Basketball

[GoRMU]

So, the season ended last evening in Detroit for the Colonials men's basketball team. It was certainly an unusual season to say the least, primarily due to the pandemic which resulted in multiple interruptions to the season and no fans at the games, it was also the first year in a new league, our star player played like a star, but then skipped the games in which he would have competed against the League MVP and then just decided to leave the program with a only a few games left in the season, the NEC Tournament MVP from last year seems to have forgotten how to make shots even when shooting free throws. With all of that, the Colonials only won four games. Considering that, and the RMU women's team, that had been dominant in the NEC also only won four games, the volleyball team that also had been dominant in the NEC is currently 0-8, the only win the men's and women's soccer teams have so far is a win by the women against an NEC team, it all looks as though the step up from the NEC to the Horizon League was a much bigger one than expected. Back to basketball, certainly the quality of big men in the HL is at a higher level, the guards are generally bigger and every team has several players that are the quality of All-NEC first team players. The Colonials did compete, and lost a lot of close game in the final minute or in overtime, they certainly would have won some of those games just by making a few more free throws in the final minutes. Looking at the roster, RMU could have eight players returning next season, I suspect the actual number will be five, maybe six. Olisa has to be frustrated with his lack of playing time, so I would suspect he will be looking to move on. I have no idea who else we might lose, but free agency in college basketball is alive and well, and after this pandemic season I suspect there is going to be a lot players moving around. Of the players returning, hopefully, for the Colonials, I really like all four freshmen. Trayden is a talented athlete who could be the starting point guard for the next three seasons, Kam has nice size for a guard and can shoot the three ball, Enoch showed a lot of early promise, he started four games and looked to be the most talented of the freshmen, but then, something happened, maybe COVID, I don't know, but his playing time drastically dropped, hopefully, he will be ready to contribute in a big way next season, Pat got on the court in 15 games, usually not playing a lot of minutes, but showed a lot of potential, he usually seemed to score and rebound at a good rate for the number of minutes played. The other player that was a newcomer for the Colonials was Kahiel, a transfer from Bucknell. Thank goodness he became eligible, the Colonials would have been in big trouble without him, especially after AJ left. Kahiel's a bit small at 6'7" at center, and not quite a power forward, but he is a smart, mature, aggressive player, a good teammate and is an important player on the team. Then there is Cam and Dante, Cam is a talented aggressive player, who I love watching, and who can do everything except shoot from the outside. At this level, a SF has to have some outside shooting ability. Dante is another player who I love watching, and who can do everything except make shots. He plays such an important role in making the offense work, but as a smallish guard, he has got to make shots, including free throws. I hope Dante comes back, but he's got to work on his shooting in the off season. I am very excited about the two transfers, 6'11" Brandon Stone and 6'8" Justin Winston. Both players were highly recruited out of high school. At La Salle, Brandon played in 25 games, including scoring 17 points against Wright State as a freshman, Justin played in 30 games, including 28 starts for a good St Bonaventure team as a freshmen. Both Brandon and Justin should be ready to step right in and contribute at a high level next season. With Brandon, Justin and the current four freshmen, RMU has a core of players that should be able to compete with the top tier Horizon League teams next season. Go Colonials!

 

[ColonialInsider]

I think COVID is the biggest culprit behind this season. We know Andy Toole is big on conditioning and has tough practices. Those practices go a long way to preparing his teams for the grind of the season schedule. He's also not shy about scheduling tough non-conference opponents to prepare his teams.

Well, none of that happened this year. The non-conference schedule got wiped out. Practices got wiped out. Guys missed extended stretches. Two of the guys you mentioned, Dante and Enoch, were among those who missed significant time due to COVID protocols.

Assuming Jon Williams and Charles Bain do not use their extra year of eligibility (and if I were Toole, I'd encourage both of them to graduate and pursue pro opportunities), RMU has an interesting mix.

PG - Dante Treacy (sr.), Trayden Williams (so.)
SG - Kam Farris (so.), Enoch Cheeks (so.)
SF/3G - Cam Wilbon (jr.), Tristan Jeffries (fr.)
PF - Khaliel Spear (sr.), Justin Winston (so.)
C - Brandon Stone (so.), Pat Suemnick (so.), Elisa Ngonadi (jr.)

I think RMU is looking for another larger guard, sort of like Wilbon. They recently offered 6-foot-7 D.J. Patrick, who will have four years of eligibility left. If it's not him - and he's attracting a lot of attention recently - then it may be someone similar to him.

I think RMU is also looking for another shooter/shot creator, and it may not have to look far - RMU was the first to offer Mike Iuzzolino, Jr., the son of current RMU assistant Mike Iuzzolino. The pandemic has made recruiting hard for everyone, so maybe the familiarity leads to a commitment.

Of course, if other guys depart, that could open up spots, too. But right now, I think that's what RMU is looking at.

