Man, this season gone by fast, huh?. We are midway through conference play and the Robert Morris Colonials are .500 in NEC play. Sitting at 4-4, the Colonials look to redeem themselves from the last time they faced Mount St. Mary’s, traveling to Maryland for a 7:00 P.M. date with the Mountaineers. I sat down with coach Toole to get his take on how he feels the season has gone so far, and how he feels going down the stretch.
Q: Looking at where you guys were a few weeks ago, you’ve now won three in a row. This team has faced a lot of adversity; what does it say about the perseverance of your team?
A: Obviously it’s a good sign that we’re starting to make strides in terms of details and execution. Some individual guys are starting to step up and make guys more comfortable on the floor. You know, and we also did it in the face of some injuries as well. We had a shortened rotation and we were still able to win some games and handle ourselves the right way. I thought we were able to defend really well in the last couple weeks, so i’m proud of that. Now we just have to continue to work on improving and continue to work to get better and put ourselves in the best situation we can to win down the stretch.
Q: Do you think the FDU game, “The Conrad Stephens Game,” as some people are calling it, do you think that particular game kind of changed the momentum?
A: You know, I think it definitely helped out a lot. I think the group that went in at the end of the Mount game two of weeks ago, with Nate and Ant Pugh, Seth and Conrad, they kind of flew around a little bit and it was something that was discussed about the effort that they gave at the end of the game and if those guys are willing to go out there and give that kind of effort, why can’t everybody? And I think it showed some of the guys that are playing some more regular minutes, that they’re not doing their part. And obviously Conrad coming in and providing us with that energy and that spark was huge. We don’t win the game without him clearly, and maybe thats what guys needed to have their eyes opened up to what the possibilities are if we do things the right way and we do things with great effort.
Q: How does it feel to have Rodney back?
A: Obviously it’s a plus. He wasn’t completely back on Saturday, you know, he was kind of rusty, he’s a little bit out of shape. He hasn’t done stuff in a couple of weeks, but it’s great to have him back. He obviously gives us the versatility to handle the ball, play bigger than he is, we can go smaller at times and obviously his scoring and his shooting, so those things are positives.
Q: Is there a timetable for Dre and Jordan Lester’s return?
A: Dre is cleared. He was cleared on saturday but didn’t feel like he could go. And Jordan, he’s been more active in practice this week and we are hoping to get him back sooner rather than later (mono).
Q: How important has Kavon been over the last several weeks?
A: He’s been great. He’s been our best player over the last month. You know, he’s taken some ownership over things, he’s communicated really well with his teammates. Obviously he’s improved. He’s been playing aggressive, but not out of control, which I think is when he’s at his best. Obviously he’s a guy that’s always trying to make plays and trying to make things happen, and there’s going to be a couple mistakes in there, but that’s part of his game. Obviously he’s shooting the ball at a much better percentage. People have been kind of daring him to score and he’s making them pay for that and I think it makes him that much more difficult to guard.
Q: Has he really worked on his shot over the last several months?
A: Yeah, he’s worked at it a ton. Starting in December, him and I would get together in the gym almost every day and now him and Anthony Pugh get together before practice. They have a little routine that they go through. I think it’s really helped him give some confidence to his shot, and I think he’s going to the basket, you know, early in his career when he’d go to the basket, he was looking to get fouled and get bailed out, but now he’s looking to go inside and finish. And if there’s a foul when he goes in, then great, or if the drop off is there, than that’s great too. So I think he’s really handled himself well, coming off a lot of the ball screens and stuff.
Q: How important is Isaiah Still and Matty McConnell in terms of how far you guys can actually go this season?
A: You know, those guys are playing a ton of minutes for us. I think they’re really improving on the defensive side of the floor and they’ve done a nice job of understanding what we are trying to do. I think they’re playing with really good energy and activity. When we watch film, very rarely are they out of position, which is a great sign. Now I think both of them need to become a little more aggressive on the other side of the floor, I think their shooting percentages need to pick up some, Zay made four 3’s over the weekend, as did Matty. They’ve been getting some good looks and they need to start knocking them down. If they start knocking them down, then it makes it that much more easier and open for Elijah, Kavon, Billy and the rest of our guys out on the floor.
Q: How important has Elijah been? His play has really picked up over the last several games. How important is he to this front-court and can he be one of the best players in this conference?
A: He really should be with his talent. It’s just a matter of how hard he plays. When he plays with great energy and activity like he did in our last three games, he’s difficult to handle because of his versatility. He can be outside, he can be inside and I think earlier in the year he was kind of drifting out on the perimeter a lot, we try and talk to him about diversifying his offense. Some of his best offensive games have come in non-conference; New Mexico State, Duquesne, he got to the rim, he got to the free-throw line, he got some offensive rebounds and he got out in transition. You got to be able to do more than just make a stand-still three because people are eventually going to take that away. He’s shot faked and gone by people, he’s going to the rim, that’s what complete players do. We need him to play with great heart and great energy every time he steps out on the floor and that’s what he has to do from here on out. If he does that, he could take our team to a whole different level.
