Coming off a year in which ten new faces came together from being predicted to finish near the bottom of the Horizon League to finishing in a second place tie and making a post-season appearance the expectations are high for the Cleveland State Vikings. With four starters returning, the bulk of the roles players back and a handful of newcomers expected to make an impact the Vikings were picked to finish first the Horizon League pre-season poll. They also boast two pre-season first team performers in seniors J’Nathan Bullock and Cedric Jackson.
Bullock a 6’5” 240 pound forward improved his game immensely last season, adding a decent three-point shot to his already solid low post game. Bullock averaged nearly 15 points a game, nearly seven rebounds and shot a respectable 32.5% from long range. The addition of some capable three-point shooters to the Vikings roster should allow Bullock to spend a little less time on the outside and force the issue inside where he is more comfortable.
The big surprise to the Horizon League if not the Vikings last season was the addition of point guard Cedric Jackson. The St. John’s transfer paid immediate dividends and improved as the season went on. He lead the Vikings in assists, finishing second in the Horizon League. He was also CSU’s most competent three-point shooter, hitting 39% from beyond the arc. Jackson averaged nearly 14 points a game and chipped in almost five rebounds for a Vikings squad that lead the conference in rebounding margin.
The other two returning starters for the Vikings are frontcourt veterans Chris Moore and George Tandy. Moore, a 6’9” senior center, teamed with Tandy, the 6’8” senior forward, blocked 69 total shots and finished 6th and 2nd, respectively, in the Horizon League. Moore chipped in nearly five points and three rebounds a game. Tandy, averaged just over four points and four rebounds a contest, but has a bit more offensively ability than his numbers indicate.
Sophomore guard Norris Cole seems to be the most likely candidate to round out the Vikings starting five. Cole appeared in all 34 games as a freshman last season, averaging five points a contest. Like the Vikings as a whole, though, Cole struggled shooting the ball. He hit just 23.8% from three-point range on a Vikings squad that finished ninth in the league in three-point accuracy.
A handful of freshman were seemingly recruited to fill that specific need for the Vikings. Of the threesome of Trevor Harmon, Jeremy Montgomery and Josh McCoy the Vikes hope at least one will rise up early and provide the spark the Vikings need from beyond the three-point arc.
Harmon will most likely have to sit out until the second semester, but the six-foot Pasadena native is a tremendous athlete with star potential. He was named the Pasadena player of the year his senior year in high school.
Jeremy Montgomery comes from Chicago’s Lincoln Park high school. The 6’2” Montgomery hit 41% of his three-point attempts during his senior season and is a big strong guard that can score from anywhere.
Josh McCoy is a 6’4” wing with a solid jump-shot. He also shot the three-pointer at a better than 40% clip in high school. He was also the quarterback on his high school football team.
Sophomore guard D’Aundray Brown is a physical guard off the bench for head coach Gary Waters. In 33 appearances last season Brown made 11 starts and averaged nearly five points and four rebounds a contest.
Another sophomore, Eric Schiele, barely saw the floor last season for a multitude of reasons, but may have the best shooting range on the squad. As a high school senior he averaged better than 40 points a game.
Behind Moore and Tandy up front will be 6’7” senior Renard Fields. His minutes took a step down last season, but he is a solid defensive presence with a penchant for blocking shots.
Two red-shirt freshmen will also be in the mix. Daitwan Eppinger is a 6’6” forward who has scoring and rebounding ability. Joe Latas is a 6’11” center who sat out last season with an ankle injury. He may still be a project, but you can’t teach size.
Incoming freshman Charlie Woods is a versatile forward. At 6’7” and 175 pounds he can stand to put on some weight, but has the size and ability to score on the inside or outside. He was the Lansing State Journal player of the year his senior year in high school.
The Vikings have all the pieces in place to make a run at the Horizon League title. If they can figure out the three-point shooting woes that have plagued them since Waters took over they’ll be that much stronger. But with a talented and deep roster led by two player of the year candidates it would seem that the Vikings NCAA tournament drought may be coming to an end.
Contact Joe @ joedlugosz@hotmail.com
