The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Hard work, persistence pays off for CSU players
It took a winding road to get there for Beachwood grads Jayson Woodrich and Ben Sternberg. But they have landed spots on the Cleveland State men’s basketball roster.
Life isn’t perfect. Things don’t always go according to plan.
Fair or not, that’s the way it is — in all walks of life.
The key — in so many instances — is how people react when a different path is the way, especially when it’s a path those involved do not envision.
The plans of Cleveland State men’s basketball players Jayson Woodrich and Ben Sternberg were altered a bit coming out of Beachwood High School. Because of that, their pathways to Cleveland State were ones neither envisioned.
Both are satisfied with their current position. Getting their wasn’t easy. Where they are today, and how each got there can be examples for young players of all sports.
It’s about disappointment. It’s about not giving up. It’s about chasing a dream. It’s about hard work.
Today, Woodrich and Sternberg are members of the CSU team, which is 9-4 and in first place in the Horizon League at 9-1. Each are contributing to the Vikings in different ways. Coach Dennis Gates
values each student-athlete greatly.
A few years ago, it seemed unlikely each would ever make their way onto a Division I roster. Here’s how each found their way to becoming D-I players.
‘I had no offers’
Woodrich had a spectacular senior year at Beachwood. The 6-foot-7 wing led The News-Herald in scoring at 26.1 points per game and in 3-pointers made with 87, and averaged 9.8 rebounds. In a
2018 game against Revere, Woodrich had a careerhigh 46 points.
Yet the offers from colleges never came. There were none from any D-I program in the United States. It’s no secret D-I scholarships are rare in any sport but at 6-foot-7 with the ability to score at a high rate, one would think a host of D-II programs would be interested.
“Out of high school, I had no offers,” said Woodrich. “But I felt I should have. I thought I was playing well enough.”
In high school — documented in a 2019 NewsHerald story — Woodrich’s grades suffered as a freshman and sophomore. It was later learned he was hampered by undiagnosed learning disabiliities.
Woodrich’s mother had him tested early in his junior season, and it was discovered he had Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and dyslexia. After he was prescribed medication and an academic resources officer to provide guidance, Woodrich’s GPA improved greatly and was well above 3.0.
Still, the offers never came. Instead of sulking, Woodrich did the next best thing he could to change the minds of college coaches. He spent a year at Scotland Campus, a prep school in Pennsylvania. He went to work. In 2019-20, he averaged 17.6 points, 7.1 rebounds and 3.5 assists as Scotland went 40-4.
The offers — 10 in all — poured in. Cleveland State and Gates were the beneficiaries. Woodrich is contributing as a freshman this winter. In 13 games, he’s a part of the rotation off the bench and averaging a little less than 5 points per game.
“Jason’s path is welldocumented,” said Gates.
“He could end up being one of the best shooters and wing players in the country. He’s one of those guys that is built off toughness.”
‘You want to wear a jersey?’
Similar to Woodrich, Sternberg had little to no offers following his senior year playing for the Bison.
He didn’t become a starting guard for Beachwood until his senior season. He eventually landed at Lakeland Community College, where he played 27 games for the men’s basketball team and averaged 6.9 points.
He then transferred to CSU, where he joined the men’s basketball program as the team’s manager for the 2019-20 season. After that season, Sternberg approached Gates about a spot as a roster player.
Gates’ response had more to do with the classroom and less with the hardwood.
“I told him, Ben, we needed his spirit on this team but I also told him to get a jersey he needed a 3.0 GPA,” he said. “To keep that jersey, get a 4.0.
I wanted him to hold up a mirror and see the best version of himself.”
Message delivered, and motivation set in motion.
“From there, my motivation sky-rocketed,” said Sternberg. “I saw that Coach Gates believed in me, but I also understand you gotta work for everything.”
Not only did Sternberg achieve a 3.0 GPA, he raised to it to a 4.0, and recently made CSU’s President’s List.
“It means everything to get those grades,” said Sternberg, a 6-foot junior.
As a player, Sternberg knows his role, which is to help the rest of the team get better in practice. He’s seen action in two games, with a total of four minutes played.
“Listen, I love it,” said Sternberg about his role on the team. “I bring a lot of energy on the bench, and I’ve also challenged the guys in the classroom as well.”
In the case of Sternberg and Woodrich, stat sheets provide little in each’s story at CSU.
Or as Gates says, players such as Sternberg — and even Woodrich — are best described as “their heart” being their stat sheet.