On offseason’s sixth day, Cleveland State assigned Agent 0

Cleveland State spent the first five days of its offseason losing its entire frontcourt and most of its bench to the transfer portal. The sixth day, however, brought news of a different sort.

And behold, it was very good.

Mickayla Perdue, the 2024-25 Horizon League Player of the Year, announced her return to the Vikings on Tuesday afternoon via social media, in a form befitting the always-lively guard.

“2 unforgettable years here at CSU,” she began, with language mirroring that of the roughly 1,000 portal announcements published nationwide over the last few weeks. “Thank you to the fans, coaches & teammates who made it all so special. Grateful for every moment. It’s been a ride & with that being said…”

“SIKE I’m not done yet. YEAR 6, LET’S WORK & RUN IT BACK ONE LAST TIME! #GOVIKES”

Next season will be Perdue’s third in Northeast Ohio, of her six total, and she’ll undoubtedly add plenty of accolades to a career that already ranks among the best in school history.

Her 1,347 CSU points in just two seasons (most of her 2,002 overall career number) already rank 13th in program history, and she has a clear opportunity to end up in third place, behind only teammate Destiny Leo and Kailey Klein, the engine behind the Vikings’ 2008 and 2010 NCAA Tournament appearances. A full 740 of those points – the 11th-best total nationally – were scored in 2024-25, making her the Horizon League’s top scorer.

A healthy share of that output came from the charity stripe, as Perdue ranked among the top ten Division I players in both free throws attempted (238, seventh) and made (201, sixth). She’s also been a prolific three-point shooter throughout her career; her two-season total of 162 made triples is tied for ninth in Vikings history.

However, perhaps the most impressive thing about her CSU career has been her adaptability. In 2023-24, she stepped into the starting lineup after an ACL tear ended Leo’s season, and subsequently won the Horizon League’s Newcomer of the Year award while helping the Vikings to the first regular season conference championship in school history.

This past season, she became CSU’s primary ballhandler after Colbi Maples also went down with an ACL tear, and was able to substantially reinvent her game. That transformation included 3.3 assists per game, the fifth-best number in the conference.

As things stand, Perdue is the only member of the HL’s first two all-league teams for 2024-25 expected to return next season. Six of the ten players recognized back in March are out of eligibility, while three others (including the Vikings’ Jordana Reisma) are presently in the transfer portal.  

Prior to joining Cleveland State, Springfield High School’s all-time leading scorer began her college career with two seasons of limited duty at Toledo. She then moved on to Glenville State in 2022-23 where she – under current Tennessee head coach Kim Caldwell – led the Pioneers to a 33-3 record and a spot in the NCAA Division II semifinals.

Now, she’ll look to finish her collegiate career with similar successes, except at Cleveland State.

And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.