Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Jon Rothstein dropped by RMU practice today

Jon Rothstein, a College Basketball Insider for CBS Sports dropped by the Colonials practice today (if you follow him, you may have seen the pics and tweets) and shared a few thoughts on the Colonials. Here's what he had to say, and CtC reactions.

With the season right around the corner, you better believe practice is intense. The guys are healthy, and with so many new faces, a lot of minutes are still up for grabs. There is still a starting spot open (Aaron Tate started against Cal U, but based off him playing very little in the second half, that could easily change next Saturday) and almost ever position off the bench is up for grabs.


This could be the biggest issue for RMU. Replacing Velton and Russ on the court won't be the difficult part. RMU has the guys to do that. Replacing their leadership will be a major challenge. One or two of Ant Myers-Pate, Karvel Anderson, Lucky Jones and Mike McFadden must become a true leader in practice, in the film room, in games, and off the court.

Chris and I have said this all offseason. No player on the roster has more potential then Hawk. He's long, athletic and put on some muscle this offseason. If he can grasp the mental side of the game, he's going to be force. He has a decent post game, and a nice touch on his jump shot. This is a big year for him. If he can show growth, RMU has a legit A-10 type big man in the NEC. That means he will dominate most nights.

All offseason, we thought RMU would replace Coron Williams with another shooter (Chuck Oliver?). That may not be the case, and I'm okay with that. Karvel Anderson and Lucky Jones both shoot over 40% from 3, and Ant Myers Pate isn't bad himself when he has his confidence. Does RMU really need another 3 pt shooter? Maybe not. The Colonials lived and died by the 3. Bringing in a guy who can slash and get to the basket, create fouls, and dish to those shooters might be a better remedy, not to mention Newton is an INSANE athlete and could be a force on the defensive end.

Stewart looked really good in the scrimmage, and looks like he will be the backup point guard behind Myers-Pate. He can really pass and showed the ability to get to the rim. Both me and Chris have him on our All NEC rookie team, and NYC Buckets listed him as one of their top freshmen. He is primed for a big career at RMU if everything stays course.

Lastly, as Rothstein always does, he took a swing at the starting lineup, and I think he's dead on.
Myers-Pate, Anderson, Jones, and McFadden are all shoe-ins, but that 5th spot is still up for grabs, and based off the scrimmage it appears its between Newton and Worthem. Both had nice games, but the added size that Worthem brings should give him the edge. With that said, it is still very much in the air and we must remember, Andy Toole loves jiggling that lineup around. Last year he started Hawk out of no where, and regularly brought Karvel in and out of the starting lineup. With so many options to his disposal, Toole will likely mix it up again, depending on a given week in practice to the style of the opponent.

Lee Kunkel (@Kunkel5) --
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4 comments:

  1. UnknownOctober 30, 2013 at 6:53 PM

    You came to this conclusion based on one scrimmage against a div11 team? No mention of McFadden? So you think RMU can win without him? He is RMU best lost post option, without him RMU will go nowhere. Oliver, your writing him off? You don't know the kid. You know what your getting from Jones, and Anderson. If RMU is to win the NEC this year they will need Oliver to be in the equation. He may not be your most athletic guard, but he is the most talented/skilled guard RMU have. I've seen the roster and I know the guards there, given the opportunity Oliver along with Hawkin's will be valuable pieces for RMU.

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  2. Our info goes better with tequilaOctober 30, 2013 at 8:49 PM

    Mike, appreciate the feedback but have you read any of our other material? Here is our RMU preview http://robertmorris.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1562582&PT=4&PR=2 where we state clearly that McFadden and Oliver could have major roles, especially McFadden. On this very blog we state that McFadden will have a monster season for RMU this season (http://chroniclingthecolonials-rmu.blogspot.com/2013/10/robert-morris-vs-cal-u-takeaways.html). This post was not our thoughts at all, it was a reaction to Rothstein's thoughts.Based of practice, the game the other night, and observations, Newton is ahead of Oliver at this moment. That can obviously change over time.

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  3. UnknownOctober 30, 2013 at 10:51 PM

    Given a fair opportunity it will change. Again your basing it off a practice and a scrimmage. I like Newton, his energy, athleticism he will be a nice spark plug off the bench. To be effective in this game you have to have a skill set which he doesn't have. You have to make shots consistently and that's what Oliver does. McFadden should be the face of the program and the go to guy, but he's not. You talk about Jones being the go to guy, your way off base. Let the games begin before you or Rothstein's start giving you'll "professional opinions".

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  4. Our info goes better with tequilaOctober 31, 2013 at 11:19 AM

    This is actually based off an entire offseason. I like Newton, and I like Oliver. I think both can be effective for RMU. And I'll have to respectfully disagree with you in regards to your opinion on Newton not having the skillset to be effective. Is he Coron Williams? No. But he brings a lot to the table. I'm 100% with you in the fact that Oliver is better offensively, but Toole won't care if he doesn't grasp the system, especially on the defensive end. Can this change? Absolutely. I hope it does, and think he will be a factor.

    As for McFadden and Jones, I dont know what you want me to tell you. McFadden is a beast when healthy, but can never get healthy and stay healthy. Hard to be the face of the program when you can't stay on the court. Lucky has improved his game every year, he shot over 50% from 3 in NEC play and is as close to a "complete player" as you will find in the NEC.

    As for our "professional opinions", I've never stated myself as an expert, just trying to give the team the media attention they deserve. The program has accomplished a lot the past 6 years, and as an RMU grad I'm proud of that and enjoy sharing my opinions. I get a lot of good feedback from fans that appreciate our coverage and previews, so we're going to keep it coming.

    Lee

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