Tickets for all games are on sale now, click
HERE to view schedules and for purchase options.
Opportunity is the key word third-year Chicago State Head Men's Basketball Coach Gerald Gillion used in describing the Cougars 2023-24 schedule. CSU will open the season at Bowling Green on November 6 before welcoming fans to the Jones Convocation Center on November 9 to host Mercer in the home opener, a place where the Cougars carry a nine-game home win streak.
The Cougars return their top two scorers from a year ago with Wesley Cardet, who participated in last year's NBA Draft Camp and is projected to be a 2024 second-round pick, leading the way, averaging 16.6 points per game and
Jahsean Corbett, who was selected to compete with Team Virgin Islands in the FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament, was second, averaging 14.2 ppg. The Cougars also made news this offseason with the signing of former 5-star twins Matt and
Ryan Bewley, Matt was ranked as the No. 2 overall player in the 2023 recruiting rankings and Ryan was rated as high as No. 12.
"We had an incredible offseason, had 11 guys on campus getting better every day. I was really excited about the energy and dedication these guys had, getting in the gym, getting up shots, even when the coaches are not watching. I think in order to be a successful team you have to put work in when the coaches aren't there and our guys did a great job doing that. The excitement also stems from ending the season with a 290-something ranking and for the first time in forever Chicago State wasn't in the 300s. We return 70 percent of the offense highlighted by Wesley Cardet and
Jahsean Corbett and when you add the type of recruiting class that we had with some freshmen and transfers, I'm really excited about what we have inside the stable for the upcoming season."
The Cougars will face regional foe Southern Illinois in Carbondale as part of the 2023 Men's Cancun Challenge before traveling to the Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya to play a pair of games, starting with a matchup against Northern Colorado. Chicago State is scheduled to play 12 home games November through February but Cougars fans will have additional opportunities to support the team in the city, with away games at Loyola, Northwestern and DePaul.
"This year's schedule is a great opportunity to showcase our talents and compete against some of the best programs in the nation," Gillion said. "We're excited to play different conferences, different teams, in different parts of the year. When you're playing inside a conference you're locked in to teams in that conference and we have the freedom to play in Oklahoma, Kansas, and Florida in January so that's a great opportunity for our team."
Anytime you get a chance to compete against teams inside the city it's a great opportunity," Gillion said. I'm really looking forward to our matchups against Loyola, Northwestern and DePaul."
This is year three for our staff," Gillion continued. "We're continuing to build a foundation of excellence, both on and off the court. We were able to bring in some really good recruits and we were able to maintain what we have, especially in this era of the transfer portal. We have some experience coming back added with some phenomenal talent and it looks to be a great season if we can keep everyone healthy. We're moving in the right direction."
The following is a player-by-player breakdown in Gillion's words on his roster:
13 Tristan Arneaud, G, 5-10, 155, So., Davie, Florida
Tristan Arneaud is one of those guys that can defend 94 feet. A pest on defense and that's what I like. He can pick up the basketball and pressure the basketball and can knock down shots. He's a floor general when he's on the floor. He played spot minutes last year because of senior
Elijah Weaver but now he's really going to get an opportunity to put his best foot forward and compete for heavy minutes.
3 Matt Bewley, F, 6-9, 225, Fr., Lauderhill, Florida
I keep telling everyone that
Matt Bewley is a once-in-a-generation-type player. His skill level is unmatched, he's one of those guys that can really get things done on a basketball court. I like to make the comparison to Game of Thrones, he's definitely the biggest of the dragons, not one of those baby dragons, he's a full-grown dragon at 19 years old and he's going to have a chance to spit fire on a lot of those opponents that come our way, especially early in the season.
4 Ryan Bewley, F, 6-9, 228, Fr., Lauderhill, Florida
Ryan Bewley is another guy that is going to play for a lot of money, sooner, rather than later. He can do a lot of different things on a basketball court but he can really get after it defensively. He can guard all five positions at 6-9. That's rare. He's different from Matt because Matt is more guard oriented and Ryan is more post oriented but both of them have those specialties that I like but that's also what makes them different. You can throw the ball on the block to Ryan and he can get you a bucket with his back towards the basket while Matt, his biggest strength is catching on the perimeter. Both are really great players but that's the difference between the two and that's why I like Ryan so much, he can do the interior dirty work that a lot of people don't want to do. Both of them like to defend and this is one of those seasons where we will put our hard hat on every single night and defend.
