University of Richmond Athletics
Men's Basketball Hosts GW Looking For Fourth-Straight Win
02/27/2009 | Men's Basketball
Feb. 27, 2009
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UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND, Va. - The Richmond men's basketball team goes for its fourth-straight win and fifth win in the last six games when it hosts George Washington on Saturday night at 7:00 p.m.
The Spiders (15-13, 7-6 Atlantic 10) are going for the season-sweep of George Washington (9-16, 3-10 Atlantic 10). Richmond defeated the Colonials 60-48 on Jan. 10 in the nation's capitol.
The Colonials have won two of the last three and three of the last six, including a 92-88 overtime win over Charlotte on Wednesday. George Washington is 0-6 on the road in conference play and just 2-12 outside away from the Smith Center. Rob Diggs leads the team in scoring (13.2 ppg) and rebounding (7.0 rpg). Damian Hollis is second in both scoring (13.1 ppg) and reboundings (5.6 rpg).
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Quick Hitters
The Spiders have held their last five opponents under 70 points, including two of the last three to under 60 points...Richmond has held seven teams under 60 points this season and has held the opposition under 70 in 17 of its 28 games...Richmond is second in the Atlantic 10 and 51st in the nation in turnovers per game at 12.5 per game, just behind Fordham (12.4) who the Spiders forced into 17 turnovers on Wednesday...the Spiders lead the Atlantic 10 and 46th in the nation in turnover margin at +2.50...the Spiders have had 15 turnovers or less in 24 of 28 games...Richmond is fourth in the A-10 and 46th in the nation in field goal percentage (.468)...Richmond is sixth in the A-10 in scoring at 70.1 ppg...Kevin Anderson has made 32 of his last 37 free throws (.865) in the last eight games...Richmond is 14-2 when it shoots a higher field goal percentage than its opponent...the Spiders are 14th in the nation in 2-point FG% (.545)...Richmond had 10 blocks against La Salle, the most blocked shots in a game for the Spiders since blocking 10 shots in the win at No. 10 Kansas on Jan. 22, 2004...the Spiders have 18 blocked shots in two games last week (10 vs. LAS, 8 vs. CHA)...the Spiders have shot 50 percent or better from the field eight times this season and have shot over 45 percent in 18 of 28 games...Richmond's two guards, David Gonzalvez and Kevin Anderson, are the only teammates ranked in the top-10 in scoring in the A-10 with Gonzalvez seventh at 16.0 and Anderson eighth at 15.6 ppg...the Spiders had used the same starting lineup for the first 23 games, but Ryan Butler was inserted into the starting lineup on Feb. 11 due to a minor ankle injury suffered by Justin Harper, and Butler has started the last five games ...Richmond has at least five steals in 58 of the last 61 games...Richmond has made 30 or more field goals in seven of the 27 games this season...sophomore Justin Harper is averaging 17.1 points per game if he averages at least 29 minutes...the Spiders held Rice (Jan. 3) and George Washington (Jan. 10) to under 50 points, marking the first time a Richmond team held back-to-back opponents to under 50 points since doing so on Jan. 6th and 9th, 1951 vs. Furman (29) and Maryland (48)...the Spiders had their streak of scoring 70 points in seven-consecutive games snapped in the 60-48 win over GW on Jan. 10, the longest such streak since the 1993-94 season...in his fourth season of Atlantic 10 play, Richmond head coach Chris Mooney has wins over 12 of the Spiders' 13 conference opponents with the exception Xavier...the Spiders have been in no worse than a one-possession game at the half in 49 of the last 60 games...Richmond has led by at least 20 points in six games this season...Chris Mooney, a few members of the basketball staff, athletic department staff and athletic P.R. student worker Duncan Phillips captured their second-straight University of Richmond basketball intramural championship on Feb. 16...Richmond has at least five steals in 59 of the last 62 games.
