Game 3 - Cleveland State at Kansas State
Bramlage Coliseum, Manhattan, KS
4:00 p.m. EST

All-Time vs. Kansas State: 0-3

Last Meeting: 12/29/09 85-56 L

Tickets: kstatsports.com

Radio: Fox Sports 1350 AM

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

TV: ESPN+

Play-By-Play: Ben Boyle, Stan Weber

SETTING THE SCENE

The Cleveland State Men's Basketball team will play its third game of the opening week of the regular season as the Vikings travel to Kansas State for a non-conference matchup on Saturday afternoon. CSU is 1-1 after a 91-53 victory over Baldwin Wallace in its first home contest of the season. The Vikings dropped a road contest at Michigan to open the season. K-State is the second power conference opponent on the Cleveland State schedule this season. The Wildcats are 1-0 after a season-opening win over New Orleans on Tuesday. K-State also defeated Fort Hays State in exhibition play on October 29. The matchup with the Vikings is the second of four consecutive home games for the Wildcats to start the season.

THE CLEVELAND STATE/K-STATE SERIES

Wednesday's game is the fourth all-time meeting between Cleveland State and Kansas State. The Wildcats hold a 3-0 series lead and a 2-0 lead in games played in Manhattan. The last matchup came on December 29, 2009 as K-State defeated CSU by a final score of 85-56.

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.

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.

SCOUTING THE WILDCATS
Kansas State is 1-0 following a season-opening win over New Orleans on Tuesday night. The Wildcats welcome 11 newcomers to the roster this season, including eight transfers with Division I playing experience. Jerome Tang is in his third season in charge of the program. The Wildcats have 45 victories and have been to the postseason in each of Tang's first two seasons as head coach. He led K-State to 26 victories and a trip to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament in his first season.

HOME SWEET HOME

Cleveland State has made a habit of protecting its home court throughout the last two seasons. The Vikings are 14-3 at home this season and have a 27-6 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.

BA AND KAHN JOIN CLEVELAND STATE STAFF

Two additional staff members joined the CSU program this offseason, as Mo Ba comes on board as Director of Player Development and Josh Kahn joins the staff as Assistant Director of Basketball Operations. Ba was a graduate assistant at Iowa State where he worked with Coach Robinson during his time as an assistant on the ISU staff. He most recently worked with the Milwaukee Bucks before joining the CSU staff. Kahn is a graduate of the University of Arizona and spent last season working with the West Virginia men's basketball program before joining the CSU staff this summer.

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 remains on the road traveling to Indiana for a matchup against Valparaiso on Tuesday night. The Vikings and Crusaders will tip at 8:00 p.m.