Robert Morris men's basketball team returns home after clinching berth in NCAA Tournament
For the first time in 10 years, the Robert Morris Colonials men's basketball team will be heading back to the NCAA Tournament and it was a hero's welcome in Moon Township as the team returned home with the Horizon League Championship Trophy and a ticket to the big dance.
They were greeted by their fellow students and the band after a triumphant trip to Indianapolis, beating Youngstown State 89-78 in the Horizon League Championship, giving them a berth in the tournament.
This afternoon, the team's bus pulled into UPMC Events Center in Moon Township excited, but focused on the next task at hand.
"Every single sprint we did, every single doubt we've ever had, every single person not believing in our dreams, I think going to March Madness embodies all the moments, collectively, for all of us," said Ismael Plet, a graduate student forward with the team. "I think that's what I'm mostly happy for, my brothers behind me, experiencing this big moment together, and just doing it together, you will never forget this."
Robert Morris's season has been one of triumph, winning the regular season title in the Horizon League with a 15-5 conference record and a 26-8 overall record. One of the leaders of that team was Kam Woods, who was one of many transfer players and averaged 15.1 points and 4.6 rebounds per game.
"We got a lot of transfers who came here to rewrite their stories, to finish what they started with their basketball careers, so getting this trophy means a lot," he said.
Sophomore forward Alvaro Folgueiras echoed the team's sentiment that carried them through this season - belief.
"We're champions now, but I think we've been champions since day one," the Spanish sophomore said.
While RMU was the top-seeded team in the Horizon League Tournament, their journey to the championship was not an easy one. They faced last year's conference champion Oakland in the semifinals and were able to beat them in overtime, and then they beat Youngstown State to win the title.
"We knew Oakland was going to be a great opponent, the defending champions, but I think these guys are so confident in their ability to play and every challenge they've been faced with throughout the course of the season so far they've met it," said Head Coach Andy Toole. "In that second half [against Oakland], we had some animated timeouts. A lot of it was from them - [saying] 'guys, we're not losing this, pick it up, do what we gotta do, figure out how to make the next play, figure out how to get a stop.' Once we got to last night, they were so locked in and focused."
Now the Colonials await the fate of Selection Sunday to see how they will face in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
23 minutes ago
- USA Today
Auburn basketball jumps in ESPN's preseason rankings following Tahaad Pettiford's decision
Auburn basketball jumps in ESPN's preseason rankings following Tahaad Pettiford's decision ESPN's Jeff Borzello feels that Auburn will be a strong squad with Tahaad Pettiford in its lineup. In a world without Tahaad Pettiford, the Auburn Tigers looked primed to take a major step back from the success of a Final Four season in 2024-2025. With the sophomore sharpshooter back on board after withdrawing his name from the NBA Draft, Bruce Pearl's team is now talented enough to strive towards replicating last year's run. Many experts across the college basketball world agree, as the Tigers have jumped up early rankings after the news last season's fantastic freshman would "run it back" in 2025-26. One of those experts ESPN's Jeff Borzello, recently tabbed the Tigers as the No. 14 team in the country, which also happens to be fourth in the SEC. The No. 14 Tigers trail the defending champion Florida Gators (No. 2), Kentucky Wildcats (No. 9) and Arkansas Razorbacks (No. 11) among the SEC programs on the list. Alabama (No. 17) and Tennessee (No. 23) are the only other ranked teams from the conference. Three other squads on Auburn's 2025-2026 schedule rank ahead of the Tigers as well, with No. 1 ranked Purdue and last year's runner up Houston (No. 3) rounding out Borzello's trio at the top. Arizona, who the Tigers will begin a home-and-home series with this year, ranks one spot ahead of Auburn, at No. 13. Despite Auburn beating all but one of those teams (Florida) last season, Borzello explains the ranking was due to "Bruce Pearl's roster faces an overhaul" as he cited the sudden departure of Chad Baker-Mazara as a major loss. Still, Pearl's additions of Texas Tech guard Kevin Overton, UCF forward and BIG 12 leading scorer Keyshawn Hall, and Mississippi State forward KeShawn Murphy give Auburn proven, Power 4, big time talent. It is important to note preseason rankings, specifically ones done in June, aren't often accurate. Auburn's ranking at the No. 14 spot should say more about the Tigers ability to reload and make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament again than it does indicate a step back. For reference, Bruce Pearl's squad was ranked all the way back at No. 18 in last season's preseason AP Poll. Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Brian on Twitter@TheRealBHauch
USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
