Robert Morris gets reacquainted with buzz

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Robert Morris gets reacquainted with buzz surrounding NCAAs


When Lucky Jones, Rodney Pryor and Marcquise Reed arrived for a Tuesday news conference in advance of the NCAA South Region play-in game at UD Arena, you could sense a bit of excitement from the Robert Morris trio.
It was like they'd been here before, though the Colonials hadn't qualified for an NCAA Tournament in men's basketball since 2010.
Robert Morris (19-14) will play North Florida (23-11) on Wednesday night in a matchup of No. 16 seeds in the South bidding to move on to Charlotte, N.C., on Friday to face top-seeded Duke.

It marks the first NCAA Tournament appearance for North Florida (23-11), the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament champion.
And while the current members of Robert Morris' team never have played in an NCAA Tournament game, they will try to draw from the experiences of coach Andy Toole and assistant Velton Jones.
Toole was a Robert Morris assistant in 2010 and a player for Penn in 2002 during a regional at Mellon Arena. Jones was a freshman in 2010 on the Colonials' tournament team.

?We've talked to our team a little bit about some of our past experiences,? Toole said. ?We're just trying to get them excited about being a part of it and trying to relay to them about how you can have some success in the tournament.?
This is Robert Morris' eighth appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Toole also was on the Colonials staff in 2009 when they lost to Michigan State in Minneapolis.

He said the players finally accepting their roles, and that keyed a late-season run during which the Colonials went 6-0 over the final six games, including a run to the NEC Tournament title.

?We've just got to come out here and continue to play the way we've been playing for the last six games,? senior Lucky Jones said, ?sharing the ball, just going out there looking for each other and making sure we have each other's backs.?
Added Pryor: ?I believe we're going to be well prepared for the game. As a player, this is the first time. But with our coach being here multiple times, he's going to prepare us to go out on the floor and get a win.?
Pryor, Reed and Jones combined to average 44.3 points this season.

?It took us a couple games to sort each other out,? Lucky Jones said. ?We emerged with our best the last six games because we had conversations on how we need each other and how much hard work it takes.?

Each player has taken a turn leading the Colonials in scoring.
North Florida coach and Bellevue native Matt Driscoll said the three players will be tough to defend.

?The one thing that's great about those three particular guys, they score at all three levels,? Driscoll said.
?They can make 3s, they can drive it on the floor and get mid-range jumpers. And they can get to the rim because of their athletic ability.?
While both teams are similar statistically, there is at least one thing that North Florida has done better.

?They average nine made 3-pointers per game,? Toole said. ?They are a little different than anyone we've played. They have great size and length. ?They have a lot of guys who are versatile inside-outside guys. They have a number of guys who make 3s, some who make it at a really high rate. I don't think we've seen a team like this that we've played.?

North Florida, with four starters averaging double figures, is led by sophomore guard Dallas Moore's 15.9 ppg.

 

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Unlikely trio leads Robert Morris into NCAA First Four game




A junior who hadn?t played collegiate ball in two years. A freshman who was untested at the Division I level. A senior who recently lost his spot in the starting lineup.

It?s an unlikely trio, but junior guard Rodney Pryor, freshman guard Marcquise Reed and senior forward Lucky Jones have combined to create a three-pronged scoring threat for Robert Morris that has led the team to its first NCAA tournament since 2010. The Colonials face fellow No. 16 seed North Florida in a First Four game at 6:40 p.m. today in Dayton, Ohio.

Pryor leads the team, averaging 15.2 points per game, while Reed averages 14.8 and Jones 14.3. They are the only three players to score consistently in double-digits for Robert Morris.

North Florida coach Matthew Driscoll said the triple threat stood out to him immediately when scouting his opponent.

?The one thing that's great about ... those three particular guys is they can score at all three levels,? Driscoll said. ?Meaning they can make 3s. They can put it on the floor and get mid-range. And they can get to the rim because of their athletic ability.?

While their individual talent always has been clear, Robert Morris coach Andy Toole said it took some time for Pryor, Reed and Jones to work together. Pryor wasn?t cleared to play until August and not only had to adjust to his first Division I team but also his first action in two years after foot and knee injuries kept him out of junior-college play.

Reed adapted to college ball quickly, but sometimes struggled to make good decisions, such as driving to the net for a difficult shot when a teammate was open. Early in the season, Toole said Jones was taking a few too many contested shots and ?living and dying? by the 3-pointer instead of diversifying his scoring range.

?Earlier in the year, all three of them were trying to figure out where they fit within that pecking order,? Toole said. ?And we kept trying to tell them, there's enough of the pie for everybody. And you can slice it any way you want, but when everyone's getting a third, you're going to be all right.?

The uncertainty translated into the Colonials? results. They would show flashes of potential in one game, but lose it the next. That is, until about six games ago.

Robert Morris has won its past six, a season-high streak, and seems to have found the rhythm it lacked. Pryor and Reed have combined for 991 points and are poised to become just the third duo to break 1,000 in school history, the most recent being Jones and former guard Karvel Anderson, who combined for a record 1,208 points last season.

Reed has scored at least 20 points in 10 games. Pryor has scored in double-digits each of his past eight. Jones, who has relished his new role as the sixth man, has done it in his past 11.

Toole said the reason his team has played its best basketball recently is the three leaders are playing for each other instead of themselves.

?You've seen games where all three of them have played well offensively,? he said. ?All three have made plays for each other, and all three have been the recipients of plays made by each other. It's been nice to see.?

Jones said what sparked the turnaround was simply talking to each other.

?We had conversations about how we need each other and how much hard work it takes,? Jones said. ?And sometimes, they're going to be blocking out Rodney or blocking out Marcquise or even me. So we've got to make sure we take turns and just get what the defense has given us.?

And as far as timing, the trio could not have picked a better time to come together, as its success has led the team onto the national stage.

?It's been a good luxury for us to have,? Toole said. ?If we get two of them going, great. If we get all three going, we're even better.?

Game at a glance




Robert Morris: Coming off a 66-63 Northeast Conference championship win at St. Francis (N.Y.) to make eighth NCAA tournament appearance and third in past seven years. ... On a season-high six-game winning streak. ... Has averaged 76.8 points per game while shooting 47.1 percent from the field, 45.5 percent from the 3-point line and 73 percent from the free-throw line during the streak.

North Florida: Coming off a 63-57 Atlantic Sun Conference championship win against South Carolina Upstate to make first NCAA tournament appearance. ... The win was the latest in a school-record eight-game winning streak. ... Has also won 16 of past 18. ... Ranks eighth in Division I with 308 3-pointers made.

Hidden stat: With his career-high four blocks in the NEC title game, 6-foot-8 freshman forward Elijah Minnie tied a school single-season record with 35. Ospreys junior forward Demarcus Daniels also set a single-season record for his school this season with 53 blocks.