By Paul Meyer
RMUColonials.com
Feb. 21, 2013
Meyer on Morris Link
Moon Township, Pa. - There's something special about the final home weekend of regular season basketball at Robert Morris University.
For one thing, there's the air of anticipation in the Charles L. Sewall Center because the Colonials usually are about to begin play in the Northeast Conference Tournament.
That leads to questions about the chances of the team securing at least a first-round home game in that event, as well as other questions about the possibility of the team playing maybe two home tournament games. And another question, which normally isn't discussed a whole lot quite yet, is about whether the team could actually get the top seed in the NEC Tournament and perhaps play at home for as long as it continues to win.
That anticipatory atmosphere definitely will be present again this weekend when the Colonials play Monmouth Thursday night and Fairleigh Dickinson Saturday night in the Sewall Center. With one more win, the Colonials will clinch a spot in the NEC Tournament for the 10th consecutive season.
There's also a bit of extra excitement about this weekend. The Colonials enter the penultimate weekend of the regular season leading the NEC by virtue of its 60-57 win at LIU Brooklyn Feb. 2. Each team is 10-4 in the league, but that victory gave the Colonials the tie-breaker over the Blackbird.
So there's all that.
And there's also this.
It's Senior Weekend, meaning two of the best players to wear a Colonial uniform - Velton Jones and Russell Johnson -- will be playing their final two regular season games in the Sewall Center.
Well, we'll see if Jones does play in both these games. The point guard has been plagued by a sore right shoulder for over a month and has missed three games because of it.
"He's working to get (his shoulder) as healthy as he can for the remainder of the year,'' RMU coach Andrew Toole said a few days ago. "We'll make a decision that's in the best interests of the program.''
Jones did not play in the Colonials' win at Sacred Heart last Saturday. It's conceivable he'll sit out the Monmouth game, and it's even possible he won't play much against Fairleigh Dickinson, although it's difficult to believe he won't make a courtesy appearance on Senior Night.
In any case, Jones will be remembered by fans for his grit, talent, will and for his go-ahead floater in the lane in the waning seconds at LIU Brooklyn almost three weeks ago.
"I think Velton will go down as one of the best players to ever play at Robert Morris,'' Toole said. "He's made some of the biggest plays and biggest shots during my time here. He's a guy who when people talk about the identity and the culture of our program, I think a lot of them think of him and his ability to compete and the toughness he brings to the floor.''
Jones currently ranks fifth on the Colonials' all-time scoring list with 1,519 points. He trails only Chaz McCrommon, who scored 1,623 points (2001-05), Jeremy Chappell, Chipper Harris and Myron Walker.
Jones also ranks second on RMU's all-time assist list with 517. Forest Grant (1980-84) tops that list with 555 assists.
Johnson stands 17th on the career scoring list with 1,095 points and could move up another couple of notches. Ricky Cannon (1987-92) finished with 1,124 points; Vaughn Luton (1986-89) had 1,134.
Johnson ranks third on RMU's all-time rebounding chart with 697. Anthony Dickens (1985-90) and Tony Lee (2004-08) are tied at the top with 751.
"From the day that Russell walked on campus to the day he walks off, he has matured and developed as much as anybody I've been around in my short coaching career,'' Toole said. "I think he's been an incredibly talented player for this program with his versatility. He's probably one of the most knowledgeable players that I've coached, has an extremely high basketball IQ and has been there with Velton through each and every step of their careers and has a chance to go down as the all-time leading rebounder in school history.''
The other two seniors on the 2012-13 roster are walk-ons - Shane Sweigart in his second season and Treadwell Lewis in his fourth season.
You won't find either of them on any of RMU's all-time statistics lists, although one could make the argument that the energetic Lewis is way up there on the list of all-time fan favorites.
Whenever the Colonials are headed for a comfortable victory, the fans chant: "We Want Treadwell!'' Those pleas often are unrequited, but Lewis has played in 18 games during his career and scored nine points.
