University of Richmond Athletics
Men's Basketball Holds First Practice Friday Night
10/13/2007 | Men's Basketball
Oct. 12, 2007
SpiderTV Wrap-Up Of Friday Night's Practice 
UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND, Va. - The Richmond men's basketball team opened practice Friday night in the Robins Center, the first of just 24 days of practice before the Spiders open the regular season on Nov. 5 against Maine in the 2k Sports College Hoops Classic benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer.
The Spiders will play the first Division I college basketball game of the 2007-08 at 3 p.m. ET on Nov. 5. The winner of the Richmond/Maine game will play the winner of Memphis/UT-Martin on Nov. 6. The Spiders are guaranteed two games in Memphis and the winner of the bracket earns a trip to Madison Square Garden for the 2k Sports College Hoops Classic semifinals.
Friday's practice was the first for the Spiders' six freshmen and with third-year head coach Chris Mooney having a large core of returnees with significant collegiate game experience for the first time in his tenure at Richmond.
"It was a very good first night, there was a lot of energy, a lot of enthusiasm," Mooney said. "They guys were ready to play, they were prepared, and we got a lot accomplished."
The current freshmen had it easier than last year's freshmen class, thanks to the help that class and the other upperclassmen have given them since they arrived on campus for summer school in June.
"The freshmen look really good out here," sophomore David Gonzalvez said. "A lot of help from the upperclassmen definitely helped them progress more this year compared to my class last year."
Sophomore Dan Geriot noticed a huge difference between the first practice of the year, his second time around.
"Freshman year you're wide-eyed and know what to expect," Geriot said. "Sophomore year is totally different."
Richmond went 8-22 last season with four freshmen as the team's top-four scorers. The Spiders did finish the season strongly, winning their last three home games over Duquesne, Rhode Island and Saint Joseph's. Richmond lost to fifth-seeded Fordham 63-61 in the first round of the Atlantic 10 Tournament as Geriot scored 27 points and Gonzalvez had 19.
"The upperclassmen are hungary, we can taste victory," Gonzalvez said. "We feel like we're much stronger, faster and smarter now, so we can get things going quicker now."
For more on what Mooney and the Spiders had to say about practice, along with highlights, check out the SpiderTV Wrap-Up Of Friday Night's Practice
