It may still be early in the season, but there is one player on the Robert Morris roster who has emerged as one of the top-scoring options on the team.

That player is Enoch Cheeks, who has broken out throughout his sophomore season and has taken his game to a whole other level to begin the 2022-23 season after a strong season.

After Robert Morris’ tightly contested loss to Dayton on Saturday, the Colonials’ head coach Andy Toole alluded to Cheeks’ mindset and work ethic as factors to his continued success heading into this season.

“He has really grown as a player and you know that he is going to compete like crazy every single night. He is a warrior and he has gotten so much better every year and he is going to continue to do so just because of the way he works.”

After averaging just under five points per game in his freshman season, Cheeks made great strides and drastically improved last season as he had an increased role as a sophomore.

In his second season in a Colonial uniform, Cheeks averaged nine points per game and finished as the team’s fourth leading scorer on the roster.

Not only did Cheeks show up on the stat sheet, but he also showcased his ability to slash and aggressively get to the rim and convert up close, along with hitting the outside shot at a 36 percent clip.

This season is no different for Cheeks and it should come as no surprise as through all four games this season, he has averaged 18 points per game while also reaching double figures in every contest so far.

Cheeks was very excited to get back out on the floor this season after the drastic improvement that he had last year and attributes hard work to his success during the early stages of the season.

“Every single day and even late at night, I want to get into the gym. I had a really great summer. I was really excited to showcase my skills and showcase what I have been working on.” Cheeks said.

Cheeks has made it seem like his production has been effortless throughout the course of the early season thus far, converting shots off the dribble and getting to the rim and hitting tough shots up close.

But opposing student sections do not make it a very kind environment as they try to get under the junior guard’s skin throughout the course of the game by serenading his last name, “Cheeks,” throughout the arena.

However, that does not get under his skin, as he has had to deal with that for years and he gives his teammates praise for helping keep him composed throughout the game and focused on the task at hand.

“I am always used to the crowd and I have been used to it since my freshman year of high school because of the last name on me. It’s different coming into an environment like this [Dayton] but I am with my brothers and teammates so they keep my head straight and tell me to keep going and because of that, it is relatively easy to focus on the main goal.”

The Colonials and Cheeks look to take the momentum after the hard-fought game against Dayton and shovel it into their next slate of games as they continue their long road trip with the Hostilo Hoops Community Classic on Friday when they take on Mercer at 9 p.m.