Feb. 10, 2004

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SETTING THE SCENE: Cleveland State (4-19, 0-12) returns home to start a three-game homestand that will close the 2003-04 home slate when it hosts Butler (10-11, 4-6) on Thursday, Feb. 12 beginning at 7:00 p.m. EST in the Convocation Center. The Vikings then close the home schedule with contests against Illinois-Chicago (Feb. 14) and vs. Eastern Michigan in the Bracket Buster. The Vikings, who have lost 17 straight games since opening the year with a 4-2 mark are back down to just eight relatively healthy scholarship players.

CLEVELAND STATE PROBABLE STARTERS
2003-04 Statistics

F 5 Omari Westley, 6-7, 205, Jr., Cleveland, Ohio 15.4 pts, 8.5 reb, 2.1 ast
F 40 Luke Murphy, 6-8, 210, Fr., Phoebus, Va. 2.1 pts, 2.0 reb, 0.4 blk
C 42 Pape Badiane, 6-11, 220, Sr., Les Ulis, France. 6.3 pts, 5.6 reb, 2.6 blk
G 1 Jermaine Robinson, 6-2, 180, Sr., Philadelphia, Pa. 19.9 pts, 5.0 reb, 2.6 ast
G 3 Victor Morris, 6-0, 175, Fr., Inkster, Mich. 6.0 pts, 2.1 reb, 1.7 ast

PREVIEWING BUTLER: After winning the Horizon League regular season title in each of the last four years, Butler finds itself fighting to remain in the upper half of the conference as the season approaches its conclusion. The struggles have at both ends of the court. Offensively, the Bulldogs are shooting a league-low .404 from the field and rank seventh in three-point field goal shooting (.326). Defensively, Butler ranks seventh in field goal defense (.451) and ninth in three-point field goal defense (.390). Senior forward Mike Monserez, a preseason second team all-league choice, is one of four Bulldogs averaging in double figures in scoring (11.2) while also leading the squad in rebounding (6.6) and assists (4.6). Forward Duane Lightfoot leads the team with a 12.1 scoring average while both Bruce Horan (10.5 ppg) and Avery Sheets (10.1) round out the quartet.

PREVIEWING THE VIKINGS: The Vikings find themselves in a precarious position, owning a 4-19 record. CSU has lost 17 straight games going back to mid-December and injuries and other problems have left first-year head coach Mike Garland with just eight relatively healthy and eligible scholarship players. CSU has gotten steady play from senior guard Jermaine Robinson, who has led the team in scoring in 15 games and averages 19.9 points a game, the second highest total in the league. Omari Westley, a junior college transfer who has shaken off the rust from a year off to average 15.4 points and lead the league with 8.5 rebounds a game, has been even better in league play, averaging 16.9 points and 8.3 rebounds.

CSU IN THE NCAA STATS: The Vikings received two mentions in the latest NCAA statistics, which were released on Feb. 3. Senior Jermaine Robinson was 24th in the nation in scoring (20.4 ppg) and Omari Westley was 50th in rebounding (8.7). The statistics will be released by the NCAA every Tuesday through the end of the season.

VIKINGS DRAW EASTERN MICHIGAN IN THE BRACKET BUSTER: Cleveland State has drawn Eastern Michigan University of the Mid-American Conference as its opponent in the second annual Bracket Buster Saturday. The Vikings will host the Eagles on Saturday, Feb. 21 beginning at 5:30 p.m. in the CSU Convocation Center. The contest will serve as Fan Appreciation Night with fans in attendance being eligible to receive over $20,000 in prizes that will be given away. Bracket Buster Saturday, which was started in 2003 as a way for mid-major schools to showcase themselves to the NCAA selection committee against similarly matched teams from around the country, will feature 23 games this year. The 46 participating schools come from 11 different conferences.

BADIANE'S BACK: Senior center Pape Badiane returned to the lineup on Feb. 5 night after missing 11 games with a broken right hand that he suffered in the opening moments of the Dec. 28 game against Georgia Southern at the Islander Classic. Badiane, who had surgery on Jan. 2, returned to practice on Feb. 2 for limited participation and played 22 minutes against UW-Green Bay. He scored two points with seven rebounds and four blocks. He moved into the starting lineup against Detroit, scoring eight points in 30 minutes.

. . . BUT TATHAM IS OUT: The return of Pape Badiane to the lineup afforded freshman center Patrick Tatham the opportunity to take homself out of the lineup in order to get a painful knee injury corrected. Tatham has been playing with considerable pain since the condition flared up just before Christmas but has battled to play no less than 20 minutes in each of the last 20 games. Tatham will have surgery on the knee on Friday and will miss the remainder of the season. He started 14 of the 23 games he played in, averaging 3.8 points and 4.7 rebounds a game.

