Game 1 - Cleveland State at Duquesne
Cleveland State Game Notes | Duquesne Game Notes
UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse, Pittsburgh PA
All-Time vs. Duquesne: 2-2
Last Meeting: 11/27/16 78-71 L
Tickets: goduquesne.com
Radio: 1350 AM The Gambler
Play-By-Play: Al Pawlowski, Ed Daugherty(Host)
TV: ESPN+/SportsNet Pittsburgh
Play-By-Play: Tim Benz
SETTING THE SCENE
The Cleveland State Men's Basketball team opens the 2023-24 regular season with a trip to Duquesne. The Vikings begin year two of the Daniyal Robinson era with a roster that features seven returning players and seven new faces looking to build upon the success of the 2022-23 season. Cleveland State defeated Baldwin Wallace in an exhibition contest 96-48 in it's first action of the season at the Wolstein Center Thursday night. The matchup pits two teams who won 20 or more games last season. Duquesne is picked fourth in the Atlantic 10 Preseason Poll after finishing with a 20-13 record last season.
THE CLEVELAND STATE/DUQUESNE SERIES
Monday's game marks the fifth time the Vikings and Dukes have squared off. Four of the five matchups have taken place in Pittsburgh, with the series even at two games apiece. The last matchup occurred on November 27, 2016. Duquesne picked up a 78-71 victory. The Gary Waters-led Vikings were paced by Kasheem Thomas with 16 points and Rob Edwards who finished with 15. The next previous meeting between the two teams took place exactly 14 years earlier, on November 27, 2002. The Vikings defeated the Dukes 74-67 behind Percell Coles, who poured in nine three-pointers and finished with a game-high 29 points. Coles finished 9-12 from long range, and the nine triples set a new building single-game high at the time at Duquesne's Palumbo Center.
COACHING STAFF CONNECTIONS
The Duquesne coaching staff consists of multiple coaches with connections to Northeast Ohio. Head Coach Keith Dambrot hails from Akron, where he got his coaching start at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School. Cleveland State sophomore Ramar Pryor played his high school basketball at St. Vincent-St. Mary. In addition, Duquesne associate head coach Dru Joyce III was an assistant coach for three seasons on the Cleveland State staff from 2019-22. Joyce also played at St. Vincent-St. Mary, where he teamed with NBA legend LeBron James and played under Dambrot for two seasons.
SCOUTING THE DUKES
Duquesne enters the 2023-24 campaign coming off a 20-win season last year. The Dukes were picked fourth in the Atlantic 10 Preseason Poll. Duquesne returns three starters from last season, including two who earned preseason all-league honors. Senior guard Dae Dae Grant was named to the preseason All-A10 First Team after averaging 15.5 points per game and scoring in double figures in 28 of 33 games. Senior Guard Jimmy Clark III earned second team all-league honors as well as being named to the all-defensive team. Senior forward Tre Williams is the third returning starter, he averaged 6.6 points and 4.5 rebounds per contest last season.
DANIYAL ROBINSON ACHIEVES RECORD-SETTING FIRST SEASON
Cleveland State head coach Daniyal Robinson set a new school record in his first season in charge of the program. Robinson and the Vikings recorded 21 wins in 2022-23, which is the most wins of any first-year head coach in school history. Cleveland State finished as the runner-up in the Horizon League Tournament and made the program's third-straight postseason appearance, earning a trip to the CBI. Should the Vikings reach the postseason this year, it would be the first time in school history that CSU has reached the postseason four consecutive years.
VIKINGS PICKED FOURTH IN #HLMBB PRESEASON POLL
Cleveland State was picked to finish fourth in the Horizon League Men's Basketball Preseason Poll following a vote amongst league head coaches, media members and Sports Information Directors from the league's 11 participating schools. Cleveland State received one first-place vote and finished with 362 points. In addition, senior forward Tristan Enaruna was named to the all-league first team after averaging 15.6 points and 6.8 rebounds per game last season.
RETURNERS PACK A PUNCH
Cleveland State returns a majority of the scoring and rebounding from last season's 21-win squad. The Vikings return 62 percent of the scoring and 51 percent of the rebounding from 2022-23. Cleveland State returns its top three scorers and two of its top three rebounders. In the scoring department, Tristan Enaruna led the way at 15.6 points per game, followed by Tae Williams who also averaged double figures at 11.1 points per contest. Senior guard Drew Lowder returns after averaging 9.8 points per game last season. Enaruna and Williams will provide a steady presence on the glass, as the two combined to average 12.5 rebounds per game in 2022-23.
NEW FACES
Seven newcomers will suit up in the green and white for the first time on Monday night. The roster includes six transfer student-athletes and one freshman. The group features junior transfer guards Tevin Smith and Jalin Rice, who will see action on the wings, and junior transfer forwards KJ Debrick and Dok Muordar who will add to the depth in the post. Junior Chase Robinson was on the roster last season, but will make his debut after sitting out last year due to transer protocol. Fifth- year senior TJ Moss will provide verteran experience, and local product Danny Young(Shaker Heights), is the lone freshman addition.
CHALLENGING NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE AWAITS IN 2023-24
Head Coach Daniyal Robinson has assembled a challenging non-conference schedule in his second season in charge of the program. The matchup with Duquesne is one of four in which the Vikings will face off with a team that won 20 or more games and played in the postseason. Cleveland State will face two teams that appeared in the NCAA Tournament last season, with road matchups scheduled at St. Mary's (Dec. 5) and at Kent State (Dec. 9). Duquesne (CBI) and Bradley (NIT) also made postseason appearances last year.
VIKINGS CRUISE TO 96-48 EXHIBITION WIN OVER BALDWIN WALLACE
Cleveland State saw its first action of 2023-24 with an exhibition victory over Bald- win Wallace, 96-48, at the Wolstein Center Thursday night. The Vikings jumped out to an early 20-point lead and never looked back. The Vikings locked down defensively coming out of the halftime locker room, holding BW to just six points in the first ten minutes of the second half. Five Vikings scored in double figures led by Tae Williams who finished with 18 points. Williams was a stellar 8-10 from the field on the night. This marked the second consecutive year that the Vikings have recorded an exhibition victory over Baldwin Wallace.
JOHNSON JOINS COACHING STAFF
Head Coach Daniyal Robinson announced the addition of Kwanza Johnson as an assistant coach for the Vikings for the 2023-24 season. Johnson brings over 20 years of college coaching experience to the Cleveland State bench. Johnson and Robinson share a connection that goes back to their time working together at Arkansas-Little Rock, Robinson's alma mater. Johnson joins returning assistants Travis Lewis, Jay Shunnar and Special Assistant to the Head Coach Steve Payne on this season's coaching staff.
ENARUNA EARNS OLYMPIC EXPERIENCE
Preseason all-league first-team honoree Tristan Enaruna earned valuable playing experience over the summer, competing as a member of the Netherlands Olympic National Team in the 2023 FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament. Enaruna, who hails from Almere, was one of four Division I players on the Netherlands roster and the only player from a non-Power Five institution. The tournament featured several European nations competing for qualifying spots on the road to the 2024 Olympic Basketball Tournament scheduled to be held in Paris, France.
GREAT EIGHT
TJ Moss will become the first player to wear the number eight in program history on Monday night. The NCAA approved a change to the basketball rules over the summer which now allows players to wear any uniform number from 0-99 for the first time in a long time. The number eight was previously not an eligible uniform number.
UP NEXT
Cleveland State returns to the Wolstein Center for the regular season home opener against Defiance College, scheduled for Wednesday, November 8th at 7 p.m.
