All-Time vs. Western Michigan: 3-4
Last Meeting: 12/6/17 78-67 L
Tickets: wmubroncos.com
Radio: 1100 AM WTAM
TV: ESPN3
SETTING THE SCENE
The Cleveland State men's basketball team travels to Western Michigan for a non-conference road matchup with the Broncos. The Vikings have won three in a row, including the last two at the Wolstein Center. The game features a matchup between two first year head coaches. Western is playing their first game in almost a week after returning from a three game road trip to Houston, Texas.
THE CLEVELAND STATE/WESTERN MICHIGAN SERIES
Wednesday's game will be the eighth time that Cleveland State and Western Michigan have played. The Broncos lead the all time series by a 4-3 margin. This is the first meeting between the two programs since 2017. Western won the last matchup on December 6, 2017 by a 78-67 score in Kalamazoo. The series between the two schools dates all the way back to the 1970-71 season.
VIKINGS FINISH 2-0 IN TURKEY SLAM - CLEVELAND STATE REGIONAL
Cleveland State went 2-0 in the Turkey Slam MTE hosted at the Wolstein Center this past week. The Vikings defeated Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Chicago State to run the winning streak to three. Jayson Woodrich was named the MVP of the invitational, after scoring in double figures in both contests. Woodrich had 12 points each in the two games, shooting at a 50% clip from three in the two contests. Tristan Enaruna was also named to the all-tournament team.
THE VIKINGS
Cleveland State returns five players from last year's regular season championship squad, and adds nine newcomers. Deante "Spider" Johnson leads the core of returners, Johnson was named to the Horizon League All-Defensive Team for the second straight year last season. Deshon Parker also returns after starting at the point guard spot in 29 of 31 games last season. Parker shot 51% from the floor last season.
GET TO KNOW THE NEWCOMERS
In addition to the five returning players, Cleveland State welcomes nine new faces to the roster in 2022-23. Among the new faces is Tristan Enaruna, a junior transfer hailing from Almere, Flevoland, Netherlands. Enaruna comes to CSU from Iowa State, where he averaged 4.3 points and 2.9 rebounds in his time with the Cyclones. Tae Williams is another newcomer to watch, as he comes to Cleveland following a great season at John A. Logan College in 2021-22. Williams averaged 12.3 points and 6.6 rebounds in 32 contests last season.
COACH ROBINSON ANNOUNCES COACHING STAFF
Head Coach Daniyal Robinson has assembled an experienced coaching staff in his first season at Cleveland State. Jermaine Henderson returns to CSU after previously serving as an assistant coach during the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons under Gary Waters. Henderson most recently served as an assistant coach at Kansas State for the past five seasons. Travis Lewis is in his second season on staff at Cleveland State, after serving as Director of Video Operations under former head coach Dennis Gates last season. Jay Shunnar enters his first season as an assistant coach, after working in several capacities under John Belein at the University of Michigan and with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
VIKINGS WIN EXHIBITION OPENER OVER BALDWIN WALLACE 74-52
The Cleveland State Men's Basketball team took down Baldwin Wallace in an exhibition game at the Wolstein Center this past Thursday. The Vikings had a balanced offensive attack, with four players scoring in double figures. Tristan Enaruna led the way with a double-double, scoring 15 points and grabbing 13 rebounds. Jason Drake added 11 points, and Deshon Parker and Drew Louder rounded out the double figure scoring effort with 10 points each.
VIKINGS BATTLE, FALL SHORT AT CINCINNATI
Cleveland State dropped a tough one to Cincinnati at the Bearcats' Fifth Third Arena on Thursday night. The Vikings hung tough throughout, and had the lead in the second half before a late Cincinnati run put the game away. Tristan Enaruna led the way with 15 points, his second straight game in double figures, and Deante Johnson added 12 and 6 rebounds.
SCOUTING THE BRONCOS
Western Michigan is 2-4 after finishing 1-2 in the Owl Invitational hosted by Rice University in Houston, Texas. The Broncos defeated Houston Christian, and lost to host Rice and Georgia Southern. The Broncos also picked up a win over Goshen College earlier this season. Western is led by Dwayne Stephens, who is in his first season as a head coach. Stephens previously served as a long time assistant at Michigan State under Tom Izzo for 19 seasons. Stephens spent the last 10 of those seasons as the Associate Head Coach. The Broncos are 1-0 at home this season.
VIKINGS FALL SHORT AT OHIO
Cleveland State battled but fell short at Ohio last weekend, falling 81-70 at Ohio's Convocation Center. The game was tight throughout the first half, until Cleveland State point guard Deshon Parker picked up his second foul with just under five minutes to play in the half. Parker sat the rest of the way, and Ohio scored 13 unanswered points to head into halftime with an eight point advantage, which improved to double digits and remained there throughout the second half. The Vikings were led by Yahel Hill, who poured in a career-high 20 points, 14 of which came after halftime.
VIKINGS DEFEAT CANISIUS, EARN FIRST WIN UNDER COACH ROBINSON
Cleveland State picked up its first win of the 2022-23 season with a hard fought, 58-57 overtime win against Canisius on Wednesday. Cleveland State started fast, jumping out to a double digit lead in the first half, but had to withstand a surge by Canisius in the second half. The Golden Griffins battled back, and eventually tied the game at 53, sending it to overtime. Cleveland State scored first in the extra session and held on for the victory. Four of the five starters in the contest for the Vikings finished in double figures, led by Tristan Enaruna who finished with a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds. The win marked the first for Head Coach Daniyal Robinson in his career.
BENCH STRONG IN VIKING VICTORY OVER ARKANSAS-PINE BLUFF
Cleveland State made it back-to-back wins, defeating Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Friday night at the Wolstein Center 67-58. The Vikings used a balanced scoring attack, and won the bench scoring battle 28-5 to notch the first home win of 2022-23. Jayson Woodrich came off the bench to provide 12 of those points, finishing 3-6 from three point range. Ramar Pryor also finished with a season high 7 points in the win.
ENARUNA IMPRESSIVE TO START 2022-23
Transfer forward Tristan Enaruna has gotten off to a good start in his first two weeks in a Viking uniform. Enaruna had a double-double with 20 points and 11 rebounds in the opener against Notre Dame College, and followed that up with another double figure scoring performance with 15 against Cincinnati. He recorded another double-double against Canisius, finishing with 15 points and 10 rebounds, and fell a point shy of another on Friday against Pine Bluff. Through six games, he is averaging 13.2 points and 7.8 rebounds, while shooting at a 42% clip from the field.
PARKER DROPPING DIMES
Deshon Parker has been a great facilitator for Cleveland State through the first two weeks of the regular season. So far, Parker has totaled 37 assists through six games. He had a career-high 11 in the opener against Notre Dame College. His average of 6.2 assists per game ranks third in the Horizon League.
UP NEXT
Cleveland State returns to the Wolstein Center on Thursday, December 1st for the Horizon League opener against Oakland. The game against the Golden Grizzlies tips off at 7 p.m.