With head coach Daniyal Robinson headed for North Texas, the Vikings find themselves back on the coaching carousel. Three years ago, Dennis Gates took his talents (and most of the players) to Missouri. Robinson came in with a bare bones roster and one of his guys from Iowa State.
With expectations fairly (understandably) low at the start, Robinson leaves CSU with three-straight 20-win seasons plus the most wins by a CSU coach in their first three seasons (65).
The time for Robinson with the Vikings can be divided into two main “eras.” These eras can be referred to as “Tristan Enaruna” and “Post-Enaruna.” With expectations at the beginning of each just as low (and a roster just as new), the Vikings exceeded expectations both times.
Enaruna Era (2022-24)
With only four remaining guys on the team (which is better than when Gates took over at least), Robinson had to build the roster from the ground up.
Yahel Hill, Deshon Parker, Deante “Spider” Johnson, and Jayson Woodrich all returned but they accounted for only 23.2 points per game (PPG) total the previous year. The departures of Tre Gomillion (10.5 PPG) and D’Moi Hodge (15.4 PPG) to Missouri were the biggest hurdles to get over.
In stepped Enaruna, Tae Williams, and Drew Lowder plus freshman Dylan Arnett. These four would turn into some of the most impactful players for the Robinson-led Vikings over the next three years.
Enaruna was obviously the stand-out but coming into the season he was unproven. He was a top recruit previously but while playing at Kansas (two years) and Iowa State (one year), he only averaged 2.4, 2.8, and 4.3 PPG.
Tae Williams and Drew Lowder took a different route by transferring from non-DI schools and overall the team seemed to be a bit eclectic. It was anyone’s guess how it was all going to work together.
With no real expectations, the Robinson and Enaruna era somehow still started off with a surprise thud. Losing your first real game of the season is one thing. Losing to a D-II school that no longer exists is something entirely different.
After defeating Baldwin-Wallace in an exhibition game, CSU dropped their opener to (since closed) Notre Dame College 72-68. There was little to be happy about but the small good signs were there even in such a bad loss. Enaruna finished with 20 points and 11 boards while Parker dished out 11 assists.
After dropping two more non-conference games, the Vikings finally got a win against Canisius in a game where they made no threes (0-5). Enaruna put up another double-double and the Vikings started to get on a roll. They won six in a row and the offense started to find some rhythm behind their NBA-talented forward.
By the end of the season, the Vikings found themselves tied in the regular season for second in the conference at 14-6 (19-12 overall). They defeated Robert Morris in overtime and then Milwaukee to get a spot in the Horizon League Championship before falling to Northern Kentucky 63-61.
This close loss to end their Horizon League Tournament chances would be a common theme for Robinson. Another common theme was postseason play in the CBI. This first year they fell to Eastern Kentucky 91-75 in overtime (getting out-scored 17-1 in OT).
The Vikings had continued the trajectory Gates started by winning over 20 games again and a few players had made large strides. Enaruna averaged 15.6 PPG and 6.5 rebounds per game (RPG). Williams finished at 11.1 PPG and 6 RPG with Lowder and Parker just under 10 PPG. Parker added just over four assists per game (APG) as well.
The Vikings had some clear strengths and weaknesses this first season as they shot the most two-pointers in the conference, shot the tenth most threes, and had the third most steals. They protected the ball and played tough defense. Some close games were decided at the free throw line where the Vikings shot an atrocious 68.2% during conference play.
Going into the second year, Robinson kept most of the team around. The core of Enaruna, Williams, and Lowder was joined by transfers Tevin Smith and KJ Debrick as well as a Chase Robinson (who had red-shirted the previous year).
The highlight of the beginning of this season was a win against Ohio University (82-78). Despite this win, the Vikings could never truly find their way the rest of the year. They were blown out by Youngstown State in their first conference game (94-69) and could not beat the top teams in the conference.
The Vikings finished the regular season tied for 7th place (11-9, 18-13 overall) in the conference and had to host a first-round tournament game. They won but that meant they needed to travel to Youngstown State for the second round.
Added to this challenge was Enaruna would be out with injury for the game. The Vikings somehow pulled out a win to get back to Indianapolis for the semi-finals. Chase Robinson led the Vikings with 20 points as Smith, Lowder, and Williams all were also in double-figures. Arnett grabbed a crazy 12 boards.
Enaruna returned for the next game against Oakland but CSU had their Horizon League Tournament cut short again with another close loss (74-71). They once again made their way to the CBI and this time they defeated Northern Colorado in the first round on a buzzer-beater by Enaruna. They then fell to CBI runner-up High Point.
