By Paul Meyer
www.rmucolonials.com
December 6, 2010
Meyer on Morris Link
Moon Township, Pa. - At first glance, Robert Morris University's last-second loss at St. Francis (N.Y.) last Saturday seemed a bit of a bummer.
The Colonials led by four points with 31 seconds remaining but wound up losing, 65-63, when the Terriers made all six of their free throw attempts in that span.
A tough loss, to be sure, but there are other factors to consider.
One, the young and short-handed Colonials did win at Long Island two days before that, holding on in the final seconds and emerging with a 70-69 victory in their Northeast Conference opener.
Two, the young and short-handed Colonials know a lot more now about what playing in an NEC game is like. And will be like.
Coron Williams, Anthony Myers, Yann Charles and Elton Roy - none of whom had played an NEC game - acquitted themselves well under a lot of pressure. The importance of that experience can't be overstated.
And third, it's possible the Colonials have found themselves a productive inside presence in Lijah Thompson. That, too, can't be overstated.
Thompson, a 6'7'' sophomore, scored a total of 25 points and had 13 rebounds in the two games.
His production brought to mind something first-year head coach Andrew Toole said a few weeks ago when someone asked him what it would take to get Thompson going.
"Lijah's got to get Lijah jump-started,'' Toole said.
It appears Lijah has gotten Lijah jump-started.
In his past three games, beginning with a 12-point, six-rebound effort at Cleveland State, Nov. 29, Thompson has contributed 35 points and 19 rebounds. He was 11-of-18 from the field and an unlikely 15-of-16 from the free throw line.
Those numbers are even more astounding when one considers that last season Thompson scored a total of 53 points. He averaged 1.8 points and 1.6 rebounds per game. And he was 13-of-26 from the free throw line.
Granted, Thompson might not be that productive Tuesday evening when the Colonials play at West Virginia. But his performances against NEC teams are more important, and his performances last weekend in Brooklyn offer promise for the Colonials' NEC hopes.
Something else worth noting from last weekend - the Colonials played all but 26 seconds with only seven players in their rotation and yet continued to play hard despite having to have been fatigued.
Playing hard has become the Colonials' trademark over the past three-plus seasons, and it's encouraging that this team, with so many new and inexperienced players, has bought into the formula.
That was evident in just the second game of the season, that 8:00 a.m. coffee-and-doughnuts tip at Kent State.
Golden Flash coach Geno Ford was suitably impressed.
"Robert Morris plays as hard as any team we'll face,'' Ford said. "We have a lot of respect for them. In the first half, there were two loose balls. The first one, they had five guys on the floor. We had one. The second time, they had five guys on the floor. We had two. That's why they're going to be championship contenders in their league.''
The Colonials, who won outright or shared the past three NEC regular-season titles and won the past two NEC championships, no doubt will be contenders again this season, primarily because of their defense and work ethic.
"That's what this program is built on - outworking your opponent,'' Toole said. "And so if it means get on the floor, if it means get on the glass, if it means help in the gap, if it means jump to the ball --whatever it means -- you have to do it. You have to do it for your team. If you want to have team success, there's no question about it.
"We break down film and have edits. In the (season opener against) Saint Peter's, there was a play where the ball went out of bounds on the sideline. Coron Williams could have dove on the basketball and he didn't. The kid from Saint Peter's ended up picking it up and Coron ended up fouling him. We replayed that over and over and said, 'If you're uncomfortable diving on this ball right here, this is not the place for you. Your teammates expect you to get on the ground. The coaches expect you to get on the ground and if we're going to be successful you have to do that.' And so our guys know if it hits the ground, you'd better jump on it as quick as you possibly can.''
A lot of players probably find that difficult to do - especially for all 40 minutes of a game.
"I think when you first start out in the preseason, they look at you like you're a little crazy,'' Toole conceded. "What you need is your veterans, guys with experience, to tell the younger kids that this is how it's done. That all the hard work and all the effort is worth it.''
Gary Wallace, the Colonials' only senior, certainly can vouch for the worthiness of the RMU approach. In his first three seasons, he played in a National Invitation Tournament game and two NCAA Tournament games. Sophomores Russell Johnson, Velton Jones, Karon Abraham and Thompson played in an NCAA Tournament game last season. They also know the importance of the Colonials' approach.
"Those guys have taken the message of this program - the outworking your opponent message - and have passed it on to the new kids,'' Toole said. "So those guys don't think it's weird for you to play until you're absolutely exhausted. They think it's normal.''
The Colonials' defense - they lead the NEC with an average yield of just 60.1 points per game - and tenacity should serve them well when league play resumes in early January.
Especially if most NEC games will be like four of the five were last Saturday.
Counting the Colonials' two-point decision, four of the five games were decided by five points or less.
Wagner, which entertains RMU in the Colonials' next NEC game, Jan. 6, rallied from a five-point deficit in the final 47 seconds of regulation and won at Sacred Heart, 73-68, in overtime.
Preseason favorite Quinnipiac trailed by four points in the final minute but surged and beat visiting Mount St. Mary's, 77-75.
And host Fairleigh Dickinson, down 12 points at halftime, came back to beat Central Connecticut State, 48-46.
Those finishes made Quinnipiac coach Tom Moore seem prescient in early November when he surveyed the NEC schedule and the 18 league games each of the 12 teams will play.
"All 12 coaches are scratching and fighting and clawing to move their programs forward,'' Moore said. "It's going to be a gut-wrenching 18 games. There's not an easy out.''
NOTES: Abraham, who missed the previous four games while serving a suspension for violating team rules, should return for RMU at West Virginia … Wallace, who broke the middle finger on his right hand in the first minute of the Long Island game, won't play against the Mountaineers … Forward Lawrence Bridges (concussion) missed both games in Brooklyn. It's unclear whether he'll be able play in Morgantown … West Virginia (5-2) lost at Miami, 79-76. Saturday after owning a 54-41 lead with 12 minutes left … The Mountaineers under coach Bob Huggins are 77-4 when they have at least a 10-point lead at some point in a game … Wagner entered its game against Sacred Heart last Saturday leading Division I in free throw accuracy (82.1 percent) … The Seahawks' percentage dropped only slightly after Wagner was 26-of-32 from the free throw line against the Pioneers … Through seven games, Wagner is shooting 81.9 percent from the stripe … Freshman guard Latif Rivers is one reason Wagner is shooting so well from the free throw line. Rivers, who was 9-of-10 at the line against Sacred Heart, made his first 31 free throw attempts this season and is 35-of-36 through seven games … Wagner was 5-26 last season, but under first-year head coach Dan Hurley, the Seahawks are 4-3 this season.
