Colonials Corner

Wagner director of athletics Walt Hameline announced today that veteran head coach Mike Deane has been fired as head coach of the men’s basketball team.

Deane went 94-114 over 7 seasons as the head man at Wagner, including a 5-26 mark this season. The move comes somewhat as a surprise, as Deane had a roster that featured six freshmen and two sophomores. It is the first coaching change in Division I since a couple of mid-season firings were announced in December.

One of those ousted coaches, Fordham’s Dereck Whittenburg, is now reportedly going to replace Deane at Wagner, according to Adam Zagoria. Whittenburg, ousted after several subpar seasons at Fordham, moved to the A-10 after a stint at Wagner. Whittenburg left the NEC school in 2003 after leading the Seahawks to their only NCAA Tournament appearance.

Zagoria is also reporting that Monmouth will retain head coach Dave Calloway no matter the result of Thursday’s quarterfinal game versus Quinnipiac.

Quinnipiac defeated Fairleigh Dickinson 74-65 in the final game of the Northeast Conference regular season, giving the Bobcats the NEC regular season title and No. 1 overall seed in the Tournament.

Technically, the Bobcats and Colonials finish tied for first, and I believe if one or both do not make it the NCAA Tournament, they will earn an automatic bid to the NIT.

Here are the fields for the two NEC Tournaments.

The men tip off with the quarterfinal round Thursday and the semifinal round Sunday. The women will have the quarterfinal round Friday and semifinal round Saturday. The men’s championship will be Wednesday, March 10 at 7:00pm on ESPN2. The women’s championship will be Sunday, March 14 at 3:00pm on ESPNU.

Robert Morris led by as many as 14 points, held Mount St. Mary’s to 32% shooting, and shot close to 50% from the floor.

But Shawn Atupem had a career game and Robert Morris couldn’t stop the Mountaineers’ parade to the foul line as the Mount defeated the Colonials 63-61 in Emmitsburg.

Atupem had 23 points, and none of his shots were bigger than the lay-up he hit with 8 seconds left to seal the win for Mount St. Mary’s. Mezie Nwigwe’s desperation three pointer fell short at the buzzer.

With the game tied at 61, Robert Morris had a chance to take a late lead with about 46 seconds left on the clock. But Velton Jones lost control of his dribble and turned the ball over, giving Mount St. Mary’s the final crack at the win in regulation.

Karon Abraham scored 12 points to lead Robert Morris, while Rob Robinson pitched in 10.

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Will Dallas Green and RMU celebrate again? Or will the Mount conspire with Quinnipiac to hand the Bobcats the NEC title? AP Photo.

You had a feeling it would come down to this, didn’t you? Mount St. Mary’s. Robert Morris. Final game of the schedule.  Conference title and number one seed at stake.

Feels like fate had a hand in this. There was just no other way for this to go down.

Of course, Mount St. Mary’s cannot win the regular season title. A slow start doomed them to just a simple home game. But oh would they relish the chance to play spoiler, to smack Robert Morris down a peg and make the road to a repeat title that much more difficult.

Saturday’s tip-off just south of Gettysburg is at 4pm; Quinnipiac plays later Saturday evening. The Bobcats will be watching. Everyone will be watching. Because when you get right down to it, there’s nothing better than a rivalry game with a title on the line.

And how fitting that this serves as closer to the season when the same match-up opened the conference slate back in December. That one was on television as well, and you get the sense that the Northeast Conference knows where it’s bread is buttered.

Who’da thunk it? The Northeast Conference is putting out must see basketball on Saturday. Should be fun.

