Since joining the Horizon League, Robert Morris men’s basketball has experienced a revolving door of players flowing in and out of the program.
Now entering year three in the conference, Robert Morris looks to change its recent fortunes against a fresh set of competition.
Head Coach Andy Toole welcomes 11 newcomers to the team’s 16-player roster that begins the 2022-23 season at Ohio State on Monday. The newest members include six guards, two guard/forwards, and three forwards.
Joining the Colonials are four NCAA DI transfers, three walk-ons, one junior college player, and three others in their first year of college basketball.
Winthrop transfer Josh Corbin enters Moon Township as an experienced scorer from behind the three-point arc. The 6-foot-3 junior guard connected on 81 triples at Winthrop and 47 threes during his redshirt-sophomore season in 2020-21, shooting over 40% from deep. Corbin averaged 4.7 points and 1.8 rebounds per game in 20 appearances, five starts, last season.
He scored a game-high 27 points Saturday in RMU’s 88-59 exhibition win hosting Alliance.
“His teammates are looking for him at all times, and Josh is always ready,” Toole told RMU Athletics. “He has such a quick release, and what I think is important is that he brings great competitiveness to our team.”
Teaming up with Corbin are guard Chris Ford (Davidson), and forwards Trey James (Iona), and Kevin Martina (Sam Houston State).
Ford, a 6-foot-5 sophomore, averaged 1.5 points in eight games off the bench. His role may be dependent on the health and dependency of others, something the Colonials struggled with at times last season due to injuries and mid-season transfers out of the program. The Huntersville, North Carolina product surpassed 1,000 career points in high school and was the 2021 District 9 Player of the Year, averaging 19.6 points and 9.6 rebounds as a senior.
A 6-foot-7 sophomore from Geneva, Switzerland, Martina also averaged 1.5 points in 11 total games last year, only playing a total of 43 minutes in a reserve role. Martina averaged 17.6 points and 8.4 rebounds for Switzerland at the FIBA U20 European Championships, making 66% of his three-point shots.
James, the tallest of any incoming player at 6-foot-9, played in only 46 minutes spanning 11 games during his redshirt freshman year playing for head coach Rick Pitino. He scored four points and recorded a block against the eventual National Champion Kansas Jayhawks, compiling 1.2 points and 0.9 rebounds average before transferring.
James was a four-star recruit on ESPN.com and originally committed to Wake Forest before Danny Manning was fired in April 2020. He owns Kentucky records in career (737), single-season (258), and single-game (17) blocks.
Freshman TJ Wainwright joins the Colonials after playing prep ball last year at Monteverde Academy. A 6-foot-3 guard originally from Los Angeles, California, Wainwright won the Florida Sun Basketball Conference prep national championship by averaging 15.7 points on 52% shooting from the field. He shot 43% from three and was named to the 2022 All-FSBC All-State Second Team.
Community college transfer Jackson Last started 25 of his team’s 35 games as a redshirt freshman averaging 9.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, and a block and steal per game. His team finished 35-2 but lost in the NJCAA Division I championship before leaving for Moon Township.
Freshman Ben Krystkowiak comes from a basketball family where his father, Larry, served as the head coach at Montana (2004-2006) and Utah (2011-2021). Ben totaled 14.3 points and 4.2 assists per game for IMG Academy last year.
The only true freshman on the squad Stephaun Walker is joined by walk-ons Nathan Frascone (Massillon, Ohio), Cyril Arvanitis (Elberon, N.J.), and Tanner O’Grady from Upper St. Clair High School where he averaged 18.1 points and was named to first team all-section.
Graduate forward Kahliel Spear returns for his third season with the Colonials and is joined by senior guard Michael Green III, junior guard Enoch Cheeks, sophomore guard Tristian Jeffries, and senior forward Matt Mayers.
2022 Robert Morris Jersey Numbers:
1: TJ Wainwright
2: Kahliel Spear
3: Michael Green III
5: Enoch Cheeks
11: Stephaun Walker
12: Jackson Last
13: Tristan Jeffries
20: Nathan Frascone
21: Matt Mayers
22: Kevin Martina
23: Chris Ford
24: Tanner O’Grady
31: Cyril Arvanitis
32: Josh Corbin
42: Ben Krystkowiak
50: Trey James
