Latest news with #AndyToole
CBS News
19-03-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
Fans and students give RMU an enthusiastic send-off as they head to the NCAA Tournament
Robert Morris is set to take on Alabama on Friday afternoon in the first round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament . On campus in Moon Township on Wednesday, it was a big farewell for the Colonials as they headed to Cleveland for the matchup. As you can imagine, fans and students were excited, hoping RMU would get that "one shining moment" but it will be a tough task, taking on one of, if not the toughest, offenses in college basketball right now. "The principles and the terminology and the execution of what we need to do, they know what that is," said Head Coach Andy Toole. "You've got to be able to do it at the highest level that you've done it all year long. That's what's great about this tournament, and this season, the challenges just get bigger and bigger as the year goes on." However, it's a good thing that Robert Morris has based a lot of its success this season on defense, finishing the season with a strong turnover margin and the best defensive player in their conference this year. "It definitely is Alabama but at the end of the day, it is just another basketball game," said Josh Momjafo. "If you look at it like that, you start to think about different things, but like I said, it's just a basketball game. Same basketball we've played since we were kids." "We wouldn't be here without our defense and I feel like that's a big part of why we've been winning," added DJ Smith. "To stop them, you have to play defense, the teams that have beaten them, they stopped them. We just have to get ready, lock-in, and be ready to guard." Dickerson is a Cleveland native and said it'll be nice to get back home. "To be able to showcase my defensive skills at a higher level, against a higher opponent, it's always a great opportunity," said Kam Woods, an Alabama native who added his phone has been blowing up since Sunday. In all, the team said the support has been unbelievable. Robert Morris and Alabama will tip off at 12:40 p.m. on Friday but they will have a practice on Thursday in Cleveland. We'll be there on Friday to bring you all the coverage from Cleveland.
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Most coaches use schools like Robert Morris as a launching pad. For Andy Toole, it's become home
Most coaches use schools like Robert Morris as a launching pad. For Andy Toole, it's become home Robert Morris head coach Andrew Toole celebrates in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in the championship of the Horizon League tournament against Youngstown State in Indianapolis, Tuesday, March 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy) MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. (AP) — Andy Toole is still here. This isn't how it's supposed to work, at least not from the outside looking in. The Robert Morris coach knows this. All but one of the seven men who preceded Toole at the private school with about 3,800 undergrads about 20 minutes west of downtown Pittsburgh parlayed their time with the Colonials into bigger and better — in paycheck, stature and perception — jobs. They all saw Robert Morris as the launching pad, not the destination. Advertisement Not Toole. At least not yet. And maybe — who knows — not ever. A full decade-and-a-half since he was promoted to replace Mike Rice at the age of 29, Toole will lead Robert Morris to the NCAA Tournament for a third time in 10 years when the 15th-seeded Horizon League champions face No. 2 seed Alabama in the first round in Cleveland on Friday. Press Toole, whose face remains boyish at 44 even if there's a decent amount of gray in his TV anchorman-perfect hair, on why he seems to be an anomaly and the former Ivy League point guard with a degree in political science pitches you much like he's pitched so many recruits through the years. 'I always felt like there was more for us to do and there was more stuff on the horizon," he said. 'I always wanted to be a part of something that I felt was growing and evolving and I felt like our program has always been doing that.' Advertisement Courting change For proof, he points to 10 years ago, when the Colonials won the Northeastern Conference title. They watched the NCAA Tournament selection show in a nearby sports bar. The next day they held a walkthrough in a bleacher-filled gym considered modest even by most high school standards. On Sunday, Toole spent 30 minutes before the brackets were revealed signing autographs and shaking hands on the second floor of the UPMC Events Center, a sparkling facility that opened in 2019, a process in which he was heavily involved. Toole remembers the conversations he had when plans for the arena were announced. Many assumed in the time that