BADIANE IS BACK IN THE BLOCKED SHOT LEAD: It is almost like the story of the tortoise and the hare. Pape Badiane blocks 27 shots in the first 10 games to open a huge lead on the Horizon League blocked shots chart, only to sit out 11 games with a broken hand. The rest of the league finally caught up with Badiane last weekend when Loyola's Louis Smith and Demetrius Williams passed his early season total. With the blocked shot lead out of his hands for the first time in over a year, Badiane returned to the lineup on Feb. 5 and blocked four shots to regain the lead. Smith regained the lead with a three-block effort on Saturday, giving him 33 on the year. In 12 games, Badiane is averaging 2.58 blcks per game, well ahead of Smith (33 blocks in 22 games, 1.50) and Williams (29, 20, 1.45).

A BAD BREAK: When senior center Pape Badiane broke his right hand in the opening minutes of the Georgia Southern game on Dec. 29, it not only caused the Vikings to lose one of the top defensive players in the conference, but it gave CSU a totally different look on the court. In the nine games leading up to the injury, CSU used its interior defense to lead the Horizon League with 55 blocked shots, a +7.8 rebounding margin and a .390 field goal defense (223-572) while allowing 71.9 points a game. In the 12 games without him following the injury, the Vikings were outrebounded, 409-395 (-1.2) and blocked just 26 shots. An even more significant stat was that CSU's opponents shot .486 from the field (319-657) and averaged 76.3 points a game. Only one of CSU's first nine opponents shot above .431 from the field, a figure that was achieved in all but two games with Badiane out of the lineup.

. . . AND THE SURVEY SAYS: With Pape Badiane playing over 20 minutes in each of the two games last week, it is pertinent to see which set of statistics held true from the note above. In the two games, the Vikings blocked five shots and were out-rebounded, 58-47. The two opponents shot .516 from the field (49-95).

BLEDSOE GAINS NATIONAL NOTICE: It is the goal of every young assistant coach to gain national acclaim for his performance and first year Viking assistant Sean Bledsoe has done just that. In the latest Fashion Power Index, which is compiled by Angela Lento for CollegeInsiders.com, Bledsoe is ranked as the ninth-best dressed assistant in the country. Lento writes, "This sharp-young understudy is in his first season at Cleveland State, but he brings a wealth of coaching AND clothier experience to CSU. Bledsoe, who had success as a head coach at Wilberforce University, is smooth." Bledsoe disputes the ranking. "Ninth? The blue jacket and slacks combo that I wore for the Butler game is definitely worthy of being ranked much higher but mid-major assistants never get their proper due," Bledsoe said. "I'll have to turn my wardrobe up for the rest of the season."

ROBINSON THREE-POINT STREAKS COME TO AN END: An 0-for-7 shooting performance from three-point against Youngstown State on Jan. 24 brought to an end a pair of record-setting shooting streaks for senior Jermaine Robinson. By failing to make a three-pointer for the first time in 19 games this year, Robinson now holds a share of two records for consecutive games making a three-pointer. He shares the record of 18 consecutive games with a trey in one season with Greg Allen (1991-92) and his 19 straight games going back to last year equals William Stanley's mark originally set from Feb., 1989 through Jan. of 1990. Robinson has started a new streak, making treys in each of the last four games, giving him at least one three-pointer in 22 of the 23 games this year.

WESTLEY RESOLVES TO BE MORE PRODUCTIVE: It is almost as if junior Omari Westley sat down on New Year's Eve and decided that one of his resolutions for the new year would be to be more aggressive on the basketball court in 2004. Already one of the leaders in the Horizon League in most statistical categories, Westley has raised his game to a new level in the 12 games in January and February. He scored a then-league season best 30 points against Loyola on Jan. 5 and is averaging 16.9 points and 8.3 rebounds a game since the new year. That is a considerable improvement from the 13.7 points and 8.8 rebounds in the 11 games in 2003.

HERE'S TO YOU, MR. ROBINSON: No player has benefitted more from the change in offensive philosophy this year than senior Jermaine Robinson. Robinson has led the team in scoring 15 times, posting a league-best 13 games of 20 points or more. He is second in the Horizon League with a 19.9 scoring average, quite a jump from the 10.5 points he averaged a year ago. He has scored in double figures in every game, tallying 19 points or more 18 times. His ability to penetrate and score has led to him attempting a league-leading 7.7 free throws a game (176 total). His 23 points against Youngstown State on Jan. 24 was his 23rd career game of 20 points or more.