1 Wesley Cardet, G, 6-6, 204, Jr., Tallahassee, Florida/Samford
I'm happy he was able to go through the NBA experience and now he knows what he needs to work on, but, him deciding to come back to Chicago State, especially in this NIL environment, speaks value to what we we're building, what we have going on on the south side of Chicago. He's a guy who's getting better every single day, played off the ball a lot last year because of
Elijah Weaver but he's going to have a chance to play on the ball a little bit more and he's looking to increase his draft stock. He can do a lot of things with the basketball. We're going to require him to defend a lot more but that's another one of his best attributes. Wes is 6-6 with a 7-2 wingspan so he's going to give other guards fits. A big difference between last year and this year, he's not having to guard the interior for long periods of time so he'll get a chance to show why he's on these NBA draft boards on a night-in and night-out basis.
23 Tehshaundre Cole, F, 6-5, 215, So., Toronto, Ontario
I'm so proud of the progress that he's made. He's starting to understand his role, he's understanding what he needs to do to get better and I'm really excited for him. He can really do a lot of damage inside and the way he left off last year, I'm really excited for what he can do going into the new season. He's an interior guy that's been working on his perimeter skills. He can guard 1-5 and he showcased that at times last year and he'll be put in a much larger role this year and I'm confident he can live up to the task.
24 Jahsean Corbett, G, 6-7, 210, Jr., Orlando, Florida
I put the leader tag on him. He's been at Chicago State for three years, an honors student, he does everything you ask him to do. He'll run through a wall for you. He's one of those guys that can do it all. If you need him to bring the ball up the court, he can do that. If you need to him to post, he can do that. If you need him to knock down shots, he can do that as well. He's a utility guy that can really get things done. He's been with me going on his third year now and I have a really good understanding of him and he has a really good understanding of me. He's another one of those guys that came back to Chicago State so we're starting to get that continuity that good teams have and he's at a centerpiece of that from a leader standpoint.
15 Noble Crawford, F, 6-5, 195, Jr., Deltona, Florida/Long Island University
He's a jumping bean. He's a throw-back guy. He's a natural defender, natural athlete, natural shot maker. We're expecting a lot out of him as well because he's an older guy, been around college for awhile, so he understands what it takes to be successful. But he's also tasted failure so hopefully that left a bitter taste in his mouth and he brings to the game what he has been bringing in practice every day and that's that older, big brother type of role, especially for these younger guys.
12 Brent Davis, G, 6-3, 190, Jr., Miramar, Florida/The Citadel
I'm going to put an 'L' on his jersey, for leader, captain. He's going into his fourth year of playing college basketball, second year at Chicago State. He's one of those guys that wakes up at 5 o'clock in the morning to get things done and he's going to be asleep by 9 p.m. He wins the day, it's going to be hard to keep him off the floor. I think the best
Brent Davis is going to come out in 2023, 2024, not to say that last year was bad but I think he's going to be able to knock down shots at a higher rate. I believe he shot it at around 33, 34 percent. I'm really going to count on him to be a sniper and of all these defensive guys, he will lead the charge, defensively.
5 Kedrick Green, G, 6-0, 200, Jr., Lithonia, Georgia
One of two guys, along with
Jahsean Corbett, that has been with me going on their third year now. Floor general. That basically sums up Kedrick. Wherever he's on the court, another coach on the court. I know Kedrick is going to take care of the ball, get us into the offense and he's going to do the things I would do on the court if I could rewind the clock to be 20 years younger. Kedrick has been with me awhile and knows the offense and defense inside out, knowing what I'm expecting and he's going to be able to contribute tremendously for us.
2 Deshawn Jean-Charles, G, 6-7, 200, So., Fort Lauderdale, Florida
I'm so excited about Deshawn. He probably had the best summer of all of them and they all had great summers. He really locked in on being an every day guy, getting up a lot of shots. He had some really good games last year early in the season and at some point he's going to get the keys. Don't know when that will be but I'm really high on
Deshawn Jean-Charles. If he can continue to naturally develop, continue to be that every day guy and get things done both on and off the court, he's going to have a chance to make a big impact.