Who is LSU baseball coach? Jay Johnson career record, coaching history, salary, more
Who is LSU baseball coach? Jay Johnson career record, coaching history, salary, more Show Caption Hide Caption LSU baseball's Derek Curiel on LSU's defense during NCAA Tournament LSU baseball freshman leftfielder Derek Curiel details how the team has performed on defense during the NCAA Tournament so far. LSU has a rich baseball tradition that has few peers across the Division I level. The Tigers have won the College World Series seven times, the second-most of any program, and have made it to college baseball's preeminent event 19 times. This year, after a 16-9 victory against West Virginia in the first game of the Baton Rouge Super Regional, they're one game away from their 20th trip to Omaha, Nebraska, where they could add yet another title to an already crowded trophy case. It would be simply the latest achievement for the program under its current leadership. REQUIRED READING: LSU baseball vs West Virginia live score updates: Josh Pearson hits grand slam for LSU Jay Johnson has burnished his reputation as one of the best coaches in college baseball since being hired at LSU back in 2021. The Tigers have won at least 40 games in each of Johnson's four seasons, a stretch highlighted by the 2023 CWS championship, when they defeated Florida in three games to cap off a 54-17 season. This season, LSU yet again looks like a viable threat to win a national title, with a No. 6 national seed and a 47-15 record. As the Tigers get closer to a return to Omaha, here's a closer look at Johnson and his career: Jay Johnson career Johnson is in his fourth season at LSU, where he was hired in June 2021 to take over the recently retired (but since un-retired) Paul Mainieri. In his time at LSU, his teams have not only won — with two regional championships to their name — but have also featured and developed major-league talent, a group headlined by Paul Skenes and Dylan Crews, who went with the No. 1 and No. 2 picks, respectively, in the 2023 MLB Draft after leading the Tigers to the 2023 College World Series championship. During that 2023 season, Johnson was voted national coach of the year by D1 Baseball, the American Baseball Coaches Association and Collegiate Baseball. LSU's championship that season was its first since 2009. Over his nearly four full seasons with the Tigers, Johnson's teams have gone 184-77. With LSU's regional-winning 10-6 triumph against Little Rock on June 2, Johnson picked up his 500th career victory. Entering this season, he had the third-most victories of any college baseball coach (137) over the previous three seasons, from 2022-24. 'I view this as the opportunity of my lifetime,' Johnson said when he was hired by LSU. 'And I will do everything in my power to have our team playing a brand of baseball that makes everyone at LSU, the Baton Rouge community and the entire state of Louisiana incredibly proud.' Johnson arrived in Baton Rouge after a decorated six-year run at Arizona in which he led the Wildcats to two CWS appearances. In 2016, Arizona made it all the way to the CWS championship series, where it lost in three games to Coastal Carolina. After winning the first game of the three-game series 3-0, the Wildcats lost each of the final two games by one run. Johnson's Arizona teams were regularly among some of the most potent in the country. The Wildcats led the Pac-12 in hits, runs and on-base percentage in four of Johnson's five full seasons. He earned the opportunity at Arizona after two seasons at Nevada, where he led the Wolf Pack to a Mountain West championship and won conference coach of the year honors in 2015. He has one season of Division II head-coaching experience, as well, having led the program at his alma mater, Point Loma Nazarene, for one season when he was 27 years old. At his various coaching stops, the California native has produced 30 MLB players, 70 MLB draft selections (including 27 at LSU) and 34 top-10 picks (including 16 at LSU). Here's a school-by-school look at Johnson's coaching career (head coach unless otherwise specified): 2022-present : LSU : LSU 2016-21 : Arizona : Arizona 2014-15 : Nevada : Nevada 2006-13 : San Diego associate head coach : San Diego associate head coach 2005 : Point Loma Nazarene : Point Loma Nazarene 2002-04: Point Loma Nazarene assistant coach REQUIRED READING: LSU baseball vs West Virginia prediction, scouting report for Baton Rouge Super Regional Jay Johnson record Over his head-coaching career, Johnson has racked up an overall record of 501-249, which includes a 37-16 mark in NCAA tournament play. He has gone 184-77 at LSU, a mark that includes a 20-7 record in the NCAA tournament. Jay Johnson salary As of last year, Johnson was the fifth-highest-paid college baseball coach, at $1.79 million per year, ranking him behind only Tennessee's Tony Vitello, Vanderbilt's Tim Corbin, Florida's Kevin O'Sullivan and Texas Tech's Tim Tadlock. In October 2023, about four months after the CWS championship, Johnson signed a seven-year, $12.55 million extension that contractually ties him to the school through the 2030 season.
Miami Herald
4 hours ago
- Miami Herald
Sports on TV: Sunday, June 8, 2025
ON THE RADIO NCAA Baseball: Louisville-Miami, Noon, WVUM 90.5 FM MLB: Miami at Tampa Bay, 12:10 p.m., WINZ 940; WAQI 710 (Spanish)
