Category: Robert Morris

NEC Week 3 Recap: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

It was a short week thanks to the holiday weekend, but there’s plenty to talk about in our third edition of the NEC’s the good, the bad, and the ugly. There have been plenty of surprises and disappointments in the early going, which you’ll find out rather quickly since FDU and Bryant headline our The Good section! Let’s begin… Continue reading “NEC Week 3 Recap: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly” →

NEC goes winless on “Super Monday”

“Mama said there would be days like this,” The Shirelles so wisely said back in 1961. The NEC might be vastly improved and looking to move up in the conference pecking order, but in eight important games on an early Monday night in the season the league couldn’t get out of its own way while going 0-8, including a number of winnable games. Let’s run through the carnage.

Continue reading “NEC goes winless on “Super Monday”” →

NEC Team Capsules: Robert Morris Colonials

Head Coach: Andy Toole, 3rd year (44-25)
Last Season: 26-11 (13-5 NEC), lost in the NEC finals to LIU, 90-73
NEC Preseason Coach’s Poll: 2nd out of 12 teams
State of Program: Win-now mode
Key Players Lost: Lawrence Bridges (3.8 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 57.6% FG%)
Incoming Players: Karvel Anderson (G), Vaughn Morgan (PF), Stephan Hawkins (PF)
Previous Posts: Robert Morris Recruiting Recap, RMU Prepares for Life After Velton Jones

Projected Starting Lineup:
PG: Velton Jones (16.0 PPG, 2.8 APG, 4.8 APG, 1.8 SPG, 1.7 A/TO)
G: Coron Williams (10.8 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 41.0% 3PT%, 82.0% FT%)
F: Lucky Jones (8.5 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 1.2 SPG)
F: Vaughn Morgan (played junior college)
F: Mike McFadden (8.4 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 1.0 SPG, 53.9% FG%)

Key Reserves: Russell Johnson (F), Karvel Anderson (G), Anthony Myers (PG), Stephan Hawkins (PF), Keith Armstrong (F)

Major Storylines:

  1. Getting Back to the Dance – Since Andy Toole has inherited this team, the Colonials have won 44 games and made two appearances in the NEC title game, in as many years. Not too shabby. It’s been one game, however, that has Robert Morris fans bitterly looking back at both seasons. Can the Colonials, who return their top 7 most efficient players and bring in 3 capable newcomers, finally get over the LIU hump? Winning the regular season title is the first step, since it would ensure home court advantage. This year it’s NCAA tournament or bust for Robert Morris.
  2. Strong Frontcourt Play – Overall, it’s one of the deepest rosters in the league, although that depth in the frontcourt will be tested early with the season-ending ACL tear of senior Lijah Thompson. Now, junior college transfer Vaughn Morgan slots into the starter role, and 6’9″ freshman Stephan Hawkins and sophomore Keith Armstrong will be leaned upon a little more. Along with Mike McFadden, can this group play well enough so Toole has the option to play big (with Morgan/Hawkins at power forward) or small (with Lucky Jones at power forward)? The emergence of the frontcourt newcomers could be critical in giving Toole some important lineup flexibility late in the season.
  3. Consistency Defending the Ball – One look at the defensive numbers indicate a stout Colonial defense. At 0.95 points allowed per possession last season, only Wagner was better in that regard. The problem is Robert Morris needs to defend more consistently. There were several periods last season where Toole’s squad would simply suffer from defensive lapses. The team can get away with the inconsistency against the bottom half of the league, but if they want to climb past LIU for the first time in three seasons, they’ll have to string it together for 40 minutes.

