Robert Morris' defense is coming alive

by Chris Cappella

Not too long ago Robert Morris was a program known for their grittiness on the defensive end. They would make you work for shots on the outside and mug anyone who dare tried to get to the rim.

Junior guard David Appolon has thrived in RMU's zone defense (p/c: Justin Berl)

Gone are those days, which is not necessarily a bad thing. A slight fall off in defense was bound to happen when you look at how unbelievably efficient RMU was in Andy Toole’s first two seasons.

What we saw at the beginning of this year, though, was no slight drop off. In the first nine games of the season, teams were averaging 80.2 points per game against the Colonials. RMU was on a five game losing streak and couldn’t get stops on the defensive end. This was no slight drop off, it was a complete free fall with an ugly ending coming.

“I thought the inexperience was something that hurt us. We lost a lot of defensive minded guys,” senior guard Karvel Anderson said. “We were more focused on scoring baskets and that was something we shouldn’t have been.”

Changes in the rules only added to the struggle. Hand checking has been completely removed from the game, now replaced with more whistles that favor offenses. This was a quote from coach Toole circa December 7, 2013, after a three-point loss to Toledo on the new rule changes:

“To be a good defensive team now, you have to be a quick thinking, well positioned, urgent team. When you are out of position now in man-to-man defense you get exposed. If you are late on a close out you can no longer just grab an arm and hold on for the ride, and a lot of times in the past that’s just what we would do. Ant Myers would just ride your ass out of bounds,” he said.

The Toledo game was the beginning of something new. For the first time all season, RMU played a 2-3 zone defense.

It really was tough to gauge how effective the zone was. Toledo is one of the best offensive teams in the country and still hung 80 against the Colonials but still, to the naked eye, the zone didn’t look bad. It helped slow down the tempo, forced some tough outside shots, and kept guys out of foul trouble.

The zone also had a unique look. While many people may coin a zone as a passive way of playing defense, Toole installed a rather aggressive feel to it.

“He’s taken a lot of his man principles and implemented them in the zone. We still pressure the ball and we still close out like we’re playing man but at the same time,” Anderson said.

Anderson explained that when an offensive player has the ball at the wing, a forward at the bottom of the zone will bump out and step up on the guard, then bump back and pass the responsibility to the guard at the top of the zone.

“It hesitates the offense for a little bit because it’s hard to read,” Anderson said.

There have been a few bumps in the roads, like when Oakland hung a hundred on the Colonials towards the end of December, but RMU’s defense is now hitting its stride. RMU is holding opponents to an average of 58.2 points per game in its recent five game win streak and 65.5 points per game in NEC play.

RMU is also second in conference-only defensive efficiency according to KenPom. The colonials are still allowing teams to shoot at a 51 percent effective field goal mark, but are forcing more turnovers in the zone and are running teams off the three point line.

The zone (along with suspensions) has allowed role players to flourish on the defensive end that otherwise might not have been able to. Junior guard David Appolon has always been a good defender but the zone has also allowed him to become a more effective rebounder. Freshman point guard Kavon Stewart leads the team in steals per game.

“Kay is funny because he doesn’t even really follow our zone rules,” Anderson said. “He does his own thing but at the same time it’s the best thing he can be doing for the team.”

RMU, once renown as a scrappy, defensive team, is finding its way along in a different way.

But the success still remains.