#HLWBB Preview: Cleveland State
Joey Yashinsky
Cleveland State Vikings
Last year: 14-16 overall, 9-9 Horizon League
Coach: Kate Peterson Abiad (15th year)
Team Preview
By Joey Yashinsky, Horizon League Contributor
The longest-tenured women’s basketball coach in the Horizon League is Kate Peterson Abiad. 2017-18 will be her 15th year roaming the Cleveland State sidelines. And lucky for her, she won’t be the only member of this year’s club long on experience.
The CSU Vikings return several key pieces to the floor, many of which are upperclassmen.
The coach on the floor will be Khayla Livingston, a 23-year-old senior that assuredly wants to make this final season in Cleveland her most memorable. Livingston was voted to the Horizon League Preseason Second Team All-League after filling up the stat sheet last year with 16 points, five rebounds, and five assists per game. She’s as polished and mature a guard as you’ll find in the conference, and you better believe Peterson-Abiad is grateful to have Livingston on her side.
The Vikings also boast a First Team All-Conference player in junior forward Ashanti Abshaw. There is little for which Abshaw does not excel on the court. She’s a top-flight scorer, pouring in just under 18 a game. She can score inside and she can hurt you from beyond the arc. She hauls in seven rebounds a night. And to top it off, she’s as dependable as your morning paper. If there’s a game, Abshaw will be there. She was the only Viking to start all 30 games last season.
And while either Livingston or Abshaw could reasonably make a bid for this year’s Horizon League Player of the Year award, they’ll need some help along the way, too.
Olivia Voskuhl, a redshirt senior, might be on the verge of a breakout campaign. I say that because in talking to Coach Peterson Abiad for a few minutes at the league media day, she mentioned the phrase “breakout” no less than three times in reference to Voskuhl. Playing alongside Livingston and Abshaw, two of the Horizon League’s most explosive players, should present Voskuhl with open lanes to cut through and offensive rebounding chances to hunt.
With all the juniors and seniors for Cleveland State, it would be easy to forget about Jade Ely, an All-Freshman performer from a year ago. Here’s a hint -- don’t do that. Because she will make you pay. Ely is a 5-foot-10 guard that plays the game cooly and efficiently. She’ll take on an even bigger role this year and will be relied upon to score when opponents are sending two or three defenders at Abshaw.
Just for good measure, the Vikings have another senior in Shadae Bosley that could make a permanent leap to the starting five this season. Bosley anchors the Cleveland State defense, protecting the rim with a vengeance and stepping out just as comfortably to hound dancing guards on the perimeter. Peterson Abiad classifies Bosley as such a versatile defender that when opponents try to create switches, the Vikings simply oblige. They know that Bosley can cover anyone on the court, thus any screen or attempted mismatch is almost rendered moot. Like Livingston and Voskuhl, Bosley has a sense of urgency to really leave her mark on the Viking program in this 2017-18 campaign.
There might be deeper teams in the Horizon League or clubs coming in with a more glistening preseason ranking, but there won’t be one as seasoned as Cleveland State. The Vikings have a senior Livingston running the show, a junior Abshaw one of the top contenders for Horizon League Player of the Year, and a coach in Peterson Abiad that’s been drawing up winning plays longer than anybody else.
This could be a year to remember for the Vikings of Cleveland State.
Motor City Madness
Support the Vikings at the 2018 Little Caesars Horizon League Basketball Championships March 2-6 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. Tickets can be purchased at campus box offices now and online starting December 15. For more information, click here.
#HLWBB Preview Schedule (10 am ET)
#HLMBB Preview Schedule (2 pm ET)
| 10/30/2017 |
IUPUI |
| 10/31/2017 |
Cleveland State |
| 11/1/2017 |
Milwaukee |
| 11/2/2017 |
Youngstown State |
| 11/3/2017 |
Green Bay |
| 11/6/2017 |
Wright State |
| 11/7/2017 |
Detroit Mercy |
| 11/8/2017 |
UIC |
| 11/9/2017 |
Northern Kentucky |
| 11/10/2017 |
Oakland |
| 11/13/2017 |
#HLMBB Preview |