Moon Township, Pa. - Robert Morris University men's basketball head coach Andrew Toole announced today the program's 2011-12 recruiting class, which includes three players that have signed National Letters of Intent, one transfer and one individual that has agreed to continue his playing career with the Colonials.

Joining RMU for the 2011-12 campaign are freshmen guards David Appolon (Philadelphia, Pa. / Imhotep Charter) and Brandon Herman (Chattanooga, Tenn. / Charis Prep),  freshmen forwards Keith Armstrong (Raleigh, N.C. / Fishburne Military Academy) and Darren Washington (Belleville, Mich. / Gabriel Richards) and sophomore forward Mike McFadden (Newark, N.J. / Technology).

"Our 2011-12 recruiting class is both deep and talented," Toole said. "It gives us the depth that we at times probably lacked last season, especially coming down the stretch, and it should address some of our concerns on the interior. We have five new guys that are going to create competition, and that's a really good thing because it's going to keep everyone sharp in practice and during games."

Appolon and Armstrong signed NLI's during the early signing period in November of 2010, while McFadden transferred to Robert Morris from Iona College and will be eligible at the conclusion of the 2011 fall semester. Herman and Washington joined the class in April of 2011.

The recruiting class joins a group of four returning starters and seven letterwinners from a 2010-11 squad that finished with an overall record of 18-14 (.563), including a mark of 12-6 (.667) in the Northeast Conference, in Toole's first season as head coach.

"I'm really excited about the potential of our inside guys," Toole said. "Obviously Lijah Thompson and Lawrence Bridges really came along in the second half of last season, and adding Keith, Darren and Mike to the mix is important. Keith is a wide body who will bring physical play, while Darren has great size and length with the ability to run the floor. Those guys are going to compete right away. Mike will obviously join that group after the first semester, and he's another physical player that has Division I experience, so I think we have a core of inside players that should help us compete in the NEC."

Redshirt junior guard Velton Jones (Philadelphia, Pa. / Northeast Catholic) is RMU's top returning scorer at 12.1 points per game, and he also led the Colonials in both assists (127) and steals (50) last year. Redshirt junior forward Russell Johnson (Chester, Pa. / Chester) added 11.0 points and a team-high 6.7 rebounds per game.

"On the perimeter I think we added two solid pieces in David and Brandon," Toole said. "David can play at all three of the perimeter spots for us. He has great instincts on how to play the game and can do a variety of things, from scoring to rebounding to defending. Brandon, meanwhile, is a pure scorer. Whether it's slashing to the rim or mid-range jumpers, he puts the ball in the basket. He'll be an important part of the rotation. Both of those guys will help the returning group that we have."

Robert Morris enters the 2011-12 campaign with an overall record of 108-56 (.659) over the last five seasons, both a school and NEC record.

Robert Morris 2011-12 Men's Basketball Recruiting Class

David Appolon (G) - Signed a National Letter of Intent during the early signing period of November 2010 ... Finished his career as the most successful player in Imhotep Charter school history, as the program posted a record of 115-14 (.891) over his four seasons ... Helped guide Imhotep Charter to eight total championships, including three city league titles, three public league championships and a pair of state championships ... As a senior in 2010-11 averaged 15.6 points, 6.3 assists and 5.4 rebounds per game ... Earned all-city league league, all-public league and all-state accolades three consecutive years ... Received the Markward Award, which is awarded by the Markward Memorial Basketball Club and is named after legendary coach William "Billy" Markward, the former coach at Roman Catholic High School.

Keith Armstrong (F) - Signed a National Letter of Intent during the early signing period of November 2010 ... Spent the 2010-11 campaign at Fishburne Military Academy in Waynesboro, Va. ... Averaged 5.9 points and 7.6 rebounds per contest last season while shooting 61.3 percent from the floor ... Fishburne posted an overall record of 23-10 (.697), and Armstrong was one of 10 players on the team that signed Division I scholarships ... As a senior at Wakefield High School in Raleigh, N.C., in 2009-10 averaged 14.3 points and 12.1 rebounds per game ... Helped lead Wakefield to a mark of 22-10 (.688) ... Earned all-conference first team and all-district second team accolades in 2009-10.

Brandon Herman (G) - Inked his National Letter of Intent in April of 2011 ... Comes to Robert Morris from Charis Prep in Wilson, N.C., which also produced current Colonial point guard Anthony Myers, who will be a sophomore in 2011-12 ... In 2010-11 at Charis Prep, Herman averaged 20.2 points, 6.2 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game ... Attended Grace Academy High School and finished his career as the program's all-time leading scorer with 2,564 points ... As a senior in 2009-10 at Grace averaged 27.4 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.6 assists per contest ... Earned both district and region Player of the Year accolades as a senior in 2010 ... In 2010 was a McDonald's All-American nominee and a finalist for for Tennessee's 1A Mr. Basketball ... Established a record in the 2010 Tennessee vs. Georgia All-Star Game by scoring 33 points.

Mike McFadden (F) - Transferred to Robert Morris in December of 2010 and enrolled in classes in the 2011 spring semester ... Will have two and-a-half years of eligibility remaining after becoming eligible to play at the conclusion of the 2011 fall semester ... Spent his freshman campaign in 2009-10 at Iona College, averaging 4.8 points and 2.4 rebounds per game while shooting 44.5 percent (53-for-119) from the field ... Scored in double figures six times as a freshman ... In a career-high 32 minutes against Baylor (11/27/09) finished with 13 points and a career-high seven rebounds ... Established a career high in points (16) and tied a personal best in rebounds (7) in an 80-64 win over Long Island (12/9/09) ... As a senior at Technology High School in 2008-09 averaged 19 points, 12 rebounds, five assists and two blocks per game in earning All-New Jersey Group 1 First Team, All-Essex County Second Team and All-City of Newark accolades ... During his junior campaign in 2007-08 at Technology posted averages of 20.6 points and 11.0 rebounds per game.

Darren Washington (F/C) - Signed scholarship papers to attend Robert Morris in April of 2011 ... Originally signed a National Letter of Intent with Eastern Michigan in November of 2011 but was released from his NLI after a coaching change ... As a senior in 2010-11 at Father Gabriel Richards High School averaged 10.1 points, 7.6 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game ... Earned all-conference first team accolades as a senior ... As a junior in 2009-10 played in 12 games, averaging 8.8 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per contest.