Kahliel Spear and Enoch Cheeks have been the guiding force for RMU basketball on both ends of the floor throughout the 2022-23 season and the Horizon League has taken notice.
Before the first round of the Horizon League Tournament Tuesday night, Spear and Cheeks were honored by the conference for their sustained performances. Spear was named All-League Second Team and Cheeks was selected All-League Third Team. Detroit Mercy grad student and NCAA three-point record holder Antoine Davis was named Horizon League Player of the Year for the second-consecutive year.
Spear averaged 15.7 points, 8.2 rebounds, shot 51% from the floor, and totaled 41 blocks while starting all 31 games for head coach Andy Toole. RMU’s most emotional and vocal leader on the floor and inside the locker room, Spear played over 1,000 minutes and added 59 assists during his extra year of eligibility. His 8.2 rebounds are tied for fourth in the Horizon League and pairs with Cheeks in the top three of blocked shots. Spear ranks second in blocks per game (1.3) – behind Milwaukee’s Ahmad Rand (2.2) – and Cheeks (1.2) is directly behind Spear in a tie for third.
A three-year contributor and the teams leading scorer (16), Cheeks shot 46% overall and 37% from behind the arc. He shot 76-of-94 (80.9%) from the free-throw line, grabbed an average of 4.5 rebounds, dished out 99 assists, and recorded a team-best 55 steals, the fourth most in Horizon League play. Cheeks and Spear as the 9th and 10th highest scorers in the conference.
The Colonials closed the regular season on a low note after winning its previous four games and upsetting Milwaukee by 20 and Youngstown State by 19 points on their home floor. RMU fell to IUPUI 81-75 in Indianapolis Thursday night as the Jaguars (5-26, 2-18) won only their second conference game. The defeat bumped RMU from the 6th to 7th seed in the conference tournament and sets up a first-round rematch at the UPMC Events Center on Tuesday.
