Brown and Vaughn Duggins, who each scored 12 points.
"I thought everybody contributed in this win," said WSU’s coach Brad Brownell.
CSU will try again to end their five game losing streak when Detroit (5-17, 1-11 Horizon League) comes to town on Saturday at 5:30 p.m.
"We don’t have a lot of time to prepare for Detroit, but we know Detroit is going to play a zone. We got to get ourselves ready to play on Saturday," said Waters. "Now we got to fight like a dog. We’re facing a lot of adversity for the first time. Now I got to get them through this (adversity)."
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Vikings Practice Attacking the Zone
February 15, 2008 --
By Tom Mieskoski
With Cleveland State’s recent struggles against zone defenses head coach Gary Waters made some changes in his offense prior to Monday’s 81-64 victory over Green Bay at the Wolstein Center.
"What I had to do was go back to the drawing board. So I watched film for about 20 hours, my wife thought I was going crazy, but I had to look at (the film) to see what was our problem," said Waters. "The conclusion I came to was we weren’t getting enough movement. So we spent a couple of days working on movement against the zone. Now we are 10 times more free-er.
"The other thing we had to work on was getting the ball up before the zone was set-up. We were walking the ball up. When you are not hitting shots and walking the ball up, there is a set defense in front of you (and) there is more pressure for (your offense). And the pressure keeps mounting. Now we are attacking (the zone) more opposed to moving (the ball) around."
Waters said in the last two games against the zone (Wright State and Detroit) the Vikings did some good things on offense. "We penetrated (the zone) and moved the ball exactly were we wanted it, but we just couldn’t buy a shot. We had guys with wide open shots but we couldn’t hit the shot," said Waters.
CSU's new zone offense was not tested much against Green Bay because they played mostly man-on-man defense. Green Bay did switch to a 2-3 zone late in the second half after the game was out of reach.
However, CSU did push the ball every chance they got, which led to their highest point total (81 points) since Dec. 22, when they scored 86 points against Central Michigan.
Against Green Bay the Vikings shot 50 percent from the floor in both halves (53.6 percent in first half and 52.2 percent in the second half), finishing with a game high 52.9 percent (27-51) from the field.
Waters should find out this week if his new zone offense works when the Vikings play at Valparaiso tonight at 8:o5 p.m. and at Butler Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m.
Vikings on TV:
ESPN announced on Monday that CSU’s ESPNU BracketBusters game against Marist College on Feb. 23 will be televised live on ESPNU at 6:30 p.m.
SportsTime Ohio will televise Saturday’s game at Butler.
John McLendon special on FSN:
Fox Sports Ohio will televise "In My Own Words," an hour special on former CSU head coach John McLendon on Feb. 16 at 8 p.m. McLendon coached CSU from, 1966-1969. When CSU hired him he was the first African-American to coach a predominantly white school.
Viking Voyage to YSU:
CSU athletics added a second Viking Voyage bus trip this time to Youngstown State on March 1. Tickets are $25 dollars each and include a ticket, dinner (Rascal House pizza), and round trip transportation.
Click here for more
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CSU Earns Second Seed in Horizon League Tournament
March 4, 2008 --
By Tom Mieskoski
YOUNGSTOWN- Since Cleveland State was defeated at Butler 51-46 (Feb.16) the Vikings have been on a mission to face Butler again for the rubber match, this time in the Horizon League championship game with an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament on the line.
Saturday night CSU took one-step closer to facing Butler by defeating Youngstown State, 65-58, at the Beeghly Center. With Wright State losing to Valparaiso earlier in the day, CSU’s win gave them the tiebreaker over WSU and the second seed in this week's Horizon League Tournament.
The second seed gives CSU a bye through the first two rounds. CSU's (20-11, 12-6 Horizon League) next game will be in the semi-finals next Saturday at Butler’s Hinkle Fieldhouse at 4:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on ESPNU.
With the No.2 seed CSU only needs to win two games to win the tournament compared to the No.3 seed who needs to win four games.
"We’re on a mission to get to the finals of the (Horizon League) Tournament. We don’t care who’s in our way we are getting to the finals of the tournament. Then we play (Butler) again that’s our goal," said CSU's head coach Gary Waters.
This is the sixth time in CSU's history that they won 20 games and first time since Mike Boyd coached the Vikings during the 1992-93 season. They have won three straight games and six of their last seven.
"It feels good to flip it around," said J'Nathan Bullock, referring to last season’s record 10-21 and this season's 20-11. "I believe our best basketball is ahead of us."
Down the stretch, CSU turned to an unusual player for an offense spark, senior guard Breyohn Watson, better known for his defense then his offense, hit two big buckets back-to-back. Watson nailed a 3-pointer in the corner, then scored on a lay-up from Bullock, to give CSU a 61-52 lead with 1:23 left.
"You have to be prepared to take the big shot when it comes (to you). That’s all the hard work and shots I took during the summer to prepare for the season. I’m just playing my role," said Watson, who scored a career-high 13 points, shooting 6-for-7 from the field. "We are on a mission right now. We are not going to settle for anything less then a championship."
Because CSU missed four straight free throws YSU stayed in the game. The Penguins (9-20, 5-13) cut the lead to 61-58 on Dwight Holmes' lay-up with 33 seconds.
