Robert Morris coach’s family is rooting for Duke

Feb 18, 2015; Durham, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Tyus Jones (5) gets the crowd into their game against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Dolejs-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 18, 2015; Durham, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Tyus Jones (5) gets the crowd into their game against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Dolejs-USA TODAY Sports

Robert Morris plays Duke in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, but they won’t have the coach’s family on their side


The life of a college coach at a small school must be tough. Constant recruiting of players who have never heard of your school; long stretches of time away from home; and, in most cases, humiliating losses to larger programs.

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Sometimes, when all goes well, you can reach the NCAA Tournament. You may not be expecting to win, but you’re hoping to, and you’re coaching your heart out to become that latest Cinderella.

For Robert Morris head coach Andy Toole, taking down Duke, the Goliath of all college basketball Goliaths, is an unenviable task. Making it even harder: his family won’t be rooting for his team in the game.

Toole went on Sirius’ Mad Dog radio to talk about the game against Duke. He mentioned, at first casually like it was no big deal, that his two-year-old son will be rooting against him in the game. When asked to elaborate, he said that his son and wife are Duke fans, and that when he asked his son who he would be rooting for in the game, his son said “Duke.”

The full interview:

That’s got to be tough. You pour your heart and soul into coaching a basketball team at Robert Morris (which Toole calls Bobby Mo, which is amazing), and your own son is actively rooting against you in the biggest game of the year? That must hurt, even if he is only two.

And rooting for Duke, of all teams — the most evil of all the college basketball teams?

Shouldn’t a coach of a smaller college have taught his son better? It’s understandable that Robert Morris basketball is a hard sell, but couldn’t he at least sell him on Gonzaga or Butler or someone like that?

It’s understandable that a two-year-old would be into Duke. At that age, there’s no concept of how evil Duke, the Yankees, the Lakers, or Alabama football are. There’s also no concept of reading, writing, or most things. It’s actually impressive that he understands basketball well enough to be a fan of anyone.

But still, Duke? Come on, kid. Don’t go against the family like that.

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