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| Photo credit: RMU Athletics |
Robert Morris won its exhibition opener over Saint Vincent College
77-57 Tuesday night at the Sewall Center
Welcome to Robert Morris, Matty McConnell
As Andrew Chiappazzi tweeted during the game,
was that Matty McConnell or Karvel Anderson? The freshman Pittsburgh
Kavon Stewart and Rodney Pryor would
repeatedly drive the lane, draw two defenders and kick out to a wide-open
McConnell on the wing. Pryor and McConnell have noticeably already formed solid
chemistry together.
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| Freshman Matty McConnell finished with 23 points in the exhibition vs. Saint Vincent. (Photo credit: RMU Athletics) |
“The first couple of shots weren’t falling,
but Rodney and Kavon being the leaders that they are, they just told me to keep
shooting,” McConnell said. “Once I got into that wing spot, I hit a couple
threes and just tried to find my way back to that same spot and got comfortable
there.”
McConnell wasn’t perfect, typical to any
freshman in his first game at the collegiate level. He had trouble with slides
in the 2-3 defensive zone, and sometimes caught himself overextended. Defensive
issues, however, can improve with more time on the floor.
Toole said McConnell’s performance was nothing
different than what he’s shown in the practice setting.
“It's what he’s been recruited to do and
obviously what he’s capable of,” Toole said. "The other parts of his game
will develop as he gets more experience. There was a couple times he was
confused defensively, and when you make seven threes, that makes the coaches
feel better about some of the defensive breakdowns.”
Minnie sits, but posts strong second half
Toole started Andre Frederick and JUCO
transfer Billy Giles in the frountcourt, leaving sophomore forward Elijah
Minnie out of the starting lineup. Minnie sat the entire first half, but
entered the game after halftime and performed well.
He finished with six points, eight boards and
two steals in 17 minutes on the floor.
"We were simply just cleaning something
up,” Toole said. "We wanted to send a quick message of making sure guys
are where they need to be when they need to be there. I think it was a good way
to, hopefully not only send a message to Elijah, but to everyone else on the
roster that there’s accountability that’s necessary. I thought he handled it
really well."
Minnie is as critical piece as anyone on the
roster to Robert Morris' success this year.
Pryor: An obvious leader
No surprise, Rodney Pryor showed that he’ll be
Robert Morris’ go-to guy this season. Pryor said in the preseason that he’s
been a lot more comfortable after a full year without injury, and it
showed.
He was more explosive on the offensive end,
took better command of the offense and got his teammates involved. He finished
with 14 points, six assists and six rebounds.
He even caused the Sewall Center
From a mental standpoint, Pryor seems to be
the most mature of anyone on the team. He’s been called upon to fill a
leadership role this season, and so far, looks to be stepping up to the
plate.
“This group of guys compete. We’ve got guys
like Steven Whitley, and when Joe Hugley and Isaiah get back with us. Those guys
can put the ball in the basket. I know a lot of is going to be on me, but the
wealth is always shared this way.”
2015 Colonials: A good group
The 2015 version of the Colonials were a sign
of good things to come. All the talk surrounding the team has been about their
positive attitude, team-first mentality and desire to get better.
It’s definitely not bullshit.
"We saw it as soon as we got on campus in
the summertime,” Toole said. "Whether it was group workouts or in the
weight room, I think we brought in a group of guys that enjoy playing the game.
They have a passion about playing the game. They don’t mind working hard.
"They bring a good infusion of energy
into our locker room."
Whether it was Pryor, Stewart, McConnell or
even Minnie in the second half, this group wants to do whatever it will take to
win, even if it means passing up on a shot or not playing a lot of
minutes.
Minnie was all smiles in pre-game warmups,
giving off zero impression that he wasn’t going to play the first half as a
form of discipline.
“[Minnie] did some really, really positive
things for us in 17 minutes, to get eight rebounds and he was incredibly
active," Toole said. "I was really proud of how he handled the
situation, and we’ll move forward as we go.”
Defensively may be where Stewart has shown the
most positive signs of growth.
He swiped three steals, all that led to fast
break layups, in a first half span. He also stayed true to his technique in the
2-3 zone, and didn’t venture off out of position. He did have one blemish when
he tried to throw a behind-the-back pass to Pryor that went right into a Saint Vincent defender’s hands. But you can’t blame Kavon
for being Kavon. He laughed it off.
His shooting hasn’t improved, but with
McConnell and Pryor on the wings, it doesn’t really need to. In terms of a
leadership aspect, his maturity is evident.
“With this group, it’s easy because they’re
like sponges,” Stewart said. "They’re soaking everything. They’re not
talking back. They’ve came in with a mindset where they don’t know anything,
and they want to learn.”
McConnell is especially mature for his youth. He was asked if his performance Tuesday night solidified his role as the
starting shooting guard.
"It’s not about making a statement,” he
said. "I’m obviously trying to do whatever coach Toole tells me to do to
help the team win. If it’s in the starting lineup, than that’s
good."
Additional Notes
— Freshmen Isaiah Still and Joe Hugley both
didn’t suit up for the Colonials Tuesday night. Toole said they're dealing with
minor injuries, and have been in-and-out of practice over the course of the
last month.
It was more of a precaution. There was no
point in risking further injury in a exhibition matchup when Robert Morris will
further need the duo for the start of the season, especially considering the
unclear status of Aaron Tate.
— Billy Giles started in place of Tate, and
didn’t do too much in his first action as a Colonial. He ended with four points,
five rebounds and four blocks in 25 minutes of action.
Giles had trouble grasping the 2-3 zone
rotations down low. There were a few times he was caught late on a slide,
resulting in easy layups for Saint Vincent . He
didn’t give the impression that he’s going to flourish from the beginning after
making the jump from JUCO, such as Pryor did a year ago.
His four blocks were a good sign. He has an
incredibly long wing-span and can jump. He may be the type of player that could
really come into his own midseason after getting his feet under him for a
couple months.
--Chris Mueller
--@cmuellerRMU
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