2020–21 Toledo Rockets men's basketball team

2020–21 Toledo Rockets men's basketball
MAC Regular Season champions
NIT, First Round
ConferenceMid-American Conference
DivisionWest Division
Record21–9 (15–4 MAC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaSavage Arena
Seasons
2020–21 Mid-American Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Toledo 15 – 4   .789 21 – 9   .700
Buffalo 12 – 5   .706 16 – 9   .640
Akron 12 – 6   .667 15 – 8   .652
Kent State 12 – 6   .667 15 – 8   .652
Ohio † 9 – 5   .643 17 – 8   .680
Bowling Green 10 – 8   .556 14 – 12   .538
Miami (OH) 9 – 8   .529 12 – 11   .522
Ball State 8 – 9   .471 10 – 13   .435
Western Michigan 4 – 12   .250 5 – 16   .238
Eastern Michigan 3 – 11   .214 6 – 12   .333
Central Michigan 3 – 13   .188 7 – 16   .304
Northern Illinois 2 – 12   .143 3 – 16   .158
† 2021 MAC tournament winner

The 2020–21 Toledo Rockets men's basketball team represented the University of Toledo during the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Rockets, led by 11th-year head coach Tod Kowalczyk, played their home games at Savage Arena, as members of the West Division of the Mid-American Conference. In a season limited due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Rockets finished the season 21–9, 15–4 in MAC play to win MAC regular season championship. They defeated Ball State in the first round of the MAC tournament before losing to eventual tournament champions Ohio in the second round. They received an at-large bid to the National Invitation Tournament where they lost to Richmond in the first round.[1]

Previous season

The Rockets finished the 2019–20 season 17–15, 8–10 in MAC play to finish third place in the West division. They defeated Western Michigan in the first round of the MAC tournament before the tournament and all subsequent postseason tournaments were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[2]

Offseason

Departures

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for departure
Gavin Bizeau 0 F 6'11" 210 Sophomore Plainfield, IN Transferred to Marian University[3]
T. J. Smith 1 F 6'8" 195 Freshman Matteson, IL Transferred to Barry[4]
Aaron Etherington 2 F 6'6" 215 Freshman Fishers, IN Transferred to Indianapolis[5]
Donavan Moore 5 G 6'3" 175 Freshman Hillsboro, IL Transferred to Green Bay[6]
Dylan Alderson 21 G 6'5" 205 Junior Clarkston, MI Transferred to Indiana Wesleyan[7]
Willie Jackson 23 F 6'6" 215 Senior Cleveland, OH Graduated
Luke Knapke 30 C 6'11" 245 Senior Maria Stein, OH Graduated

2020 recruiting class

College recruiting information
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Ryan Rollins
#85 SG 		Macomb, MI Dakota 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Nov 13, 2019 
Star ratings: Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars
Jamere Hill
SG 		Joliet, IL Joliet West 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Jan 11, 2020 
Star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A
Ra'Heim Moss
SG 		Springfield, OH SPIRE Academy 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Nov 30, 2019 
Star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2020 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved December 2, 2020.

Incoming transfers

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for departure
Setric Millner Jr. 2 F 6'6" 205 Junior Little Rock, AR Transferred from Northwest Florida State College. Will have two years of remaining eligibility.[8]
JT Shumate 32 F 6'7" 210 Junior Newark, OH Transferred from Walsh University. Will have two years of remaining eligibility.[8]
Jonathan Komagum 35 F/C 6'9" 215 Junior London, England Transferred from Williston State College. Will have two years of remaining eligibility.[8]

Roster

2020–21 Toledo Rockets men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 Ra'Heim Moss 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Fr SPIRE Academy Springfield, OH
G 1 Jamere Hill 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Fr Joliet West Joliet, IL
F 2 Setric Millner Jr. 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Jr Northwest Florida State College Little Rock, AR
G 3 Marreon Jackson 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Sr Garfield Heights Cleveland, OH
F 4 Mattia Acunzo 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 225 lb (102 kg) RS Fr Kennedy Catholic Sardinia, Italy
G 5 Ryan Rollins 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Fr Dakota Macomb, MI
G 11 Spencer Littleson 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Sr Rochester Adams
Duquesne 		Rochester Hills, MI
F 12 Luke Maranka 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 225 lb (102 kg) So Grand Rapids Angels Homeschool Ada, MI
F/C 15 A. J. Edu Injured 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 225 lb (102 kg) RS So South Gloucestershire and Stroud College Colchester, England
G 22 Blake Williams (W) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Sr St. John's Jesuit Holland, OH
G 24 Keshaun Saunders 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 190 lb (86 kg) RS So Orangeville Prep Brampton, ON
F 32 JT Shumate 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Jr Newark
Walsh University 		Newark, OH
F/C 35 Jonathan Komagum 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Jr Williston State College London, England
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Schedule and results