it took to go from design to groundbreaking to ribbon-cutting, he'd be a memory. Advertisement 'Everybody was saying, 'Oh, you're not going to be there long,'' he said. "And I'm thinking to myself like, 'Who walks away from a $52 million arena that's going to be built as we speak?' And so seeing the completion of this ... I think those are things that keep you here.' So does a sense of purpose. Toole is deeply competitive, and the challenges have kept coming. Robert Morris moved from the NEC to the Horizon League in the summer of 2020, just a few months after the Colonials' second NCAA appearance under Toole was wiped out by the COVID-19 pandemic. The transition was bumpy, though Robert Morris athletic director Chris King sees one small sliver of a silver lining. Had the pandemic not brought the world to a halt, maybe Toole would have been lured away. 'It might be the only good thing that came out of COVID,' King said. Advertisement Vision and vigilance The Colonials won 12 games combined in their first two years after making the switch. Travel restrictions forced Toole and his staff to recruit over Zoom, not exactly the best way to convince players to take a flier on a school whose name offers zero hints on where it is. (Robert Morris was an English-born 18th-century businessman who went on to become one of the U.S. founding fathers and later a senator from Pennsylvania). It was frustrating, sure. Yet it hardly deterred Toole. Then again, not much does. Forced to hit the reset button last spring following a fourth straight losing season, he cast a wide net and connected with guard Kam Woods, who was looking for a fresh start after appearing in just 13 games last season at N.C. State. Advertisement Woods had no idea Robert Morris was in Pittsburgh the first time Toole reached out. It hardly mattered. 'He just saw a vision for me,' Woods said. 'For a coach to see a vision in you after you haven't played a whole year, that means something special.' Toole told Woods he'd have the ball in his hands all the time. That he'd have a chance to lead. To win, too. All of it came to pass. Woods leads the Colonials in minutes, points, assists and steals, providing him with a happy ending to a nomadic career in which he bounced from school to school to school before landing at 'Bobby Mo.' Woods, however, is quick to point out that he is merely part of a collective that has found common ground under Toole's steadfast guidance. Advertisement 'A lot of people wanted to rewrite their stories,' he said. "A lot of people came here this year (from other places) for whatever reason. Once you see somebody else try to rewrite their story, that encourages you to go hard. We're kind of an inspiration to each other.' Robert Morris heads into the tournament having won 16 of 17. The bump up from the NEC to the Horizon League means the Colonials aren't a 16-seed for the first time. A year ago, league champion Oakland and March Madness hero Jack Gohlke dethroned Kentucky in the first round. The Golden Grizzlies are coached by Greg Kampe, a somewhat rumpled everyman who is the longest-tenured head coach in Division I. You don't have to scan that far down the list to get to Toole, whose 15 seasons at Robert Morris ranks in the top 30ish out of 362 Division I schools. Here to stay? Advertisement For how much longer, no one knows. Not even Toole, who insists he's happy. He's become part of the firmament at Robert Morris. His and his wife's two sons are fixtures in his office and at home games when they're not in school or playing on their AAU team. 'If he ain't left yet after those winning years, it's definitely something that's keeping him here,' Woods said. 'I feel like it's just the city ... People love him.' Woods, who was born in Cleveland, likened Toole's popularity in the community to that of NBA great LeBron James. Yet even James left northeast Ohio. Twice. If the Colonials — 23 1/2-point underdogs to the Crimson Tide, according to BetMGM Sportsbook — can pull off a stunner or two this weekend, maybe Toole and his 252-240 record finally move on. Or maybe they don't. The grass, or at least the money, might be greener elsewhere. Success, however, is another matter. Advertisement Not every coach who left Robert Morris found stability elsewhere. Given the chaotic nature of college sports, there's something to be said for knowing what you have. And what you've built. Toole has a deep appreciation of both. 'A lot of coaches don't get to coach for 15 years period, let alone in one place,' he said. "I think I have a lot of pride in what we've been able to accomplish as a program and how we've been able to grow over my time here. A lot of people have contributed to that. It's been fun.' So maybe he's not an anomaly. Maybe he's just smart. ___ AP March Madness bracket: and coverage: Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here.
