RMU Fans: RELAX!

The Robert Morris Colonials currently stand at 2-13. I don't want to point out the obvious, but that's pretty bad. The Colonials are winless through their first two Northeast Conference games and while many people, fans especially, are panicking, it isn't the end of the world.

So I have one word for Robert Morris fans: R-E-L-A-X!!!!!!

I know what you're thinking: "Here's just another guy trying to make excuses to why this team is playing so bad."

That's where you're wrong.

Yes, this team's record is 2-13, so what? The season isn't over yet. Nobody was panicking on opening night when Rodney Pryor missed a game-winning shot attempt against Penn. The immediate reaction after the game was, "we had a great second half, but we fell just short. This team will be just fine!"

However, when Rodney Pryor's game-tying shot attempt rimmed in and out against Wagner just a couple nights ago, now there is panic. I get it, a lot has happened since the Colonial's first game. Everyone thinks they know what they're talking about. It's part of being a fan, right? It's laughable sometimes.

Robert Morris entered this season having won at least 20 games the previous four seasons. Now unless the Colonials finish this season on a miraculous, miracle-like run, they won't come close to winning 20 games this year. Over the last couple of seasons, Robert Morris has purposely scheduled difficult non-conference games. It's worked out in the past. It's given them great preparation for when they head into conference play. They used those games as measuring sticks to evaluate where they stand as a basketball team.

That was the plan entering this season. And to tell you the truth, their non-conference schedule this year wasn't as bad as people made it out to be. I think the only games we penciled in as losses on the schedule were Cincy, New Mexico State and Georgia. RMU got blown off the court by the Bearcats, but took NM State into overtime and played Georgia very,very well. Every other game was against a good, respectable mid-major team; but were most certainly winnable. One of the teams Robert Morris played, the Oakland Golden Grizzlies, have a star point guard on their team who will most likely get a shot to play in the NBA. Kay Felder is currently third in the nation in scoring and first in assists, and Oakland may have pulled off the upset at Michigan State if Felder didn't foul out. The Colonials were winning against Oakland for most of the first half, but the Golden Grizzlies separated themselves in the second half when Robert Morris went cold and made several mental-mistakes (with a little bit of help from Max Hooper and his eight three-pointers). Excluding the Cincy game, they never really got embarrassed or blown off the court in any non-conference game.

This team is young. And with a young team, growing pains are expected. I think expectations entering this season were a little too high. When making up the NEC Preseason poll, I think voters gave the Colonials natural respect because of their history and who they are. Robert Morris has been fortunate enough to have two freshman in back-to-back seasons as primary scoring options on the offensive end. Jeremiah Worthem, who didn't even finish his freshman year as a Colonial due to a suspension, was on pace to win NEC rookie of the year if he hadn't gotten in trouble. Worthem was a beast on both ends of the floor, and made the transition from high school to college look very easy. The same could be said about Marcquise Reed, who transferred to Clemson after being a pivotal part of an offense that soared through the NEC and the first round of the NCAA tournament. If it wasn't for Reed, the Colonials may not have won against North Florida, as he initiated the double digit comeback in the second half.

The two highly touted freshman this season are Isaiah Still and Matty McConnell. Still showed a knack of getting to the basket early in the season, but has been inconsistent shooting the basketball. I think he's fallen in love with his jump-shot a little too much, and when he struggles offensively, he gets visibly frustrated out on the court. When things aren't going well for him offensively, and this goes for every basketball player, you have to find other ways to contribute. The game of basketball isn't just about offense and scoring the ball, but finding other ways to help your team come out with a win. McConnell has made his way back into the starting lineup since returning from an injury early in the season, and has been very good with spacing the floor and knocking down the trey ball. I thought he'd be more versatile on the offensive end, but as he progresses through his time at bobby mo, his offensive arsenal will improve. He's a very smart player and with time, he'll figure it all out. Matty has also been a force on the defensive end, teaming up with Kavon for a nice one-two tandem atop the 2-3 zone. In addition, McConnell has also knocked down some pretty clutch shots at the end of games, which is encouraging considering his youth.

Still and McConnell are both good, young players. Are they Jeremiah Worthem? No. Are they Marcquise Reed? No. But they find ways to make an impact. Colonials fans have been so spoiled over the last several seasons that they almost expect greatness every year. Rodney Pryor is the best player in the NEC, but hasn't looked like himself the last couple of games. You have to assume he'll start to feel a sense or urgency soon, no?

This may get overlooked, but losing Stephen Bennett and Leo Gomis prior to the season actually hurt this team. While Billy Giles has played very well, he is greatly undersized and can't compete defensively with forwards who are several inches taller than him. Andre Frederick has been somewhat disappointing thus far and has yet to find his role and how he can be most effective on the court. However, the NEC isn't as "polished" for lack of a better term when it comes to bigs, so you hope Frederick will only get better. Elijah Minnie, who was expected to establish himself as a consistent second scorer to Rodney Pryor has been up and down. Minnie has all the tangibles to be a dominant forward in the NEC, it's just about putting it together.

Kavon Stewart, who's been getting unfairly scorched by the RMU faithful, is playing some of his best basketball since he's been a Colonial. I say "unfairly scorched" because people are expecting the wrong things out of Kavon. He's not going to blow you away with crossover fadeaway jumpers and massive dunks, but he provides top-notch ball handling skills and court vision; which is a rare combination to find in a point guard at this level. Over the last three games, he's been getting to the rim with ease, making his outside shots, and most importantly, becoming a reliable free-throw shooter. Stewart scored 19 against Sacred Heart and 23 against Wagner. You have to love the kind of basketball he is playing right now.

One of the problems with this team is that everyone plays well at different times. When Rodney and Elijah are doing their part, Kavon struggles, or vice versa. It would be one thing if this team has been losing by 10-15 points every game; but that's not the case. They're right there. It's just a matter of hitting their shots down the stretch and closing these games out.

I guarantee if the Colonials went .500 in non-conference play and lost their first two conference games, there wouldn't be as much chatter as their is now. You can't be dominant EVERY year. Sometimes you have to face adversity to get to the top.

Nobody is disputing the talent this team has. There was a reason why this team was picked to finish second in the NEC. You have to trust that things will come together and everything will fall into place. The frustration from the fans is definitely fair, but is it too much?

I think so.