By Paul Meyer
www.rmucolonials.com
November 29, 2010
Meyer on Morris Link
Moon Township, Pa. - First, he was simply called "Ant.''
Then, his teammates began referring to him as "Mini-Velton.''
And it could be, in a relatively short time, that Anthony Myers also will be referred to as "a future star in this league.''
Myers, a 5'11'' freshman guard from Washington, D.C., quickly has become a solid contributor on this young Robert Morris team that plays at unbeaten Cleveland State Monday evening, its final tuneup before it begins Northeast Conference play Thursday at Long Island.
"We don't look at him as a freshman,'' first-year RMU coach Andrew Toole said. "We look at him as a guy who's really capable of making plays and making shots for our team. Anthony is a guy we've been high on. We have high expectations for him.''
It didn't take Myers long to begin raising observer's eyebrows - raised as in "Hey, this kid might really be something.''
In the Colonials' second game - that 8 a.m. tipoff affair at Kent State - he played 19 minutes and scored seven points, making three of his four field goal attempts.
He followed that with another seven-point performance, and six rebounds, in his 23 minutes in the Colonials' 69-63 win against Duquesne Nov. 19. He gained his additional playing time because point guard Velton Jones was in foul trouble.
"When Velton got four fouls (midway through the second half), it became difficult to figure out who was going to run the point,'' Toole said. "There were times when 'Ant' was exhausted and he's looking at me and I'm saying, 'There's nothing I can do. You just have to keep defending.'''
"To do what he did shows heart and toughness,'' sophomore guard Karon Abraham said, "and you don't get that from a lot of freshmen.''
Myers made three big plays in the second half against Duquesne.
There was his left-handed layup off an offensive rebound five minutes into the half. There was his step-back jump shot three minutes later. And there was his feed to Yann Charles, off yet another offensive rebound by him, for a basket with 5:20 left that tied the game for the final time and put the Colonials in position to take the lead for good.
"You don't see a lot of guys in their third college game make three plays like that to help your team win,'' Toole said. "He's a playmaker. He has a nose for the ball. And he plays defense.''
Toole can use Myers as a backup for either Jones or Abraham and be confident that Myers will continue to play tough defense against the opposition's top guard.
"You mix those three in there and the (opposing guard) will think, 'When are these guys going to leave me alone?''' Toole said.
Myers quickly attracted the attention of Gary Wallace, the Colonials' only senior.
"He's strong with the ball,'' Wallace said. "He's very aggressive. He's not afraid to go out and make plays. Having somebody come off the bench and back up Velton, that's very important. We have so much confidence in Anthony.''
"He's terrific,'' Jones said. "He's been working hard in the weight room and doing everything the coaches have asked him to do.''
Myers' work in the weight room is what took from being known simply as "Ant'' to becoming called "mini-Velton.''
"We call him that because when he came in this summer he wasn't as big as he is,'' Wallace said. "We're always messing with Velton about being short and stocky and now Ant is starting to look like him so we call him 'mini-Velton.' We joke with him in the weight room because he's gotten so much bigger and stronger since the summer. He's been working hard, and the hard work, as you see, pays off.''
Redshirt freshman guard Coron Williams, who's also made his mark early this season, has been equally impressed with Myers.
"He's a hard worker, a hard worker,'' Williams said. "We need him. We need that energy he provides. That energy is just crucial for us. This is a great player.''
VIKINGS ON ROLL: Cleveland State Saturday against St. Bonaventure shot just 32.3 percent from the field , made only 3-of-19 shots from behind the arc and was outrebounded, 41-32, and won easily.
The Vikings forced the Bonnies into 24 turnovers while making just eight of their own and beat Mark Schmidt's team, 69-51, for their seventh straight victory. Cleveland State is 7-0, the best start in program history, and has won all five of its home games.
Guards Jeremy Montgomery (18) and Norris Cole (16) combined for 34 points and helped CSU make 26- of-32 free throws.
Cleveland State is shooting only 28.5 percent from beyond the arc this season, but that hasn't hurt the Vikings, who are limiting foes to 23.7 percent from deep.
The Colonials won at Cleveland State, 78-70, last season primarily because of a huge contribution from their bench. Led by Wallace's 14 points, the bench scored 45 points.
EARLY LEADER: Central Connecticut State is the early leader in NEC play, having dispatched visiting Monmouth, 54-50, in overtime Saturday. It was the earliest NEC opener since Nov. 27, 2000, when Long Island beat CCSU, 59-54.
The first NEC game of the season "featured'' 43 personal fouls and 42 turnovers.
CCSU's Ken Horton, who missed all of last season because of a knee injury, played all 45 minutes. He had an off game from the field, going just 3-for-13, but had 14 rebounds.
The Blue Devils are 15-5 in overtime games under head coach Howie Dickenman.