CBS News
17-03-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
Robert Morris campus abuzz with excitement ahead of March Madness game
Everyone likes a good Cinderella story, and Robert Morris University is going to the ball this Friday. The excitement on campus is palpable as everyone counts down to the game , when RMU, the No. 15 seed in the NCAA Tournament, takes on No. 2 Alabama in Cleveland. The university is part of one of the biggest tournaments in sports: March Madness. "It definitely brings a lot of energy to campus and a lot of pride for the alumni who've been here. And it's also their first couple of years in the Horizon League, so being able to win it in the first few years is definitely big for the future of the programs," said student John Sramac. Robert Morris players learned their opponent on Selection Sunday. But they were back to business on Monday, with coach Andy Toole working the team at practice. Many eyes are on RMU now, and students are recognizing it's great for the RMU brand. "I think it brings a name to the culture and everything and people are gonna hear it all around town and take pride in that," said student Mac Link. Basketball sometimes takes a backseat to football, baseball and hockey in the Steel City, but now it's center stage. "I think it brings a lot of basketball hype to the Pittsburgh area. I think it makes it a hotbed for Pittsburgh and, you know, brings basketball to this area, which it is not commonly known for," said student Eric Swagert. Since March Madness started in 1939, it's turned into a monstrous celebration. It's a huge opportunity for RMU, sure to put them on the map to continue the school's growth. Cleveland is just a two-hour drive from Robert Morris, meaning spring break or not, a whole lot of people will be there, waiting for that glass slipper to be slipped on, continuing their journey to the top.
CBS News
06-03-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
RMU asking fans to pack UPMC Events Center for Horizon League Tournament quarterfinal game
The Robert Morris University basketball team has March Madness aspirations this season and fans are being asked to pack the campus arena tonight for their quarterfinal game against Wright State in the Horizon League Tournament. The Colonials won the Horizon League regular season championship this year and will host Wright State in the quarterfinals of their conference tournament. "I think these guys are hungry and our goal is to continue to try and push them and drive them to be able to continue to make this season last as long as it can," said RMU head coach Andy Toole. Robert Morris flipped the script in just one year, going from a team that lost 20 games to a team that won 20 games, finishing in first place in their conference. A lot of new faces on the roster helped the team reach the new milestones this season and Toole says the players had an incredible ability to quickly buy in and create chemistry with one another. "They decided to come here for whatever reason," Toole said. "Now are you going to come here and make the most of it, make the best of it? Try to give your all to it? And I think these guys have done that." "Just having one goal as a team and as a unit," said junior guard Amarion Dickerson. "That's obviously, at the end of the season, to be Horizon League champions." Dickerson was named the Horizon League's defensive player of the year and sophomore forward Alvaro Folgueiras was named the league's player of the year. Senior guard Kam Woods has flown under the radar a bit this season, leading RMU in points and assists this year. Woods says he's proud of the team for the run it's on, especially considering they started the season with a 2-4 record. With home court advantage, the team is asking fans to pack the UPMC Events Center to help spark what they hope is a long postseason run. "It's huge," Toole said. "Obviously to create a great home court environment would be enormous. You know our guys, I think would respond really well to that. I've been trying to tell people all year long they're a really fun team to watch. The way they play the game, the passion they play the game with, the joy they play the game with, some of the highlights they've been able to make have been really spectacular during the course of the year. And it'll be great for everyone to come out and support them for all the work they've put in.
CBS News
27-02-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
RMU Basketball remaining focused during a red-hot season and the conference tournament on the horizon
The Robert Morris Colonials are hot right now with a six-game winning streak and a 14-5 record in conference play. They've got just one game left until the conference tournament, facing IU-Indy tomorrow night. Head coach Andy Toole said they feel like they're in a good spot right now but a win tomorrow night will solidify that #1 seed. "We really are just focused on controlling what we can control tomorrow at IU Indy, then let things play out from there," he said. "I think regardless we'll be in a good spot but we have to make sure we handle our business." Senior guard Kam Woods averaged a triple-double last week against Green Bay and Milwaukee and was named the Horizon Leagues Conference player of the week. "I knew those were gonna be big games to be able to fight for the #1 spot, so I just wanted to go out there and play my best games," Woods said. "I wasn't surprised with what I did but with it being my first one it was special." There's a lot of hype right now surrounding this squad, but Coach Toole says the guys are staying focused because they're determined to go as far as they can. "Their focus is on winning," Toole said. "We have to continue to do the things that give us the opportunities we currently have. That's defending, that's playing together, that's staying together. I think our guys have done a good job of keeping the main things the focus. How we prepare, how we practice, then go out on the floor and be effective."
