by Per Matt Kearney
Assistant Athletic Director, Communications
Cleveland State University
Cleveland, OH-The Horizon League announced today its postseason all-conference awards for the 2024-25 men’s basketball season and Cleveland State is well represented. Je’Shawn Stevenson was named the league’s Freshman of the Year and Chase Robinson took home the Sixth Man of the Year award. In addition, three student-athletes made the all-conference teams, two were named to the all-freshman team and two were named to the all-defensive team.
Stevenson earns the Freshman of the Year award after taking home six freshman of the week awards throughout the regular season. Stevenson averaged 9.4 points per game and 2.7 rebounds per game along with scoring in double figures 14 times. He finished the season ranked 10th in the league averaging 1.4 steals per game.
Robinson earned Sixth Man of the Year after excelling in his role as the first man off the bench for the Vikings. He appeared in every game and finished the season averaging 8.9 points per game. Robinson scored in double figures 14 times and finished the year shooting 76 percent from the free throw line.
Tevin Smith was named First-Team All-Horizon League as well as to the league’s All-Defensive Team after a stellar season on both ends of the floor. Smith ranked in the top ten in the conference in scoring, free throw percentage and field goal percentage. He averaged 13.7 points per game and scored in double figures in 25 out of 31 regular season games. His 37-point performance against Oakland in December ranked as the second-highest point total of anyone in the Horizon League this season in a single game. Defensively, he finished in the top ten in the conference in blocks per game and served as the primary perimeter defender for the league’s number one ranked defense.
Dylan Arnett and Tahj Staveskie were both named Third-Team All-Horizon League. Arnett averaged just under 12 points per game in conference play and ranked in the top ten in total rebounding, blocked shots and offensive rebounding. Arnett is tied for seventh in the league with seven double-digit rebounding performances this season. In addition to being named all-league, Arnett was also named to the All-Defensive Team along with Smith. Staveskie earned third-team all-league honors as Cleveland State’s primary three-point threat, as he ranked in the top five in the league in three-point percentage and in three’s made per game at just under 3 per contest. Staveskie averaged over 13 points per game in conference play and has scored in double figures 18 times this season.
Reece Robinson was named to the league’s All-Freshman Team along with Stevenson after earning a spot in the starting lineup thanks to his consistent play. Robinson averaged 5.6 points per game and 4.4 rebounds per game. He made 15 consecutive starts and registered six double-figure scoring games and four double-digit rebounding games for the season. Robinson ranked second among all freshmen averaging over three offensive rebounds per game.
The Vikings enter this week’s Barbasol Horizon League Men’s Basketball Championship after winning 20 games in the regular season. The Vikings are the no. 2 seed in the tournament bracket and will host a quarterfinal game at the Wolstein Center on Thursday. The game is part of a doubleheader with the women’s basketball team. Tickets are on sale now for $10 each which is good for admission to both postseason games. The winners of the quarterfinal games advance to Monday’s semifinal round which will be played at Corteva Coliseum in Indianapolis.
