Moon Township, Pa. – Robert Morris University head men's basketball coach
Andrew Toole announced Thursday the program has signed three student-athletes to National Letters of Intent (NLI).
Joining RMU for the 2019-20 campaign is freshman forward
Olisa Ngonadi (Fort Washington, Md. / National Christian Academy) and junior forwards
DJ Russell (Jacksonville, Fla. / Miami Dade College) and
AJ Bramah (San Leandro, Calif. / Sheridan College).
"As we get set to usher in a new era of Robert Morris basketball with the opening of the UPMC Events Center, we felt as a coaching staff that the signing of these three student-athletes are perfect fits for our roster," head coach
Andrew Toole said. "The signings of Olisa, D.J. and AJ give us size and toughness in the low post and help give us a balanced roster. I'm really excited to watch these three guys develop."
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A look at each of the bios of RMU's three newcomers …
Olisa Ngonadi
6'8", 175
Freshman
Fort Washington, Md. / National Christian Academy
Prep Highlights: Originally from Nigeria … Nickname is "O" or "Big O" … Named to the 2019 Capital Beltway Athletic Association First Team … Averaged a double-double as a senior with National Christian Academy in 2018-19, providing averages of 12.0 points and 11.7 rebounds per game … Finished first in the DMV region with 143 blocks and 342 rebounds while ranking 11th in two-point field goals (156) … Invited to participate in the 2019 DMV Elite Nations Classic I-95 All-Star Game … Invited to take part in the 2019 Pittsburgh Basketball Club (PBC) Roundball Classic at Moon High School April 27, 2019 … Played AAU basketball for the 6th Man Warriors … His cousin, Jeffrey Uju, plays collegiately at Bowling Green.
DJ Russell
6'7", 210
Jacksonville, Fla. / Miami Dade College
Junior College Highlights: Appeared in 30 games at Miami Dade in 2018-19, averaging 19.2 points and 9.7 rebounds per contest … Converted 51.1 percent (240-for-470) of his attempts from the field … Scored in double figures in 28 of his 30 games … Eclipsed the 20-point plateau on 15 occasions, including a career-high 31 points vs. Harcum (1/1/19) … Registered 15 double-doubles, including a career-high 20 rebounds in a 108-106 win over Hillsborough Community College (12/16/18) and in the win over Harcum … Named the NJCAA Region VIII Player of Week (11/6/18) … As a freshman at Miami Dade College in 2017-18 averaged 15.2 points and 7.9 rebounds per contest … Attended Potters House Christian Academy prior to enrolling at Miami Dade … Averaged 22.1 points per game as a senior at Potters House Christian Academy and garnered first team all-conference accolades.
AJ Bramah
6'7", 185
San Leandro, Calif. / Sheridan College
Junior College Highlights: Played in 32 games in 2018-19, including 31 starts … Averaged 13.2 points and 8.8 rebounds per contest while shooting 52.8 percent (163-for-309) from the field … Scored in double figures on 23 occasions … Scored a career-high 26 points on two occasions, including a 95-77 victory over Williston State College (11/24/19) and again in a 104-96 win over Gillette College (2/13/19) … Scored 20 or more points in a game five times … Recorded seven double-doubles, including a career-high 14 caroms in back-to-back wins over Northwest College (2/6/19) and Laramie County Community College (2/9/19) … As a freshman for the Generals averaged 14.0 points and 10.1 rebounds per contest while shooting 54.3 percent (163-for-300) from the floor … Appeared in 62 career contests with Sheridan, posting career averages of 13.6 points and 8.8 rebounds per game … Played his prep basketball and San Leandro High School, averaging 13.2 points and 8.3 rebounds as a senior … Garnered first team all-conference honors in 2017 for the West Alameda County Foothill Conference.
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The three newest Colonials join a group of seven returning letterwinners, including four starters, in 2019-20. Robert Morris returns redshirt senior guard
Josh Williams, junior guard
Jon Williams, junior forward
Charles Bain and senior forward
Yannis Mendy as starters.
Josh Williams was named to the 2019 All-Northeast Conference Third Team and led RMU in scoring in 2018-19 at 14.5 points per contest. He became just the second player in program history to knock down at least 100 three-pointers in a season, leading the NEC with an average of 2.94 per game thanks to 103 triples in 35 games.
Led by Toole, Robert Morris posted an overall record of 18-17 (.514) in 2018-19, including mark of 11-7 (.611) in the NEC. The Colonials made their second appearance in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament, advancing to the second round thanks to a 98-89 overtime win over Cornell (3/19/19) at the North Athletic Complex.
In nine seasons under Toole, RMU has compiled an overall record of 168-140 (.545), including a mark of 102-58 (.638) against league opposition. Toole has guided the Colonials to a pair of NEC regular-season championships (2013, 2014), the 2015 NEC Tournament title and five postseason appearances.
Since the beginning of the 2007-08 campaign, Robert Morris has compiled an overall record of 241-171 (.585), an average of 20.1 victories per season. During the last 12 years, the Colonials have appeared in the NCAA Tournament (2009, 2010, 2015) three times, the NIT (2008, 2013, 2014) on three occasions and the CIT (2012, 2019) twice.
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