Robert Morris Basketball: 3 key storylines heading into 2022 offseason
Robert Morris Basketball has a very interesting offseason and is looking for a few new pieces. What are some key storylines to watch?
In two years since joining the Horizon League, Robert Morris Basketball went a combined 12-39 overall, a far cry from being at the top of the Northeast Conference for the past decade. Head coach Andy Toole had to get the vote of confidence from the AD just to make sure he wasn’t on the hot seat his offseason.
What’s interesting is that the Colonials have a real chance to make moves in the Horizon League this offseason, depending on what they do in the next couple of months. But after losing a trio of key pieces, what does Robert Morris need from the portal? Here are some offseason storylines to watch for.
Roster departures
Four players for Robert Morris have entered the transfer portal, all of whom primarily came off the bench this past season.
F Justin Winston – 8.0 ppg and 3.0 rpg
After transferring over from St. Bonaventure, the 6’8 forward showcased a great offensive skillset, including a career-high 19 points against Illinois-Chicago. An ankle injury took him out for the final few weeks and he could never get into a rhythm but his ability to create his own offense will be missed.
F Brandon Stone – 6.5 ppg and 3.5 rpg
In limited minutes, the 6’11 stretch forward was one of the best shooters on the team, making 45% of his three-point attempts. His offense off the bench was a boost for RMU in the ladder half of the season but he’s limited defensively and on the boards.
G Kam Farris – 9.2 ppg on 40% shooting from deep
Farris split his time between starting and coming off the bench and was the best shooter on the roster. When he’s on, the Colonials were in contention to beat anyone but his defensive issues and lack of size in the backcourt made it hard for him to be with Enoch Cheeks and Michael Green.
Starting lineup still intact
Just about all of the other Horizon League teams have lost at least one player that was a fixture into the starting lineup. For Robert Morris Basketball, they had a steady lineup after dealing with injuries, covid, and early departures. The core of Michael Green, Enoch Cheeks, Jaron Williams, Kahliel Spear, and Matt Mayers so far is sticking around and none of them have entered the portal.
But that doesn’t mean that it’s confirmed that all five will be back. Both Spear and Williams are seniors with an extra year of eligibility due to covid but it’s not official that both are back for 2022-23. And everyone still has time to enter the portal by May 1st. If this group does return, it’ll be the first time that the Colonials will return their three best players in nearly a decade. But now they’ll have to rebuild the bench.
Newcomers and portal needs
Robert Morris landed a pair of commitments so far in the 2022 class in TJ Wainwright and Ben Krystkowiak. Wainwright is a 6’3 point guard and a three-star prospect who can handle the ball and provide backup to Green, an upgrade from former walk-on Chase Cook, who also entered the portal. He’s one of the top players to join the program out of high school and should get plenty of minutes as a freshman.
Ben Krystkowiak is the son of former Utah head coach Larry Krystkowiak. He’s a 6’4 shooting guard and knock-down shooter and the hope would be that he replaces Farris in the floor spacing department. And with rising sophomore wing Tristan Jeffries coming back, that would be the three current bench players on the roster.
The Colonials still have up to five scholarships to offer for those in the portal and there are three specific needs. The first is another ball-handler with experience so that Green doesn’t have to do it all. The second is a true center with 6’10-6’11 size that can rebound and defend inside, as Mayers and Spear are just 6’7 and 6’8 respectively. The last would be another wing to push Williams at the small forward position and potentially be able to play some small-ball forward.
Where does Robert Morris stand in the Horizon League?
With Illinois-Chicago heading off to the Missouri Valley, that leaves 11 teams in the Horizon League. After IUPUI’s historically bad season, they’re going to be rebuilding once again. And Green Bay isn’t far behind them after losing multiple key players to the portal. Milwaukee is in the same boat, with a new head coach and newly built roster.
Some teams that have lost a lot of talent this offseason have been Cleveland State (coaching change) and Wright State (both Tanner Holden and Grant Basile left), while Youngstown State was going to lose multiple seniors anyways. Detroit Mercy could go either way, depending on what Horizon League Player of the Year Antoine Davis decides to do this offseason. Oakland lost a couple of key pieces as well but have already done well in the transfer portal, landing Wisconsin transfer Lorne Bowman.
The two programs that are clearly a cut above are Northern Kentucky and Purdue-Fort Wayne. Seeing the Mastodons have a good start in the Horizon League after joining at the same time as the Colonials gives added pressure on this team to elevate as well.
Way-too-early top-25 power rankings for 2022-23. dark. Next
The good news for Robert Morris Basketball is that they have some quality pieces to work with for next season (assuming they stay). Now they have to build on it and land a couple of impact players from the portal to become a true threat in their conference. These next few weeks will be pivotal for the program.