Garfield Heights Recruit Shawn Christian Signs National Letter of Intent with Cleveland State

Shawn Christian, who has helped Garfield Heights HS to the state semifinals in each of the last two seasons, has signed a National Letter of Intent to attend Cleveland State and play basketball.

Christian, who will be one of the top high school seniors in Ohio this year, will join the Vikings for the 2017-18 academic year and have four years of eligibility.

“I am extremely excited about the addition of Shawn Christian,” head coach Gary Waters said. “His ability to shoot the three-pointer and defend at a high-level give him the potential to be one of the top guards in the Horizon League. He has great ability and it is my goal to help him reach that potential. Shawn is on the verge of taking the next step as a senior this year and I expect him to have a great fianl season at Garfield Heights.

“Shawn also excels in the classroom and that will help make his transition to college that much easier.”

One of the top shooters in the state, Christian has helped the Bulldogs win back-to-back regional titles (2015, 2016) for the first time in school history. As a junior, he averaged 13.0 points per game on a squad that featured two players who are currently freshmen at the University of Missouri.

Christian has been part of a Garfield Heights program that has posted a 47-9 record over the last two seasons.

One of Christian’s biggest highlights last season came at the Wolstein Center when he hit a three-pointer at the end of regulation in the regional final against St. Ignatius to send the game into overtime. Garfield Heights won the game in double overtime and advanced to the state semifinals.

That came on the heels of Christian hitting five three-pointers and scoring 23 points in a 49-43 regional semifinal win against Warren Harding.

Christian averaged 16.5 points and shot 8-of-13 from the floor, including 5-of-7 on three-pointers, in Garfield’s two regional games in the Wolstein Center last year.

The Vikings open the 2016-17 season on Saturday (Nov. 12) when CSU plays Kent State at 5:00 pm in the first game of the NE Ohio Coaches vs. Cancer Doubleheader at Youngstown State.