RMU coach Andy Toole discusses jumping to Horizon League, recruiting challenges, travel
That Robert Morris Northeast Conference championship game back on March 10 was a send-off in a number of ways.
The Colonials 77-67 victory over St. Francis (Pa.) not only was the final sporting event in Pittsburgh prior to the covid-19 shutdown. It also turned about the school’s last game in the conference.
On Monday, RMU Athletic Director Chris King and school president Dr. Chris Howard announced that the university would be shifting most of its sports to the Horizon League.
Football will move to the Big South. Men’s hockey will stay in Atlantic Hockey. The women’s team will remain in College Hockey America. The lacrosse teams are currently searching for a home.
While golf, soccer, softball, track and field, and volleyball are also making the leap to the Horizon League, this move is definitely being made with men’s and women’s basketball primarily in mind.
Specifically, the men’s team. Colonials men’s basketball coach Andy Toole joined me for the “Breakfast With Benz” podcast after the press conference. And we discussed what the transition means for his program.
After all, the Colonials are perennial contenders for the NEC crown and thus a bid to the NCAA Tournament.
RMU has won the NEC four times since 2009. But since the NEC is considered such a small conference by the selection committee, the Colonials have always been a 15 or 16 seed, including one “First Four” appearance.
The Horizon League should better their chances of an improved seed in the tournament, if they do eventually win the conference. The competition to get to “The Big Dance” could be more stiff than in the NEC, however.
The Horizon may not be as competitive as it was in the mid- to late 2000s. It was a multi-bid league in 2003, 2007 and 2009. Butler got to the Final Four in both 2010 and 2011. And Valparaiso was in the Horizon when it was a repeat NCAA Tournament club, with a 30-win season and NIT runner-up on its resume.
The Horizon was 22nd in the NET rankings by conference. The NEC was 27th. Only two NEC teams (St. Francis, Pa. and Sacred Heart) were in the top 200. The Horizon could only boast two as well. But Wright State (127) and Northern Kentucky (150) were in the top 150.
Robert Morris finished at 203 last year, the third-best number in both conferences.
So an elevation in competition, yes. But not one that should be disproportionately difficult for the Colonials to handle.
“To be truly in that mid-major category is something we were seeking,” Toole said. “I think that’s the next evolution of this program.
“Really to challenge our program and our players and our coaches to jump to that next level.”
One of those challenges will be learning the nuances of the coaches in the new conference. In our podcast, Toole and I discuss the importance of scouting in 2020-21 as a result.
We also dive into how well suited this particular team is to make the jump in conference, the budget and travel ramifications of the switch, and any potential changes that may come in terms of recruiting.
Tim Benz is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Tim at tbenz@triblive.com or via X. All tweets could be reposted. All emails are subject to publication unless specified otherwise.
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