Spiders Pile Up A-10 Honors
Richmond sophomore Kevin Anderson was named the Atlantic 10 Player of the Week on Feb. 22 after averaging 23.5 points in wins over La Salle and Charlotte. Anderson joined fellow sophomore Justin Harper as the two Spiders to earn A-10 Player of the Week this season. Anderson was named the 2007-08 A-10 Rookie of the Year and earned a spot on the conference's All-Rookie Team, while Dan Geriot was named Third-Team All-Atlantic 10. Geriot was one of two sophomores to earn A-10 Player of the Week this season, while Anderson and Harper are two of three sophomores to be named Player of the Week this year...Anderson was named A-10 Rookie of the Week six of the last eight weeks of the 2007-08 season. Only four players in Atlantic 10 history have earned conference Rookie of the Week honors more than Anderson's six awards. Geriot was an All-Rookie selection in 2007.
Las Aranas In Espana
The Spiders, or Las Aranas, as they are known in Spanish, had a very productive trip to Spain in August. Sporting specially-made European-style uniforms that said Las Aranas on the front, Richmond finished the trip 2-2, including a 95-94 overtime loss in which the Spiders overcame a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit to force OT. Richmond showed that it can score points, even without center Dan Geriot, as the Spiders averaged 91.3 points per game in the four contests. Eight of the 11 players in uniform on the trip scored in double-figures at least once. Sophomore Kevin Anderson, the 2008 Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year, averaged 23.7 points per game on the trip with a pair of 30-point games. Anderson scored 35 points in the overtime loss to Caja Rioja and had 30 points in the 91-77 win over Illescas Toledo. Junior Justin Harper averaged 15.0 points and 5.0 rebounds over the first two games before rolling his ankle in the opening minutes of the trip's third game. Redshirt freshman Conor Smith showed his long-range shooting ability making 15 three-pointers over the first three games of the trip and averaging 11.8 points per game. Conor Smith had a 21-point effort on seven three-pointers and an 18-point night on six treys. Redshirt freshman Josh Duinker, an Australian who joined the team in January, averaged 11.0 points and 6.0 boards per game, narrowly missing a double-double in the second game with 11-points and nine rebounds. Duinker showed that he can score inside and outside, making a pair of three-pointers in the win over Illescas Toledo to close the trip. Sophomore Kevin Smith averaged 10.0 points per game and 6.3 rebounds, while senior David Gonzalvez came off an injury prior to the trip to average 9.5 points, including 19 points in the trip finale. Not only was the trip beneficial to the Spiders on the court, but off the court it served as 12 days of bonding for the players and coaches. "This trip was terrific, not just because of how well our guys played, but because of what they got to experience," Richmond head coach Chris Mooney said. Said Anderson, "I think we've been bonding great this year, as we bond off the court, we bond on the court."
Guarded Optimism
Richmond has the best scoring guard combination in the Atlantic 10 with junior guard David Gonzalvez seventh in the league at 16.0 points per game and sophomore Kevin Anderson eighth at 15.6 ppg. Richmond is the only team in the Atlantic 10 to have two players in the top-10 in the conference in scoring. Anderson has scored in double-figures in 36 of the last 38 games and Gonzalvez has scored in double-figures in 25 of the last 29 games. Gonzalvez and Anderson are both in the top 10 in the conference in field goal percentage with Gonzalvez seventh (.488) and Anderson ninth (.470).
Turning The Defense Up
The Spiders allowed 70.6 points per game through the first 10 games. Without center Dan Geriot, who is out for the entire season with a torn ACL, the Spiders were re-adjusting to playing their match-up zone with a group of inexperienced underclassmen. After allowing 86 points in a seven-point loss to nationally-ranked Wake Forest on Dec. 19, the Spiders have turned up the defensive pressure. In the last 18 games Richmond has held the opposition to 65.7 points per game.
The Truth About Harper
Sophomore Reggie Brown had 31 on Jan. 5, 2002 against La Salle. The last Spider to have at least 28 points and nine rebounds in the Robins Center was Greg Stevenson. Stevenson had 38 points and 11 rebounds on Jan. 12, 2001 against McNeese State.
Causing Turnover
Last year, the Spiders were third in the A-10 in turnovers forced, causing 16.6 turnovers per game and forcing the opposition into 20 or more turnovers seven times. The Spiders are forcing 15.0 turnovers per game through 28 games this season, which is fifth in the A-10. Richmond has forced 17 or more turnovers 10 times.