Their stats for the second season were essentially the same as the first. They shot 69.4% from the line in conference play and shot a lot of two-pointers. They only averaged 9.1 turnovers in conference play and their PPG and opponent PPG were in the middle of the conference.
Enaruna upped his numbers to 19.6 PPG and 6.5 RPG as Williams and Lowder were both above 10 PPG again. Arnett was almost at five RPG as the only true big man on the team once Debrick went down with a leg injury. The team had a tough time after his injury and after two seasons, the Vikings had two CBI appearances but no conference titles, conference tournament titles, or NCAA berths.
And now Enaruna was gone to the Maine Celtics. And Williams was gone. And Lowder was gone. And Woodrich…was on Oakland?
Post-Enaruna Era:
With essentially the entire offense gone, it was up to Smith, Arnett, and Chase Robinson to pick up the slack. Transfers Ebrima Dibba, Tahj Staveskie, and Isaac Abidde were brought in along with freshmen Je’Shawn Stevenson and Daniyal’s son Reece Robinson.
It was another year where things looked to not be in great shape but the Vikings decided to go on a 13-game winning streak and shock the conference and most of the country.
After starting the season 4-6, the Vikings won 13 games from December 7th to January 30th. They had a commanding lead in the conference and everyone was ready to give them their best shot. Staveskie and Smith were the main scorers with Arnett being the middle of the offense and defense. Dibba and Chase Robinson proved to be a perfect pair of ball-handlers to run the offense.
Then the bottom fell out. A 3-5 record in February saw the Vikings fall from first place and a close loss in the semi-finals (56-54) of the conference tournament saw the Vikings out again. Three straight one-score losses in the tournament and three straight CBI berths.
This CBI proved to be the best as the Vikings advanced to the championship game before falling to Illinois State 79-68.
In all, this looked like a good stepping stone year for the team. Staveskie showed he was an elite scoring threat, Arnett progressed into a better player on both ends of the floor, and Stevenson had an amazing freshman season (winning Freshman of the Year). With Reece Robinson also making the All-Freshman team, the Vikings looked to build off the success next season.
From a full team aspect, the free throw shooting got slightly better (71% in conference play) but overall they were the same type of team. They shot a lot of two-pointers and played defense well to create turnovers.
So where does all this leave CSU? In the portal age, who knows who is around next year. With Smith, Chase Robinson, and Dibba graduating already, will anyone be around for 2025-26?
To help see this all, let’s break down Robinson’s tenure into three arbitrary categories: best games, worst games, most fun games.
Best Games:
- 2024 Horizon League Tournament win against YSU: Mentioned above as the game Enaruna was out for, this proved how well the team worked together.
- 2025 CBI win over Florida Gulf Coast University: This win put the Vikings into the CBI championship.
- 2023 win over OU: Something that was once thought impossible.
Worst Games:
- 2022 loss to D-II Notre Dame College: See above
- Back-to-back 2025 home losses to RMU and YSU: These continued the tumble from first place.
- 2024 loss to Morehead State: This game as part of the Viking Invitational in Woodling Gym saw the Vikings mount a serious comeback in the second half but fall just short. The offensive shortcomings of the team were on full-display in the first half.
Most Fun Games:
- The Best Game was also the Most Fun Game: 2024 conference tournament win against YSU without Enaruna.
- Spring 2024 buzzer-beater win in the CBI: see above.
- Fall 2024 win over Valpo: Beating a former conference opponent is always fun.
Robinson leaned on his guys to play tough defense and get turnovers but his teams never shot particularly well (especially from three) and there were always stretches where they couldn’t score (especially at the end of games). He proved he could win without Enaruna but he never proved he could win the big games. Robinson leaves the program in similar shape to when he arrived but they never were able to get over the finish line.
Daniyal Robinson leaves after three good years but does that matter in these times of college basketball? Will anyone stay? Will this six-year run by CSU just be a blip? Who will be the new coach? Well for that last question, read what Bob has to say here.
For the rest, CSU has some great regular seasons to look back on but not much else. Sure, diehards watched the CBI, but that doesn’t excite a local fanbase that is largely apathetic to the school. Until the school can have sustained success in the postseason and get a few NCAA berths, you’ll continue to see more Scarlet and Gray in Downtown Cleveland than Green and White.
Originally published by the HoriZone Roundtable. Republished here with permission.This article appears in Cleveland SCENE 3/27/25.