Meyer on Morris Link
 
Moon Township, Pa. – Nov. 9, 2013 – RMU's season opener Saturday against Savannah State is the team's first test in its bid to add more trophies, tournaments and titles to its trove of trinkets collected in recent seasons.
 
The Colonials, 24-11 last year, enter this season as the defending Northeast Conference regular-season champions.
 
Can they win it again? Will they wind up in the NCAA Tournament? The National Invitation Tournament?
 
Who knows at this early juncture. What's certain is that the Colonials will play 15 non-conference games -- including road tussles at nationally-ranked Kentucky and Oklahoma State, plus a game at Alabama -- before beginning NEC play at Sacred Heart Jan. 9.
 
That's quite a laboratory for coach Andrew Toole to mix and match his players in an attempt to discern exactly how this team will crystalize.
 
"I'm not sure what my expectation was of this team in terms of how good we'll be,'' Toole said, referring to his thoughts when practice began Sept. 27. "I don't think, 'OK, we're going to be a top four team in the NEC or a top eight team in the NEC.' Obviously, our expectation is to get better every day. But one of the things that I do like about this group is that I think we have some dudes that fight. Even our new guys have brought some good competitive blood into the mix here, and I think if we can just become solid in our details I think we have a chance to be a good team.''
 
One thing for Colonial fans to follow during the non-conference portion of the schedule is the development of the team's six newcomers.
 
Does one of them have to step up?
 
"I think we need to have more than just one guy step up,'' Toole said. "I think we need a few guys to really step up and understand what's going on. Some of those guys that I think would need to do that are Jeremiah Worthem and Kavon Stewart. I think the sooner those guys can figure things out, the better we'll be.''
 
Worthem is a 6'6" freshman who figures to help the Colonials on the glass.
 
"He's a tough aggressive dude,'' Toole said. " I think once he gets down some of the detail, some of the execution offensively and defensively, I think he can really, really help. I think it's pretty obvious that he's a pretty talented kid who has really good instincts for the game. It's just going to be how well conditioned is he, how well does he understand the details.''
 
Stewart is an energetic freshman point guard who will back up regular point guard Anthony Myers-Pate this season before perhaps becoming the primary point guard next season.
 
Toole also cited junior guard Charles Oliver as a player to follow.
 
"Because he's a guy who can make some perimeter shots,'' Toole said, "and I think we're going to need another perimeter shooter.''
 
Oliver, who began his college career at Rider, last season played at Lakeland Community College near Cleveland, Ohio. He averaged 19.3 points per game and shot 44.9 percent from international waters enroute to being named a first team Division II All-American by the National Junior College Athletic Association.
 
While those three players will attract a lot of attention, it isn't just that trio that bears watching over the next two months.
 
"We need everybody to step up, really, in different facets of their game and different understandings of their role,'' Toole said. "We have an idea of who will begin the game (Saturday). I think we're starting to get into a little bit more of an understanding of what everyone's roles are going to be in terms of when they're going to get into the game and (what's expected from the) guys off our bench when they get into the game.''
 
Savannah State, out of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conferfence, handed Robert Morris one of its losses last season, turning back the Colonials, 61-52, in late November.
 
"It was an ugly game,'' Toole said. "They did a really good job of making us play at their pace, their tempo. They did a really good job of controlling the ball in their half-court offense and disrupting our ability to play half-court offense. We needed to have some more teamwork in that game, and we didn't have it."
 
Lucky Jones (18) and Karvel Anderson (10) accounted for over half of the Colonial points. Robert Morris shot only 28.6 percent from  the field and made just five of its 21 casts from beyond the arc. RMU trailed, 23-17, at halftime and was behind 43-24 with eight minutes left before mustering some semblance of a futile rally.
 
"Some of our poor shooting is a tribute to them,'' Toole said. "They were a very, very good defensive  team last year. I assume they'll be very good again this year. But not only were they very good defensively and made us take some tough shots, I also think we were a little bit weak-minded offensively and settled for shots instead of maybe trying to make another pass or trying to get another ball reversal because they were making it difficult for us, and we kind of succumbed to their toughness.''
 
Someone wondered why the Colonials had such a tough time handling Savannah State's defense last season because Robert Morris focuses on defense itself. One would think the Colonials would know how to play against a tough defensive team.
 
"It's one of those things that's really strange, but I agree with you,'' Toole said. "I don't understand why. We switch on defense a lot and when people switch against us it's … there's that old adage that sometimes what people do well they don't like being  done to them. Like pressure teams don't like to be pressed even though they probably practice against it all day long. I think if we're playing a team that's going to ball-pressure and be physical at times and be aggressive that should be what we're used to. But it doesn't always seem to be the case.''
 
The Tigers, who finished 19-15 last season, held opponents to an average of just 55.5 points per game -- while scoring only 56.8 on average themselves.
 
Savannah State opened its season last night at Pitt. So does Robert Morris have an advantage at the Charles L. Sewall Center Saturday at 7 p.m. because it will be more rested?
 
"I think you can look at it both ways,'' Toole said. "Look at it from the perspective that they have a game
under their belt. They have a lot of new players, like we do.''
 
The Tigers return only four of the nine players who scored against the Colonials in last season's game. And five freshmen are listed on their roster this season.
 
"So (the Pitt game) will give their guys an opportunity to play a game,'' Toole said. "I think that can really help them. At the same time, they're going to be going (against RMU) on back-to-back nights, so I'd hope we'd have some more energy and be excited to get out on the floor for our first game.''
 
Savannah State played an exhibition game against Armstrong State Oct. 31 and won, 73-61. The Colonials played their exhibition game against California (Pa.) Oct. 28 and won, 64-58.
 
Toole saw a great deal of improvement in his team in the days that followed that exhibition game.
 
"The improvement with some of our new guys was noticeable,'' Toole said. "A lot of the stuff that we go over in practice on a regular basis is obviously to help us become a good team, (but) I think when we can show visual evidence (on tape) that, 'This is where we  were in the wrong spot or this is how it can help us against an opponent,' guys have a little of the background. Now they see that they should put it into use. Some of the guys are learning how to be successful at this level. I think in every  experience there's so much for them to learn.''
 
Apparently, games are better learning experiences than practices.
 
"I don't know why,'' Toole said. "We watch practice (tapes) and our intrasquad scrimmages with a lot of our guys and for some reason  it just doesn't have the same impact than when there's someone out there in a different uniform and a different jersey. For the really, really good players, it does (happen in practice). But I think in the practice setting, it just doesn't seem as real maybe when you say that that's going to be a foul. They don't believe it. When there are refs, they believe it. Or when you say, 'This is going to be an open shot,' and your opponent actually makes that shot. In practice, a guy might miss the shot, and then they'll say, 'Aw, we can still get away with it (defensively).' It's something about (having) officials (there), opponents, and a different coach on the other end that I think helps guys really buy in.''
 
So with all that said -- and without further ado -- the Colonials are ready to begin this season.
 
Pretty cool that they'll begin it at home?
 
"I know that I'd rather start at home than on the road, but that's not always possible,'' Toole said. "You hope there's more of a comfort level when you start at home. Hopefully it's an exciting way to start your year with a home atmosphere and a crowd and all that kind of stuff. The new guys should be a little more comfortable.''

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