Today, Robert Morris officially announced the extension of head coach Andrew Toole, which will make him the coach through the 2019-20 season. In his time at Robert Morris, Toole has accumulated a record of 110-65(.629) and 65-23(.729) in the NEC.
Golden Era of Colonial Basketball: This past season quite possibly was the most successful season Robert Morris men’s basketball has had since the 2009-2010 season when it came within a hairs length of upsetting the No. 2 seeded Villanova Wildcats in the 2010 NCAA Tournament.
This time around, the Colonials sparked and clicked on all cylinders heading into the NEC Tournament. Being seeded in the second spot in the NEC tournament, fans and media alike were skeptical if the Colonials could make it due to inconsistency in the regular season.
Vocal leadership from junior guard Rodney Pryor and senior guard Lucky Jones gave younger players like freshman guard Marcquise Reed and freshman forward Elijah Minnie the motivation they needed. This motivation became apparent, as they both seemed to be in sync in lifting the team both offensively and defensively during their NEC and NCAA runs.
After rolling through the No. 7 seeded Wagner Seahawks and No. 3 seeded Bryant Bulldogs, the Robert Morris faced its toughest competition in the NEC Title game against St. Francis Brooklyn Terriers.
A win over St. Francis and crowned champions of the NEC, Toole and his players did not waste a second in preparing for the first round of the NCAA Tournament. In the Round of Four, Robert Morris defeated the North Florida Ospreys and would go on to face a powerhouse in the Duke Blue Devils.
Although Robert Morris lost, it was not a lost effort. The 16-seeded Colonials came within 10 points of tying the Blue Devils before ultimately losing to the eventual National Champions. The recent success of the Robert Morris men’s basketball program can easily be attributed to Toole’s ability to coach his team.
“Andy has done a terrific job with our men’s basketball program, with consistent excellence over the years including our win in the NCAA Tournament this past season,” Director of Athletics Craig Coleman said. “Our offer of a contract extension is an indication of the desire to keep him at RMU for a long time to come.”
Toole has finished with a winning record every year since he began coaching the team in the 2010-11 season. Robert Morris has qualified for a postseason tournament in the last four years and have won at least 20 games in each of those seasons.
“Everyone who filled out an NCAA bracket had to make a decision about whether Robert Morris was going to win that first game or not,” Coleman said. “What that does for the name recognition of our school is unmatched to any other facet of the University, besides the academics.”
During Toole’s eight-year tenure at Robert Morris, as both an assistant and coach, there have been over 200 school records.
“I didn’t even think there were 200 school records, let alone you could break that many,” Coleman jokingly said during the press conference today.
Toole still has some work to do with the program.
“We are leaving all options on the table. Headed into the season, we will have a plan A, B and so on,” Toole said about possible replacements for the upcoming season with Reed most likely transferring. “We were not anticipating his departure headed into the offseason, but we are assessing our options.”
After the successful season, Toole is taking some personal time before gearing up for next season.
“I do have a vacation on the Jersey Shore coming up in June, which I am looking very forward to.” Toole said. “But our guys will be here on campus taking classes, lifting weights and working out. We will be gearing up and preparing for the season, which will be exciting.”
New Home for Colonials Basketball: In addition to the announcement of the extension of Toole, Coleman also announced the plans for a new event center on Robert Morris’ campus that will play host to the basketball team and many other functions.
“We just received approval for what I call phase one. This is a one-year phase where we will focus on fundraising as well as developing a business plan for all the different events to be held there like concerts in addition to sporting events,” Coleman said.
Within this first-year phase, Robert Morris will begin site preparation and will have to adjust the entrance of the campus based on where the event center will be built.
“We want this to be at the front of campus because we believe this will be a signature building and want anyone who drives on campus to see it,” Coleman said. “We are doing this without using a penny of the university’s dollars; this is why the fundraising is so important.”
The current home of Colonials basketball, Charles L. Sewall Center, would be converted into a recreation center for students. The Sewall Center, the home of Robert Morris basketball since 1985, will replace the current recreation building, John Jay Center, which will be turned into classrooms.
The proposed multimillion new event center will hold between 4,000-4,500 people and construction is hoped to begin a year from now in the hopes that the appropriate funds are secured by that time.
