Moon Township, Pa. – Former guards
Velton Jones (2008-13) and
Karvel Anderson (2012-14) of the
Robert Morris University men's basketball team were named to the Northeast Conference All-Decade Team Thursday.
A voting panel that consisted of current NEC coaches, media members, announcers and conference staff whittled a 25-player list down to a 10-member team. The highest voter-getter was named the NEC Player of the Decade, which went to forward Jamal Olasewere (2010-13) of LIU.
RMU finished with an overall record of 91-50 (.645) during the four years Jones was on the active roster, helping guide the Colonials to the 2010 NCAA Tournament, the 2012 CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT) and the 2013 National Invitation Tournament (NIT).
A two-time All-NEC First Team (2012, 2013) selection, Jones appeared in 135 career games, including 125 starts. He owns career school records for starting assignments, consecutive games played (121), free throws (495) and free-throw attempts (688). As a redshirt junior in 2011-12, Jones established the program's single-season mark for free throws and free-throw attempts, going 207-for-270 (76.7%) at the stripe.
Jones, a native of Philadelphia, Pa., concluded his career with 1,588 points and 551 assists, becoming the ninth player in NEC annals, and first member of the Colonials, to eclipse career totals of 1,500 points and 500 dimes. He ranks sixth all-time on the Robert Morris scoring list and second in assists.
During his career, Jones averaged 11.8 points, 4.1 assists and 1.6 steals per contest, finishing with 79 career double-figure scoring games. The Colonials posted a record of 53-26 (.671) when Jones scored in double figures, and he eclipsed the 20-point plateau 17 times, including a career-high 38 points in an 82-77 victory @ James Madison (11/22/11) as part of the Philly Hoop Group Classic.
Jones & Anderson Feature: A Bond Beyond Basketball (8/3/15)
Anderson played two seasons at Robert Morris, appearing in 69 career games, including 46 starts. He scored 1,123 points with the Colonials, becoming the just third student-athlete, and second at the NCAA Division I level, to score at least 1,000 points in two years in an RMU uniform.
Named the 2014 NEC Player of the Year, Anderson put forth arguably the greatest offensive season in school history in 2013-14. He established Robert Morris single-season records for points (710), field goals (248), three-point field goals (119), three-point field goals made per game (3.31), double-figure scoring games (33), 20-point scoring games (19) and 30-point scoring efforts (4).
Anderson averaged 19.7 points per game in 2013-14, becoming the third student-athlete in program history to claim an NEC scoring title. He shot 46.3 percent (119-for-257) from beyond the arc, which ranked seventh in NCAA Division I that season.
In one of the most impressive shooting displays in program history, Anderson shot a perfect 10-for-10 from the field, including 8-for-8 from beyond the arc, in an 84-76 victory over Ohio (12/1/12) at the Charles L. Sewall Center.
Both Jones and Anderson helped lead Robert Morris to landmark 59-57 win over Kentucky (3/19/13) in front of 3,444 fans at the Sewall Center in the first round of the 2013 NIT. In RMU's second consecutive appearance in the NIT the next year, Anderson scored a career-high 38 points in an 89-78 victory @ St. John's (3/18/14). He tied a program single-game record with nine three-pointers and shot 12-for-20 from the field overall.
In four career games in the NIT, Anderson averaged 20.3 points while shooting an even 50 percent (25-for-50) from the field, including 51.5 percent (17-for-33) from beyond the arc, and 87.5 percent (14-for-16) at the free-throw line.
Anderson, a native of Elkhart, Ind., owns the Robert Morris career record for three-point field goals per game with an average of 2.91 per contest. He knocked 201 career three-pointers in his two seasons with the Colonials en route to 55 career double-figure scoring games. Anderson finished his career with a shooting percentage of 49.7 percent (391-for-787), including 45.3 percent (201-for-444) from deep, and 84.3 percent (140-for-166) at the free-throw line.
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