McCabe takes the helm as part of a new chapter at RMU
By Tristan Freeman – Special to the HoriZone Roundtable
For the last 21 years, the father-son duo of Sal and Charlie Buscaglia ran Colonial women’s basketball, leading the program to six NCAA Tournament appearances. But Charlie’s resignation toward the end of last season’s dreadful 6-24 campaign has ushered in a new era for the program.
Chandler McCabe takes over after being an assistant at both UCF and George Mason. She’s known for being a “relentless recruiter,” according to a prior quote about her during Horizon League Media Day. Her first recruiting job went well to her credit, keeping most of the rotation from last season while adding a few key transfers as well.
Projected Starters
Full disclosure: this was hard to project due to RMU returning plenty of players who got minutes from last season, along with multiple transfers who were either starters of key rotation pieces on their prior teams, indicating that there’s plenty of competition.
PG: Jada Lee – The 5-5 playmaker returns home after four years at Mount St. Mary’s. She had a breakout campaign as a full-time starter, producing 9.1 ppg and 2.4 apg on 37% shooting. That includes nine double-digit scoring games in the last 12 games from last season. The PG position is up for grabs, and the experienced senior has a good case for taking the reigns of the offense.
SG: Simone Morris – Morris is a 5-10 guard who led RMU with 10.2 ppg, shooting 32% from the field. The senior had eight games of at least 15 points last season, including a season-high 19 against Oakland. With 76 career starts already, look for Morris to remain a veteran starter in the backcourt.
F: Isys Grady – Grady averaged 9.0 ppg and 5.6 rpg in three years at UNC Greensboro, shooting 38% from the field. That includes a 23-point effort at Appalachian State to start last season. She gives a two-way boost to RMU, including being a capable rebounder from the SoCon.
F: Naomi Barnwell – One of the few bright spots from last season, Barnwell averaged 7.0 ppg and 5.3 rpg as a starter, shooting 39% from the field. She had four games with at least 14 points, including 19 points and 11 rebounds against Youngstown State. She and Grady will be a solid frontcourt combo in the Horizon League, though her lack of spacing makes Barnwell ideal as a 4 instead of a wing.
C: Danielle Vuletich – The 6-2 center was a full-time starter last season, averaging 9.1 ppg and 6.7 rpg on 49% shooting from the field. Vuletich had a very strong end with seven straight double-double scoring games, including 19 points and 10 rebounds against Northern Kentucky.
Rotation Pieces
Raissa Nsabua – The 5-10 wing was an all-around impact performer at Minera Area College, averaging 8.7 ppg, 5.8, and 4.4 apg. Nsabua had a 10-assist game as well and should be able to help move the ball around as a potential point forward.
Katelyn Chomko – The 5-7 ball-handler from Texas also comes from Mineral Area College, averaging 10.9 ppg and 3.2 apg last season. The impact juco transfer will be competing for the lead guard role and has the chance to be a hidden gem among the incoming recruiting class.
Hailey Unger – Unger comes from the D2 ranks, leading USC Aiken with 13.8 ppg. If the 5’8 guard’s scoring punch translates to the Horizon League level, she’ll find a way to get minutes.
Noa Givon – The 5-0 junior guard averaged 6.3 ppg in 17 mpg off the bench at Iona, shooting 36% from deep in limited attempts. Givon’s season-high 20 points came on the road at Providence, and had eight games of double-digit scoring. She could be the 6th Man off the bench or push for a starting role.
Mya Murray – Although her minutes have been cut in the past two years, Murray averaged 6.0 ppg and 5.9 rpg as a freshman starter. At 6-1, Murray gives RMU the needed size at either the four or five spots in the frontcourt and the needed depth.
Rebecca Dwomoh – Dwomoh has 46 starts in two years with the program, coming off averaging 4.4 ppg and 3.6 rpg. Plus, she’s one of the better defenders in the conference. However, shooting just 29% from the field as a guard isn’t going to cut it. Still, look for the senior guard to be in the rotation to keep the defense at a high level.
Micah O’Dell – As a freshman, O’Dell averaged 4.8 ppg in 15 mpg off the bench, shooting 34% from the field. The 5’6 scoring guard could be a breakout candidate, but there’s more competition for minutes on the perimeter she’ll have to deal with.
Alejandra Mastral – The 5-8 guard has made 54 starts in three years with the program and could get the senior nod as a starter. In 15 games, Mastral averaged 5.9 ppg on 36% shooting from the field, a career-high effort. With more talent joining, her spot in the rotation will be a question, but her defense and passing will find her minutes.
Outlook
The first thing for the Colonials is to be more competitive, something they couldn’t do last season. Of the 20 league games, 14 ended by a defeat of at least 11 points. As McCabe said during Media Day. “we just want to be competitive in every game, not just one.” That includes playing “Moon Ball,” which McCabe says is about doing all the little things.
Robert Morris must do some of everything to get back into contention. The defense should remain solid, but it’s all about the offense. The Colonials ranked last in nearly every offensive category last season, and only 24 teams scored fewer than them last season.
Can RMU immediately compete with Green Bay and Cleveland State? No. However, the ideal goal is to get out of the bottom tier of the Horizon League in Year 1. This new-look roster has some potential but expect there to be growing pains this upcoming season.
