Men's Basketball Returns to Action Wednesday Night to Square Off with Northwestern
 
Complete game notes in Adobe PDF format are available at the end of this story

Top Storyline - The Robert Morris University men’s basketball team gets back to action after its longest layoff of the 2004-05 season Wednesday, Dec. 22, when it travels to Evanston, Ill., for an 8:00 p.m. EST game against Northwestern. RMU’s 11-day layoff before its game against the Wildcats is the longest the team will go this season without playing a game. The Colonials are coming off a 79-69 loss to Eastern Kentucky (12/11/04) at the Charles L. Sewall Center and are looking to snap their second three-game losing streak of the 2004-05 campaign. Robert Morris will return home to the Sewall Center after Wednesday’s game with Northwestern to square off with crosstown rival Duquesne Wednesday, Dec. 29.

Quick Stat of the Night - Senior center Mark Anderson recorded the first double-double of his Robert Morris career @ Bucknell (12/7/04) and followed that up by leading the Colonials with 19 points and seven rebounds against Eastern Kentucky (12/11/04). One of the most consistent players for RMU this season, Anderson has scored in double figures in six of the team’s eight games, second on the club to senior forward Chaz McCrommon (seven). In his last five games, Anderson is shooting 58.1 percent (25-for-43) from the field and is averaging 12.8 points per game over that span. He has also been more aggressive on the backboard, averaging 8.5 rebounds in the last two games after pulling down an average of 3.0 per game in his previous four games.

Wednesday’s Opponent and the All-Time Series - Robert Morris will be facing off with Northwestern for just the second time in school history Wednesday night, with the Wildcats having won the inaugural meeting between the two schools, 66-46, in Evanston, Ill. (12/2/95). In that game Northwestern shot 52.2 percent (12-for-23) from the field in the first half in taking a 34-20 halftime advantage. The Colonials would finish the game with a shooting percentage of 38 percent (19-for-50) and received more points from its bench (28) than starting five (18) in the game.

Probable Colonial Starters (2004-05 ppg, rpg averages)

F-24 Chaz McCrommon (6-6, 200, Sr.) 14.5 6.3
F-1 Joseph Ison (6-6, 205, Jr.) 8.9 5.1
C-15 Mark Anderson (6-6, 215, Sr.) 12.0 4.9
G-13 Derek Coleman (5-11, 180, So.) 3.3 3.1
G-3 Maurice Carter (6-0, 185, Sr.) 15.1 3.4

Probable Wildcat Starters (2004-05 ppg, rpg averages)

F-11 Vedran Vukusic (6-8, 245, Jr.) 16.2 5.0
F-31 Davor Duvancic (6-8, 235, Sr.) 8.1 5.2
G-00 Tim Doyle (6-5, 215, So.) 4.3 3.6
G-1 T.J. Parker (6-2, 185, Jr.) 11.8 2.7
G-14 Mohamed Hachad (6-4, 200, Jr.) 6.7 4.2

Head Coach Mark Schmidt (Fourth Season - Boston College ’85) - The 2004-05 campaign marks Mark Schmidt’s fourth year as head coach of the men’s basketball program at Robert Morris University. He owns an overall record of 38-56 (.404), including a 28-29 mark in the Northeast Conference, and was named to his current post May 7, 2001. Schmidt guided the Colonials to an overall record of 14-15 in 2003-04, including a 10-8 mark in the NEC. RMU tied for fourth in the league and advanced to the NEC Tournament semifinals for the first time since 2000. In 2001-02, Schmidt led Robert Morris to a 12-18 overall record in his first year on the sidelines, the most victories for a first-year head coach in the 29-year history of the RMU men’s basketball program.

Prior to RMU, Schmidt spent seven seasons as one of the nation’s top assistants at Xavier University under current Wake Forest head coach Skip Prosser from 1994-2001. While with the Musketeers, Schmidt played a dual role, serving as both a coach and the program’s top recruiter. His coaching responsibilities centered mostly around the post players, and he helped develop and recruit players at Xavier that have moved on to the professional ranks, including James Posey (Memphis Grizzlies), David West (New Orleans Hornets), Romain Sato (San Antonio Spurs), Lionel Chalmers (Los Angeles Clippers) and David Young (Seattle Supersonics). Prior to his stint with Xavier, Schmidt served one year as an assistant at Loyola College in Baltimore, Md., also under Prosser. He also spent two seasons at Penn State University under Bruce Parkhill from 1991-93, and started his coaching career as an assistant at St. Michael’s College in Vermont from 1989-91.

