After failing to win consecutive Horizon League titles, Robert Morris is back for more. However, as Andy Toole enters Year 17 at the helm, things are going to look a lot different for his Colonials squad.
RMU’s three leading scorers from last season, Ryan Prather Jr., DeSean Goode, and Nikolaos Chitikoudis all departed via the transfer portal.
Speaking of the portal, Robert Morris did have success landing transfers, four of them to be exact. That class is headlined by UMBC’s Ace Valentine and Nicholls’ Jalik Dunkley.
“I think the transfers that we got really fit what we needed,” said Toole.
Key returning players from a season ago include Eddie Cooke III, Darius Livingston and Samuel Obenjo, as well as Ta’Zir Smith.
“Being able to retain those three guys helped us a lot,” Toole said. “It just gave us some stability.”
On the other hand, the big story is that this year’s roster will house eleven newcomers, seven of those being incoming freshmen.
“It’s been unique,” said Colonials’ head coach Andy Toole during the HoriZone Roundtable preseason extravaganza. “Everybody is trying to stay as old as they can be, as mature as they can be, as physical as they can be.”
RMU’s non-conference schedule includes a couple of well-known schools. The Colonials will open the season in Nevada on Monday, November 2.
The non-conference matchup getting all the buzz, however, takes place on December 9, when the Colonials will face Duquesne at PPG Paints Arena.
“People have talked about trying to do an event like this for a number of years,” Toole said. “This was the year that it finally all came together.”
Formerly an annual meeting, the Dukes and Colonials haven’t met since 2017, but will bring the matchup back to downtown Pittsburgh in just a few months.
“I think it makes a lot of sense here in Pittsburgh,” Toole added.
Additionally, RMU will host Vermont on December 20. Their first Horizon League opponent of the season will be Youngstown State on December 5.
Robert Morris finished second in the conference standings, only behind the eventual conference champion Wright State Raiders. What aided that finish was an 8-2 stretch during their final 10 regular season contests, with a 22-11 finish overall.
While they finished high in the standings, a big takeaway is that opponents played them close. RMU had a scoring margin of just 5.3 points over the opponent last season.
Another area to improve will be limiting turnovers. On average, the Colonials turned over the ball slightly more than the other team in 2025-26, with a margin of -1.3.
Lastly, they need to be better from the free-throw line. As a team, Robert Morris shot .692% from the charity stripe last season.
What worked for the Colonials was their ability to attack the glass. RMU out-rebounded their opponents by 7.1 boards per game.
They also were stellar at moving the ball around and limiting passes on the other side. The Colonial offense recorded 17.7 assists on average, whereas opponents tallied 12.6.
Returning Players
Eddie Cooke III, 6-6, G, Atlanta, GA, Legacy Early College HS
Cooke III played in 14 games last season. His best game of last season came against Cleveland State, when he posted eight points, eight rebounds and six assists. As a freshman, he shot 47.6% from the field and 94.1% from the free-throw line. Cooke III entered last season as the No. 3 guard in the state of South Carolina.
Darius Livingston, 6-2, G, Orlando, FL, Discovery Academy
Livingston had a big freshman season for RMU. He was named Horizon League Freshman of the Week three times and made the Horizon League All-Freshman Team. He started seven of 27 games for the Colonials, averaging 10.1 points per game during those starts. His best scoring night of the season came on February 22 against Wright State, when he scored 24 points, shooting nine of 12 from the field and six of seven from three. Livingston recorded a season-high mark of seven assists on November 20 against St. Bonaventure and November 30 against Stetson. He ranked eighth in the Horizon League in three pointers per game, recording a mark of 2.3 per night.
Samuel Obenjo, 6-10, F, Stockholm, Sweden, Layton Christian Academy
The highlight moment of Obenjo’s freshman season came on January 22 against Milwaukee, when he scored six points on three-for-three shooting and grabbed three offensive rebounds. Obenjo recorded four rebounds against three different opponents: Pitt Greensburg, Cleveland State and Wright State. The former Eurobasket U18 Championship participant appeared in 23 games for the Colonials last season.
Ta’Zir Smith, 6-3, G, Woodbridge, VA, Virginia Academy
Smith started just 11 games for RMU last season but did appear in 31 of them. He averaged 6.5 points, shooting 39.5% from the field, 30.6% from three and 77.4% from the free-throw line. Smith’s best scoring night came on February 15 against Oakland, when he posted a season-best 18 points with four made threes on seven attempts, shooting 7/10 from the field overall. He was also a threat defensively, notching two blocks against Monmouth, three steals on two occasions, and five rebounds in four different games.
Incoming Players
Stefan Bozhinovski, 6-4, G, North Macedonia, Akademija FMP Skopje
Bozhinovski will be one of three international recruits joining the Robert Morris men’s squad for 2026-27 and beyond. The 6-foot-4 guard comes from North Macedonia.
