Colonials Corner

Sophomore James O'Quinn ruled academically ineligible, may not return to Colonials. Photo courtesy of rmucolonials.com

After months of speculation and a wide variety of rumors, James O’Quinn is officially off the Robert Morris football team for the 2009 season, and he may not be returning.

The Kiski Area graduate was ruled academically ineligible at the end of the spring semester and will not be available for this season. There remains some question whether he will return to the program once he adjusts his academic record.

Recruited by multiple Division I teams, O’Quinn was suspended twice by his high school and saw his recruiting stock drop to the point where the Colonials became a viable option. Robert Morris recognized O’Quinn’s past but the coaching staff expressed hope in being able to help O’Quinn learn from his mistakes.

Inquiries earlier this summer into his status as a student were denied by Dean of Students John Michalenko, and O’Quinn is not listed in the student directory, although it should be noted that any student has the capability to remove his/her name from the directory if they wish. O’Quinn is not listed in the official media guide released yesterday by the sports information department, although his name will remain on the roster on the website for now.

With O’Quinn unavailable, the pressure increases for junior TJ Green and sophomore Anthony Coleman to become viable receiving targets alongside Sherrod Evers for whoever ends up taking the snaps under center. Green improved steadily at the end of last year, while Coleman is still in the process of transitioning from defensive back. Diminuitive wide receivers Michael Blanchard, DJ Zalewski, and Troy Besterci will also likely be given shots at taking O’Quinn’s snaps, while 6′4 sophomore Paul Evans would seem to have a distinct size advantage if he can show some consistency. As far as freshman go, 6′2 Paul Sanchez is likely the most polished receiver coming into the program.

In other news around the campus:

For those unaware, training camp begins on Saturday. Photo day is the 16th, and there likely will be two scrimmages on the 22nd and 29th. I would imagine the big scrimmage will be the 29th, as it will be unofficial kickoff of the season before the Colonials head to Lexington to take on VMI on September 5th.

Meanwhile, Colin Dunlap at the Post-Gazette has the most definitive look so far at the men’s basketball schedule for 2009-2010. The only open spot right now is the still-to-be-determined date and time for the match-up with Pitt. According to Dunlap’s schedule, the Colonials will begin the season with an exhibition against Shippensburg on Friday, November 6th before spending all of November on the road. The season opener is in the Coaches vs Cancer Classic on November 12th in Syracuse, followed by a November 16th trip to Penn State. The Colonials return to New York for a three day weekend in Albany to wrap up the Coaches vs Cancer Classic, taking on Alcorn State on Friday, Detroit Mercy on Saturday, and host Albany on Sunday.

December brings five home games, beginning with the home opener December 1st against Ohio. Two NEC games follow December 3rd and December 5th against Mount St. Mary’s and Wagner, and the annual rivalry game against Duquesne is December 12th. Three days later, the Colonials meet up against Cleveland State on December 15th in Cleveland, before returning home to host Appalachian State (12/19) and Kent State (12/22). Following Christmas, the Colonials will continue their budding rivalry against Youngstown State just before New Year’s (12/30).

Robert Morris will have three non-conference games in 2010 – January 4th at the Sewall Center against Morgan State, a road game against future NEC member Bryant on February 11th, and the unscheduled game against Pitt. The Colonials do not have a week off in the NEC schedule, so the Pitt game will likely be a Monday or Tuesday before a home game in the midst of the NEC schedule.