Mackey came in from Boston and knows two things very well.  How to press and how to recruit in kids to Cleveland.  The Pied Piper of Euclid Avenue has brought in some keepers foremost of which is the Mouse.  The Vikings were bolstered by one of the best small players in the country.  Diminutive Ken “Mouse” McFadden can flat play.  Mackey found the kid in the Madison Square Boys Club (he was a legend there under the tutelage of Doc Nocelli but had dropped out of high school) and convinced him to leave his job ushering at a Greenwich Village Theatre to come to the town that Drew Carey loves.  Mackey promised he could get him eligible (he is good at that) and after painting houses to pay bills he passed a GE exam and became eligible.  The rest is history as the kid worked his way from Alphabet City to of all places Cleveland and is intent on turning this team into a winner.  The Mouse has turned out to be a good student and is one heck of a point guard who might have as much talent as some of his peers back in the gym (Kenny Smith, Pearl Washington) who got full rides to big schools even after he had beaten them in the infamous Tournament of Champions.  So yes some writers are making it like they found this kid but he like all greats already had talent he just had to be discovered.  A gifted scorer who can also get his teammates the ball, McFadden has gained national recognition for his consistent ability to carry his team to victory when they should not have had a chance (and of course that perfect nickname).  The phrase the ‘Mouse is in the House’ became one of the big catchphrases of the season in college basketball and it was not just for the Convo (which easily could be the House the Mouse built).  McFadden hit more clutch shots than anyone this side of the Mississippi.   

AS much attention as the Mouse got and he got more than his fair share, the best player on this team is Sophomore Franklin Edwards.  Like McFadden, Edwards is an Alphabet City kid but was here before Mackey got here.  Edwards had been the star of the Vikings since he got to the mistake by the lake and is one of the best point guards in the league.  That was the issue that Mackey had was sharing the basketball between two guys who both were true point guards.  Edwards would be the quickest guy on the floor for most teams but took a secondary role to McFadden.  Mackey basically split the ‘carries’ between the two ala Byner and Mack but neither one of these guys ever fumbled.  Edwards is a solid scorer with point guard skills who gives the Vikings unbelievable tandem of quickness in the backcourt.  He is not the most consistent outside shooter but he is not afraid to fire them up either.  He does not need to with the Mouse in the house though McFadden does not take a huge amount of threes he shoots a high percentage and is golden under pressure.  Edwards bread and butter is his ability to run as he scores more that his fair share getting by defenders and getting to the hoop.  He is also a terrific set up guy when he gets inside and actually led the team in assists though McFadden genuinely runs the show from up top.  Sophomore Kenny Robertson is the best defensive guard on the roster (something that McFadden could improve on) but was stuck on the JV as Mackey had way too many options at the point.  Fellow sophomores Eddie Bryant and Shanw Hood are also vying for minutes at the point but almost assuredly will be on JV again.  This might not be Georgia Tech but it is definitely gaining a rep as a point guard U.      

Now the front court is an entirely different story as there is nowhere near the talent there for Mackey.  The Vikings do have one guy up front who could keep up with the Joneses of the Horizon.  Sophomore Center Darren ‘Quick’ Tillis is a big albeit thin post player.  At 6’11 215 this kid had games where he played as if he were the next coming of Artis Gilmore and then he had several others where he flat disappeared or worse got pushed around.  Tillis came in from Dallas as the big men who would be the goalkeeper for Mackey’s vaunted press.  Tillis has been all of that and more.  A terrific shot blocker who makes other teams think about coming inside the paint and guards the goal with gusto.  His offensive game is developing at a decent rate though he is dependent on dunks and putbacks and the occasional baby hook.  He can post up but can get moved away from his block and relies on his size over smaller players to get his shot off.  His consistency to perform and his ability to gain strength and weight on his frame will determine how far he can go and he has the potential to go as far as his six eleven frame can take him.  Because he is the only real size the Vikings have who has the talent to compete at this level it is imperative that he continues to improve.  Don’t get me wrong Tillis is the key to this team’s success and for most of this season he was the dominant player for the Vikings. 