Dylan Donovan, 6-2, G, Peters Township, PA, Peters Township HS
Donovan is staying local after stellar junior and senior seasons at Peters Township high school. He became the school’s all-time leading scorer, all while being named to the WPIAL First Team All-Section, as well as a finalist for the Flenory Award.
Jalik Dunkley, 6-7, F, Hamilton, Ontario, Dream City Christian HS, Nicholls
Dunkley started 27 out of 30 games for Nicholls last season, averaging 12.4 points and 6.7 rebounds while making 56% of his field goals. In 19 of those games, Dunkley scored in double figures, and he recorded a double-double six times. He scored a career-high 22 points and grabbed 12 boards against Oklahoma State, and snagged a career-best 15 rebounds against Tulane. Dunkley was named the Southland Conference Player of the Week on January 5 last season.
KJ Garris, 6-6, G, Atlanta, GA, Grayson HS, Cal State Fullerton
The Cal State Fullerton transfer made his way into 29 games for the Titans last season, averaging 8.2 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. In eleven of those contests, Garris scored double digits, including three consecutive games of 13 or more points. In just his first season, he led the Titans’ all-time freshman class in three-point percentage at just under 44%. Toole described Garris as “super efficient” during his time with the Titans.
Will Occomy, 6-3, G, Chicago, IL, Linbolm Academy
Occomy begins his collegiate career as one of the best high school scorers in the state of Illinois. For Linbolm Academy last season, he averaged 24.8 points per game, the fifth-highest mark in the state. In fact, he was the scoring leader among all Chicago public schools. Occomy was named a 2026 Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Class 4A all-state honorable mention. He also got to play for All-In Athletics, a junior NBA Flagship Network program.
Bolaji Oderlino, 6-7, F, Lagos, Nigeria, Bella Vista Prep HS
Oderlino, a forward from Nigeria, comes to Robert Morris after playing his high school ball in Arizona. He’s played in multiple showcases, both in the U.S. and worldwide. He appeared in the Pangos All-American Camp, as well as the NBA’s FIBA Basketball Without Borders event in Africa. Oderlino played his AAU basketball for EYBL Vegas Elite.
Michael Parlow, 6-4, G, New Orleans, LA, Mt. Zion (MD) Prep
Parlow and Mt. Zion won the 2025 Elite Prep League (EPL) title in 2025. Following that championship victory, he played in the National Prep Showcase. In 2026, Parlow was named to the EPL’s Third Team All-Conference. He was an EPL Session 2 Breakout Performer, posting 23.5 points per game.
Lukas Sloane, 6-3, G, Freehold, NJ, Colts Neck HS, IMG Academy
During his senior year at Colts Neck HS, Sloane averaged 16.9 points and 7.6 rebounds, leading his team to the 2025 NJSIAA Group 3 state championship. Sloane was also named the New Jersey Group 3 state championship MVP in 2025, and earned First Team All-Shore honors. In 2026, he suited up for IMG Academy, leading them to a No. 15 state ranking and posting two double-doubles.
Daniil Stolbetskiy, 6-11, F, Moscow, Russia, Fuenlabrada Academy
Stolbetskiy, a native of Moscow, Russia, played in Primera FEB last season. He posted four points and four rebounds across nine minutes in Fuenlabrada Academy’s game against Palma Basquet Mallorca on March 28, shooting 66.7% from the field. Despite being only 19 years old, Toole loves what Stolbetskiy brings to the table. “He has a little more understanding and maturity to his game,” Toole added. “He has a really high ceiling in terms of what we believe he’ll be able to develop into, and what he’ll be able to contribute as the year goes on.”
KC Uguwakazi, 6-8, F, Boston, MA, Cheshire Academy, Merrimack
After two seasons at East Texas A&M and one at Merrimack, Uguwakazi will spend his senior season with the Colonials. Last season’s defensive player of the year in the Metro Conference, he was very efficient on the glass, grabbing 5.1 boards a night, 2.8 of those being defensively. Speaking of his defense, he recorded six blocks in a game twice, and five blocks three times, all while shooting 58.1% from the field. Uguwakazi also tied his career-best mark of 5.2 points per game. “Really hard playing, physical, aggressive, paint rim protector,” said Toole when talking about Uguwakazi’s game.
Ace Valentine, 6-3, G, Columbia, MD, Mount St. Joseph HS, UMBC
Valentine started all 32 games for the Retrievers last season, averaging a career-high 11.9 points per game. He recorded double figures in 21 of those games, including a hot stretch to end the season, where he achieved that feat in nine of his last 10 games. A second-team all-America East Conference guard, Valentine also improved his efficiency last season, shooting 40.8% from beyond the arc and 74.3% from the charity stripe.
Projected Starting Roster
Jalik Dunkley
Darius Livingston
Samuel Obenjo
Ta’Zir Smith
Ace Valentine
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