22 Cameron Jernigan, F, 6-7, 220, Jr., Gary, Indiana/Tarleton State
Cam is a mixture of so many guys. He has energy, athletic ability and ferociousness. He's an emotional leader and if I'm going to a back-yard brawl I'm taking him with me. He is one of those guys, another guy, I'm really excited about. He's focused on defense, 6-7 guy from Gary, Indiana, so that toughness, that grit, everything that the midwest stands for, he wears it on his chest like a badge of honor. He's another guy that can do multiple things on the court but what stands out is his athletic ability, being able to guard multiple positions and his leadership from an emotional standpoint is really good.
10 A.J. Neal, G, 6-2, 180, So., Orlando, Florida
A.J. has a chance to be special. He had a setback last year and wasn't able to compete but he is full throttle, knocking down shots at a high rate. He was a top 150 player coming out of high school before the pandemic and had offers from everyone in the country so he's been there before, he's been on the big stage, he's played high-level basketball his whole life so I don't expect anything but productivity and greatness out of him. He's going to have an opportunity to do it, especially missing all of last year so his body will be fresh, he'll be ready to go. He had a chance to see the game from the sidelines for a whole year. A.J. is one of those guys who's going to be very special and another guy that will get the reigns and see what he does with it. He brings that depth at the point guard spot that we need. Between him, Kedrick, Tristian, Wesley, they're battling every day and it's so fun to watch and at any given moment one of those guys can come out on top. I'm expecting big things out of A.J. and he'll be able to contribute for us.
25 Alex Raiford, G, 6-3, 170, Jr., Chicago, Illinois/Northern Oklahoma
Alex is an older guy, has a lot of experience, he just needs to get acclimated with the offense. He's a sharpshooter and has shot the basketball at a high clip. I think there's two things in basketball that translate and that's rebounding and shooting. He's one of those guys that if you leave him open, he's going to hit that shot. What he has shown in practice, he may have an opportunity to get some minutes early.
0 Greg Spate, G, 6-7, 185, Fr., Plantation, Florida
I know I'm going to get some pushback for saying this, especially with what we have, but
Greg Spate is the best prospect on our team and it's not even close. If you come in and watch
Greg Spate, it fluctuates, some days you can come in a say he's the best player on the roster and other days you can see has some learning to do. But he has some things you can't teach. He's 6-7, prototypical wing, can dribble, pass, shoot, post and he has a great feel for the game. When people hear you're going to Chicago State, their ranking takes a dive, I've seen it. Greg is one of those guys who's putting on a Chicago State uniform but he could have very easily put on another uniform and the perception would be totally different. He's going to figure it out, and when he figures it out, he's going to be special and you can take that to the bank. He's the best shooter on the roster, 6-7, can handle the ball, has a great feel. Greg is the best prospect we have on the roster.
"I'm really, really excited to get the community, the university and people in the surrounding area out to the JCC, where we were undefeated last year," Gillion said. "I'm excited to get the crowd out, get everyone pumped up, juiced up and excited about basketball. Winter's coming, so when that weather changes it means basketball is around the corner."
If we can hold teams to under 62 points a game we're going to have a chance to be special. To do that, I've been preaching it since June, we've got to be able to stay connected. I thought often times last year, especially being on the road, 11 new guys that don't really know each other, the first sign of adversity, that tight fist started to separate into individual fingers and I thought a lot of those games that we lost close, even games that we were up big and ended up holding onto to win, I think that if we can stay connected as a group, everyone just focus on winning and not individual success in terms of what shows up on the stat sheet, we're going to have a chance to be special and if we can hold teams to under 62 points, that's tangible and staying connected is very subjective but if we can do those things we're going to have a chance to be special."
I'm trying to change the narrative. I'm trying to help people understand Chicago State is not going anywhere, we're only going to improve. We're building every single day and at some point I hope we're a household name. We're growing, we're improving, we're building and that's what we're going to show this season."
About Chicago State Athletics
Chicago State University Athletics is composed of 15 intercollegiate teams involving over 150 student-athletes that compete in basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, tennis, indoor and outdoor track and volleyball. CSU held memberships in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and NCAA Division II before transitioning to NCAA Division I in 1994.
Follow the Cougars
For complete coverage of Chicago State University athletics, follow us on social media @ChiStateCougars (Twitter), @ChiStateCougars (Instagram), /ChiStateCougars (Facebook), or visit the official home of Chicago State athletics at GoCSUCougars.com.
