All-Time vs. Chicago State: 1-1
Last Meeting: 12/4/07 77-73 W
Tickets: csuvikings.com
Radio: 1350 AM The Gambler
TV: ESPN+
SETTING THE SCENE
The Cleveland State men's basketball team hosts Chicago State in the second game of the Turkey Slam - Cleveland State Region MTE. The Vikings picked up a win in the first game of the event on Friday against Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Cleveland State is coming off back-to-back wins last week after defeating Canisius on the road on Wednesday. Chicago State comes in with a 2-4 record. The Cougars will be playing a second game in four days after losing to Marshall on the road Monday night.
THE CLEVELAND STATE/CHICAGO STATE SERIES
Wednesday's game will mark the third time Cleveland State and Chicago State have played. This will be the first meeting since the 2007-08 season. Cleveland State won that game, 77-73 on the road. The first two meetings came in back-to-back seasons, as the Vikings and Cougars also met in the 2006-07 campaign. Chicago State won the first meeting between the two teams, on December 19, 2006. Chicago State prevailed in Overtime at the Wolstein Center.
REIGNING #HLMBB REGULAR SEASON CHAMPIONS
The Vikings won their second consecutive #HLMBB Regular Season Championship last year. Cleveland State finished with a 15-6 record in conference play, including a 15-3 record at the Wolstein Center. Players and coaches from last year's team were honored prior to the opening game against Notre Dame College, as a banner was raised to the rafters to commemorate the Championship.
THE 2022-23 CAMPAIGN
Saturday's game is part of an 11 game non-conference schedule. The Vikings will host five games at home in the non-conference, and six games will take place away from home. The game against Chicago State is part of a two game MTE hosted by Cleveland State. Kent State also visits the Wolstein Center in early December. The Vikings will also play at Loyola Marymount on December 18th.
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.
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 five games, he is averaging 13.8 points and 8.6 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 31 assists through five games. He had a career-high 11 in the opener against Notre Dame College. His average of 6.2 assists per game ranks second in the Horizon League and 26th nationally.
SCOUTING THE COUGARS
Chicago State is 2-4 on the season, after falling on the road at Marshall on Monday night. The Cougars have wins over Valparaiso and IUPUI. Chicago State returns three starters from a year ago, in addition to adding seven transfers and six freshmen to this year's roster. Head Coach Gerald Gillion is in his second year at the helm, after finishing last year as a finalist for the Joe B. Hall Award presented annually to the top first year head coach in the country. Chicago State is one of two schools in all of Division I to play as an independent this season.
