Monday's countdown to tip-off

Did you know RMU basketball tips off this Saturday? The countdown is on. All week CTC will list a rundown of things related to RMU basketball. With five days until game day, here are five potentially awesome (and pretty unrealistic) rotations for coach Toole.

5. Chris: “The starters”: Anthony Myers-Pate, Karvel Anderson, Lucky Jones, Jeremiah Worthem, Mike McFadden

-These are the five guys I’m starting. Four of the five have seen serious time for Toole with Worthem being the exception… and he’s really good. Worthem brings an inside out game somewhat similar to what Russell Johnson had.

Lee: I'm with you Chris. This is not only the best five, but maybe the biggest (Hawk for Worthem?). I'm more intrigued by the end of the game 5, given no injuries or foul trouble. Last year after that under-4 media timeout,we knew Velton, Coron or Karvel (whoever had the hotter hand, or both given the amount of games Velton missed), Russ and Mike were on the floor, no matter who started. This year, I believe Toole goes with Ant, Karvel, Newton, Lucky and Mike as his "closers."

4. “Lets rebound”: David Appolon, Lucky Jones, Desjuan Newton, Aaron Tate, Stephan Hawkins

-It’s no secret RMU had some rebounding problems last year. Want to solve that for a few minutes? Put in these five. Appolon or Jones can handle the ball, Jones and Newton can do the bulk of your scoring, and everyone else can jump through the roof on misses.

Lee: That's a big unit, maybe RMU's biggest but no Mike? Come on! Give me McFadden any day when we need a board! I'm going Newton, App, Luck, Hawk and big Mike. 

3. “The defensive unit you put in to preserve a lead”: Britton Lee, David Appolon, Desjuan Newton, Aaron Tate, Mike McFadden

-Situation: There are four minutes left in a ten point game. Which five do you want to go out and get stops? To begin with, I’ve heard some crazy things about Britton Lee and his defense. He can give you nightmares on the perimeter. Speaking of nightmares, you think former Ohio guard D.J. Cooper still doesn’t have the occasional one about Dave Appolon? After that you have Desjuan Newton, maybe the most athletic kid on the team, and Aaron Tate, who has drawn comparisons to former Colonials Lawrence Bridges for his ability to guard four positions.

Lee: Happy Chris added "unrealistic" when describing these lineups. I might throw up if we're up four with less than 10 to go and this unit (Britton Lee, David Appolon, Desjuan Newton, Aaron Tate, Mike McFadden) is on the floor. Love you Chris, but give me Ant, Lee, App, Luck, and Tate for a must stop. I want a ball handler on the floor, and Luck might be the best defender on the team!

2. “MAKE IT RAIN”: Anthony Myers-Pate, Karvel Anderson, Chuck Oliver, Lucky Jones, Stephan Hawkins

-This is my favorite one. Toole can just go small and put four guys around the three point line to start cooking. I know my faith in Myers-Pate’s shooting will pay off this year. I can feel it. Besides that, Karvel has a good enough shot to play in the league and Chuck Oliver *only* shot 44 percent from three in JUCO last year. CTC has talked a ton about how great Lucky was in conference play last year and our expectations for him. Even Hawk has a nice jumper. I don’t think Toole would be thrilled with him taking three pointers though.

Lee: Love this lineup, hope we see it a lot against smaller teams. The spacing would be amazing, and Ant would chew up defenses with the open area in the paint. I'd probably prefer Mike over Hawk simply to give the defense a true post threat to worry about, but I won't complain with Cappela's lineup.

1. “Victory formation”: Kavon Stewart, Evan Grey, Chuck Oliver, David Appolon, Stephan Hawkins

-This is the best lineup! Although this one is light years behind last seasons victory formation that included Treadwell Lewis and Shane Sweigart, victory formation means emptying the bench and getting some guys who might not see the floor too much (and in the case of Grey, rarely ever) some playing time.

Lee: There is no bad victory formation. Hope we see it a lot this year.

Lee Kunkel (@Kunkel5) --

Chris Cappella (@C_Cappella) -- Tomorrow’s countdown: The four best things about Andy Toole