by CLEVELAND, Ohio– Prior to the team’s home opener Nov. 13, head coach Dennis Gates wrote two teams on the whiteboard in the locker room: Ohio and BYU.
Those are the two teams the Vikings have opened up the 2021-22 season against, both resulting in losses. But the teams run deeper than that.
Those teams both made the NCAA tournament a year ago.
So did Cleveland State.
Despite starting the season off with back-to-back losses, Gates and his staff are finding ways to learn lessons with each passing game. There’s a lot to look forward to within the program and there’s no time to panic, according to Gates.
“I asked the guys what these two teams have in common and they listed about 25 different things as I wrote on the board,” Gates said following the 67-56 loss to the Bobcats Saturday night. “The one thing that stood out; NCAA tournament teams….those are the same characteristics that we share and they were just able to gameplan and execute in between the 40 minutes.
“I’m not hitting the panic button, I won’t,” he continued. “One game is one game. A lesson is a lesson and we got to continue to use these opportunities to grow our program and grow individually.”
One standout for the Vikings thus far has been guard Broc Finstuen, a transfer after spending the last two years at the University of Pacific. Through two games, the 6-foot-4 guard has averaged 12.5 points and four rebounds off the bench.
He’s a player that’s come to Cleveland with experience and is providing the Vikings with a spark they need as they still search for their first win of the season.
“What you’re seeing is him being able to navigate against NCAA tournament teams,” Gates said. “But ultimately, he’s showing you the value because he doesn’t need the basketball in his hand, he just knows how to make the right plays in that situation and environment.”
Through two games, Cleveland State is averaging just 57.5 points per game while shooting 22 percent from 3-point range (8-of-35). The offense hasn’t been able to fully click but playing against two defenses such as Ohio and BYU have been something Gates can build off of heading into their next game against Edinboro.
“First I’m not going to panic and I’m not going to just start a new offense, I’m not going to do those things,” Gates chuckled. “I just think when you look at the defense of an Ohio and the defense of a BYU, those are great teams. Both teams have an unbelievable assist to turnover ratio. For a team to have 24 baskets and 22 of those baskets were assisted, that’s doing labor for others. So offensively, we got to continue to do labor for others.”
The Vikings will play their next six games at home prior to traveling to Stillwater, OK on Dec. 16 to face Oklahoma State.
