University of Richmond Athletics
Mooney Attends Atlantic 10 Basketball Media Day
10/25/2007 | Men's Basketball
Oct. 25, 2007
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. - Men's basketball coach Chris Mooney participated in the annual Atlantic 10 Basketball Media Day on Thursday at Boardwalk Hall, site of the 2008 Atlantic 10 Men's Basketball Tournament.
Mooney talked with reporters, did some interviews with national and satellite television outlets and answered online questions from fans.
The Spiders were picked 12th in the 14-team league, but Richmond will be looking to continue its momentum from the end of the 2006-07 season. Over the last four games of last year the Spiders enjoyed double-figure leads in victories against the teams predicted to finish second (Rhode Island) and third (Saint Joseph's), and lost 63-61 in the Atlantic 10 Tournament to the team picked fourth (Fordham).
Dan Geriot, who scored 27 points in the A-10 Tourney game against Fordham, and David Gonzalvez, who had 19, should lead the team as sophomores in 2007-08.
An off-season spent in the weight room, along with the return of senior Gaston Moliva from an injury, should help Richmond overcome its biggest weaknesses last year, rebounding and defense. Two years ago, when the Spiders did not have to rely on four freshmen as their top four scorers, Richmond led the nation in fewest points allowed for most of the season, before finishing the year up eighth in the country.
Richmond is just over a week away from its first regular-season game against Maine on Nov. 5 in the 2k Sports College Hoops Classic in Memphis. The Spiders and Black Bears are playing the first Division I game of the 2007-08 season at 4 p.m. ET at the FedExForum. The winner plays the winner of Memphis and Tennessee-Martin on Nov. 6.
Check out the two video features of practice on SpiderTV here at RichmondSpiders.com and look for another update at the beginning of next week.
Excerpts from Chris Mooney's web chat from Atlantic 10 Media Day:
Joshua, Midlothian, Va.: How do you think the freshmen will contribute this season? How do you expect the sophomores to do with a full season under their belts?
Mooney: "I expect a few of the freshman to contribute. Last year, we relied so much on our freshman that we don't want it to be too much. Kevin Anderson, Justin Harper, Kevin Smith all have a chance to really contribute for us and do very well. Since our sophomores now were our four leading scorers last year, I think they have an unbelievable amount of experience. They'll be ready to go and we expect big things from them."
Kelly, Glen Rock, N.J. You recently met with former Princeton head coach Pete Carrill. What advice did he give you?
Mooney: "He's given my advice for a long time. Most recently, we talked about some of the things that he might do differently if he were still in college coaching, which were good ideas. Everything from how to score more quickly, get the ball in transition, and to do it seamlessly in our offense. He was very helpful."
