Head coach Tod Kowalczyk’s transformation of the University of Toledo men’s basketball program is complete as he enters his fifth season at the helm of the Rockets.
Upon his arrival in 2010, Kowalczyk began to institute a culture of discipline and accountability for a Toledo program that had endured three straight losing seasons following its 2006-07 Mid-American Conference title.
That new culture started to produce on-court results in 2011-12 when the Rockets registered the second-best turnaround in the country. Featuring a senior-less roster, UT posted a 15-win improvement with its 19-17 win-loss mark following a 4-28 ledger in Kowalczyk’s first year on the Toledo bench.
Sophomore G Rian Pearson received second-team All-MAC honors after averaging a league-best 16.4 ppg and 8.3 rpg, while guard Julius Brown tallied 11.9 ppg and 4.9 apg to earn MAC Freshman of the Year laurels.
Toledo continued its upward trend in 2012-13 by capturing a share of the MAC West Division title with a 10-6 league mark for its most conference victories since posting a 14-2 ledger in 2006-07. Pearson (17.9 ppg, 6.8 rpg) was awarded all-league accolades for a second-straight season with a spot on the first team. Brown (13.1 ppg, 3.1 rpg) joined him as a third-team All-MAC selection. Center Nathan Boothe (8.3 ppg, 5.2 rpg) was also recognized for his solid rookie campaign with a berth on the All-MAC Freshman Team.
Last season brought unprecedented success for the Rockets as UT established a school record with 27 victories, a figure that ranks fourth in MAC history. UT also captured a share of its eighth league regular-season title in program history and appeared in its eighth National Invitation Tournament.
Three Rockets — Brown (1st Team), Pearson (2nd Team) and junior guard Justin Drummond (3rd Team) – earned spots on the all-league squads, while junior forward J.D. Weatherspoon was an honorable-mention selection. Guard Jonathan Williams also earned a spot of the MAC’s All-Freshman Team, marking the third straight season a Rocket has been honoreed.