Coming off their first appearance in the NCAA tournament in five years, the Robert Morris Colonials have already had quite an interesting offseason. After extending head coach Andy Toole to a 2-year extension, receiving multiple requests for releases, and getting verbal commitments from interesting recruits with high upside, there has been a lot going on in Moon Township.
Minnie in a big role: Today, multiple media reports have surfaced that 6-foot-8 freshman forward Elijah Minnie will be staying with the team. Minnie, who was limited during the regular season, began to bud as a star during the Colonials’ NEC and NCAA tournament run.
Over the course of their seven-game winning streak, Minnie averaged 10.3 points per game and nabbed an average of 7.7 rebounds per contest, becoming a player who Robert Morris will have to rely on next season.
A contributor in the Colonials departure from the NCAA tournament, in addition to having to play Duke, the eventual National Champions, was their lack of size. This was not just a problem in the second round, but something that Robert Morris struggled with its entire season. If Minnie were to play for another team, that would leave the Colonials with one player above 6-foot-7 in forward Lionel Gomis who will be a senior next year.
Now, Minnie will become a go to player for the Colonials, especially in the post. If he can get strong and stay physical under the hoop, look for Minnie to become a playmaker down low and a vocal leader along with soon-to-be senior guard Rodney Pryor.
Reed searching for new home: While Minnie has decided to stay with Robert Morris, teammate Marcquise Reed looks like he is one the way out after having one of the best seasons Robert Morris has seen by a freshman.
Displaying adept ball handling skills and smoothly slicing through big bodies in the paint in the NCAA tournament, the young guard has become a coveted asset. Unfortunately for Robert Morris, he played well enough that he has decided that there may be a better place for him to achieve success.
The freshman guard has narrowed his list of possible schools down to five. It is still not known who will fill Reed’s shoes if and when he leaves.
#BREAKING: Per @MarcusHelton, Marcquise Reed’s final list of schools are: Creighton, George Washington, Southern Cal, Tulsa and UMass.
— RMU Sentry Media (@RMUSentryMedia) April 8, 2015
Re-Tooling the Colonials: With Reed most likely leaving, there will now be a gap at the top of their starting five and newly extended head coach Toole will have the duty of finding his replacement. This past Tuesday, Coach Toole and the Colonials received a verbal commitment from 6-foot-7 forward, Joe Hugley. He confirmed his commitment to Robert Morris on his Instagram page.
A native of Rockville, Maryland, Hugley currently attends Magruder High School, where he has averaged 17 points per game, 9 rebounds per game along with scoring 37 3-pointers and blocking a school record 88 shots during his senior year.
Hugley will join Chartiers Valley guard Matt McConnell and Union Catholic (N.J.) forward Isaiah Still. Coach Toole has done a solid job thus far bringing in players who have good size and shooting mechanics.
While it looks like they may be losing Reed, the Colonials have had a successful offseason in recruiting young and athletic players who may grow into playmakers down the line.
Photo credit: RMU Sentry Media