Records: Robert Morris (20-10, 15-2 NEC), Mount St. Mary’s (14-14, 11-6 NEC)

Tip off: 4:00pm

Television/Radio: Fox College Sports (Channel 262 on Comcast Digital Cable in Pittsburgh area, check local listings), tape delayed at 7pm on FSN Pittsburgh; WPIT 730 AM

Web: rmucolonials.com, WPIT’s online media player, and follow the stats via your favorite college hoops site

Projected RMU starters: F Rob Robinson (6′8, 215, Sr.), F Dallas Green (6′8, 190, Sr), G Mezie Nwgiwe (6′4, 195, Sr.), G Karon Abraham (5′9, 150, Fr.), G Velton Jones (6′0, 170, rFr)

RMU Leaders: Points – Karon Abraham 13/game, Rob Robinson 10.2/game; Rebounds – Rob Robinson 5.3/game, Russell Johnson 5.1/game; Assists – Velton Jones 2.9/game, Mezie Nwigwe 2.6/game; Steals – Jones 1.4/game, Nwigwe 1.2/game

Projected Mount starters: F Raven Barber (6′8, 220, Fr.), F Shawn Atupem (6′7, 220, Jr.),  F Kelly Beidler (6′5, 205, Sr.), G Jean Cajou (6′3, 180, Jr.), G Jeremy Goode (5′9, 170, Sr.)

Mount Leaders: Points – Jeremy Goode 14.1/game, Kelly Beidler 10.5/game; Rebounds – Kelly Beidler 7.0/game, Will Holland 5.2/game; Assists – Goode 4.4/game, Jean Cajou 1.7/game; Steals – Goode 2.6/game, Beidler 1.7/game

Robert Morris didn’t get any help, but they took care of their own business. Now they’ll have a showdown against Mount St. Mary’s to try and clinch the Northeast Conference title.

Rob Robinson scored 16 points as all 11 dressed Colonials – including walk-on Treadwell Lewis – scored for Robert Morris as they defeated Wagner 76-55 in Staten Island. The win gives Robert Morris their third straight 20-win season – a first in program history. Results of other NEC scores and the current Tournament field appear later in this post.

“Offensively, it was one of the best games in six or seven games, about sharing the ball,” Robert Morris head coach Mike Rice said on his post-game radio show. “We had a flow tonight.”

The flow centered down low for Robert Morris. Along with Robinson’s 16 points, Josiah Whitehead scored 11, Dallas Green popped in 10, while Brad Piehl and Lijah Thompson had two points each. That meant 41 of Robert Morris’ 76 points came from the forward spot, compared to only 8 points from Wagner’s big men.

Much of this was not about how Robert Morris would win – Wagner, after all, fell to 4-26 with the loss – but how the Colonials would respond following the loss on senior night to Quinnipiac. Rice teased his team after the win in the locker room – “I said ‘congratulations, we’re tied (for the top spot in the conference),’ and they all started booing and yelling at me,” he quipped on his radio show – but the real test came Friday night in practice.

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Perhaps it’s fate. Perhaps it’s just how the Northeast Conference schedule flows. Perhaps it’s just mere coincidence.

Whatever the reason, the Robert Morris Colonials must be experiencing a severe case of deja vu. One year ago, the Colonials sat atop the Northeast Conference entering the final week of league play. One year ago, the Colonials played on a Saturday night with a chance to clinch the regular season title, only to unexpectedly lose. And one year ago, Robert Morris went on the road the following Thursday and clinched the title with a victory over a team at the bottom of the NEC standings. And just like last year, Mount St. Mary’s looms in the regular season finale.

Mike Rice’s bunch can only hope history does indeed repeat itself Thursday night in Staten Island. Much like St. Francis (Pa.) last year, Wagner has no hope of backing into the NEC Tournament; instead, they’re playing merely for pride and perhaps for some minutes next year.

Oddly enough, while Wagner has struggled in recent years, playing in Staten Island has been a veritable house of horrors for Robert Morris. The Colonials won 104-56 in Moon last year, but lost 62-59 on the return trip. Two years before that, Robert Morris again won in Moon only to lose at Wagner.

If that pattern holds, things would get very interesting atop the NEC. Quinnipiac, nipping at the Colonials’ heels one game back, has to handle Monmouth at home before finishing up with Fairleigh Dickinson in New Jersey. Both are likely locked into the NEC Tournament, but both have quite a bit to play for in regards to seeding.

Should be a wild weekend in the Northeast Conference.