"Treadwell's had an incredible, incredible experience here at Robert Morris University,'' Toole said. "When he got here, I think we almost tried to not have him be part of the program. But he was so persistent. He was so hell-bent on becoming a Division I basketball player, and over his four years here that's exactly what he's done. I can't imagine having coached these last four years without having Treadwell part of the program, as strange as it sounds. He has earned the respect of everybody who's associated with this program. He's worked as hard -- if not harder -- as most people associated with this program. And he's had a huge hand in helping build all the success people have seen on the floor.''
Lewis could be rewarded for all his efforts, admittedly almost all of them during practices, with a start against Fairleigh Dickinson.
"If it happened, it would be something that Treadwell deserved,'' Toole said.
And if it happens, the ovation from the fans during the lineup introductions would be loud and long.
"I hope so,'' Toole said. "It should.''
All the building buzz about the seniors' final regular season home weekend should not overshadow the actual games, however.
The Colonials must continue to win if they're to maintain their lead in the NEC and grab the top seed in the NEC Tournament. Most fans will look at the league records of Monmouth (5-9) and FDU (2-12) and think these games should be "gimmes.''
But that's what makes these games worrisome.
As Wagner coach Bashir Mason told the Staten Island Advance recently: "Because (the league) is so balanced and so tight, you can't let a win opportunity slip by. If you do, you could wind up on the outside looking in.''
"For sure,'' Toole said. "You definitely can't. The problem is, opportunities for wins aren't as easy to come by as they used to be in the Northeast Conference.''
Should this season's regular season champion finish with four losses, that would be the most by the champion since 2005-06, when FDU won with a 14-4 record.
"I think the league lacks maybe the one or two dominant teams that it's had in the past,'' Toole said. "I think that's really what it is. Even the teams at the bottom of the standings are better than the teams at the bottom of the standings have been in the past.''
Jones' availability also will be an issue during this weekend, although it's worth noting that the Colonials won each of the three games he missed.
"That shows that we have some depth and that guys have really rallied around when he's been out,'' Toole said. "Hopefully it's a good sign that we have guys who can step up when someone goes down.''
Junior Anthony Myers-Pate, the backup point guard, has gained additional experience in Jones' stead. In the three games Jones missed, Myers-Pate scored a total of 25 points and contributed 11 assists.
"I think Ant's done well,'' Toole said. "I think the only thing we've missed is some of (Jones') decision making on when to really run offense and when to attack. He wants to attack and he wants to make plays and we want him to do that as well, but sometimes his idea of attacking or when he should attack isn't always in line with me. It's something that we'll continue to talk about and work on, but I think he's done a good job.''
It can only help Myers-Pate going forward, as he figures to assume the starting point guard job next season.
"I think all these situations are very beneficial for him because he's getting some different opportunities,'' Toole said. "He's out there in games a lot with Velton, especially at the end of games as two guys who are able to handle the ball and make decisions, but now he's kind of that main guy, so I think it will help his improvement and make our team stronger.''
BASKETBALL IS WEIRD: In RMU's 63-61 loss at Quinnipiac last Thursday, Mike McFadden, a 65 percent free throw shooter, missed six of his nine free throw attempts, including the front end of a one-and-one opportunity when the Colonials had a chance to expand a 58-56 lead with 3:09 left.
Robert Morris as a team was just 5-of- 13 from the line against the Bobcats.
On Saturday in RMU's 68-63 win at Sacred Heart, McFadden went 4-for-4 from the chalk, helping the Colonials make 23 of their 27 free throw attempts.
"Friday in practice we shot a lot of free throws,'' Toole said of McFadden's and the team's overnight improvement. "I think it comes down to a little bit of (heightened) concentration as well. You concentrate a little extra. You're a little more focused because you had opportunities to either extend the lead or do some different things in the game on Thursday and you didn't get it done, so now you try and focus a little harder and do a little more.''
