CLEVELAND — The Cleveland State Women’s basketball team is building off a record-setting 2022-23 season.
“We wanna build a program that’s a model of consistency. Every year brings a new set of challenges. Whatever those challenges are and the adversity that comes, you gotta find a way to work through it,” says sixth-year head coach Chris Kielsmeier.
Adversity set in quickly this season. Vikings star guard Destiny Leo suffered a season-ending injury on Nov. 25 - just seven games into the season.
“We’d shaped our identity around Destiny for 5-6 months, and when that happens on a snap of a finger, it’s a lot for everybody,” explains Kielsmeier.
Leo, a Willowick, Ohio native, was named the Horizon League Player of the Year last year after leading the league in points per game (17.9). She started in all 35 games last season for the Vikings, setting CSU single-season records in free throw percentage (.911) and made three-pointers (90). Losing Leo, a leader by statistic and example, was an impactful punch - but not a full knockout.
“Life happens, and we needed to be able to realize that was what the norm was gonna be. It became something that - once we started to have some success, won some games and they started to put up some good numbers - I think everybody just realized we can still be an outstanding basketball team, and that’s what we’ve done,” says Kielsmeier.
Cleveland State is now 17-3 overall and tied with Green Bay for first place in the Horizon League standings.
“They’re really about each other. It’s a completely selfless group that doesn’t care who gets the most shots or points or awards,” says Kielsmeier.
“We have high expectations for ourselves, and we hold each other accountable for things. It really brings great positivity to the team,” says junior guard Colbi Maples.
“Everybody has just ‘the dog,’ the ‘it factor’ mentality, and we’re just ready to come and do whatever it takes to win games,” says senior guard Mickayla Perdue.
Maples and Perdue are both first-year transfers and have been big pick-ups for Cleveland State. Maples, who previously played at Grambling State, leads the Vikings in points per game (17.1) and ranks 3rd overall in the conference. Perdue, who came over from Glenville State, is second on the team in points per game (15.4) and ranks 5th overall in the conference. As Horizon League standouts, they’ve each gotten deserved recognition. Maples was named the Horizon League Women’s Basketball Player of the Week this week for the second time this season, and Perdue earned the honor last week.
“We’ve felt like we've been ahead of the curve with the portal. We're in it heavy every spring just like everybody. You can build a championship program in there, and you can blow a championship program up in the portal,” says Kielsmeier.
The Vikings are trending towards the former. The winning culture established within the program is largely what drew both Maples and Perdue to Cleveland State.
“When they called me, it was very much broadcasted. They told me about how they were coming off a big season, how they wanted to continue their success by bringing me here. Of course, coming into a different environment where you’re not really used to that, you wanna keep the standard going. As times went on and the weeks and weeks went by, it just became comfortable and everything kind of flowed,” says Maples.
“One of the main factors was, as soon as you walk in the gym, you see all the banners hanging around. It’s just a good feeling to win games and see that they won. I'm a winner, so I like coming to a place that wins,” says Perdue.
As the Vikings chase another Horizon League title and NCAA tournament appearance, they know it starts at home. They’re undefeated at the Wolstein Center, earning 9 of their 17 wins on their home hardwood.
“I’ve always said if you're gonna build an elite program, you gotta be dominant at home. We've been able to do that over the last couple years. This group just has a real comfort zone here, where we’ve played dominant basketball,” says Kielsmeier.
The Vikings are currently riding a six-game win streak. They’re unbeaten this month, with three more games on the January slate.
Cleveland State plays Oakland in Rochester, Michigan, on Thursday.
Carly Mascitti is a sports anchor at News 5 Cleveland. Follow her on Twitter @carlymascitti.
