2018–19 Toledo Rockets men's basketball team

The 2018–19 Toledo Rockets men's basketball team represented the University of Toledo during the 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Rockets were led by eighth-year head coach Tod Kowalczyk, and played their home games at Savage Arena, as members of the West Division of the Mid-American Conference. They finished the season 25–8, 13–5 in MAC play to be champions of the West Division. They lost in the quarterfinals of the MAC tournament to Northern Illinois. They received an at-large bid to the National Invitation Tournament where they lost in the first round to Xavier.

2018–19 Toledo Rockets men's basketball
Gulf Coast Showcase champions
MAC West division champions
NIT, First Round
ConferenceMid-American Conference
DivisionWest Division
Record25–8 (13–5 MAC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaSavage Arena
2018–19 Mid-American Conference men's basketball standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
East
No. 15 Buffalo162 .889324  .889
Bowling Green126 .6672212  .647
Kent State117 .6112211  .667
Akron810 .4441716  .515
Miami (OH)711 .3891517  .469
Ohio612 .3331417  .452
West
Toledo135 .722258  .758
Central Michigan108 .5562312  .657
Eastern Michigan99 .5001517  .469
Northern Illinois810 .4441717  .500
Ball State612 .3331617  .485
Western Michigan216 .111824  .250
2019 MAC tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll

Previous season

The Rockets finished the 2017–18 season 23–11, 13–5 in MAC play to win the MAC West division championship. As the No. 2 seed in the MAC tournament, they defeated Miami and Eastern Michigan before losing to Buffalo in the tournament championship. Despite winning 23 games, they did not participate in a postseason tournament.

Offseason

Departures

NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownReason for departure
Dwayne Rose Jr.1G6'3"185FreshmanCrete, ILTransferred to Southwestern Illinois College
Taylor Adway2F6'9"215JuniorHazel Crest, ILGraduate transferred to Ferris State
Tre'Shaun Fletcher4G/F6'7"205SeniorWilmar, ARGraduated
Justin Roberts5G5'10"170SophomoreLawrence, KSTransferred to Niagara
Vicpatrick Harris10G6'2"195SeniorChicago, ILGraduated

Incoming transfers

NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownPrevious college
Chris Darrington32G6'1"179SeniorToledo, OHTransferred from Tennessee. Will be eligible to play immediately since Darrington graduated from Tennessee.

Recruiting class of 2018

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Keshaun Saunders
SG
Brampton, ON Orangeville Prep 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Feb 13, 2018 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: NR
T. J. Smith
SG
Matteson, IL Marian Catholic High School 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Nov 22, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: NR
A. J. Edu
PF
England South Gloucestershire and Stroud College 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 250 lb (110 kg) Apr 12, 2018 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: NR
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:

  • "2018 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 27, 2018.

Recruiting class of 2019

US college sports recruiting information for 2019 recruits
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Luke Maranka
PF
Ada, MI Grand Rapids Angels Homeschool 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Sep 19, 2018 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: NR
Donavan Moore
SG
West Bloomfield, MI West Bloomfield High School 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) N/A Jul 17, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: NR
Aaron Etherington
SF
Fishers, IN Hamilton Southeastern High School 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Jul 2, 2018 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN grade: NR
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:

Roster

2018–19 Toledo Rockets men's basketball team
PlayersCoaches
Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearPrevious schoolHometown
F 0 James Gordon IV 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)225 lb (102 kg) RS SoChicago Simeon Shelbyville, KY
F 1 T. J. Smith 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)195 lb (88 kg) FrAspire Academy Matteson, IL
G 3 Marreon Jackson 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)175 lb (79 kg) SoGarfield Heights Cleveland, OH
G 11 Spencer Littleson 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)200 lb (91 kg) RS SoRochester Adams
Duquesne
Rochester Hills, MI
G 13 Jaelan Sanford 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)200 lb (91 kg) SrReitz Evansville, IN
F 15 A. J. Edu 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)215 lb (98 kg) FrSouth Gloucestershire and Stroud College Colchester, England
G 20 Matt Schaffer (W) 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)185 lb (84 kg) JrSouthview Sylvania, OH
G 21 Dylan Alderson 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)205 lb (93 kg) SoClarkston Clarkston, MI
G 22 Blake Williams (W) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)185 lb (84 kg) SoSt. John's Jesuit Holland, OH
F 23 Willie Jackson 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)215 lb (98 kg) JrGarfield Heights
Missouri
Cleveland, OH
G 24 Keshaun Saunders 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)190 lb (86 kg) FrOrangeville Prep Brampton, ON
C 30 Luke Knapke 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)245 lb (111 kg) RS JrMarion Local Maria Stein, OH
G 32 Chris Darrington 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)185 lb (84 kg) SrScott
Tennessee
Toledo, OH
F 35 Nate Navigato 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)225 lb (102 kg) SrGeneva Geneva, IL
F 41 Logan Hill 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)215 lb (98 kg) RS FrJackson Massillon, OH
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 Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
Nov 3, 2018*
2:30 pm
Hillsdale W 72–63[1] 
Savage Arena 
Toledo, OH
Non-conference regular season
Nov 9, 2018*
7:00 pm, ESPN3
at Oakland W 87–86  1–0
Athletics Center O'rena (3,841)
Rochester, MI
Nov 10, 2018*
7:00 pm, ESPN3
Wilberforce
Gulf Coast Showcase campus site game
W 99–58  2–0
Savage Arena (4,839)
Toledo, OH
Nov 14, 2018*
4:00 pm, ESPN+
at Wright State L 74–84  2–1
Nutter Center (3,263)
Fairborn, OH
Nov 19, 2018*
7:30 pm
vs. Florida Gulf Coast
Gulf Coast Showcase Quarterfinals
W 90–62  3–1
Hertz Arena 
Estero, FL
Nov 20, 2018*
7:30 pm
vs. Louisiana
Gulf Coast Showcase Semifinals
W 77–64  4–1
Hertz Arena (567)
Estero, FL
Nov 21, 2018*
7:30 pm
vs. UC Irvine
Gulf Coast Showcase championship
W 67–60  5–1
Hertz Arena (1,031)
Estero, FL
Nov 28, 2018*
7:00 pm, ESPN+
North Alabama W 80–59  6–1
Savage Arena (3,714)
Toledo, OH
Dec 1, 2018*
2:00 pm, ESPN+
Cleveland State W 80–67  7–1
Savage Arena (4,636)
Toledo, OH
Dec 5, 2018*
7:00 pm, ESPN3
Detroit Mercy W 101–57  8–1
Savage Arena (3,629)
Toledo, OH
Dec 8, 2018*
2:30 pm
at Marshall W 75–74 OT 9–1
Cam Henderson Center (6,232)
Huntington, WV
Dec 15, 2018*
7:00 pm, ESPN+
Middle Tennessee W 84–62  10–1
Savage Arena (4,205)
Toledo, OH
Dec 19, 2018*
7:00 pm, ESPN+
Cornell W 86–70  11–1
Savage Arena (3,748)
Toledo, OH
Dec 29, 2018*
7:00 pm, ESPN+
Penn W 77–45  12–1
Savage Arena (4,786)
Toledo, OH
MAC regular season
Jan 4, 2019
7:00 pm, CBSSN
Ball State L 64–79  12–2
(0–1)
Savage Arena (5,023)
Toledo, OH
Jan 8, 2019
7:00 pm, ESPN+
at No. 19 Buffalo L 80–110  12–3
(0–2)
Alumni Arena (5,144)
Amherst, NY
Jan 12, 2019
7:00 pm, ESPN+
at Western Michigan W 85–77  13–3
(1–2)
University Arena (5,421)
Kalamazoo, MI
Jan 15, 2019
7:00 pm, ESPN3
Miami (OH) W 71–59  14–3
(2–2)
Savage Arena (4,386)
Toledo, OH
Jan 18, 2019
7:00 pm, CBSSN
Ohio W 75–52  15–3
(3–2)
Savage Arena (5,037)
Toledo, OH
Jan 22, 2019
7:00 pm, ESPN+
at Kent State L 85–87 OT 15–4
(3–3)
MAC Center (2,205)
Kent, OH
Jan 26, 2019
7:00 pm, ESPN+
Central Michigan W 76–72  16–4
(4–3)
Savage Arena (5,211)
Toledo, OH
Jan 29, 2019
7:00 pm, ESPN+
at Miami (OH) W 66–63  17–4
(5–3)
Millett Hall (1,677)
Oxford, OH
Feb 2, 2019
3:00 pm, ESPN+
at Northern Illinois W 69–55  18–4
(6–3)
Convocation Center (1,348)
DeKalb, IL
Feb 5, 2019
7:00 pm, ESPN+
Akron W 63–52  19–4
(7–3)
Savage Arena (3,895)
Toledo, OH
Feb 9, 2019
6:00 pm, ESPN3
at Bowling Green W 78–71  20–4
(8–3)
Stroh Center (5,000)
Bowling Green, OH
Feb 15, 2019
7:00 pm, ESPNU
No. 25 Buffalo L 82–88  20–5
(8–4)
Savage Arena (7,401)
Toledo, OH
Feb 19, 2019
7:00 pm, ESPN+
at Eastern Michigan L 69–76  20–6
(8–5)
Convocation Center (1,849)
Ypsilanti, MI
Feb 23, 2019
6:00 pm, CBSSN
Northern Illinois W 57–54  21–6
(9–5)
Savage Arena (5,534)
Toledo, OH
Feb 26, 2019
7:00 pm, ESPN+
at Ball State W 80–72  22–6
(10–5)
Worthen Arena (4,691)
Muncie, IN
Mar 2, 2019
4:30 pm, ESPN+
at Central Michigan W 80–68  23–6
(11–5)
McGuirk Arena (2,216)
Mount Pleasant, MI
Mar 5, 2019
7:00 pm, ESPN+
Western Michigan W 76–57  24–6
(12–5)
Savage Arena (4,233)
Toledo, OH
Mar 8, 2019
7:00 pm, ESPN+
Eastern Michigan W 64–58  25–6
(13–5)
Savage Arena (6,061)
Toledo, OH
MAC tournament
Mar 14, 2019
6:30 pm, ESPN+
(2) vs. (7) Northern Illinois
Quarterfinals
L 76–80  25–7
Quicken Loans Arena 
Cleveland, OH
NIT
Mar 20, 2019*
7:00 pm, ESPN3
(6) at (3) Xavier
First round – Alabama bracket
L 64–78  25–8
Cintas Center (5,769)
Cincinnati, OH
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern Time.

Source[2]

References

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