Records: Robert Morris (19-10, 14-2 NEC); Wagner (4-25, 2-14 NEC)

Tip off: 7:00pm

Television/Radio: WPIT 730 AM

Web: rmucolonials.com, WPIT’s online media player, and follow the stats via your favorite college hoops site

Projected RMU starters: F Rob Robinson (6′8, 215, Sr.), F Dallas Green (6′8, 190, Sr), G Mezie Nwgiwe (6′4, 195, Sr.), G Karon Abraham (5′9, 150, Fr.), G Velton Jones (6′0, 170, rFr)

RMU Leaders: Points – Karon Abraham 13/game, Rob Robinson 10/game; Rebounds – Rob Robinson 5.3/game, Dallas Green 5.1/game; Assists – Velton Jones 2.9/game, Mezie Nwigwe 2.6/game; Steals – Jones 1.4/game, Nwigwe 1.2/game

Projected Wagner starters: C Michael Orock (6′7, 230, Sr.), F Josh Thompson (6′4, 190, Fr.), F Doug Elwell (6′5, 188, Sr.), G Tyler Murray (6′5, 190, So.), G Chris Martin (5′10, 185, So.)

Wagner Leaders: Points – Chris Martin 11.6/game, Michael Orock 10.6/game; Rebounds – Orock 6.4/game, Clifton Spiller 4.3/game; Assists - Tyler Murray 2.9/game, T.J. Czeski 2.3/game; Steals – Martin 1.3/game, Murray 1/game

Senior nights are difficult to deal with at any level. The entire pregame rhythm for both teams is out of whack, players can lose their focus, and the overall emotions can either pull a team together or pull everyone out of sync.

Quinnipiac came out and hit Robert Morris in the mouth and while the Colonials responded, they never fully recovered in the 87-79 win by the Bobcats that tightened things back up in the Northeast Conference.

The primary reason came from James Johnson’s 28 points, not from star’s Justin Rutty or James Feldeine. You can read all about that in Sunday’s Beaver County Times.

Some other things that didn’t make the paper:

• It’s mentioned briefly, but Johnson and several others worked on their mid-range shots prior to the game. It worked out, but it wasn’t just because of the loss by Quinnipiac to St. Francis Thursday night, but because of the way RMU defends. “Robert Morris does not really allow you to drive the ball from outside the arc all the way to the rim,” Quinnipiac head coach Tom Moore said. “I think it’s a byproduct of just us trying to respect what great help defenders they are.”

• Johnson, along with Mezie Nwigwe and Jean Cajou, is one of the top candidates to win NEC Defensive Player of the Year. He harrassed Karon Abraham all night, saying, “It wasn’t anything special. It was just playing my game on defense.” To do that and still pop off for 28 – granted 13 were free throws – is still impressive. Read the rest of this entry →

They are the winningest class in Robert Morris history. They’ve won more conference games, more overall games, and done it at a better percentage than anyone before them.

Saturday is their night.

Dallas Green, Mezie Nwigwe, and Jimmy Langhurst have won 54 NEC games so far in their 4-year careers at Robert Morris. They’ve won 86 total games over those four seasons, and they can add to the total Saturday nighta against Quinnipiac. The three four-year players will be joined by junior college transfers Rob Robinson and Josiah Whitehead in the pre-game  ceremonies. Langhurst will be honored despite his knee injury and the hope for a medical redshirt, as there is no guarantee he’ll be granted a hardship waiver by the NCAA.

None of them have the numbers of some of the recent graduates. Jeremy Chappell, Tony Lee, and A.J. Jackson all left with 1,000+ points and Chappell and Lee each left with some school records. None of these five will crack 1,000 points. But they can walk away with something that even Chappell doesn’t have – a second NEC Championship ring.

Traditionally, Mike Rice tries to work all of his seniors into the starting lineup on senior night. The lineups below reflect that, but it’s far from a guarantee considering three of his four dressed seniors are forwards.

Much work is left to be done for the five seniors. It begins Saturday night with the opportunity to clinch their third straight regular season title and the third straight top seed in the NEC Tournament.

