Cleveland State head men’s basketball coach Dennis Gates has been named the Horizon League Coach of the Year for the second consecutive season.
In only his second year at the helm for the Vikings, Gates is the first Cleveland State head coach in program history to be awarded Horizon League Coach of the Year in back-to-back seasons. Last year, Gates shared the award with Wright State head coach Scott Nagy. He is also only the eighth head coach in Horizon League history to be awarded the honor in consecutive seasons.
Under Gates’ leadership, the Vikings are the 2020-21 Horizon League Regular Season Co-Champions, finishing atop the #HLMBB standings for the first time in 10 years (2010-11). It’s only the second time the Green and White have finished the HL regular season No. 1 and the fifth time in school history: 2020-21, 2010-11 (Horizon League), 1992-93, 1985-86, 1984-85 (Mid-Continent Conference/AMCU).
The Vikes enter the 2021 Horizon League Tournament as the No. 1 overall seed, slated to host a quarterfinal contest on Tuesday, March 2nd.
Cleveland State finished #HLMBB play with 16 wins, marking the most wins in any conference/league play in team history (previously 15, 1992-93 season). The second-year head coach led Cleveland State to its best start in league play in program history, rattling off nine straight wins. The nine wins also mark the program’s longest winning streak since winning 12 consecutive games in the 2010-11 season.
In the classroom, nine Vikings made the Horizon League’s Fall Academic Honor Roll, leading all Horizon League men’s basketball programs. Cleveland State men’s basketball had eight student-athletes on the Cleveland State Dean’s List this past fall, while Ben Sternberg appeared on the President’s List. As a team, the Vikes had a team GPA of 3.43.
https://www.csuvikings.com/sports/m-baskbl/2020-21/releases/20210223epy43s
