VALLEY CITY, N.D. (VCSU, CSi) – Valley City State University (N.D.) men’s basketball coach Jeff Kaminsky announced Monday that Cliff Gatonye of Kenya has signed a letter of intent to attend VCSU and play basketball for the Vikings.
A 6-foot-6 forward, Gatonye is a native of Nairobi, Kenya. He spent last year at Dakota County Technical College in Rosemount, Minn. Gatonye played in 27 games for the Blue Knights, averaging 6.2 points and 4.2 rebounds while shooting 45.2 percent from the field.
“I am excited to have Cliff join the Viking Basketball program,” said Kaminsky. “I am impressed with his work ethic and commitment to the game. He has excelled both on and off the court and will be a great teammate. His versatility on both ends of the floor will make him an immediate fit in our program.”
Gatonye will have 3 years of eligibility remaining at VCSU after playing one season with the Blue Knights. His best game was on Feb. 26 when he scored a career-high 22 points, shot 9-for-14 from the field and pulled down eight rebounds against Gogebic Community College.
“Cliff was everything I could have asked for,” said Ben Davis, head coach at Dakota County Tech. “He’s a very talented and athletic player that works extremely hard on and off the court. Cliff is the definition of a ‘high character guy’ that everyone loves being around. He is very excited about the opportunity to attend school and play basketball for Valley City State University.”
Gatonye is the son of Lilian Omedi.
He joins Briton Bussman (G, Milnor, N.D.), Jayden Ferguson (F, Williston, N.D.), Alex Quist (G, Bismarck, N.D.), Riley West (G, Lakeville, Minn./St. Cloud Tech.) and Rashad Satahoo (G, North Lauderdale, Fla.) as signed recruits for the 2014 season.
Valley City State University posted a 14-14 record in 2013-14. Under Jeff Kaminsky, the Vikings are 149-115 and have posted 20-win seasons in four of the past seven years. In 2012-13, Kaminsky led the Vikings to their first NAIA National Tournament appearance since 1987.