Q: Do you think guys sometimes fall in love with the three-point shot?
A: Yeah, without a doubt. It’s kind of where their standing, it’s the path of least resistance, you get the most points for it, but it’s also not the highest percentage shot for guys. I think part of maturing as a college player is understanding what you do well and what you don’t do well. Or time and score situations. Maybe at 25 seconds, it’s not a great shot for you, but at ten seconds, it might be the best shot we can get in a possession. Understanding some of those things and being able to make the correct decision when it comes to what shot works best for us, is a part of the process. We talked about it on Saturday, having some more balance. There are times where we love to work that three-point line, and there are times where we can get into the lane and make some plays. We saw in the second half against Bryant, we were able to get inside and dump the ball off to Billy and he got some easy layups. Why? Because people were able to penetrate and get some good drop offs. Defenses now are starting to suck out to that three-point line, well we got to take advantage of what they’re giving us, and that’s maybe a roll or a driving opportunity to finish.
Q: When you talk about attention to detail, what specifically are you talking about?
A: When I talk about attention to detail, I’m referring to execution of our offensive and defensive game plan. Guys being in the right spot, you know, doing it at the right time. Making sure that every little piece of the puzzle is taken care of. So if you’re a forward in our zone and the ball gets passed to the wing, not only being there on time, but having a high hand, having your knees bent. They need to be able to react to whatever the next play might be. If you’re off the ball, staying engaged, staying focused to what your next responsibility is. It’s really being able to react and execute your responsibilities to the best you can. That’s a huge, huge key. Offensively, is it taking your space, are you screening properly, is it making the right decision based on where the help is? You know, all those things make a huge difference. Sprinting back on defense, rebounding the basketball when the shot goes up. All of those things are details of the game that effect whether you win or you lose. If you don’t think those things are important, then you’re going to lose a lot more than you win.
Q: Do you feel good about this team heading forward?
A: I like some of the momentum that we’ve kind of gained in the last week. I think our energy level has been good, after the Sacred Heart game, I think we’ve played hard enough to win in every game, you know, there are certain things we didn’t accomplish. Whether it was rebounding against Wagner, rebounding against St. Francis Brooklyn, whether it was kind of continuing to fight in the Mount St. Mary’s game when things weren’t going so well. I think we’ve played hard enough, I like that and I’m going to trust that we’re going to play hard enough now. It’s a matter of will we make good decisions and will we execute on both sides of the floor, and if we do, then we give ourselves a really good chance.
Q: Looking at where you guys were a few weeks ago, you’ve now won three in a row. This team has faced a lot of adversity; what does it say about the perseverance of your team?
A: Obviously it’s a good sign that we’re starting to make strides in terms of details and execution. Some individual guys are starting to step up and make guys more comfortable on the floor. You know, and we also did it in the face of some injuries as well. We had a shortened rotation and we were still able to win some games and handle ourselves the right way. I thought we were able to defend really well in the last couple weeks, so i’m proud of that. Now we just have to continue to work on improving and continue to work to get better and put ourselves in the best situation we can to win down the stretch.
Q: Do you think the FDU game, “The Conrad Stephens Game,” as some people are calling it, do you think that particular game kind of changed the momentum?
A: You know, I think it definitely helped out a lot. I think the group that went in at the end of the Mount game two of weeks ago, with Nate and Ant Pugh, Seth and Conrad, they kind of flew around a little bit and it was something that was discussed about the effort that they gave at the end of the game and if those guys are willing to go out there and give that kind of effort, why can’t everybody? And I think it showed some of the guys that are playing some more regular minutes, that they’re not doing their part. And obviously Conrad coming in and providing us with that energy and that spark was huge. We don’t win the game without him clearly, and maybe thats what guys needed to have their eyes opened up to what the possibilities are if we do things the right way and we do things with great effort.
Q: How does it feel to have Rodney back?
A: Obviously it’s a plus. He wasn’t completely back on Saturday, you know, he was kind of rusty, he’s a little bit out of shape. He hasn’t done stuff in a couple of weeks, but it’s great to have him back. He obviously gives us the versatility to handle the ball, play bigger than he is, we can go smaller at times and obviously his scoring and his shooting, so those things are positives.
Q: Is there a timetable for Dre and Jordan Lester’s return?
A: Dre is cleared. He was cleared on saturday but didn’t feel like he could go. And Jordan, he’s been more active in practice this week and we are hoping to get him back sooner rather than later (mono).
Q: How important has Kavon been over the last several weeks?
