Over the past decade under Andy Toole, the success of the Robert Morris basketball program has been characterized by two words: toughness and resiliency.
Perhaps nobody embodies the overall success of the program's growth than Matty McConnell, who played at the school from 2015-2019.
McConnell, a native of nearby Oakdale, Pennsylvania, played his high school basketball at Chartiers Valley. The choice to come to Robert Morris was an easy one.
"I'm a hometown kid and like to be close to family and friends. That was the biggest thing for me. I wanted my family to be able to come watch me play every home game," McConnell told me.
Across four seasons at the university, McConnell averaged 9.0 points/game, starting in 120 out of 129 games (93%) during his tenure. Although he was not able to reach the NCAA Tournament, his career was not void of memorable moments.
"I think my favorite memory over the last four years was scoring my 1000th point against Saint Francis(PA). My whole family was there and my cousin [Luke McConnell] is an assistant coach for Saint Francis, so it was kind of cool to have him there," McConnell said.
In his senior season of 2018-2019, McConnell certainly left it all out on the floor, as displayed in the final four games of the season. Here is what McConnell gave to his team during the last stretch of his career:
(NEC Quarterfinals) - vs St. Francis(Brooklyn): 40/45 MIN, 21 PTS, 10/10 FT
(NEC Semifinals) - at Fairleigh Dickinson: 34/40 MIN, 17 PTS, 3/7 3-PT FG
(CIT First Round) - vs Cornell: 39/45 MIN, 27 PTS, 5/9 3-PT FG
(CIT Second Round) - vs Presbyterian: 30/40 MIN, 10 PTS
McConnell's final performance for his hometown school was emblematic of the grit he displayed during his entire four-year career.
Robert Morris played in a wide range of arenas during McConnell's tenure, but he did have a particular favorite.
"I think my favorite place to play at was USC [Southern California]. Just being in LA was so cool and the gym was nice and very cool to play in. We also got to play against some current NBA players," McConnell indicated.
The Colonials played at the Galen Center vs the Trojans to kick off the 2018-2019 season.
Robert Morris played USC very tight, even staying tied at 49-49 nearly halfway into the second half before the Trojans broke away and won by an 83-62 score. In the game, McConnell played 34/40 minutes, grabbing 10 rebounds and adding seven assists in the process.
Under Andy Toole, the Colonials have reached five NCAA Tournaments and two NIT Tournaments. McConnell had nothing but praise for his former head coach,
"I think Coach Toole is one of the best X's and O's coaches in the country. He is somewhat of a perfectionist, but in a good way. He is tough on his guys because he knows how good we can be. He knows our limits and tries to test those limits to make you better each and every day," McConnell said.
Robert Morris opened the brand-new UPMC Events Center for the 2019-2020 season. Despite McConnell playing in four arenas (Charles Sewall Center, A.J. Palumbo Center, PPG Paints Arena, North Athletic Complex) across the university and the entire Pittsburgh region, he is a fan of the team's new home.
"I think the new venue is one of the nicest mid-major arenas in college basketball. Not many mid-major schools have an arena like that," McConnell said.
He also thinks that the arena can be a major pitch in the recruiting of future Robert Morris talent.
"I think that, in the upcoming years, RMU can be very good. Once players see that arena, they will want to go there, and it definitely helps out with recruiting. That gym symbolizes all the hard work of the players who played before those guys who are currently there. It represents all the blood, sweat and tears put into that program," McConnell told me.
Matty is not the only one McConnell who has made a name for himself in the basketball world, however. His brother, T.J., is currently a point guard for the Indiana Pacers.
With the NBA adopting a return-to-play format, the Pacers were among 22 of the league's 30 teams invited to the Walt Disney Resort in Orlando, Florida to complete the remainder of the 2019-2020 season.
It will take some getting used to for everyone involved, including T.J..
"I think T.J. just wants to get back out there and play. I don't know if he can say if it will work or not because this is new to everyone. This whole thing is new to the NBA," Matty said.
Similar to the way he praised his former head coach, Matty had nothing but good things to say about his older brother.
"He just wants to get back to playing so he can help his team win in any way possible. That's why he is special. He will do anything you ask him to do if it helps the team's chances to win," McConnell told me.
The character and resiliency that McConnell displayed during his time at Robert Morris laid the blueprint for the success that is yet to come for the program. McConnell hopes that his time and effort are fondly remembered.
"I just want to be known as a player that left it out there every game and played hard every second he was on the court. I want people to say, 'Man, that kid really hated to lose and you can see it in how hard he plays.' If people talk about my legacy like that, then I couldn't be any happier," McConnell said.
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