Part of what makes college basketball exciting (or excruciating) to fans at the moment is the transfer portal. Cleveland State fans are all too familiar with learning an entirely new set of players, as last season saw no returnees, including the coach. This upcoming season at least keeps head coach Rob Summers at the helm, but the team has completely turned over yet again.
Last season’s focus was three-pointers and hoping that the other team would miss shots and not get rebounds. With under-sized guards (including Tre Beard at 5-10 who shot 41.9% from deep) and injuries to their big men (including Josiah Harris), the Vikings were not able to keep up with most of the other teams in the country and league. They shot 40 more threes than the second team in conference play, but they were last in rebounding margin and only sixth in scoring (and tied for last in scoring margin).
They finished 11-22 (6-14 in the Horizon League) and only had a few flashes of what could have been with a fully healthy outside-shooting offense firing at the same time. The new season will feature a lot more height and a lot less shooting, as the 7-foot Summers is instructing student-athletes his own size.
Freshman Kevo St. Hilaire was the only true big man last year, but this roster features seven players that are 6-8 or taller. Their smallest player is 6-1 and the two centers are each 6-10 and 250 pounds. “It’s been great to not be an outlier in the Wolstein Center,” Summers said.
On top of height, Summers looked local for his new roster, with nine of the 14 having connections to Ohio. He also drew from every age group with four freshmen, four sophomores (two redshirts), four juniors (two redshirts), and two seniors. With the normal mix of high school, NJCAA, and other divisions of NCAA, the experience is well-rounded throughout the squad.
Will the second year of Summers’ plans work better for the Vikes? One reason to believe is the return of former Viking Tre Gomillion as an assistant coach. Gomillion was part of the 2020-21 Vikings team that went to the NCAA tournament and then went back to the tournament with Missouri two years later. He reconnects with Summers (who was an assistant during his time at CSU) and brings a winning mindset to the school.
Overall, it should be an interesting mix of players on a new team, and CSU is looking to be the surprise team of the Horizon League.
Returning Players
One of these years there will be something to write here. For now, the Vikings bring back Summers and mascot Magnus while Gomillion returns home to the CLE. Standout Dayan Nessah heads to Loyola-Chicago, Josiah Harris goes to Louisiana, and everyone else’s decisions can be found on The Horizone Roundtable Transfer Tracker.
The Vikings may be losing their scoring options in Nessah, Beard, and others but they look to have a much tougher presence inside and on defense than last year. If they can find a happy medium between the shooting of last year and the previous regime’s (Daniyal Robinson) lock-down defense, they will be able to compete in a lot more games.
Incoming Players
Micah Bays, 6-2, Junior, G, Toledo, OH, Southview/Central State University
Coming out of D-II Central State, Bays brings scoring to the Vikings. He averaged 49.8% from the field (42.3% from deep) last season in 30 games (24 starts). Although he’s one of the shorter members of the new squad, he has the ability to score in bunches. He averaged 15.5 points per game and had a season high of 36. With the other players listed below who are going to be playing inside a lot, the Vikings will need Bays to provide some of this shooting regularly. Summers compared him to Beard, so that’s a good start. He also previously played at Lake Erie College and is just the start of the Ohio connections on the team.
Curtis Stinson Jr., 6-5, Sophomore, G, West Des Moines, IA, Western Reserve Academy/North Texas
Possibly the most intriguing player on the roster, Cleveland State finally nabbed a transfer from an old coach. Coming over from Robinson’s Mean Green, he brings an immense amount of experience that started when he was growing up. His father, Curtis Stinson Sr., was an outstanding player in college and for the Iowa Energy (now the G-League Iowa Wolves) and even had his number retired there. “He’s a big reason for what I’ve become today as a basketball player. I’ve learned everything from him,” Stinson Jr. mentioned. His son now brings a ton of awards to CSU, including Iowa Gatorade Player of the Year. He did play in 32 of 33 games last year for North Texas, but he averaged under nine minutes a game and 1.4 points per game (PPG). Perhaps with more playing time he will grow back into the well-rounded player from high school. “I think what we’re gonna be built off of is defense and grit, but we’re also gonna score,” Stinson Jr. noted. Summers also had plenty to add. “He’s obviously got a pedigree and a DNA, and for him that’s toughness, just coming from a program in North Texas that’s all about defense, and that’s something that we obviously struggled with last year.”
