CLEVELAND, Ohio – Consider the state of Cleveland State basketball in the middle of last summer.

Coach Dennis Felton had been fired on July 12 after two seasons with a combined 22-44 record.

New athletic director Scott Garrett (hired April 8, 2019) went on a two-week scramble to find a new coach. He didn’t have a big salary to offer, at least by Division I standards – about $300,000 annually.

Furthermore, CSU had four consecutive seasons of losing at least 21 games.

Fans?

Last season, CSU averaged 996 fans per game. Not that many showed up. It was a “tickets distributed” number. Some of CSU’s players were transferring before Felton was fired. More left after the dismissal. Only four players are on the roster who played for CSU a year ago.

WELCOME TO CLEVELAND

An assistant from Florida State, Dennis Gates was hired as head coach on July 26, 2019. He had about 10 weeks to put together a team before the first game.

The first time I saw CSU play this season was a 107-61 loss to Florida International. I told friends they had “maybe two legitimate Division I players on the floor.” I thought the Vikings would be lucky to win five games.

CSU still has a long way to go to reach the best of the Gary Waters Era (2008-15) when they won at least 20 games in five-of-eight seasons. They went to the NCAA tournament once, had three trips to the NIT.

But the Garrett/Gates combination is already pumping some life into the program. There’s a pulse thanks to a scrappy team playing with a lot of heart.

The attendance has improved, averaging 1,449... their best in four seasons.

I’ve been to three more games since that disaster against Florida International, and several fans have come up to me to talk about how they enjoy this team.

After Saturday’s 81-74 overtime loss to Horizon League-leading Wright State in front of 2,159 fans, CSU has a 10-19 record, 6-10 in the conference.

There is a sense of hope.

Cleveland State Vikings head coach Dennis Gates is developing a defensive identity for his team. Photo by Marvin Fong / The Plain DealerThe Plain Dealer

THINGS LOOKING UP

Garrett came from Wichita State and Kansas State. He has a background in marketing and athletic administration. He piles praise upon Gates, mentioning how the coach spent part of a recent Saturday morning at a CSU swim meet and lacrosse match.

“And he had a game late that afternoon,” said Garrett. “He is working to be known around campus.”

Behind one basket, there was a promotion where a $6 ticket entitled fans to buy a beer for $2 and a hot dog for a buck. CSU is reaching out to former players, coaches and managers. Several were at Saturday’s game.

“We are finally compiling a good database of fans who have bought tickets so we can reach out to them,” said Garrett.

CSU has a “24-hours of giving promotion." At Saturday’s game, they announced that $470,000 was raised – up from $310,000 a year ago, according to CSU President Harlan Sands.

The athletic department raised $290,000, up 30 percent from last year.

“We know we have a lot of work to do,” he said. “We’re not happy where we are, but there is progress.”

THE COACHING CHALLENGE

Gates is a disciple of Leonard Hamilton at Florida State, where players defend, make the game a bit ugly and rotate 10 athletes in and out of action. CSU doesn’t have that kind of depth yet. But the gritty spirit is being installed.

CSU pushed Wright State to the limit, losing in overtime. They played without starting guards Franklyn Penn (high ankle sprain) and Craig Beaudion (knee surgery). They battled a Wright State team with a 24-6 record (14-3 in the Horizon) by leading in rebounding, floor burns and sweat equity.

“We left everything out there,” said Gates. “They are a championship caliber team and it showed at the end.”

Being the final home game of the season, Gates brought his players together at halfcourt when it was over. He took a microphone and thanked the fans.

Then Gates brought Wright State coach Scott Nagy to halfcourt and presented him the game ball. It was Nagy’s 500th career win. Gates had the CSU crowd and players acknowledge his fellow coach.

Then the CSU players mingled in the crowd, shaking hands and thanking fans.

“We are grateful,” said Gates. “Our fans have been super. We have players who want to be here. We can make this into a special place.”

CLEVELAND STATE ATTENDANCE LAST 10 YEARS