Eddie Bryant
Eddie Bryant 2001 Men's Basketball
In his four-year career at Cleveland State, Eddie Bryant went from a reserve on the 1983-84 and '84-85 squads to a starter on the 1986 NCAA Tournament and 1987 NIT teams. During those four years he teamed up with his good friend, and fellow Hall of Fame inductee, Shawn Hood at the point guard position as the pair led the Vikings to some of their greatest achievements. He would also earn a reputation of coming through in the clutch.
A resident of Dorchester, Massachusetts, "Fast Eddie" as he was known, came off the Viking bench in all 30 games as CSU went 14-16 in his freshman season. He produced a strong season, scoring 173 points (5.8 ppg) that included a season-high 21 vs. Southwest: Missouri State. He was second on the team and ninth in the Association of Mid-Continent University with 96 assists. He also had 39 steals and shot an outstanding 55% from the field.
As a sophomore, Bryant helped guide CSU to its first-ever 20+ win season and AMCU title. The Vikes were 21-8 on the year and 11-3 in the AMCU. In 29 games Bryant had 93 assists, second on the team and tenth in the AMCU. He had 30 steals and scored 170 points (5.9 ppg). He again shot the ball well, hitting 51 % of his floor shots and 76% of his free throws.
In 1985-86, Bryant became a starter for the Vikings and responded with his best season yet. He started a CSU record 33 games in guiding CSU to a record 29 wins as the Vikings went 29-4 overall and 13-1 in winning the AMCU title. Bryant's contributions helped lead CSU to its first-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament. In the AMCU Tournament, his free throw shooting sealed wins over Northern Iowa and Eastern Illinois. His basket with 10 minutes left put CSU ahead to stay in its second-round NCAA Tournament victory over St. Joseph's. On the year, Bryant led CSU and was fourth in the AMCU with 146 assists, just 13 shy of the then-school mark. His assist total included a career-best 11 vs. Illinois-Chicago. He also scored 17 points vs. UIC to give him his lone career "double-double". In addition, Bryant was second on the team and fourth in the AMCU with 61 steals. His 52.5% from the floor helped CSU set a new team field goal record. He also shot 75.4% from the line while scoring 175 points (5.3 ppg) on the campaign.
Bryant capped his Viking career with a fine senior season that saw him set numerous career-highs. Starting 32 of the 33 games he played in, Bryant helped CSU reach the NIT for the first time as the Vikes went 25-8 overall and 104 in the AMCU. He was third on the team with a career-best of 271 points and 8.2 ppg, including a career-high 25 points vs. Central Michigan. Bryant led CSU with 100 assists, ranking ninth in the AMCU and was third on the squad with a career-high 71 steals, fourth in the league. He also led CSU with 17 three-pointers in the first full season of the shot. For the season he shot 48% from the field and 85% from the line.
During his career, Bryant played in every game to set a school-record with 125 games. He scored 789 points while averaging 6.3 ppg. His 435 assists were the second highest total at the time while his 201 steals were fourth best. He remains in the CSU Top 10 in both of these today One of two players to rank in the Top 10 in field goal percentage and free throw percentage, Bryant is also in the Top 10 in minutes and the Top 20 in games started, field goals and free throws. During his four seasons, Bryant was instrumental in guiding CSU to 89-36 (.712) overall and 39-18 (.684) AMCU marks.
In addition to being a fine basketball player, Bryant was also a fine student, making the Dean's List several times. He graduated from CSU in 1987 with a Bachelor's Degree in History.