Records: Robert Morris (19-9, 14-1 NEC); Quinnipiac (18-8, 12-3 NEC)

Tip off: 7:00pm

Television/Radio: WPIT 730 AM

Web: rmucolonials.com, WPIT’s online media player, and follow the stats via your favorite college hoops site

Projected RMU starters: F Rob Robinson (6′8, 215, Sr.), F Dallas Green (6′8, 190, Sr), F Josiah Whitehead (6′6, 225, Sr.) G Mezie Nwgiwe (6′4, 195, Sr.), G Velton Jones (6′0, 170, rFr)

RMU Leaders: Points – Karon Abraham 13.1/game, Rob Robinson 9.8/game; Rebounds – Rob Robinson 5.3/game, Dallas Green 5.2/game; Assists – Velton Jones 2.7/game, Mezie Nwigwe 2.5/game; Steals – Jones 1.4/game, Nwigwe 1.3/game

Projected Quinnipiac starters: F Justin Rutty (6′7, 240, Jr.), F Jonathan Cruz (6′7, 210, Sr.), G James Feldeine (6′4, 190, Sr.), G Jeremy Baker (6′2, 210, Sr.), James Johnson (6′0, 183, So.)

Quinnipiac Leaders: Points – James Feldeine 17.7/game, Justin Rutty 14.6/game; Rebounds – Rutty 10.7/game, Feldeine 5.7/game; Assists – James Johnson 3.3/game, Feldeine 2.2/game; Steals – Feldeine 1.5/game, Johnson 1.4/game

One thousand, one hundred thirty-four fans watched the latest Robert Morris victory Thursday night.

1,134.

That’s only 88 more people than the amount that watched Bryant and Wagner on Staten Island Thursday night. Bryant won 53-51, improving their record to a gaudy 1-26. Wagner? 4-24.

Meanwhile, Robert Morris is on pace for another Northeast Conference title, another postseason run, and is playing their best basketball of the season. They have five seniors – four currently capable of actually walking – and are staring at another postseason filled with hardware.

NEC Coach of the Year? Who else, again, but Mike Rice, the man who took a team with six first year players and turned them into a juggernaut?

NEC Rookie of the Year? Karon Abraham is the safest bet since Jeremy Chappell waltzed into the league five years ago.

NEC Defensive Player of the Year? Mezie Nwigwe shut down the league’s leading scorer, Corey Hassan, Thursday night, just like he’s shut down just about every other top scorer the Colonials have played since Thanksgiving.

All of this, and Mike Rice’s loafers are living the good life. See, Rice doesn’t have to stomp his foot much in the Sewall Center to get his players’ attention. Last week at the Petersen Events Center, Rice practically broke his ankle because of the noise. His loafers are surely thankful for the home games, but I would imagine Rice wouldn’t mind buying a couple extra pairs of shoes over the course of the season if it meant that opposing players and coaches couldn’t hear themselves think every time they walked into the Sewall Center.

All of the success, and I could still hear the eyes rolling into the back of their heads as Sacred Heart players complained about another call that they disagreed with Thursday night.

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The Northeast Conference’s best offense was no match for one of its best defenses.

Robert Morris held Sacred Heart to one field goal over the opening 13 minutes Thursday night as the Colonials thumped Sacred Heart 64-39. Sacred Heart was ice cold from the start, allowing Robert Morris to open on an 18-3 run behind Rob Robinson and Karon Abraham.

The suddenly dynamic duo featured Robinson leading all scorers with 18 points, including 8 in only 8 minutes in the first half (he sat the rest due to foul trouble) and a dynamic dunk in the second half. Robinson followed up a Velton Jones miss by skying over the crowd and finishing with a two-handed flush.

“Rob Robinson, I don’t even know who he is now. He’s developing into the leader that I always wanted,” head coach Mike Rice said afterward. “The maturity level, the ability to take coaching and now calm people down or be in their ear when something goes wrong, he’s stepping in to be a leader.”

Abraham, meanwhile, pumped in 17 points and fed Robinson for a couple baskets down low. It was the 7th straight game that either Abraham or Robinson led the Colonials in scoring, and all of those have been wins.

“It takes a lot to buy into the system and figure out what (Rice) really wants out of players,” Robinson said of Abraham and the rest of the freshmen improving over the course of the yar. “It seems like everybody is falling into place at the right time.”

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