Moon Township, Pa. - Robert Morris University men's basketball head coach Andrew Toole announced today the program's 2012-13 recruiting class, which includes a pair of student-athletes that have signed National Letters of Intent and one that has inked a scholarship agreement with the Colonials.

Joining RMU for the 2012-13 campaign are junior guard Karvel Anderson (Elkhart, Ind. / Glen Oaks Community College), freshman forward Stephan Hawkins (Gary, Ind. / Bowman Academy) and junior forward Vaughn Morgan (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Southwestern Christian College).

"I'm extremely excited that we are able to add three talented student-athletes to our program for next season," Toole said. "I thought we did a great job addressing our immediate needs in signing three players that are going to step in and compete for playing time right away. All three of these players add depth to our rotation and as a group are extremely talented."

Hawkins inked his NLI with Robert Morris during the early signing period in November of 2011, while Anderson signed his NLI in April. Morgan agreed to a scholarship agreement with the Colonials earlier this month.

The recruiting class joins a group of four returning starters and nine letterwinners from a 2011-12 team that finished with an overall record of 26-11 (.703), including a mark of 13-5 (.722) in the Northeast Conference.

RMU tied a school record for victories last season and advanced to their fourth straight NEC Tournament championship game before succumbing at LIU Brooklyn for the second straight year. Despite the loss to the Blackbirds, the Colonials made their fourth appearance in a national postseason tournament in the last five years, advancing to the quarterfinals of the 2012 CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament.

"I really think we addressed a need of stabilizing our frontcourt situation with the signings of Stephan and Vaughn," Toole said. "Stephan is a talented and gifted player and is someone that I think was overlooked in the recruiting process. Once we're able to get him to add some strength, I really think he has a bright future. Vaughn, meanwhile, is an extraordinary athlete who is extremely explosive. He's physically ready to compete at the Division I level and is going to help us right away with his ability on both ends of the court. He's active on both offense and defense, and that's important."

Redshirt senior guard Velton Jones (Philadelphia, Pa. / Northeast Catholic) is RMU's top returning scorer next season, having averaged 16.0 points per game in 2011-12 while also leading the Colonials in both assists (167) and steals (68) for the second straight year. A member of the 2012 All-NEC First Team and the 2012 All-NEC Tournament Team, Jones is RMU's active leading scorer with 1,259 points, which ranks 11th all-time at Robert Morris.

Redshirt junior guard Coron Williams (Midlothian, Va. / Christchurch School), like Jones a member of the 2012 All-NEC Tournament Team, averaged 10.8 points per game last season while converting 87 three-pointers, the second highest total in single-season school history.

"There's no question that the NEC is a league that features a number of quality guards, and we feel we have two of the best of them in Velton and Coron," Toole said. "Karvel adds to our depth at the position. He really understands how to score the basketball and is really efficient in his ability to score. I'm excited to see what he brings to our roster next year."

Robert Morris enters the 2012-13 campaign with an overall record of 117-56 (.676) over the last five seasons, both a school and NEC record. Over that span, the Colonials rank ninth among mid-major programs in victories, tied with Kent State.

Robert Morris 2012-13 Men's Basketball Recruiting Class

Karvel Anderson (G) - (YouTube Highlights) - Inked a National Letter of Intent with Robert Morris in April of 2012 ... An explosive scorer who averaged 24.9 points per game at Glen Oaks Community College in Centreville, Michigan, as a sophomore in 2011-12 ... Added averages of 5.8 rebounds, 3.1 and 1.6 steals per game in 2011-12 ... Shot 48 percent (270-for-564) from the field, including 43 percent (97-for-227) from beyond the arc, and 83 percent (86-for-104) at the free-throw line ... Earned all-conference and all-region honors in 2011-12 ... Scored a season-high 54 points against Schoolcraft College (12/30/11), hitting 17 of his 34 shots from the field, including 6-for-11 from long range, and going 14-for-15 at the free-throw line ... Played his prep basketball at Elkhart Memorial High School in Elkhart, Indiana.

Stephan Hawkins (F) - Signed a National Letter of Intent with Robert Morris in November of 2011 ... Member of a Bowman Academy team that finished as state runner up in both 2011 and 2012 ... As a senior averaged 11.8 points and 7.6 rebounds per game ... Earned all-league and all-county honors in 2011-12 ... As a junior in 2010-11 averaged 9.8 points and 7.1 rebounds per contest ... Two-time participant in the Indiana Class Basketball All-Star Classic.

Vaughn Morgan (F) - (YouTube Highlights) - Agreed to a scholarship agreement with RMU in May of 2012 ... Averaged 16.1 points, 8.7 rebounds and 3.3 blocks per game as a sophomore at Southwestern Christian College in Terrell, Texas ... Earned all-conference first team accolades as well as all-region honors ... Played his prep basketball at Perry Traditional Academy in Pittsburgh, Pa. ... Helped lead the Commodores to a City League Championship in 2009, averaging 18.3 points and 7.9 rebounds per contest ... Named the 2009 City League Most Valuable Player ... RMU's first student-athlete from the Pittsburgh City League since former Colonial Chaz McCrommon, a product of Schenley High School, scored 1,623 points from 2001 to 2005.