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RMU’s Andy Toole on First Season in Horizon League: ‘We Need to Make Adjustments’

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After dropping two games to Detroit Mercy over the weekend, Robert Morris’ regular season has come to a close. The Colonials will now head into the Horizon League tournament with a 4-14 overall record and 3-12 conference record, sitting at last place in the league and scheduled to once again take on Detroit Mercy in the first round of the conference tournament. 

In both games against the Titans, good things were hard to come by for coach Andy Toole and Robert Morris. However, one positive to take out of the weekend was the play of veteran big man Charles Bain. While Bain has certainly had his ups and downs as a Colonial, he delivered two excellent performances in Detroit, scoring 19 and 18 points in the two games, respectively. 

With these two showings, Bain increased his scoring average from 5.6 points per game to 7.3 points per game on the season. To go along with that, the Bahamas native also averaged 3.3 rebounds a game, playing his role well on the inside for the Colonials. 

Battling through injuries, COVID 19 postponements, and more, this was everything but an easy season for Toole’s squad. After the departure of leading scorer AJ Bramah to the transfer portal, Toole was left with not much scoring help other than a few veterans in Jon Williams and Bain. 

Heading into its first Horizon League conference tournament as the worst team in the league is no easy task for any team, let alone one that just recently lost its best player. Throughout the season, the team has especially struggled to close out tight games, something that may be attributed to the uncertainty of this season combined with the youth of the roster, as well as the sheer depth of the Horizon League this year.

“It is a strong league from top to bottom,” Toole told Pittsburgh Sports Now after Friday’s loss. “There’s a lot of well-coached teams with talented players and we’ve got to be able to play better for longer. We have not been able to do that. We knew what we were getting into when we joined this league, and we have got to continue to improve and work and battle. We need to make the adjustments we need to be more successful.”

Other than Bramah, the Colonials were led on the score sheet this season by Williams, Kahliel Spear and Kam Farris, who all averaged north of 7.8 points per game. Out of the nine players they had that averaged more than five points per game, three of them were freshman. Those freshman, Farris, Trayden Williams, and Enoch Cheeks will all be crucial pieces to this team’s success in the future, whether it be during this conference tournament or next season. 

The first round of the Horizon League tournament will take place on Thursday, Feb. 25, when Robert Morris once again takes on Detroit Mercy, this time with tip off scheduled for 7 p.m. The game will be televised on ESPN+, and with a win, the Colonials would move on to face the No. 1 seeded Cleveland State team on Tuesday, March 2.

Sandy Schall, Coldwell Banker
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