Lineup Analysis: As mentioned earlier, it’s been a fantastic run for a Colonials team ready to win now. Senior leader Velton Jones has one more season of eligibility and will look to return to the Big Dance for the second time in his career. The underrated Anthony Myers backs him up at the point, although both Jones and Myers can play on the floor together at certain points. Coron Williams and transfer Karvel Anderson will likely split duties at the “2”. Both are money behind the arch and will look to improve Robert Morris’ three-point shooting from a year ago. Sophomore Lucky Jones, coming off a freshman season where he finished in the top 15 in rebounding and steal rate, is primed for a breakout year, given his outside shot improves. Senior Russell Johnson will also play meaningful minutes at forward. The frontcourt is rather unproven, with Vaughn Morgan and Stephan Hawkins expected to replace Lawrence Bridge’s minutes. The 6’8″ Mike McFadden will anchor the “5”, and needs to improve his production. Overall, it’s a roster that’s still 9-10 deep, even without the services of Lijah Thompson. Most of the players should average 18-30 per game in an attempt to keep everyone fresh late in the season.

Coach’s Quotes:

“He’s getting better each day and I think for him that’s the most important thing. I think he has to change his mindset a little bit in how hard he needs to play and how detailed he has to be. Because of his athletic ability, he’s been able to get by on his athletic ability, yet you’re not going to get much more athletic than Jamal Olasewere. So you better figure out if you’re going to match up with him, you better figure out how to play the game as well. He’s getting better, with Lijah [Thompson] out the spotlight shines on him a little bit brighter.”
– Toole on the development of Vaughn Morgan

“It’s definitely a huge advantage to host the [NEC title game]. It’s a huge advantage to have experience in that tournament. I think sometimes that’s why we’ve been able to get to four straight championship games, but you still have to perform in that game. And LIU has performed well the last two years.”
– Toole, on how important home court advantage and experience is when competing in the NEC tournament

Predictions:

Ryan – It’s no secret I’m on the Robert Morris bandwagon heading into Toole’s third season. Ken Pomeroy and Dan Hanner project the Colonials as the NEC champions too. Ultimately, I feel the LIU two game suspension will be just enough to give Robert Morris the regular season title. If that happens, everything goes through Moon Township, and I love their chances if that’s the case.

John – Robert Morris has a great young coach, a veteran leader in Velton Jones and all the pieces you want in a mid-major program on the rise. So why are they picked second? The Colonials can’t finish. It’ll be close. RMU might even win the regular season, but it’s wait till next year one more time in terms of an NCAA berth.

Previous NEC Team Capsules:
October 24: St. Francis (PA) Red Flash
October 25: Fairleigh Dickinson Knights
October 26: Bryant Bulldogs
October 29: Mount St. Mary’s Mountaineers
October 30: Central Connecticut Blue Devils
October 31: Monmouth Hawks
November 1: Sacred Heart Pioneers
November 2: St. Francis (NY) Terriers
November 5: Quinnipiac Bobcats
November 6: Wagner Seahawks

Preseason Awards – All-NEC First Team

Throughout the week, Big Apple Buckets will post their NEC preseason awards prior to the NEC Media Day on Tuesday, October 23rd. Today, we list our consensus selections for the All-Northeast Conference First Team. For a summary of our All-NEC Third Team, click here, and for a summary of our All-NEC Second Team, click here.

Continue reading “Preseason Awards – All-NEC First Team” →

Robert Morris preparing for life after Velton Jones

Walk up to any college basketball fan with a limited knowledge of the Northeast Conference and ask him or her to tell you something about Robert Morris basketball. What would their answer be?

For starters, they may recall the Colonial’s near-upset over the two-seeded Villanova Wildcats in the 2010 NCAA tournament. Robert Morris was a whisker away from giving the NEC their first ever NCAA tournament win (excluding play-in games).

The second thing the fan may recall about Robert Morris? None other than senior leader and All-NEC first teamer Velton Jones.

Because of his leadership, passion, and undeniable motor on the hardwood, Jones is revered by most college basketball enthusiasts. More than likely, Jones is the most well-known active player in the NEC, even though fellow stars Julian Boyd and Shane Gibson possess better overall statistics, and in Boyd’s case, more accolades. Still, the fiery Philly native deserves the publicity he receives, because he’s the heart and soul of a team that preaches toughness, defense, and chemistry. Everyone is fully aware of the value Jones brings to Robert Morris, both on and off the court.

With Jones set to graduate next May, one would assume Robert Morris would probably take a step back. How could they make up for the departure of their senior leader without falling out of contention?

