Issue date: 1/27/10 Section: Sports

Media Credit: RMU Athletics

Last year, the RMU men's basketball found success with a formula that included experience and leadership. With a lineup full of decorated and highly-touted seniors and juniors, it was a rare sight to see a freshman or sophomore have an impact on the outcome of a game, let alone crack the starting lineup.

That was so 2009.

This year's version of the Colonials is a mixture of seniors, freshman, reserves and role players. It's a formidable recipe of talent and fundamentals in all shapes and sizes, with a dash of luck here and pinch of heart there. But what once was thought to be ramen noodles is turning into filet mignon, as the team has apparently made a New Year's resolution that includes getting contributions from nearly every member of the team and, as a result, winning a heck of a lot of basketball games.

Through the first 23 days of 2010, the Colonials have won more games (7) than they did through the entire first month and a half of the regular season (5). Their recent surge, which has come mostly at the sake of other NEC opponents, has lifted the team into a first-place tie with Quinnipiac in the conference standings.

And all this has come without senior guard and team captain Jimmy Langhurst, who is out for the season with an injury.
In his wake, the team has seen contributions from the most unexpected of sources. While seniors Rob Robinson and Mezie Nwigwe continue to perform as expected, averaging 9.7 and 8.6 points per game respectively, it's been the dominating play of the freshman that that have had the biggest impact on the team's success.

Velton Jones and Russell Johnson, both redshirt freshmen, are both averaging 7.5 points per game. Johnson is also grabbing rebounds at an impressive rate, pulling down a team-best 5.8 per game. His play last week, during which he averaged 11 points, 9 rebounds and 3.5 steals, helped him nab the most recent Choice Hotels NEC Rookie of the Week honors.

But the biggest factor has been the emergence of Karon Abraham, a true freshman a three-time recipient of the aforementioned Rookie of the Week award. At just 5'9" and 150 pounds, Abraham is both the smallest and lightest guy on the team, yet he continues to tower above the rest on a nightly basis.

Averaging 12.7 points per game (including 15.6 per game since Langhurst went down), Abraham has emerged as a force to be reckoned with and is a primary piece to the Colonials current five-game winning streak, one that includes two wins apiece over NEC rivals Monmouth and Fairleigh Dickenson.

Continued...

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