A: He’s been great. He’s been our best player over the last month. You know, he’s taken some ownership over things, he’s communicated really well with his teammates. Obviously he’s improved. He’s been playing aggressive, but not out of control, which I think is when he’s at his best. Obviously he’s a guy that’s always trying to make plays and trying to make things happen, and there’s going to be a couple mistakes in there, but that’s part of his game. Obviously he’s shooting the ball at a much better percentage. People have been kind of daring him to score and he’s making them pay for that and I think it makes him that much more difficult to guard.
Q: Has he really worked on his shot over the last several months?
A: Yeah, he’s worked at it a ton. Starting in December, him and I would get together in the gym almost every day and now him and Anthony Pugh get together before practice. They have a little routine that they go through. I think it’s really helped him give some confidence to his shot, and I think he’s going to the basket, you know, early in his career when he’d go to the basket, he was looking to get fouled and get bailed out, but now he’s looking to go inside and finish. And if there’s a foul when he goes in, then great, or if the drop off is there, than that’s great too. So I think he’s really handled himself well, coming off a lot of the ball screens and stuff.
Q: How important is Isaiah Still and Matty McConnell in terms of how far you guys can actually go this season?
A: You know, those guys are playing a ton of minutes for us. I think they’re really improving on the defensive side of the floor and they’ve done a nice job of understanding what we are trying to do. I think they’re playing with really good energy and activity. When we watch film, very rarely are they out of position, which is a great sign. Now I think both of them need to become a little more aggressive on the other side of the floor, I think their shooting percentages need to pick up some, Zay made four 3’s over the weekend, as did Matty. They’ve been getting some good looks and they need to start knocking them down. If they start knocking them down, then it makes it that much more easier and open for Elijah, Kavon, Billy and the rest of our guys out on the floor.
Q: How important has Elijah been? His play has really picked up over the last several games. How important is he to this front-court and can he be one of the best players in this conference?
A: He really should be with his talent. It’s just a matter of how hard he plays. When he plays with great energy and activity like he did in our last three games, he’s difficult to handle because of his versatility. He can be outside, he can be inside and I think earlier in the year he was kind of drifting out on the perimeter a lot, we try and talk to him about diversifying his offense. Some of his best offensive games have come in non-conference; New Mexico State, Duquesne, he got to the rim, he got to the free-throw line, he got some offensive rebounds and he got out in transition. You got to be able to do more than just make a stand-still three because people are eventually going to take that away. He’s shot faked and gone by people, he’s going to the rim, that’s what complete players do. We need him to play with great heart and great energy every time he steps out on the floor and that’s what he has to do from here on out. If he does that, he could take our team to a whole different level.
Q: Do you think guys sometimes fall in love with the three-point shot?
A: Yeah, without a doubt. It’s kind of where their standing, it’s the path of least resistance, you get the most points for it, but it’s also not the highest percentage shot for guys. I think part of maturing as a college player is understanding what you do well and what you don’t do well. Or time and score situations. Maybe at 25 seconds, it’s not a great shot for you, but at ten seconds, it might be the best shot we can get in a possession. Understanding some of those things and being able to make the correct decision when it comes to what shot works best for us, is a part of the process. We talked about it on Saturday, having some more balance. There are times where we love to work that three-point line, and there are times where we can get into the lane and make some plays. We saw in the second half against Bryant, we were able to get inside and dump the ball off to Billy and he got some easy layups. Why? Because people were able to penetrate and get some good drop offs. Defenses now are starting to suck out to that three-point line, well we got to take advantage of what they’re giving us, and that’s maybe a roll or a driving opportunity to finish.
Q: When you talk about attention to detail, what specifically are you talking about?
A: When I talk about attention to detail, I’m referring to execution of our offensive and defensive game plan. Guys being in the right spot, you know, doing it at the right time. Making sure that every little piece of the puzzle is taken care of. So if you’re a forward in our zone and the ball gets passed to the wing, not only being there on time, but having a high hand, having your knees bent. They need to be able to react to whatever the next play might be. If you’re off the ball, staying engaged, staying focused to what your next responsibility is. It’s really being able to react and execute your responsibilities to the best you can. That’s a huge, huge key. Offensively, is it taking your space, are you screening properly, is it making the right decision based on where the help is? You know, all those things make a huge difference. Sprinting back on defense, rebounding the basketball when the shot goes up. All of those things are details of the game that effect whether you win or you lose. If you don’t think those things are important, then you’re going to lose a lot more than you win.
Q: Do you feel good about this team heading forward?
A: I like some of the momentum that we’ve kind of gained in the last week. I think our energy level has been good, after the Sacred Heart game, I think we’ve played hard enough to win in every game, you know, there are certain things we didn’t accomplish. Whether it was rebounding against Wagner, rebounding against St. Francis Brooklyn, whether it was kind of continuing to fight in the Mount St. Mary’s game when things weren’t going so well. I think we’ve played hard enough, I like that and I’m going to trust that we’re going to play hard enough now. It’s a matter of will we make good decisions and will we execute on both sides of the floor, and if we do, then we give ourselves a really good chance.
