Northeast Conference report

SportsLine.com Report
June 9, 2000

It might be difficult to recognize Robert Morris next season as the Colonials will be without the two guys who defined them last season -- coach Jim Boone and guard Gene Nabors.

Boone leaves the program to take over at Eastern Michigan -- a fine situation considering that former EMU coach Milton Barnes seemed to have things going in the right direction and his firing came as a bit of a surprise.

In his fourth season at the school Boone led RMC to the NEC final this season after the year before ending a slump of four consecutive seasons when RMC won no more than eight games. A highly successful coach at Division II California (PA) University, Boone guided the Vulcans to a 228-71 record over 10 seasons and two Division II Final Fours (1992 and 1996).

On the court, Nabors will be more difficult to replace.

As Nabors went, so went the Colonials. The Louisiana State transfer averaged nearly 30 points a game in the latter stages of the season when RMC went 9-1 until losing to Central Connecticut in the NEC final. Robert Morris' 18 wins this year were the most since it won 19 in 1991-92 when it made the last of its league record five trips to the NCAAs.

A glance at 2001

The Colonials will have to depend on someone other than Nabors for its big baskets for the first time in three years but has some talent to work with.

The coach

After 14 years at Nebraska, a tenure that included 11 postseason appearances, Danny Nee takes over at Robert Morris. The transition to Robert Morris was an easy one for Nee, whose wife, Janet, is a Pittsburgh native.

Who'll be back

Sophomore forward Steve Pettyjohn developed as a second offensive force to Nabors, junior guard Kevin Covert went on a late season scoring spree, and junior forward Naron Jackson is a long-armed defensive specialist. Forward Robert Shirley sat out the season with a stress fracture. Four others also return.

Who's gone

Along with Nabors, Brandon Welsch and Wesley Fluellen were significant parts of the rotation.