Ogbemudia Uagboe, 6-4, Freshman, G, Holte, Denmark, Ordrup
After the success of Nessah (from Switzerland), Summers looked back to Europe to round out his roster. Uagboe also brings international talent to CSU, having played for the Danish National Team and other leagues across Europe. He can score from anywhere and averaged four assists for his team, Vaerlose, this past year. If he can cut down on his turnovers, he will be a great asset off the bench for Summers even as a freshman. “[Uagboe] fits our style of being able to be a guard, play out of short rolls, shoot the basketball, and he’s got good size,” Summers stated.
Jordan Lowery, 6-1, Sophomore, G, Denton, TX, Denton Guyer/UT Arlington
Named to the WAC All-Freshman team last season, Lowery still has plenty of room for growth that should happen this season. In almost 16 minutes a game, he averaged under five points and did not shoot particularly well. That being said, he was highly recruited out of high school and should see a bump in PPG as he will most likely start for much of the season. His team last season was 359th in three-point percentage, so hopefully with some more pieces around him, he can get back to his roots which saw him win a high school state championship and Defensive MVP award.
Rayvon Griffith, 6-8, Redshirt Junior, W, Cincinnati, OH, Compass Prep/Kent State University
Completing his rounds of Ohio, Griffith has now gone to Cincinnati, Kent, and Cleveland State. His long 6-8 frame starts the slew of wings that Summers brought in and he also has a high school state championship to his name. He didn’t play a lot last season at Kent, but showed the ability to put up 20 points in high school. Summers noted that he could be similar to Nessah with his abilities. “Somebody like that in the Horizon League – you don’t see too many guys like that,” he said.
Alex Bruskotter, 6-8, Redshirt Sophomore, W, Shelby, OH, Shelby/Wright State University
Horizon-on-Horizon crime sees Bruskotter come over from the 2025-26 Horizon League Champs. His shooting percentages last season were incredible (58.8/60.0/80.0!) but he only played in 15 games. His best performance came against the Vikings, where he put up 25 at the Wolstein Center, and he brings another offensive weapon to CSU.
Owen Bronston Jr., 6-6, Senior, W, Fairfield, OH, Fairfield/South Carolina State
All three wings for the Vikings look intriguing, and Bronston has the most experience. Last season at South Carolina State, he averaged 10.3 PPG while playing 27 games (17 starts). He shot 36% from three (37% in conference play) and hopefully can stretch the offense out for the big men listed below.
Deandre Jones, 6-9, Redshirt Sophomore, F, Cleveland, OH, Garfield Heights/Kent State University
Another Kent State transfer, Jones is even closer to home, and fans of the Garfield Heights Bulldogs should be excited to see him play again. He didn’t play much at Kent last season (and redshirted the year prior) but he has played in big games in high school. Most notably, he hit a go-ahead shot for #1 Garfield Heights against #2 Richmond Heights in 2023. He also was a perfect 14-for-14 from the floor for Kent last season.
Brandon White, 6-10, Redshirt Junior, C, Spencer, NC, Donda Academy/Midland College
Now for the big men. White is one of two actual centers Summers was able to recruit to reshape the look of the Vikings. Highly ranked out of high school, he spent last season in the junior college ranks and didn’t put up monster numbers on the season, but he impressed in certain games. Could Summers take him to the next level of play?
Derek Vorst, 6-10, Senior, C, Luckey, OH, Rossford/Indiana State University
As opposed to White, Vorst has already established himself in D-I hoops and looks to be the starting center at the beginning of the season. He shot over 50% from the floor last season (including 42.1% from three) and grabbed almost four rebounds a game. With the help of the other taller Vikings, it’s expected he should bump that rebounding number up and be a force inside. “[Summers] spent a lot of time with me and the bigs. I believe we’ve got the three best bigs in the Horizon League,” Vorst said. Summers also has a lot of faith in Vorst. “He’s got the ability to see over the top, and he can make all those reads, all those passes,” he said.
Projected Starting Roster
Guard – Jordan Lowery, 6-1, SO
Guard – Curtis Stinson Jr., 6-5, SO
Wing – Rayvon Griffith, 6-8, RS JR
Forward – Deandre Jones, 6-9, RS SO
Center – Derek Vorst, 6-10, SR
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