2018–19 Toledo Rockets men's basketball team

American college basketball season

2018–19 Toledo Rockets men's basketball

Gulf Coast Showcase champions MAC West division champions
NIT, First Round
Conference	Mid-American Conference
Division	West Division
Record	25–8 (13–5 MAC)
Head coach	Tod Kowalczyk (9th season)
Assistant coaches	Jeff Massey Kyle Barlow Justin Ingram
Home arena	Savage Arena
Seasons← 2017–18 2019–20 →

2018–19 Mid-American Conference men's basketball standings
v t e	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
East
No. 15 Buffalo †	16	–	2	.889	32	–	4	.889
Bowling Green	12	–	6	.667	22	–	12	.647
Kent State	11	–	7	.611	22	–	11	.667
Akron	8	–	10	.444	17	–	16	.515
Miami (OH)	7	–	11	.389	15	–	17	.469
Ohio	6	–	12	.333	14	–	17	.452
West
Toledo	13	–	5	.722	25	–	8	.758
Central Michigan	10	–	8	.556	23	–	12	.657
Eastern Michigan	9	–	9	.500	15	–	17	.469
Northern Illinois	8	–	10	.444	17	–	17	.500
Ball State	6	–	12	.333	16	–	17	.485
Western Michigan	2	–	16	.111	8	–	24	.250

† 2019 MAC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll

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.

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

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Reason for departure
Dwayne Rose Jr.	1	G	6'3"	185	Freshman	Crete, IL	Transferred to Southwestern Illinois College
Taylor Adway	2	F	6'9"	215	Junior	Hazel Crest, IL	Graduate transferred to Ferris State
Tre'Shaun Fletcher	4	G/F	6'7"	205	Senior	Wilmar, AR	Graduated
Justin Roberts	5	G	5'10"	170	Sophomore	Lawrence, KS	Transferred to Niagara
Vicpatrick Harris	10	G	6'2"	195	Senior	Chicago, IL	Graduated

Incoming transfers

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Previous college
Chris Darrington	32	G	6'1"	179	Senior	Toledo, OH	Transferred from Tennessee. Will be eligible to play immediately since Darrington graduated from Tennessee.

Recruiting class of 2018

College recruiting information
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
Keshaun Saunders SG	Star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: 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
T. J. Smith SG	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
A. J. Edu PF	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

College recruiting information (2019)
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
Luke Maranka PF	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
Donavan Moore SG	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
Aaron Etherington SF	Star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: 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: "2019 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 27, 2018.

Roster

2018–19 Toledo Rockets men's basketball team

Players

Coaches

Pos.	#	Name	Height	Weight	Year	Previous school	Hometown
F	0	James Gordon IV	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	225 lb (102 kg)	RS So	Chicago Simeon	Shelbyville, KY
F	1	T. J. Smith	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	Fr	Aspire Academy	Matteson, IL
G	3	Marreon Jackson	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	So	Garfield Heights	Cleveland, OH
G	11	Spencer Littleson	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	RS So	Rochester Adams Duquesne	Rochester Hills, MI
G	13	Jaelan Sanford	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	Sr	Reitz	Evansville, IN
F	15	A. J. Edu	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	Fr	South Gloucestershire and Stroud College	Colchester, England
G	20	Matt Schaffer (W)	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	Jr	Southview	Sylvania, OH
G	21	Dylan Alderson	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	So	Clarkston	Clarkston, MI
G	22	Blake Williams (W)	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	So	St. John's Jesuit	Holland, OH
F	23	Willie Jackson	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	Jr	Garfield Heights Missouri	Cleveland, OH
G	24	Keshaun Saunders	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Fr	Orangeville Prep	Brampton, ON
C	30	Luke Knapke	6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)	245 lb (111 kg)	RS Jr	Marion Local	Maria Stein, OH
G	32	Chris Darrington	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	Sr	Scott Tennessee	Toledo, OH
F	35	Nate Navigato	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	225 lb (102 kg)	Sr	Geneva	Geneva, IL
F	41	Logan Hill	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	RS Fr	Jackson	Massillon, OH

Head coach

Tod Kowalczyk (Minnesota Duluth)

Assistant coach(es)

Jeff Massey (Xavier)
Kyle Barlow (Concordia (MI))
Justin Ingram (Toledo)

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible
(W) Walk-on

Injured
Current redshirt

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		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	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	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

References

"Men's Basketball vs Hillsdale (Exh.) on 11/3/2018 - Box Score".
"University of Toledo". utrockets.com.

v t e Toledo Rockets men's basketball
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