So maybe you forgot about the only NCAA Division I team in town this winter. It’s OK! WTAM 1100 has you covered. Here’s a quick look at the 2009 Horizon League Champions from Cleveland State, who recently punched their ticket into the ‘Big Dance’.

The Starting 5:

# 42 Chris Moore/Senior/C/6-9/240: A Madison, Ohio native who can play with any center in the country no matter how big they are, Moore averaged 5.1 points per game and led the Vikings team with 37 total blocks on the season. After graduating from St. Edward High School in Lakewood, Ohio, Moore attended UC Santa Barbara for a year before transferring back home to play at Cleveland State two seasons ago. Moore can rebound, pass and defend, that’s why he has started all 35 games at center for head coach Gary Waters and the Vikings. Season highlight: On Jan. 10, 2009 the UIC Flames, led by senior 7-0 center Scott Vandermeer came to the Wolstein Center hoping to make a statement in the Horizon League. The Flames needed a big game out of their 7-footer, but Moore had other plans. The Vikings center held the UIC big man to just six points on the night while scoring 18 points and blocking three shots in route to a 79-69 CSU home victory.

# 35 /Senior/PF/6-5/240: With ox-like strength and a nice touch from outside, J’Nathan Bullock is the most versatile player in the Vikings entire lineup. Not only did Bullock witness some losing basketball during the Mike Garland years, he almost transferred out right before Coach Waters showed up. Boy are the forest green and white glad he stuck around! During the 2008-2009 season Bullock led the team in scoring at 15.3 points per game as well as rebounding with seven boards per contest. He has played the most minutes of any player ever in the history of the CSU basketball program and is currently fourth on the all-time scoring list. With a height of just 6-5 Bullock may not be able to play at the next level; that is on the hardwood. Don’t be surprised if you see him on Sunday’s in the NFL in the future. Similar to former Kent State basketball player Antonio Gates, now NFL tight end, Bullock can definitely play at the next level. That is just the type of athlete he is. Season highlight: Back on Dec. 23, 2008 Cleveland State hosted in-state rival Kent State at the Wolstein Center. Bullock started his 100th game of his career with CSU and did not disappoint. He scored 24 points and snagged 10 rebounds as the Vikings trounced the Golden Flashes 67-41.

# 3 Trevon Harmon/Freshman/SF/6-0/170: When sophomore defensive specialist D’Aundray Brown went down with broken ribs followed by an ACL injury to his right knee in the first round of the Horizon League Tournament, “Trey” as he is appropriately nicknamed stepped up and not only played solid defense but also gave the Vikings the offensive spurt they have been looking for. Harmon, a Pasadena, California native has fit right in to the Vikings system and has one of the purest strokes from behind the three-point arc. After sitting out a year and half due to transfer regulations, Harmon has come of the bench and started lately averaging 5.1 points per night for Coach Waters’ squad. Season highlight: His first two three-pointers against No. 17 Butler were big in the Horizon League Tournament Championship, but Harmon’s best outing was an early January match up with Detroit-Mercy at Calihan Hall. “Trey” hit his treys, scoring 10 points, a career high for him, and scored eight of the ten points in the final five minutes to get past the Titans 53-44.

# 30 Norris Cole/Sophomore/SG/6-0/165: Probably the team MVP of the second half of the season, Norris Cole stepped his game up during the 2008-2009 and is the reason Cleveland State was able to make it to the Horizon League Championship game with No. 17 Butler. Without Cole, a quarterfinal win over UIC followed by a semifinal win over UW-Green Bay may have never even occurred this season in the final conference tournament. Cole finishes second on the team in scoring at 12.9 points per game and also had 42 steals on the year. Ever heard of the small Division III school, Walsh College? That’s where Cole was headed until his coaches at Dayton Dunbar High School contacted the Vikings to give him a look. Well it has paid off. Instead of playing quarterback for Walsh, in North Canton, Ohio, Cole is with CSU, headed to the ‘Big Dance’! Season highlight: Trailing 59-50 with under five minutes to go in the Horizon League Tournament quarterfinals vs. UIC, Cole put Cleveland State on his back fueling a 13-2 run to move onto the semifinals where the next day he stepped up big again. Cole finished the contest against the Flames with a career high 26 points on the night and contained Preseason Player of the Year Josh Mayo defensively.

# 11 Cedric Jackson/Senior/PG/6-3/190: Horizon League Tournament MVP. Horizon League Defensive Player of the League. And ESPN Sportscenter icon. Those three titles sum up the 2008-2009 season for Cedric Jackson. After transferring from St. John’s in the Big East Conference, Jackson came to Cleveland and not once did he disappoint. While averaging 10.5 points per game, 190 assists on the season and a nation leading 104 steals on the season, Jackson scored 19 points to upset No. 17 Butler in the Horizon League Tournament Championship and also hit an amazing game-winning shot to defeat then No. 11 Syracuse, putting the Vikings, Coach Waters and Jackson all over Sportscenter the next morning. Season highlight: Without Jackson’s play in the Horizon League Tournament final, who knows if CSU is headed to the NCAA Tournament. But for now, we’ll ponder it, because nothing tops Jackson’s miracle 60-foot shot at the Carrier Dome with 2.4 seconds left to lead the Vikings over No. 11 Syracuse 72-69. The shot, and the win put CSU all over Sportscenter and is actually at Top 10 play for the entire college basketball season.

From The Bench:

# 21 George Tandy/Senior/F/6-8/210: Maybe the most underrated player in the entire country, George Tandy has been more than just a 6th Man for the Vikings this season, he has been a savior. Tandy is averaging 5.8 points per game, but his 5.2 rebounds is what CSU loves as well as his suffocating defense. A tall, lanky defender, Tandy is a presence down low for Cleveland State and if he is hitting his 12-15 foot jumper, look out!

# 5 Jeremy Montgomery/Freshman/G/6-2/190: Jeremy Montgomery is a spark plug of the bench for the Vikings that can hit a three-pointer from anywhere on the court and even slash to the basket. He proved in big games against No. 11 Syracuse, UIC and No. 17 Butler that he can hit shots whenever he is called upon to do so in the clutch for the Vikings. Montgomery will be an integral part if the Vikings are going to make any run in the NCAA Tournament.

# 45 Renard Fields/Senior/C/6-7/220: An injury to his knee sure didn’t help Renard Fields during his senior campaign but Coach Waters knows if the team is going to make a run in the tournament, Fields needs to get some minutes down low for the Vikings. Similar to Bullock, Fields was at CSU during many losing seasons, so he definitely appreciates the success the Vikings are having right now and he is definitely a reason for some of it. When he’s in a game, Fields can score and rebound, what more can you ask for in a big man off the bench.