 

[GoRMU]

I would love to see RMU land @Mike_Izzy5 he is an outstanding, excellent, super duper, stupendous shooter. The most successful years at RMU have been the years with at least one top tier shooter. If Josh would have had another year of eligibility, this team would have had a winning record. As Kam continues to improve, he can become a big-time shooter. To add a shooter of Mike Iuzzolino's caliber to the team would result in a lot of wins and a lot of excitement and fun for us fans. From his public comments, he seems open to considering RMU, but wants to explore his options. I can understand that, he wants to be his own man and make a decision based on his own analysis. With that said, I sure hope he comes to the conclusion that RMU is the perfect place for him.

 

[ColonialInsider]

I would love to see RMU land @Mike_Izzy5 he is an outstanding, excellent, super duper, stupendous shooter. The most successful years at RMU have been the years with at least one top tier shooter. If Josh would have had another year of eligibility, this team would have had a winning record. As Kam continues to improve, he can become a big-time shooter. To add a shooter of Mike Iuzzolino's caliber to the team would result in a lot of wins and a lot of excitement and fun for us fans. From his public comments, he seems open to considering RMU, but wants to explore his options. I can understand that, he wants to be his own man and make a decision based on his own analysis. With that said, I sure hope he comes to the conclusion that RMU is the perfect place for him.

He'd definitely be an important pick-up.

I think RMU could also use a pure perimeter shooter, either a JuCo or immediately eligible transfer who can come off the bench for 15-20 minutes and stretch defenses.

 

[RMU_Fan]

So, the season ended last evening in Detroit for the Colonials men's basketball team. It was certainly an unusual season to say the least, primarily due to the pandemic which resulted in multiple interruptions to the season and no fans at the games, it was also the first year in a new league, our star player played like a star, but then skipped the games in which he would have competed against the League MVP and then just decided to leave the program with a only a few games left in the season, the NEC Tournament MVP from last year seems to have forgotten how to make shots even when shooting free throws. With all of that, the Colonials only won four games. Considering that, and the RMU women's team, that had been dominant in the NEC also only won four games, the volleyball team that also had been dominant in the NEC is currently 0-8, the only win the men's and women's soccer teams have so far is a win by the women against an NEC team, it all looks as though the step up from the NEC to the Horizon League was a much bigger one than expected. Back to basketball, certainly the quality of big men in the HL is at a higher level, the guards are generally bigger and every team has several players that are the quality of All-NEC first team players. The Colonials did compete, and lost a lot of close game in the final minute or in overtime, they certainly would have won some of those games just by making a few more free throws in the final minutes. Looking at the roster, RMU could have eight players returning next season, I suspect the actual number will be five, maybe six. Olisa has to be frustrated with his lack of playing time, so I would suspect he will be looking to move on. I have no idea who else we might lose, but free agency in college basketball is alive and well, and after this pandemic season I suspect there is going to be a lot players moving around. Of the players returning, hopefully, for the Colonials, I really like all four freshmen. Trayden is a talented athlete who could be the starting point guard for the next three seasons, Kam has nice size for a guard and can shoot the three ball, Enoch showed a lot of early promise, he started four games and looked to be the most talented of the freshmen, but then, something happened, maybe COVID, I don't know, but his playing time drastically dropped, hopefully, he will be ready to contribute in a big way next season, Pat got on the court in 15 games, usually not playing a lot of minutes, but showed a lot of potential, he usually seemed to score and rebound at a good rate for the number of minutes played. The other player that was a newcomer for the Colonials was Kahiel, a transfer from Bucknell. Thank goodness he became eligible, the Colonials would have been in big trouble without him, especially after AJ left. Kahiel's a bit small at 6'7" at center, and not quite a power forward, but he is a smart, mature, aggressive player, a good teammate and is an important player on the team. Then there is Cam and Dante, Cam is a talented aggressive player, who I love watching, and who can do everything except shoot from the outside. At this level, a SF has to have some outside shooting ability. Dante is another player who I love watching, and who can do everything except make shots. He plays such an important role in making the offense work, but as a smallish guard, he has got to make shots, including free throws. I hope Dante comes back, but he's got to work on his shooting in the off season. I am very excited about the two transfers, 6'11" Brandon Stone and 6'8" Justin Winston. Both players were highly recruited out of high school. At La Salle, Brandon played in 25 games, including scoring 17 points against Wright State as a freshman, Justin played in 30 games, including 28 starts for a good St Bonaventure team as a freshmen. Both Brandon and Justin should be ready to step right in and contribute at a high level next season. With Brandon, Justin and the current four freshmen, RMU has a core of players that should be able to compete with the top tier Horizon League teams next season. Go Colonials!

A very good summary of this frustrating season and the bright prospects for next year GoRMU. I don't know if it was the step up in competition or if RMU did not do as good a job guarding against Covid as other schools, but it certainly has been a sobering year.