VIKING MASH UNIT: When the Vikings opened the season on Nov. 22nd, they featured one of the biggest and deepest front lines in the country. That depth has suddenly disappeared somewhere in the training room as just about every Viking player on the front line has missed time with some ailment. They are:

Pete Ritzema: Missed eight games with three different injuries this year, the latest being a bad back that has kept him out of six games and slowed him in three others. He has played just 93 minutes in 15 games.

Pape Badiane: The Vikings' starting center missed 11 games with a broken right hand suffered vs. Georgia Southern on Dec. 29. He returned to the court and played over 20 minutes in both games last week.

Patrick Tatham: The freshman, who has started 14 games at center, will miss the rest of the season after having surgery later this week. He played for over six weeks with considerable pain caused by tendonitis in his knee.

Amadou Koundoul: Hasn't fully come back from off-season surgery to alleviate tendonitis in his knee and the condition continues to limit him this year. He has played just 75 minutes in the last 10 games, missing the UW-Green Bay because of the problem.

Walt Waters: Missed both games at the Islander Classic following a death in his family and is sidelined for the remainder of the year because he did not meet institutional academic eligibility standards.

Walt Chavis: Okay, he's not a post-player but the starter for the Vikings at point guard in the first 18 games has sat out the last four contests with a broken right hand.

VIKINGS REBOUND TO REBOUND: The Vikings have done a complete 180 degree turnaround on the glass this season. Last year, CSU was out-rebounded by an average of 3.8 boards a game to rank eighth in the Horizon League. Through 22 games this year, CSU ranks second in the Horizon League with a +2.2 rebounding margin, including a rebounding edge in 13 games. Included in that total are six games of +10 or more, including a dominating 56-31 rebounding advantage at Norfolk State. Rebounding has been a critical statistic in games this year. In the Vikings' four wins this year, CSU has outrebounded its opponents 202-134, a margin of +17.0 rebounds a game. In the 19 losses, the Vikings have been outboarded, 667-651 (-0.8).

ROBINSON READY TO CONTINUE CLIMB UP SCORING CHART: A 27-point effort at UIC on Jan. 17 allowed senior Jermaine Robinson to move into 11th place on the CSU career scoring chart. He enters the Butler game with 1,298 points. Robinson passed Dave Kyle (1974-77), who totalled 1,168 points in his career. He needs just six points to pass Jamaal Harris (1998-02), who is in 10th place with 1,304 points, and eight points to catch ninth-place Dave Youdath (1980-84), who has 1,306 points. Robinson is one of 16 players in CSU history to score 1,000 career points.

40-MINUTE MAN: Senior Jermaine Robinson loves media timeouts. He has to because as of late, media timeouts are the only breaks that he gets during a game. Over the last 18 games, Robinson is averaging 38.1 minutes a game (it would be higher except he missed eight minutes because of injury vs. Youngstown State), including 40-minute efforts against Boston University (12/22), Wright State (1/8), Detroit (1/19), Youngstown State (1/24), UW-Green Bay (2/5) and Detroit (2/7). He was the first Viking to play 40 minutes in a game that wasn't decided in overtime since Jamaal Harris went wire-to-wire against Detroit in the final game of the 2001-02 season. He has now played 35 minutes or more 37 times during his career, including in 14 of the last 15 games and 18 times in 23 contests this year. He has played 40 minutes or more in a game (counting OT) eight times in his career. Robinson played a career-high 43 minutes in an OT game against California last year and 41 minutes in an OT contest against Florida State as a freshman in 2000-01.

. . . ROBINSON ISN'T THE ONLY VIKING TO GO THE DISTANCE: The depth problems that CSU has had during the second half of the season has led four different Vikings to play all 40 minutes in a game this year. Robinson leads the way with six 40-minute games this year. Walt Chavis played 40 minutes at UIC while Omari Westley and Victor Morris joined the group with 40-minute efforts at Butler on Jan. 29.

. . . THE MINUTES FOR MORRIS INCREASE: The loss of Percell Coles and Walt Chavis has led to an increase in the playing time for Victor Morris as well. Morris has played 30 minutes or more in seven of the last eight games, averaging 35.4 minutes over that span. He played a full 40 minutes at Butler on Jan. 29.

GIVING CHARITY: Although the Vikings have been to the free throw line 528 times this year, CSU is being outscored by its opponents at the stripe. In 23 games, Vikings opponents have attempted 549 charity tosses and own a 392-352 scoring edge from the line. CSU opponents are converting at a .714 clip, which is well ahead of the Vikings' .667 percentage. The difference has come recently as CSU has shot more free throws then its opponents only four times in the 14 games since Christmas, being outscored 246-169 over that span.