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Non-conference regular season
November 25, 2020*
3:15 p.m. 		vs. Bradley
Xavier Invitational 		L 59–61  0–1
  17 – Millner Jr.   7 – Komagum   4 – Jackson  Cintas Center (111)
Cincinnati, OH
November 26, 2020*
3:15 p.m. 		vs. Oakland
Xavier Invitational 		W 80–53  1–1
  24 – Littleson   9 – Millner Jr.   8 – Jackson  Cintas Center (36)
Cincinnati, OH
November 27, 2020*
12:00 p.m., FS1 		at Xavier
Xavier Invitational 		L 73–76  1–2
  20 – Rollins   15 – Millner Jr.   6 – Jackson  Cintas Center (300)
Cincinnati, OH
December 1, 2020*
7:00 p.m., ESPN3 		Cleveland State W 70–61  2–2
  17 – Millner Jr.   11 – Komagum   5 – Jackson  Savage Arena (0)
Toledo, OH
December 4, 2020
7:00 p.m., ESPN3 		at Eastern Michigan W 91–74  3–2
(1–0) 		 20 – Jackson   7 – Saunders   5 – Jackson  Convocation Center (0)
Ypsilanti, MI
December 9, 2020
7:00 p.m., FS1 		at No. 19 Michigan L 71–91  3–3
  14 – Millner Jr.   6 – Millner Jr.   4 – Rollins  Crisler Center (0)
Ann Arbor, MI
December 12, 2020*
 ESPN3 		Kansas City W 64–57  4–3
  17 – Millner Jr.   10 – Millner Jr.   3 – Millner Jr.  Savage Arena (0)
Toledo, OH
December 16, 2020*
6:00 p.m., C-USA TV 		at Marshall W 96–87 OT 5–3
  23 – Jackson   13 – Rollins   8 – Jackson  Cam Henderson Center (1,222)
Huntington, WV
December 19, 2020*
2:00 p.m. 		Valparaiso W 71–55  6–3
  18 – Jackson   8 – Littleson   5 – Jackson  Savage Arena (0)
Toledo, OH
MAC regular season
December 22, 2020
2:00 p.m., ESPN3 		Northern Illinois W 78–55  7–3
(2–0) 		 18 – Littleson   11 – Rollins   6 – Millner Jr.  Savage Arena (0)
Toledo, OH
January 2, 2021
2:00 p.m., ESPN3 		at Western Michigan W 70–59  8–3
(3–0) 		 20 – Rollins   9 – Shumate   4 – Jackson  University Arena (0)
Kalamazoo, MI
January 5, 2021
6:00 p.m., ESPN3 		at Kent State W 84–82  9–3
(4–0) 		 26 – Littleson   6 – Rollins   5 – Jackson  Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center (0)
Kent, OH
January 8, 2021
6:30 p.m., CBSSN 		Ohio W 95–78  10–3
(5–0) 		 18 – Jackson   7 – Millner Jr.   6 – Jackson  Savage Arena (0)
Toledo, OH
January 12, 2021
7:00 p.m., ESPN3 		Eastern Michigan W 96–63  11–3
(6–0) 		 20 – Saunders   7 – Millner Jr.   5 – Jackson  Savage Arena (0)
Toledo, OH
January 16, 2021
2:00 p.m., ESPN3 		at Akron L 94–95 OT 11–4
(6–1) 		 24 – Jackson   9 – Jackson   10 – Jackson  Rhodes Arena (0)
Akron, OH
January 19, 2021
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Central Michigan W 89-72  12–4
(7–1) 		 25 – Rollins   7 – Rollins   9 – Jackson  Savage Arena (0)
Toledo, OH
January 23, 2021
12:00 p.m., ESPN3 		Kent State W 76-74  13–4
(8–1) 		 31 – Jackson   6 – Millner Jr.   5 – Jackson  Savage Arena (0)
Toledo, OH
January 26, 2021
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Miami (OH) W 90-81  14–4
(9–1) 		 33 – Shumate   5 – Rollins   6 – Rollins  Millett Hall (0)
Oxford, OH
January 30, 2021
5:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Bowling Green W 84-66  15–4
(10–1) 		 19 – Littleson   12 – Jackson   7 – Jackson  Stroh Center (0)
Bowling Green, OH
February 2, 2021
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Akron W 91-76  16–4
