Robert Morris women, under 1st-year coach McCabe, picked last in Horizon League

Chandler McCabe faces a major challenge at Robert Morris in her first head coaching job in women’s basketball after the Colonials were picked to finish last in the 11-team Horizon League preseason poll, announced Wednesday.

Under McCabe, RMU, which finished last in the regular season a year ago, will look to better a 2-18 mark (6-24 overall) posted in Charlie Buscaglia’s final season as coach.

“We just want to be competitive in every single game, and the next game is the most important one,” said McCabe, one of three first-year Horizon coaches.

Defending regular-season champion Cleveland State, led by preseason player of the year Colbi Maples, who won the award in 2023-24, was selected by the league’s coaches and team sports information directors as well as media covering the league as the preseason favorite to win the championship.

At Robert Morris, McCabe inherits four returning starters, led by 5-foot-10 senior guard Simone Morris, who led the Colonials in scoring (10.2 ppg), and has added six transfers, including 5-6 graduate student guard and Carlynton product Jada Lee, from Mount St. Mary’s.

McCabe takes over a Robert Morris program that has struggled since joining the Horizon League four years ago, compiling a record of 34-71, including a league mark of 22-53, during that time.

Before that, the Colonials earned six NCAA Tournament bids from 2007-19 as a member of the Northeast Conference, two under Charlie Buscaglia, who spent eight seasons as coach, and before that four under his father, Sal Buscaglia, who coached the team for 13 seasons.

McCabe, who played at Providence from 2008-12, spent last season as an assistant at Central Florida after stints as an assistant at Bethune-Cookman and associate head coach and recruiting coordinator at George Mason.

“My girls have been ready to go since Day 1,” she said. “They’ve been intently listening to us, and that’s all we can ask.”

Robert Morris opens its schedule Nov. 6 against Division II Point Park at UPMC Events Center.

Horizon Preseason Women’s Basketball Poll

(First-Place votes in parentheses)

Rank, team, points

1. Cleveland State (7), 117

2. Green Bay (4), 114

3. Purdue Fort Wayne, 98

4. Milwaukee, 85

5. Youngstown State, 63

6. Wright State, 58

7. Northern Kentucky, 53

8. Detroit Mercy, 39

9. Oakland, 38

10. IU Indianapolis, 36

11. Robert Morris, 25