Aug. 25, 2008

Contact: Brian McCann

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The first day of classes of the 2008-09 school year came on Monday (Aug. 25) at Cleveland State and men's basketball head coach Gary Waters celebrated the day by announcing the addition of three players to the basketball roster.

Joining the Vikings are sophomore Aaron Pogue (Dayton, OH/Dunbar) and freshmen Ethan Anderson (Grand Rapids, MI) and Tim Kamczyc (Strongsville, OH). Pogue will redshirt during the 2008-09 season following his transfer from Vincennes Community College and have three years left starting in 2009-10 while both Anderson and Kamczyc will compete this winter and have four years of eligibility remaining.

"With the addition of Aaron, Tim and Ethan, we have helped to solidify our program for the years to come," Waters said. "Although I don't envision either of these players being able to help this year, I do believe that they have the potential to impact the lineup in the seasons to come."

Pogue, a teammate of CSU's Norris Cole while at Dunbar High, was ranked as the second best power forward in the state after averaging 14.0 points and 14.7 rebounds while helping Dunbar to win its second straight state tournament.

A 6-9, 285-pound forward, he averaged 7.1 points and 5.6 rebounds, starting 14 times in 22 games as a freshman at Vincennes.

Pogue was being looked at by Florida, Pittsburgh, USC, Cincinnati, Louisville, Arizona and Tennessee coming out of high school but elected to play at Vincennes University last year.

"Aaron has the ability to dominate inside through both his rebounding and defensive play," Waters said. "He will use this redshirt season to get accustomed to our program, improve on his skill level and get into the best shape of his life."

Kamczyc, a special mention all-state pick as a senior at Strongsville High, was ranked as one of the top 65 players in the state last year after averaging 26.1 points a game. A second team all-state pick as a quarterback on the football team as well, he threw for over 2,000 yards last season.

"I've watched Tim play basketball since I came to Cleveland and I think that he is the type of player who will fit in perfectly to our program," Waters said. "I love his toughness and athletic ability."

Anderson, a 6-8, 260-pound post player, has played just one season of organized basketball, that coming a year ago at Lee (Maine) Academy. He was an all-state selection in tennis at Grand Rapids (MI) High School.

"Ethan only recently started playing basketball but the improvement that he has shown in a short period of time has been astounding," Waters said. "He has outstanding athletic ability for his size and I foresee good things from him in the future.

The Vikings return four starters and eight lettermen from last year's team that went 21-13 and earned a berth in the NIT.