JT Shumate wanted someone to think he was insane.
During the months of November and December, as the Walsh transfer languished on the University of Toledo bench before eventually being granted immediate eligibility by the NCAA, Shumate made his presence off the court via sound.
“The goal is obviously to make as much noise as possible,” he said. “Give the team life, give the team enthusiasm. And when you’re not on the court, that’s the only thing you can do. I was jumping around and slapping the stools. Everybody feeds off energy.”
The sideline histrionics were part of the plan. When it became evident during the summer that fan attendance would be severely limited for the 2020-21 season, UT men’s basketball coach Tod Kowalczyk immediately began crafting a way to create energy for his team.
It’s easy to feel the electricity when 5,000 people inside Savage Arena erupt after a 3-pointer, a steal, or a breakaway dunk. But it becomes laborious, strange even, to react jubilantly in an almost-empty gym to the same momentum-changing plays.
So Kowalczyk devised a seating chart to maximize the team’s vigor, unlocking an on-court liveliness that has contributed to a 16-5 overall record and the top spot in the Mid-American Conference standings.
“Our team energy has been great. Our bench energy has been great,” Kowalczyk said. “I don’t have coaches in our front row. I want Ra’Heim Moss in the front row. I want AJ Edu in the front row. I want Jamere Hill in the front row. I want them talking to the team, creating energy, creating an environment.”
The assistant coach who scouts the opponent sits next to Kowalczyk. The rest of the assistants are designated to the second row, leaving two freshmen and a sophomore who has suffered consecutive season-ending injuries with the best seats in the house.
“We bring our own energy,” said Moss, who was declared a partial academic qualifier by the NCAA. “We’re all we need. As coach says, only us. He’s always taught us to pick each other up.”
Common sights and sounds on the bench are jumping, clapping, back-slapping, cheering, and enough smiles to light up the Savage Arena video board. After a Spencer Littleson 3, three fingers are in the air. A Marreon Jackson drive to the hoop might elicit oohs and ahhs. On Shumate’s 11 for 11 night at Miami, which included five 3s, Moss yearned for umbrellas.
“Since the summertime, coach has been getting on us about bench energy and team energy as a whole,” junior forward Setric Millner, Jr., said. “I don’t think it’s hard. We’ve gotten in a groove. We understand that we have to bring our own energy from start to finish.”
If the opposing team calls timeout, UT’s bench is on the floor greeting teammates quicker than Usain Bolt. The constant positivity is felt throughout the game, providing the Rockets with zeal despite the low decibels.
“There’s nothing worse than us making a great play and having some player on the bench who may be sulking about playing time or his role not standing and cheering for their teammate,” Kowalczyk said. “Those guys don’t make it in our program. They need to move on because they aren’t about the team. I want guys who are standing, who have energy, who are cheering for their team, and who are selfless.”
Shumate fits the bill. A Division II transfer who has been doubted since high school, he bet on himself (and won) by seeking a DI landing spot, and then was dealt a nonsensical ruling by the NCAA. Instead of moping, however, he gave Toledo maximum effort in practice and followed with hearty support from the bench.
Now that he’s on the other side, becoming an integral force for the nation’s 11th-ranked offense, Shumate applauds the passion, revealing that players can sense it on the floor during crucial moments.
“The coaches are up with their fists pumping in the air, dudes are yelling,” Shumate said. “You can definitely feel it.”
For Moss, a former high school standout who has dealt with academic and off-court issues, including an arrest, this season is serving as an up-close education in basketball. The 6-foot-4, 205-pound guard, a second team All-Ohio selection as a junior and senior, averaged 18 points, five rebounds, and four assists during a post-graduate stint at Spire Academy.
With Littleson and Jackson exiting the program, Moss will be counted on for instant offense next season. His outsized potential makes him a tantalizing prospect.
“It’s not just a sitting out year for me. It’s also a learning year,” Moss said. “I’m looking at things that I can possibly do on the court next year. I’m scanning my position, plays that I know. Sometimes, I look at myself as a coach. If there are little things to tell players, whether it’s boxing out or shot fakes, I’ll do whatever I can to help out my teammates.”
The level of engagement is exactly what Kowalczyk envisioned in July as he drafted what he hoped was a championship seating chart.
“I’m proud of our bench,” Kowalczyk said. “Ra’Heim Moss has been threatened with a technical foul almost every game for standing, cheering, talking to the other team. And I’m OK with that. We need that energy. I just told him, ‘Don’t swear and don’t talk to the referees.’ He’s not swearing and he’s not talking to the referees, and I don’t see anything wrong with that.
“When a normal fan can do that, why can’t someone at the end of the bench?”
First Published February 8, 2021, 8:57 p.m.
