After 10 seasons at Cleveland State, Gary Waters can look back on his coaching tenure with the Vikings, knowing that he has achieved his goal of turning around a program that had posted winning seasons in just three of the previous 13 campaigns into the one that brought a much-desired championship to the City of Cleveland.
The accomplishments for Waters and the Vikings in his first 10 seasons have been significant:
• Back-to-back 20-win seasons (2007-08, 2008-09) for the first time since 1986-88, including 26 wins in 2008-09, the third highest win total in program history.
• Five 20-win seasons, including 27 wins in 2010-11, tied for the second most in CSU history.
• Six post-season appearances in the last nine years; an NIT invitation in 2008, the school’s second NCAA bid in 2009, an NIT appearance in 2011 when CSU advanced to the second round, an NIT bid in 2012 and a CBI berths in 2014 and 2015 when CSU advanced to the second round.
• The first two trips to the Horizon League Championship game in school history, including the league title and NCAA bid in 2009.
• An 84-69 victory over No. 4 seed and 12th-ranked Wake Forest in the first round of the 2009 NCAA tournament.
• The 2011 Horizon League regular season title, a first in program history.
• Five wins against nationally-ranked opponents, including three victories in 2008-09. (CSU was just 1-24 against ranked teams before Waters arrived at CSU).
• A 71-58 win at No. 7 Vanderbilt in the 2011-12 season opener, the highest ranked opponent CSU has ever defeated.
• Two NBA players, including 2011 first round pick, Norris Cole, who won two NBA Championship teams with the Miami Heat.
• All 36 seniors who have been in the program have graduated with their degree.
• A 109-40 (.732) record in the Wolstein Center, including a building record 17 wins in 2010-11.
Waters will enter the 2016-17 campaign with a 20-year head coaching record of 356-285, including a 185-150 mark in 10 seasons at CSU, making him the winningest coach in program history.
Full bio: https://www.csuvikings.com/sports/m-baskbl/coaches/waters_gary?view=bio