Lucky for the Vikings, Bullock found his stroke at the free throw line and calmly hit three straight free throws to seal the game.
"I didn’t feel we played a good game today, but that’s the mark of a good team when you don’t play well and still pull out a victory on the road. That shows some improvement," said Waters. "I thought our guys regrouped. I didn’t think we did a good job defending today, but down the stretch we did defend and I thought that was the difference in the game."
With CSU trailing by five early in the game, the Vikings used a 20-4 run to take a commanding 22-10 lead with 7:41 left and took a 28-18 lead at the half.
Four Vikings finished in double-figures with Bullock leading the way with 17. Cedric Jackson and Norris Cole each scored 10 points.
John Barber led the Penguins with 12 points, passing the 1,000 points mark for his career. Byron Davis, Vance Cooksey and Jack Liles each scored 10 points for the Penguins.
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Vikings Two Wins Away from Big Dance
March 8, 2008 --
By Ryan Aroney
Ten days ago Cleveland State stood in third place in the Horizon League standings. The Vikings needed exactly five things to happen in order to jump Wright State for the coveted second seed heading into the conference tournament. The second seed is so important in the Horizon League because of the league's extreme rewarding of the top two teams, each of whom receives a double-bye. While the top teams get some much needed rest during the first few days of the tournament, the remaining eight teams battle it out for two rounds for the right to take on the top two seeds in the semi-finals.
The scenario that CSU needed in order to take over the second seed read like an impossible check-list. Wright State, winners of 11 of its last 12 games, needed to lose both of its remaining games. Valparaiso needed to win both of its games, one of which happened to be against the red hot Raiders and Illinois-Chicago also needed to lose one of its remaining two games. Not getting left out of the equation, the Vikings needed to take care of their own business during the season ending road trip to Youngstown State.
It seemed to be too much to overcome in one short weekend. The Vikings were preparing to host a first round game as a number three seed against Detroit. Then a funny thing happened last Thursday, things started playing out perfectly for the Vikings. CSU spent its off day hoping for a Valparaiso win and losses from Wright State and UIC.
Check.
All three teams cooperating set up an important nationally televised showdown between Valpo and Wright State on Saturday. The Vikings could see two birds killed with one stone. With both Valpo winning and WSU losing in the same game the Vikings would control their own destiny going into the Youngstown State contest later that night.
Check.
With four of the five needs already crossed off the check-list, the Vikings only needed a win over YSU to make the improbable jump up the standings.
Check.
The Vikings responded to the final task with a 65-58 victory over the Penguins. After falling behind early, CSU took control and led for the entire second half. A late YSU rally made the game interesting, but Cedric Jackson and J'Nathan Bullock took charge down the stretch. Bullock led the CSU with 17 points and 12 rebounds while Jackson added 10 points and 11 assists. The perfect storm of events sent CSU to its first conference semi-final since 2001.
First Round
The Horizon League Tournament tipped off Tuesday night at campus sites with seeds three through six hosting seeds seven through ten.
In CSU's bracket, 3rd seed Wright State, fresh off its late season collapse, hosted 10th seed Detroit and bounced back with a 60-37 victory. In the six-seven game, 6th seeded Valparaiso knocked off Wisconsin-Green Bay 75-67.
On the other half of the bracket, 4th seeded UIC topped 9th seed YSU 70-59. In the only upset of the first round, 8th seeded Loyola surprised 5th seeded Wisconsin-Milwaukee 57-51.
Quarter-Finals
The weekend portion of the tournament moved to Butler's historic Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. In the early game, #6 Valpo won a hard fought contest over #3 WSU, 72-67 to set up a semi-final match-up with CSU. The crusaders overcame a halftime deficit in a game that saw 14 ties and 16 lead changes. Shawn Huff led Valpo with 21 points. The senior from Finland averaged 13.5 ppg in two games against CSU this year.
In the late game, #4 UIC defeated #8 Loyola, 60-49. The Flames will face-off with host Butler in Saturday's other semi-final game. Josh Mayo led UIC with 17 points, 12 coming in the second half.
Semi-Finals
Valpo has won six straight games and seven of eight since losing 77-58 to CSU on Valentines Day. The Vikings beat the Crusaders in both meetings this year, taking a 69-63 decision in January. As always for the Vikings, the key to the game will be perimeter defense. Valpo is tops in the league in scoring offense at 71.1 ppg. The Crusaders are second in field goal percentage and three-point percentage (.452 and .398 respectively). The Vikings, on the other hand, are third in scoring defense (63 ppg) and field goal percentage defense (.419) while leading the league in three-point percentage defense (.322).
The Vikings will be outnumbered as the Valpo fans are sure to travel the 150 miles to Indianapolis. It is a big game for both schools as Valpo hasn't reached the NCAA tournament since 2003-04 and is playing its first year in the Horizon League. The Vikings are looking to advance to the Horizon League finals for the first time.
Both semi-final games will be televised nationally by ESPN U. CSU plays Valpo in the first game at 4:30pm followed by Butler-UIC at 6:30pm.
The Horizon League final is Tuesday at 9 pm on ESPN. If CSU wins Saturday and Butler loses to UIC, the Vikings would host the championship game at the Wolstein Center.
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