All-Time vs. NJIT: 0-1

Last Meeting: 3/23/15 80-77 L

Tickets: csuvikings.com

Radio: Fox Sports 1350 AM

Play-By-Play: Al Pawlowski, Pat Vuyancih, Ed Daugherty(Host)

TV: ESPN+

Play-By-Play: Al Pawlowski, Pat Vuyancih

SETTING THE SCENE

The Cleveland State Men's Basketball team is set to host the Thanksgiving Throwback Tournament inside Woodling Gymnasium this week. Cleveland State will host NJIT on Tuesday and Morehead State on Friday. The two visiting teams will play a neutral site game against one another on Wednesday. The Vikings are coming off a home loss to Kent State on Saturday and looking to rebound in the home tournament. NJIT is still looking for its first victory of the 2024-25 season as the Highlanders are 0-6 to start the year.

THE CLEVELAND STATE/NJIT SERIES

Tuesday's game is just the second ever meeting between Cleveland State and NJIT. The first came at the end of the 2014-15 season when the Highlanders defeated the Vikings in the second round of the 2015 CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament. Cleveland State fell 80-77 and saw its season come to a close. Cleveland State finished that season with 19 wins under head coach Gary Waters.

VIKINGS DEFEAT EASTERN MICHIGAN FOR SECOND STRAIGHT WIN

Cleveland State defeated Eastern Michigan on Saturday to improve to 3-2 on the year with a 71-63 win over the Eagles. The Vikings shot 51 percent from the field and had four players in double figures in a balanced offensive attack. Tevin Smith led the way with a career best 24 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the field and 8-of-11 from the free throw line. The game was close throughout with neither team holding a lead of more than nine points the entire way. Ultimately it was a 9-0 Cleveland State run in the closing minutes that sealed the victory.

VIKINGS EARN FIRST ROAD WIN AT VALPARAISO

Cleveland State defeated Valparaiso on the road Tuesday night for its first road victory of the 2024-25 season. The Vikings trailed at halftime before a second half surge propelled them to a 75-67 victory. Dylan Arnett recorded his first double-double of the season finishing with 19 points and 14 rebounds along with three blocked shots. Tahj Staveskie had 19 points including 60 percent shooting from three-point range. Staveskie provided an offensive spark with two key three-point makes in the second half to give the Vikings a lead they would not relinquish. Tevin Smith added 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the field.

CLEVELAND STATE TAKES DOWN BALDWIN WALLACE FOR FIRST WIN OF 2024-25

Cleveland State defeated Baldwin Wallace to earn its first win of 2024-25 as the Vikings defeated the Yellow Jackets 91-53. Cleveland State used a balanced offensive attack which featured five players in double figures led by Dylan Arnett who finished the night with 19 points on 9-of-11 shooting from the field. Je'Shawn Stevenson added 18 points and Tevin Smith recorded his first career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. The Vikings controlled the game throughout, leading by eight at the half before outscoring BW 48-18 in the second half to pull away.

VIKINGS LOCK DOWN LOURDES IN EXHIBITION VICTORY

Cleveland State defeated Lourdes on Wednesday night in its lone exhibition contest 84-49. The Vikings featured a balanced attack offensively with 11 of 12 players who saw action scoring at least two points. Every player who saw the court played double digit minutes. Je'Shawn Stevenson led the way with 18 points on 6-of-9 fom the field in his first collegiate action. Tahj Staveskie added 11 points and Jalin Rice finished with 10. The Vikings held Lourdes to 31 percent shooting and forced 24 turnovers, which resulted in 35 CSU points.

CLEVELAND STATE WELCOMES FOUR TRANSFERS IN 2024-25

Head Coach Daniyal Robinson has added four new faces to the Vikings' roster in 2024-25 utilizing the transfer portal to bolster this year's team. Tahj Staveskie joins the team after playing his first two seasons for Canisius. Staveskie was named to the MAAC All-Rookie team after starting every game and averaging 12.4 points per game. The Sandusky, OH native was sidelined with an injury for most of last season and will have three years of eligibility remaining with the Vikings. Isaac Abidde comes to CSU after two seasons at Wichita State. Abidde played in 47 games over his two seasons in Wichita and will have two seasons of eligibility remaining at CSU. Ebrima Dibba joins the roster after stops at Coastal Carolina and South Carolina. Dibba played four seasons at Coastal where he played in 90 total games and scored in double figures 39 times. His lone season with the Gamecocks was cut short due to injury. Dibba is a graduate transfer with one year of eligibility remaining. The newest addition to the roster is Cole Franklin, who joined the team after one season at Florida Southwestern College. Franklin averaged 9.4 points per game in his lone season at Florida Southwestern and will have three years of eligibility remaining.
 

