In 1983, Robert Morris captured its first NCAA Tournament victory in men’s basketball, beating Georgia Southern by 10 points in a play-in game. The Colonials, then members of the old ECAC Metro South, nearly won another one when they dropped a heartbreaker to Purdue by two points in the first round.
That Colonials bunch, coached by Rankin native Matt Furjanic, was led by a slick junior point guard out of Valley High School by the name of Chester “Chipper” Harris Jr., who eventually was drafted by the Kansas City Kings.
Though Chipper Harris failed to make the cut with the NBA team now based in Sacramento, Calif., it offers a glimpse of the rich history of an obscure Division I program on the western outskirts of Pittsburgh that’s been making some noise of late.
Robert Morris since has earned eight more trips to the “Big Dance,” the most recent a year ago resulting in a first-round, 90-81 loss to Alabama.
No. 2 seed Robert Morris (22-10), in the midst of defending its first Horizon championship with just one returning player — junior Ryan Prather Jr. — faces No. 3 Detroit Mercy (16-14) at 9:30 p.m. Monday in the conference tournament semifinals in Indianapolis.
The Colonials, behind Prather’s 24 points, passed their first test Wednesday with a 68-53 victory against No. 9 Youngstown State in the first round.
Prather scored 22 second-half points to help RMU pull away. But he’s only one part of the Colonials’ success. Robert Morris boasts the past two Horizon players of the year (DeSean Goode this season and Alvario Folgueiras, now at Iowa, last season).
“You’ve got to be a little fortunate and have things go your way, but you’ve got to have guys who make winning the No. 1 priority,” Robert Morris coach Andy Toole said. “That’s got to be how all your decisions are based. When that happens — guys that understand the importance of every possession — you have a better chance of becoming successful. All we’re thinking about is winning every single possession.”
In Monday’s first semifinal, top-seeded Wright State (21-11) faces No. 7 Northern Kentucky (20-13) at 7 p.m. The Norse advanced Sunday with a 96-76 rout of No. 5 Green Bay in a second-round game.
With its step up in competition to the Horizon League in 2020 came the need for a higher level of talent from that of the Northeast Conference, where Robert Morris had been a member since the league rebranded from the ECAC Metro in 1988.
It took Toole time to accomplish that feat.
“Of course, the players at Robert Morris are better now as a team,” Furjanic said. “But some of the guys we had — Chipper Harris, Forest Grant (of Beaver Falls), Tom Parks (of Belle Vernon) — could they have played at a higher level if we had NIL?
“Back then, we were dependent on the players that we recruited. We had to make a decision where we could project them in a year or two from now, and if we could develop them in the system. If not, you’re fired.”
Soon after the inception of the NCAA transfer portal, came NIL, “name, image and likeness,” which refers to a person’s legal right to control how their image is used, including commercially.
Both elements notably have impacted college athletics.
The rules have changed, and Toole has adjusted, reloading this season to put Robert Morris in contention again for another NCAA Tournament bid after losing his entire starting lineup to other schools via the portal.
“It’s a matter of adjusting to the era that you coach,” Furjanic said. “Overall, they’re better and stronger players than what we had back then.”
It is a product not only of the changing landscape of college sports but also a shift in conference allegiance.
Robert Morris joined the ECAC Metro in 1979 following three years as an Division I Independent. Before that, the school competed at the junior college level.
Its move to the Horizon League six years ago signaled an increased investment to its athletics department. But it took time before the Colonials became competitive in their new surroundings.
Eventually, Toole adapted. Four years into the new venture last season, Robert Morris was on top of the Horizon.
According to the WarrenNolan.com NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) ranking of Division I’s 31 conferences, the No. 19-rated Horizon represents a significant upgrade from the No. 28 Northeast.
“We did not have the depth and size that they have right now,” Furjanic said. “We were lucky if we had players 6-7, 6-8 and 6-9 to compete.
“I look not only at talent, but size.”
Undoubtedly, Toole would agree.