A Game Of Percentages
The Spiders are third in the Atlantic 10 and 44th in the nation in field goal percentage at 47.1 percent, but do not get the impression Richmond is shooting a higher percentage than its opponents every time out. In Richmond's 15 victories, the Spiders have had the advantage in shooting percentage all but once, but in 11 of the 13 losses Richmond's opponent has shot better from the field. The problem has not been that the Spiders are not shooting well in the losses, just twice have the Spiders shot less than 40 percent in a setback and they are shooting 43.4 percent in the 13 losses. The problem has been that Richmond's defense has allowed the opponents to shoot 47.5 percent in its losses, while having held the opposition to 39.7 percent in wins.
Stealing The Show
Last season the Spiders had 257 steals - just five short of the school record - led by Kevin Anderson's 55 steals, which ranked 10th on the all-time single-season list. Richmond was second in the Atlantic 10 in steals and 45th in the nation in steals at 8.3 per contest. The Spiders had double-digits steals in 10 games last season and are back at it this season, with double-digit steals in five games, including a season-high 12 vs. nationally-ranked Wake Forest. Richmond is averaging 7.5 steals per game through 28 contests this season, which is third in the A-10. The Spiders have at least five steals in 59 of the last 62 games. Anderson leads the team and is ninth in the A-10 at 1.50 per game. Ryan Butler is second on the team at 1.21 per game, while David Gonzalvez is third at 1.18 per game and Kevin Smith is and Ryan Butler are tied for third on the team at 1.07.
Gunning Down The Running
The Spiders have made a habit of preventing teams from pushing the tempo during Chris Mooney's tenure. In 2006-07, Richmond allowed the opposition to score more than 10 fast break points in just three of 30 games. The Spiders allowed 5.4 fast break points per game in 2006-07 and cut that down to 4.6 fast break points per game last winter. Richmond has held the opposition to eight or less fast break points in 50 of the last 58 games, dating back to the start of the 2007-08 season. In 28 games this season, Richmond has allowed just 143 fast break points for a 5.11 per game average. The Spiders had 16 fast break points to Syracuse's eight on Nov. 18 in the Carrier Dome and held Wake Forest to four fast break points. "Controlling the transition game is key," head coach Chris Mooney says. "If you can stop a team from getting transition baskets you have a chance to guard them throughout the night."
Spiders' Web Reaching NBA
While the Spiders do not have a former player on any NBA rosters, three Richmond former standouts are working the sidelines in the NBA. Kevin Eastman is an assistant coach for the Boston Celtics, earning a ring with the 2008 World Champions. Standout guard Ken Atkinson, a member of the 1988 Sweet 16 team, is in his first year as an assistant coach for Mike D'Antoni and the New York Knicks. Former guard Curtis Blair, who scored 18 points in the 1991 NCAA Tournament win over Syracuse, is in his first year as a referee in the NBA.
Spiders Sign Two
Richmond men's basketball head coach Chris Mooney announced the signing of Greg Robbins (Wynnewood, Pa.) and Darien Brothers (Richmond, Va.) to National Letters of Intent on Wednesday, the first day of the fall signing period. Robbins is a 6-foot-4 All-State guard at Lower Merion High School, who is rated as the No. 88 player in the class of 2009 by The Basketball Times and The Hoop Scoop. Brothers is a 6-foot-3 all-conference guard for Richmond's Benedictine High School, who helped the Cadets to a 28-7 record and state championship. "We are very excited about our recruiting class this year," Chris Mooney said. "The two student-athletes are outstanding players and great kids. We look forward to welcoming them to the Richmond family."
Like Father, Like Son
Richmond sophomore Ryan Butler and his father Jeff Butler are the second father-son duo to play for the Spiders, joining Pat DiServio (1981-83) and Tony DiServio (1945-47). Jeff Butler was a star for the Spiders from 1975-77, leading the team in scoring both seasons. He averaged 14.3 points per game in 1975-76 and 16.3 points per game in 1976-77. Jeff Butler was later an assistant coach for the Spiders under Hall of Fame coach Dick Tarrant, who regularly attends games in the Robins Center. Ryan Butler grew up in the shadow of campus and starred at Douglas Freeman High three miles from campus.
