'There's More To Come': With First Western Atlantic Conference Win In 5 Years, New Coach At Chicago State Says The Team Is Poised For More Championships

CHICAGO (CBS) -- With a new coach at the helm, the Chicago State basketball program is doing something they haven't done in years: win.

"Obviously getting my first college win was a big-time tremendous milestone for me," said Chicago State head coach Gerald Gillion.

For Chicago State, getting the dub to open the season wasn't just a milestone for Gillion, it was for the program which had lost its previous 28 games.

"We look at every game as a building block to just keep it going, just continue to reach our mark," Gillion said.

At 6-13 on the season, the Cougars haven't yet reached the mark of a winning season, but recently nabbed their first Western Athletic Conference win in four years and their first conference road win in five years. It's a conference that has them traveling to Texas and the West Coast.

"We're working toward making the tournament, being a tournament team every year, being consistent. I think the more that we go at it, the harder we play, the harder we go at it. We're going to get better and there's more to come," said Lawndale native Coreyoun Rushin.

And with more wins, the team hopes to catch some of that hype around Chicago basketball.

"It's pretty much the Mecca of basketball right now. What we have to do as a program is keep winning to make people want to come out and watch us," said junior Brandon Betson, Jr.

Chicago State has watched as other local programs like Loyola have regained relevance and built something that people have rallied around. That is what this program is striving to do - be a program that the city of Chicago and the South Side in particular can be proud of.