SCOUTING THE HIGHLANDERS

NJIT is 0-6 on the season and in search of its first victory in this week's tournament. The Highlanders have played four of their first six games away from home and the two games in Cleveland are part of a string of seven in a row on the road for NJIT. The Highlanders fell narrowly to Penn in the season opener, falling 58-57. Grant Billmeier is in his second season as head coach. Billmeier was an assistant coach for one season at Maryland and seven previous seasons at Seton Hall before he was hired to lead the NJIT program in April of 2023.

CLEVELAND STATE WELCOMES FOUR FRESHMEN IN 2024 RECRUITING CLASS

Head Coach Daniyal Robinson signed a strong class of four freshmen who will join the team for the upcoming season. All four come from strong high school programs and bring a diverse skill set to the roster. Je'Shawn Stevenson hails from Chicago, IL and was a standout at Lindblom High School. Tyler Spratt comes to CSU from Farmington, MI after a successful high school career at North Farmington HS. Chaz Watson hails from Kansas City, MO and played at Lee's Summit West High School. The final addition is a familiar face, as Robinson's son Reece Robinson joins the team after playing two seasons at Saint Ignatius just outside of Cleveland.

FORMER VIKING STANDOUT DESHON PARKER JOINS COACHING STAFF

After playing his final two seasons in the green and white, Deshon Parker returns to Cleveland in a new role as he begins his first season as an assistant coach. Parker helped the Vikings to a Horizon League regular season title in his first season and was named to the league's All-Defensive Team in his second and final season, which was Coach Robinson's first as head coach. After playing one season of professional basketball overseas in Georgia, Parker begins his coaching career as the youngest full-time assistant coach in Division I.

HOME SWEET HOME

Cleveland State has made a habit of protecting its home court throughout the last two seasons. The Vikings are 2-1 at home to start this season and finished 14-3 at home in the 2023-24 season as well as a 29-6 overall record in Cleveland in the Daniyal Robinson era. Cleveland State outscored opponents by over 10 points per game in home contests in the 2023-24 season.

PAYNE PROMOTED TO ASSISTANT COACH POSITION

Steve Payne, an accomplished coach with over 30 years of experience, has been promoted to an Assistant Coach position on the Cleveland State coaching staff for the 2024-25 season. Payne enters his third season on staff at CSU after serving his first two seasons as Special Assistant to the Head Coach. Payne has eight years of head coaching experience at Tennessee Tech as well as three years as an assistant at UMKC prior to joining Coach Robinson's staff.

20 WIN CAMPAIGN FOR THE THIRD YEAR IN A ROW

Cleveland State has amassed 20-plus wins for three straight seasons. The Vikings have also made four straight postseason appearances, which is a program record.  Cleveland State appeared in the NCAA Tournament in 2021, the NIT in 2022 and the CBI in 2023 and 2024. Daniyal Robinson is the most successful two-year head coach in program history, becoming the first coach to win 20 games in his first two years in charge in the history of the program. Robinson has amassed 42 total victories over his first two seasons.

VOICE OF THE VIKINGS ENTERS 20TH SEASON

Veteran broadcaster Al Pawlowski begins his 20th season as the play-by-play voice of Cleveland State men's basketball this season. Pawlowski has held many roles throughout his career in the Cleveland media market, he currently serves as a part time sports anchor at WKYC Channel 3 as well as the pre-and post-game host of "Guardians Live" throughout the baseball season. Pawlowski has won six Emmy Awards for his work on the pre-and post-game show and is the second-longest tenured current voice in the Horizon League. Wright State's Chris Collins is the lone broadcaster in the league who has served in his role longer.

UP NEXT

Cleveland State visits Woodling Gymnasium for the Thanksgiving Throwback Tournament as the Vikings welcome NJIT and Morehead State to town. The tournament continues with a neutral site game between NJIT and Morehead State on Wednesday with CSU and Morehead State matching up in the final game on Friday.