Robert Morris men’s basketball had their season put on hold once again due to COVID-19 protocols this weekend, but the time off did not leave the program completely out of the news cycle.
Head coach Andy Toole was named one of 40 Rising Head Coaches in Division I competition on Sunday afternoon.
Congrats to Robert Morris Head Coach Andy Toole on being named one of 40 Rising Head Coaches in NCAA Div. 1 – @AndyToole
📸 Pittsburgh Post Gazettehttps://t.co/pwoMcCuo5v pic.twitter.com/d1HFpBKzVV
— Silver Waves Media (@SilverWaveMedia) January 10, 2021
The honor was handed down by Silver Waves Media and adds to the high praise Toole has received across the country for his coaching ability. The company completed months of research and spoke to search firms, athletic directors, and school presidents to compile their list.
Coaches deemed fit of this distinction, “must not have been a head coach in one of the power six conferences before, must have at least two years completed at your current school, and must be willing to rise as a coach.”
Toole has guided RMU to a 191-157 overall record in 11 seasons as the headman of the Colonials and has guided the program to its most successful run in school history.
Toole has led Robert Morris to five NEC Tournament championship games (2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2020), winning two of them and clinching an automatic bid in the NCAA Tournament twice (2015, 2020), two regular-season NEC conference championships (2013, 2014) and has made six national postseason appearances.
He took the Colonials back to the NEC Championship and guided the program out of the conference in style with a 77-67 home victory against St. Francis at the UPMC Events Center.
Toole signed a multi-year extension to remain at the helm of the team on July 24 through the 2025-26 season.
RMU has started the 2020-21 season 3-3 and will look to Toole to continue his coaching excellence in maneuvering the team’s first season in the Horizon League.