Schmidt’s playing career was highlighted by four years as a guard/forward at Boston College, where he received his bachelor’s degree in business administration and management with a concentration in marketing in 1985. The Eagles went 22-10 and made the NCAA Elite Eight during his freshman season in 1981-82 under head coach Tom Davis and 25-7 the next year in making the NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen in his first of three years playing for current Maryland coach Gary Williams. Boston College reached the NIT second round in 1984 and the NCAA Sweet Sixteen again in 1985.

Scouting the Wildcats - Northwestern enters Wednesday’s game against Robert Morris coming off a 90-55 loss @ Arizona State (12/20/04) that snapped a three-game winning streak for the Wildcats. Northwestern is led by junior forward Vedran Vukusic, who is averaging 16.2 points and 5.0 rebounds per game while owning a team-high 18 three-point field goals. Vukusic also has 14 blocks in nine games and is shooting 41.5 percent from the field. Northwestern has also been bolstered by the addition of 6-10 junior center Mike Thompson, a transfer from Duke who became eligible for the Wildcats in a 56-52 win over DePaul (12/15/04). In that game he scored 12 points and added five rebounds, then propelled Northwestern to a 53-44 win over Seton Hall with 12 points and nine rebounds.

Northwestern Head Coach - In his fifth season as head coach of the Wildcats is Bill Carmody (Union ’75), who owns an overall record 149-94 (.613) in nine seasons as a head coach, including a 57-69 (.452) record with Northwestern. Prior to accepting the head coaching position with the Wildcats, Carmody served as the head coach at Princeton from 1996-2000, where he replaced the legendary Pete Carril after spending 14 years learning the system as an assistant. Carmody guided the Tigers to an overall record of 92-75 (.786), including a 50-6 (.893) ledger in the Ivy League.

RMU’s Last Game - Robert Morris dropped a 79-69 decision to Eastern Kentucky (12/11/04) at the Charles L. Sewall Center in a non-conference game for its third straight loss. Junior forward Joseph Ison opened the game’s scoring with a layup off an offensive rebound to give the Colonials a 2-0 lead, but EKU used an 11-3 run to open an 11-5 advantage at the 15:43 mark of the first half, as the Colonels hit a trio of three-pointers and added a layup from Michael Haney. Robert Morris cut the lead to 13-11 with a 6-2 sput, but Eastern Kentucky scored five unanswered points to take an 18-11 lead with 12:22 before the break. RMU then used an 8-1 run to knot the game at 19, as senior guard Christopher Gooden hit a three-pointer, Ison scored a layup and senior center Mark Anderson converted an old-fashioned three-point play to tie the game. Zach Ingles hit a pair of free throws at the 8:33 mark to give EKU a 21-19 advantage, then used an 11-4 run over the final 5:42 of the first half to take a 38-30 lead into the break. Anderson opened the second half scoring with a layup to pull RMU within six, 38-32, but the Colonels scored the next five points to take a 43-32 lead with 18:10 to go. Eastern Kentucky eventually pushed its lead to 18 at the 10:45 mark with a 19-7 run that was bolstered by nine points from Ingles. The Colonials cut the lead to 68-61 at the 3:46 mark of the second half with a 17-6 run as senior guard Maurice Carter scored five points and senior forward Chaz McCrommon added four points. Eastern Kentucky responded with a pair of free throws from both Haney and Jason McLeish to keep the Colonials at bay before the final scored settled at 79-69.

Upping the Intensity - One area the Colonials have improved greatly in the early going of the 2004-05 campaign has been forcing their opponents into turnovers, evident by RMU’s steal totals. The Colonials established a school record with 21 in a 107-47 win over Thiel (11/29/04) and for the second time in four games registered more than 10 picks with 11 against Eastern Kentucky (12/11/04). In retrospect, Robert Morris posted at least 10 steals in a game just three times in the previous 60 games dating back to the start of the 2002-03 campaign. Over the last four contests, the Colonials have averaged 10.5 steals per game. Senior forward Chaz McCrommon and junior forward Joseph Ison have been the two most consistent pick pockets for Robert Morris, as they enter Wednesday’s game @ Northwestern with 13 and 12, respectively. Ison ranks third in the Northeast Conference in steals (1.71 per game), while McCrommon ranks tied for fourth (1.62). RMU’s ability to force opponents into turnovers helps it enter Wednesday’s game against the Wildcats with two less turnovers than its opponents (116-to-118).