Mackey’s biggest issue will be trying to find somebody to play along his big center.  Seniors Wendell Kytle, Dennis Link and Junior David Kyle give the team something it surely needed.  Muscle.  Kytle is not extremely gifted inside but will bang and will rebound and boy do the Vikings need that.  This hometown product (he is from Euclid) is the last carrover from Fenn College back before this program decided to move up the ranks of college basketball.  He is undersized (6’6) and nowhere near the talent this program needs to keep on ‘moving up’ to the East Side but he was at one point the man here.  He faded last year as the Vikings got into the tough play of the Midwestern Athletic (now Horizon) but is the favorite to start at the four.  Lenk is even smaller and looks like he could be a taxi squad guy this year.  He was a starter here once but that was before Tillis got here and cannot match up with the beasts of the Horizon.  Kyle has more size (6’10 230) and will definitely mix it up underneath.  The big man from Cleveland can score and board (though rebounding is not his greatest strength) down low and complemented Tillis well.  He is a raw-boned low post guy who was having a fine season until an Achilles tear set him back.  This corn-fed big man showed his tenacity by coming back late in the year though he was not as effective as he had been.  Kyle had an outside chance of going to the next level and is committed to having one more solid year for the Vikings where he contributions can be felt like one of his thundering dunks but he needs to take up a new hobby for his future.  Apparently this kid can flash a bulb so he has got that going for him.  Fellow Junior Gale Drummer got some limited minutes and brings some athleticism down low and really enjoys mixing it up.  In fact he may enjoy this to a point of controlling one self.  Drummer missed the second half of the year after an altercation in practice but Mackey said he will be welcome back next year.  Drummer could be really good next year and should get much more PT if he contains his energy but he only goes 6’4 which in D-1 is a huge problem for a post guy.  Mackey will try everyone and the kitchen sink up front trying to find someone to play next to Tillis.  A trio of Sophomores (Mackey has a great first recruiting class) all will get a chance.  Eric Mudd, Dave Youdath and Warren Bradley and Brian Parker all played and had some good minutes (mainly on JV) but none are going to be confused with Spencer Haywood.  All three do go 6’8 like Haywood but are nowhere near the player the Detroit stud is but do give Mackey some options with size up front which is needed in this league.  Dave Roba is another sophomore who goes 7’0 230 but this Florida kid is a project who probably will not play on the varsity this year. 

The Vikings had a solid group of wing players to choose from. The two most prominent are now known as ‘Clinteast’ and ‘Clintwest’ and both were solid basketball players.  Sophomores Clinton Ransey and Clinton Smith are both guys who can contribute with their athleticism and terrific all-around games.  Ransey and Smith are prime time players and really showed they could play well with  Coach Mackey’s up tempo style.  They both can score and though they are not big on the boards they contribute in so many other ways.  Like filling the break and hitting open jumpers.  The two might be confused for each other and their stats are eerily similar for two guys with the same first name but their games are different.  Well at least a little different.  Smith, who is transferring in from the evil empire aka Ohio State, is a better passer who can set up others and can guard two guards.  Ransey is more of a true forward who when he gets hot can carry this team.  This duo should continue to be huge parts of this team’s future.  It is kind of strange that Smith is coming in from THE Buckeyes as Randey’s brother is the starting point guard for Ohio State but sometimes that is the way thinks work out.  Juniors Wilbur Starks and Andre Battle plus sophomore Mike Sweeney are in the mix for minutes as true wings.  Starks is 6’3 and can score and Battle is a terrific athlete at 6’4 and will get some minutes between them.  Sweeney is a 6’5 defensive stud but will start the year on the JV almost assuredly. 

Mackey had a superb first year recruiting class that turned into sophomores last year and will continue to improve.  Albeit to say they may be one of the best sophomore classes in the country with the Mouse leading the way!    The Cleveland State Vikings are not a great program.  They finished well below 500 for the season in the tough Midwest conference.  So what’s the big deal?  Well, Coach Kevin Mackey has brought in a group of players led by the most charismatic players in the Midwest.  Mouse McFadden has brought the kind of attention a program of this level needs to get more recruits to come to Cleveland.  Mackey has his team playing a street style of ball that everyone wants to come here and play.  His recruiting is only getting more great players and his sophomore class is one of the best in the country.  Now the question is can they become more consistent and win more games   Especially against better competition.  This team is on its way up for sure but can it get better? They will have to in this conference that has showed the rest of the country that mid majors are programs too!