Meet Colonial backup point guard Anthony Myers. A junior this season, Myers may be the best second-string player in the conference. Last season, he averaged 23 minutes per game and was in the NEC top 10 in assist rate (26.6%), steal rate (3.3%) and three-point percentage (40.7%). A closer look at Myers’ sophomore stats reveals how underrated he is, especially when you compare his numbers to Jones’ statistics his sophomore season:

Velton Jones, 2010-11: 101.8 ORtg*, 45% EFG, 29.8% assist rate, 3.2% steal rate, 25.7% usage rate
Anthony Myers, 2011-12: 111.5 ORtg, 51% EFG, 26.6% assist rate, 3.3% steal, 15.8% usage rate
*Offensive rating – estimates the number of points produced per 100 possessions

The numbers show us that Myers and Jones are closer than you think, at least in terms of value on the floor. With a higher usage rate and the ability to get to the free throw line, it’s expected Jones will handle the ball a majority of the time this season, but head coach Andy Toole enjoys having two strong point guards on the roster. It’s certainly a nice luxury to have, especially when they’re on the floor at the same time.

“With [Jones and Myers] being playmakers on the floor together, I think sometimes that helps our offensive flow,” said Toole. “And I would expect those guys will be on the floor together again this year…and especially coming down the stretch ending games. They are really aggressive, strong ball handlers, they are both physical and solid defenders who understand what we are trying to do.”

This offseason, Myers has been working hard to improve various facets of his game, in particular his shot and his aggression. Sometimes last season, the reserved guard might have been a touch too passive when opportunities arose.

“I’m looking forward to and Anthony is looking forward to being more aggressive and making more plays,” said Toole. “I want him to be more aggressive getting the ball down the floor. I want him more aggressive in our motion offense. I want him to be more aggressive all around.”

Given the talent of Myers, who once had verbally committed to Fordham, it’s safe to expect an improvement in his already impressive numbers. Myers’ game and statistics, however, are overlooked in large part because of the player Myers is behind on the roster.

When asked if he’s comfortable handing the starting point guard reins over to Myers once Jones graduates, Toole didn’t hesitate in his response. “There’s no doubt. [Anthony] has done everything we’ve ever asked of him. The biggest challenge for him that following year – and it’s very premature for me to be talking about it now – is the vocal aspect of things. He provides a great example, he shows a great leadership in his work ethic and in his understanding of what we’re doing. I just think he’s just has to get a little more vocal and a little more energetic in practice as well as in games, to give guys something to feed off of.”

Toole then further explained why Velton is … well Velton. “That’s one of the things with Velton that makes him unique a little bit, is his demeanor and his toughness that he gives to the rest of his teammates. Our team has great confidence in him – as they do for [Anthony] – but I think [Anthony] has to do a little more to have everybody understand that he’s going to be the one leading the charge next year.”

While Myers is running the team his senior season, Robert Morris will have freshmen Britton Lee and Kavon Stewart on the roster, backing Myers up. Both players are considered excellent gets for Robert Morris, yet NCAA rules prevent Toole from commenting on recruits who haven’t signed a National Letter of Intent.

Add it all up, and Robert Morris is set up nicely once the great Velton Jones graduates. The Colonials are obviously in win-now mode, but with Myers leading the charge next season, and a couple of talented freshmen behind him, it may be premature to knock Robert Morris down a level for the 2013-14 season. If Myers can continue to progress – and I expect he will – perhaps he will get some of the recognition he deserves, but only once Jones leaves campus for good.

Ryan Peters covers Northeast Conference college basketball for Big Apple Buckets and Pioneer Pride. You can follow Ryan on Twitter @pioneer_pride

NEC Breakout Candidates – Part 1

Every season, the NEC produces players that generally come out of nowhere, or elevate themselves from a typical role player to a program cornerstone.  Players like Scott Eatherton and Jason Brickman, for example, elevated their game last season to become valuable contributors for their respective teams.

Continue reading “NEC Breakout Candidates – Part 1” →