Director of Athletics Craig Coleman, M.D., announced Thursday that Robert Morris University has signed head men’s basketball coach Andrew Toole to a one-year contract extension. Named the eighth head coach in program history in May of 2010, Toole is now signed through the 2020-21 season.
“We’re very pleased to have extended Andy’s contract for an additional year,” Coleman said. “He’s brought great leadership to our men’s basketball program, and we feel confident with the news of our new event center that our program under his leadership will reach even greater heights.”
In his seventh season as head coach at RMU, Toole has led the Colonials to an overall record of 126-100 (.558), including a mark of 75-37 (.670) against Northeast Conference opponents.
Toole has overseen the most successful stretch in school history during his 10-year tenure at Robert Morris. Named an assistant coach under former head coach Mike Rice in 2007, Toole was elevated to associate head coach the following season before taking the reigns as head coach in 2010. In the last 10 years, the Colonials have posted a record of 199-131 (.603), including a mark of 121-45 (.729) against the NEC.
During Toole’s stint as head coach at RMU, the Colonials have claimed two NEC regular-season championships (2013, 2014), appeared in four NEC Tournament championship games (2011, 2012, 2014, 2015) and have earned four national postseason appearances. Robert Morris played in its first CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT) in 2012, earned automatic bids to the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) in both 2013 and 2014 and appeared in the 2015 NCAA Tournament.
Four of RMU’s five victories in a national postseason tournament have come under Toole. In his second year as a head coach in 2011-12, Toole led the Colonials to an overall record of 26-11 (.703). Robert Morris tied a school record for victories by advancing to the quarterfinals of the 2012 CIT thanks to road wins over Indiana State and Toledo.
In 2012-13, RMU claimed its 10th NEC regular-season championship with a ledger of 14-4 (.875) in league play and finished 24-11 (.686) overall. Robert Morris earned a spot in the 2013 NIT, advancing to the second round thanks to a landmark 59-57 victory over Kentucky in front of 3,444 fans at the Charles L. Sewall Center, the large crowd in school history.
The Colonials earned their second straight NEC regular-season crown in 2013-14 with a record of 14-2 (.875) in league play and overall finished 22-14 (.611). For his efforts, Toole was named the 2014 NEC Jim Phelan Coach of the Year. Led by a career-high 38 points from 2014 NEC Player of the Year Karvel Anderson (2012-14), RMU notched a win in the first round of the NIT for the second consecutive year with an 89-78 victory at St. John’s.
In the history of the NIT, a No. 8 seed has knocked off a No. 1 seed just four times, with Robert Morris owning two of those victories thanks to its wins over Kentucky and St. John’s.
Toole guided RMU to an overall record of 20-15 (.571) in 2014-15, including a mark of 12-6 (.667) in the NEC. The Colonials finished in a tie for second place with Bryant in the league standings and as the No. 2 seed claimed the 2015 NEC Tournament title with a 66-63 win at No. 1 seed St. Francis Brooklyn. The win over the Terriers helped RMU secure its league-high eighth NEC Tournament title and subsequent bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Robert Morris earned its first NCAA Tournament victory since 1983 and second overall in program history by posting an 81-77 win over North Florida as part of the 2015 NCAA First Four at UD Arena in Dayton, Ohio.
Prior to joining the Robert Morris staff in 2007, Toole spent the 2006-07 campaign as an assistant at Lafayette College in Easton, Pa. He also spent two years with The Hoop Group in Neptune, N.J., from 2004-06.
Toole was a four-year starter at the NCAA Division I level, playing for Elton University (1998-2000) before transferring to the University of Pennsylvania. In two seasons with the Quakers, Toole helped guide Penn to consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances in 2002 and 2003. A co-captain of the 2002-03 Penn team that finished with an overall record of 22-6 (.786), in two years as a starter Toole helped lead the Quakers to an overall record of 47-13 (.783).
Over his four-year career at Elon and Penn, Toole averaged 12.3 points per contest, finishing with 1,341 points in 109 games. In two seasons with the Quarkers, Toole hit 104 three-pointers and on his career finished with 212. He was an All-Ivy League First Team selection in 2001-02, an All-Ivy Leage Second team honoree in 2002-03 and was named to the All-Big 5 Team in both 2002 and 2003.