(11–1) 		 25 – Shumate   11 – Jackson   8 – Jackson  Savage Arena (0)
Toledo, OH
February 6, 2021
12:00 p.m., CBSSN 		at Ball State L 67–81  16–5
(11–2) 		 13 – Shumate   8 – Millner Jr.   4 – Jackson  Worthen Arena (0)
Muncie, IN
February 9, 2021
3:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Northern Illinois Postponed due to COVID-19 Convocation Center (-)
DeKalb, IL
February 13, 2021
2:00 p.m., ESPN3 		Bowling Green L 81–88  16–6
(11–3) 		 27 – Jackson   14 – Jackson   8 – Jackson  Savage Arena (0)
Toledo, OH
February 16, 2021
7:00 p.m., ESPN3 		Miami (OH) W 87–75  17–6
(12–3) 		 25 – Littleson   10 – Jackson   11 – Jackson  Savage Arena (0)
Toledo, OH
February 19, 2021
9:00 p.m., ESPN2 		at Buffalo W 80–70  18–6
(13–3) 		 20 – Jackson   7 – Millner Jr.   6 – Jackson  Alumni Arena (0)
Amherst, NY
February 27, 2021
5:00 p.m., ESPN3 		Western Michigan W 91–44  19–6
(14–3) 		 22 – Jackson   10 – Millner Jr   8 – Jackson  Savage Arena (0)
Toledo, OH
March 2, 2021
5:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Central Michigan L 79–81  19–7
(14–4) 		 17 – Rollins   14 – Jackson   4 – Jackson  McGuirk Arena (0)
Mount Pleasant, MI
March 5, 2021
7:00 p.m., CBSSN 		Ball State W 89–70  20–7
(15–4) 		 22 – Jackson   13 – Jackson   10 – Jackson  Savage Arena (0)
Toledo, OH
MAC tournament
Mar 11, 2021
11:00 a.m., ESPN+ 		(1) vs. (8) Ball State
Quarterfinals 		W 91–89 OT 21–7
  29 – Jackson   12 – Millner Jr.   4 – Jackson  Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse (0)
Cleveland, OH
Mar 12, 2021
5:00 p.m., CBSSN 		(1) vs. (5) Ohio
Semifinals 		L 80–87  21–8
  29 – Jackson   10 – Littleson   2 – Jackson  Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse (0)
Cleveland, OH
NIT
Mar 17, 2021
7:00 p.m., ESPN2 		(3) vs. (2) Richmond
First Round – Saint Louis bracket 		L 66–76  21–9
  18 – Rollins   6 – Millner Jr.   4 – Millner Jr.  UNT Coliseum (731)
Denton, TX
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Central Time.

References

  1. ^ "Toledo vs. Richmond - Game Recap - March 17, 2021 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
  2. ^ Jimenez, James H. (March 12, 2020). "2020 MAC Basketball Tournament cancelled due to COVID-19". Hustle Belt. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
  3. ^ "NO. 12 KNIGHTS PULL AWAY FROM REDSTORM". University of Rio Grande. November 17, 2020. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
  4. ^ Perez, Rainier (May 5, 2020). "BarryU Hoops Signs Second DI Transfer - T.J. Smith". Barry Buccaneers. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
  5. ^ Neddenriep, Kyle (April 28, 2020). "Basketball recruiting notebook: Plenty of transfer news involving Indy-area players". Indianapolis Star. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
  6. ^ Venci, Scott (April 23, 2020). "UWGB men's basketball team adds former Toledo guard". Green Bay Press-Gazette. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
  7. ^ "#32 Dylan Alderson". Indiana Wesleyan Wildcats. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
  8. ^ a b c Buckey, Brian (April 17, 2020). "Toledo basketball reloads with seven-man recruiting class". Toledo Blade. Retrieved December 2, 2020.