Cleveland State Vikings
Horizon League (22-10, 12-6)
Cleveland State lost some of their luster after their nice 9-1 start. The Vikings experience helped them get off to a quick start and beat teams like Vanderbilt, St. Bonaventure, Kent State, Detroit, Robert Morris and Akron early in the season. As the season progressed the Vikings leadership needed some help from the freshmen. Eventually they got it and that is why this team can be just as dangerous as they were in November and December.
Big Wins: 11/13 at Vanderbilt (71-58), 11/22 at Kent State (57-53), 12/10 Akron (69-66)
Bad Losses: 11/26 vs Hofstra (53-63), 12/31 Youngstown State (67-73), 2/21 at Green Bay (67-71)
Coach: Gary Waters (6 seasons at Cleveland State)
Why They Can Surprise:
While the freshmen will play an important role, it is the upperclassmen that will pave the way. Guards Trevon Harmon and Jeremy Montgomery are both dangerous outside shooters. Those two spend a lot of time on the perimeter putting up three-pointers, but they can create some shots for themselves and their teammates. Forward Tim Kamczyc is a power forward who can stretch out the defense with his shooting ability. Kamczyc does not help out on the glass too much, which can be a problem for the Vikings, but he is a great asset on the offensive end. Aaron Pogue, a 6-9, 270 pound senior, is the traditional big man under the basket. He is not much of a scorer, but Pogue is a decent defender and does eat up a lot of space on both ends of the floor.
Why They Can Disappoint:
The big questions are how healthy is D’Aundray Brown and will the freshmen keep up their great play in March? Brown missed the end of the regular season with a groin injury and that is when the Vikings season started going downhill. Brown is a wing player with size who can get to the basket. The rest of the Vikings backcourt tends to hang out on the perimeter, but Brown can attack the basket. Without him, the offense just is not the same. Brown was just about back in full force for the Horizon League Conference Tournament and played 32 minutes in Cleveland State’s loss to Detroit, but did not earn a starting job. The Vikings need him to stay healthy and get back in the starting lineup. The freshmen have to keep up their pace too. Guard Charlie Lee will have to help out, but the freshmen in the frontcourt have been hot lately. Anton Grady, at 6-8, has the size to make a huge impact in the paint. He has had some great offensive games late in the season, but is also a great rebounder and the team’s best shot blocker. Marlin Mason is a dynamic forward who stepped up his game when Brown was out. He can knock down shots and score around the basket. Mason and Grady are the future of the Cleveland State frontcourt, but they need to make some noise right now if the Vikings are going to pull off an upset or two.
Probable Starters:
Trevon Harmon, Senior, Guard, 12.9 ppg, 2.1 apg
Jeremy Montgomery, Senior, Guard, 10.8 ppg, 3.1 apg
D’Aundray Brown, Senior, Guard, 11.0 ppg, 2.2 apg, 4.6 rpg, 2.6 spg
Tim Kamczyc, Junior, Forward, 9.0 ppg, 3.8 rpg
Aaron Pogue, Senior, Forward, 5.8 ppg, 4.4 rpg
Key Roleplayers:
Anton Grady, Freshman, Forward, 8.6 ppg, 6.3 rpg
Charlie Lee, Freshman, Guard, 4.0 ppg, 2.1 apg
Marlin Mason, Freshman, Forward, 3.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 66.0 (214th in nation, 4th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 59.6 (19, 1)
Field-Goal Percentage: 45.0 (105, 3)
Field-Goal Defense: 41.2 (82, 2)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 6.5 (124, 4)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 36.3 (81, 2)
Free-Throw Percentage: 71.4 (90, 2)
Rebound Margin: 0.0 (184, 8)
Assists Per Game: 13.7 (107, 2)
Turnovers Per Game: 13.7 (187, 5)
Last Five Postseason Appearances:
Cleveland State 2011 NIT First Round win over Vermont
Cleveland State 2011 NIT Second Round loss to College of Charleston
Cleveland State 2009 NCAA Round of 64 win over Wake Forest
Cleveland State 2009 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Arizona
Cleveland State 2008 NIT First Round loss to Dayton
Cleveland State 1988 NIT First round win over Illinois State
Cleveland State 1988 NIT Second Round loss to Ohio State
Cleveland State 1987 NIT First round win over Chattanooga
Cleveland State 1987 NIT Second round loss to Illinois State
*all team stats through 3/4
See All Men’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