ACCEPTING CHARITY: Along with the outrageous team free throw shooting numbers come some pretty hefty individual free throw totals as well. The tandem of Jermaine Robinson (176 attempts) and Omari Westley (152) rank first and second in the Horizon League in free throw attempts with Wright State's Vernard Hollins ranking third with 141 attempts. Five different CSU players have combined to attempt at least eight free throws in a game 25 times for CSU this year. Westley made 14-of-18 free throws against Florida A&M, the sixth-highest single game total for attempts while ranking fourth for makes. Robinson opened the year by making 14 free throws in 17 attempts against Central State.

ROBINSON PLAYS IN HIS 100TH CAREER CONTEST: Jermaine Robinson reached a career milestone against Wright State on Jan. 8, playing in his 100th career game as a Viking. He enters the week having started 92 of the 109 games during his career, totalling 3,077 minutes. His 40-minute effort against UW-Green Bay allowed him to move into ninth place on the career minutes played list, passing current CSU athletic director Lee Reed (3,026 minutes) and his teammate, Franklin Edwards (3,033). With an average game on Thursday, he can move up two more place and into seventh place, passing both Craig Caldwell (3,102 minutes) and Dave Youdath (3,111).

WILL THE BLOCKED SHOT RECORDS FALL AGAIN?: With Pape Badiane back in the lineup, the Vikings can resume their quest to break the school record for blocked shots in a season for the third time in the last four years. Through 23 games, CSU has blocked 87 shots, 45 short of the school record of 132 set last year. With at least six games left in the season, the Vikings will need to average 7.5 blocks per game to topple the record. In the first nine games before Badiane was injured, CSU blocked 55 shots (6.1 bpg). CSU set a school record with 130 blocks in 2000-01 and then narrowly missed resetting the mark with 128 blocks in 2001-02. The record fell again last year when the Vikings swatted away 132 shots to lead the Horizon League.

THE O-SHOW IS A SMASH HIT: The first 23 games of the collegiate career of Omari Westley have been nothing short of outstanding. He has scored in double figures 19 times with eight double-figure rebounding efforts. He leads the Horizon League in rebounding (8.5) and double-doubles (6) while leading the team in field goal percentage (.488) and is second in free throw percentage (107-146, .743) and scoring (15.6). His accomplishments include:

* Records third straight double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds in season-opening win over Central State.
* Leads comeback from 11-point deficit at Florida A&M, scoring 15 of his 18 points after the break - including 13 straight free throws.
* Scored a career-high 20 points against North Carolina, adding 11 rebounds and six assists.
* Had 11 points and a 12 rebounds at Norfolk State.
* Scores 19 points with a career-high 14 rebounds (10 offensive) and three blocks against Akron.
* Explodes for a career-high 30 points vs. Loyola on Jan. 5. He makes 12-of-18 field goal attempts with 13 rebounds.
* Comes back against Wright State on Jan. 8 to post his second straight 20-point game, tallying 21 points with nine rebounds, shooting 7-of-9 from the field and 7-of-8 from the line.
* 20 points, on eight-for-11 shooting from the field, his fourth career 20-point game.
* Scored 14 points with 11 rebounds vs. Youngstown State, his league-leading sixth double-double of the year.

A SHOT-BLOCKING FAMILY: The shot-blocking performance by Pape Badiane this year should not be surprise. After all, blocking shots is a trait that is shared by his younger brother, Moussa, who is a junior at East Carolina. Moussa Badiane has blocked 53 shots in the Pirates' 18 games this year (2.9 bpg), giving him 202 blocks in his career. Moussa Badiane ranks 12th nationally in blocked shots while Pape Badiane's 2.82 blocks per game would have been 17th had he played in the required 75% of CSU's games.

TAKING ATTENDANCE: The crowd of 11,534 that attended the North Carolina game was the second-largest crowd to see a Viking game in the Convocation Center. It trails the record 13,055 who saw CSU open the building against Michigan on Dec. 7, 1991. The crowd ranks as the fourth-largest crowd to see a Viking game in Cleveland. Crowds of 15,314 (vs. Rhode Island in 1998-99) and 12,617 (vs. Ohio State in 1994-95) saw CSU play games in the Gatorade Rock-N-Roll Shootout at Gund Arena.

LOOKING AHEAD: The Vikings continue the season-ending home stand on Saturday night (Feb. 14) against Illinois-Chicago. CSU then closes the home slate vs. Eastern Michigan as part of the Bracket Buster on Saturday, Feb. 21.