Streaky - Senior guard Maurice Carter, who is averaging 16.5 points in his last six games and is shooting 47.6 percent from the field (40-for-84), hit a wall in RMU’s game @ Bucknell (12/7/04). After hitting four of his eight shots from the field in the first half, Carter was 0-for-6 from field in the second stanza, including 0-for-4 from beyond the three-point arc. He continued that dry spell with a 3-for-9 performance against Eastern Kentucky (12/11/04) and over the last three halves of basketball has hit just three of his last 15 shots (20 percent). Despite the lull, Carter is still converting 50.8 percent (33-for-65) of his shots in the last six games, well above his career shooting percentage of 40.4. Carter also leads the Colonials with 32 assists this season, an average of 4.0 per game that ranks seventh in the Northeast Conference. He also enters Wednesday night’s game @ Northwestern ranked fourth in the NEC three-point field goal percentage (45.7), fifth in three-point field goals made per game (2.62), eighth in scoring (15.1 ppg) and 13th in field goal percetnage (47.6).

All-Around - Senior forward Chaz McCrommon, a 2004-05 All-Northeast Conference Preseason Team selection, is slowly proving that scoring isn’t the only part to his game. McCrommon averaged 17.0 points per game as a junior in 2003-04, helping him earn All-NEC First Team accolades. Despite a scoring drop in the early going of the 2004-05 campaign to 14.5 points per contest, McCrommon has picked up other aspects of his game. He currently leads the Colonials in rebounding (6.3 per game), including a team-high 20 offensive caroms, and also owns team-highs in blocks (7) and steals (13) while ranking second on the club in assists (25). He tied a career-high with three blocks against Quinnipiac (12/4/04) and is averaging 3.1 assists per game this season, which ranks 12th in the NEC.

Getting the Groove Back - Robert Morris rebounded from its poorest shooting performance of the 2004-05 season @ Bucknell (12/7/04) by converting 43.1 percent (25-for-58) of its shots against Eastern Kentucky (12/11/04) and also did a better job of converting from the charity stripe. The Colonials finished 15-for-18 at the free-throw line against the Colonels, a success rate of 83.3 percent that is the highest RMU has shot (minimum 10 attempts) since converting nine of their 10 opportunities @ Ohio State (11/16/04). Robert Morris will look to take that shooting success on the road Wednesday @ Northwestern, as in RMU’s four road games of the 2004-05 campaign, the Colonials have shot just 35.5 percent (76-for-214) from the field, including 28.5 percent (22-for-77) from beyond the three-point arc.

The New Tag Team - Senior guard Maurice Carter, who ranks fourth all-time at Robert Morris with 191 career three-pointers, lost his favorite shooting partner from beyond the three-point arc when forward Aaron Thomas (2000-04) graduated in May of 2004. Carter and Thomas combined to hit 345 trifectas together over the course of their three years as teammates at Robert Morris, the most by any duo in school history, but Carter may have found another Colonial similar to Thomas this season in freshman forward Beau Gibb. Through the first eight games of the 2004-05 campaign, Gibb has hit 11 three-pointers, second on the club to Carter’s 21. Gibb is shooting 55 percent (11-for-20) from beyond the three-point arc, which leads the Northeast Conference. Carter, meanwhile, ranks three spots behind Gibb in fourth place in the circuit at 45.7 percent (21-for-46) from beyond the arc, helping give Robert Morris a pair of players ranked in the top five in the NEC in three-point field goal shooting percentage. Thomas led the Northeast Conference in three-point field goal percentage during the 2003-04 campaign with a 45.6 percentage, converting 78 of his 171 opportunities.

McCrommon Magic - Senior forward Chaz McCrommon continues to up his career field goal total and is on the cusp of becoming just the fourth Colonial in school history to amass 500 career field goals. McCrommon enters Wednesday’s game @ Northwestern with a career total of 489, just 11 shy of 500 for his career. Former Colonials Chipper Harris (821 from 1980-84), Myron Walker (741 from 1990-94) and Forest Grant (620 from 1980-84) are the only players to compile at least 500 career field goals in RMU’s 29-year Division I history.

 
Released: 12/21/2004
 

Men's Colonial Basketball: Game Notes 2006-2007