University of Richmond Athletics
Men's Basketball Heads To New York To Play Iona
11/17/2010 | Men's Basketball
Nov. 17, 2010
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NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. - Richmond makes its first of three trips to the Metropolitan New York area when it plays Iona on Thursday at 7:30 p.m.
Richmond is 2-0 with a 33.0 average margin of victory after wins over The Citadel and William & Mary.
THE LATEST
• Richmond looks to get off to the 21st 3-0 in 99 seasons of basketball, including just the fourth 3-0 start since 1986.
• The Spiders have won the first two games by an average margin of 33.0 points, holding both opponents under 50 points and 35 percent shooting. Richmond's defense, which was a concern after the graduation of two of the top-5 steals leaders in school history (David Gonzalvez and Ryan Butler), has been stifling in the first two games. The Spiders are holding teams to 43.0 points per game, and 29.4 percent shooting, including 17.2 percent from behind the arc. Richmond has grabbed 17 steals and forced 27 turnovers in the two games.
• Senior guard Kevin Anderson was named to the Naismith Trophy Preseason Top-50 Watch List for Men's Collegiate Player of the Year. The 2010 Atlantic 10 Player of the Year and honorable mention All-American was also named to the Wooden Award Preseason Top-50 List and is one of 30 candidates for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award.
• Kevin Anderson will look to become the sixth two-time Atlantic 10 Player of the Year and just the fourth to win it outright at least twice. The last Atlantic 10 player to win the award outright in back-to-back years was David West, who won it three-straight seasons from 2001-03. ESPN's Jay Williams ranked KA as the No. 7 point guard in the nation. Anderson is just the fifth A-10 Player to win both the conference's Rookie of the Year/Freshman of the Year Award and Player of the Year Award, joining Jameer Nelson (Saint Joseph's), Marcus Camby (UMass), Mark Macon (Temple) and Kenny Green (Rhode Island). KA would be the first player to win the A-10 Player of the Year twice and the Rookie of the Year/Freshman of the Year Award.
• When David Gonzalvez graduated as the fourth-leading scorer in school history, the question was who would replace the standout alongside Kevin Anderson in Richmond's backcourt. Through two games the Spiders have received plenty of production from the second guard spot, in the form of three different players. Sophomore Darien Brothers, freshman Cedrick Lindsay and sophomore Greg Robbins have combined to average 26.5 points and 7.5 assists per game.
• Coming off an NCAA Tournament appearance and final Associated Press Top-25 ranking the Spiders return 14 of 16 players from last years roster, including Atlantic 10 Player of the Year Kevin Anderson and add what head coach Chris Mooney has called his most talented recruiting class. Richmond, which was ranked in last February for the first time in 24 years and the second time in 52 years last season, is receiving votes in both the ESPN/USA Today and Associated Press Top-25 Preseason Polls.
Quick Hitters
Richmond is 36-12 since Feb. 18, 2009...The Spiders were 7-6 in road games last season and are 14-13 in road games over the past two seasons...Richmond and Xavier tied for the best road record in the A-10 play last season at 6-2, the second-straight season the Spiders have had the best road mark in conference play...the Spiders have the best A-10 conference road record over the past 2 seasons at 11-5, having won 9 of their last 11 A-10 road games...Richmond, Xavier and Temple are the only 3 teams to finish in the top-5 of the A-10 in each of the last 3 seasons...last year's third-place league finish and 13-3 record were Richmond's best since joining the Atlantic 10 in 2001-02...Richmond was 5-2 on neutral court games last season with wins over No. 13 ranked Florida, No. 24 ranked Xavier, Missouri, Mississipi State, UMass and a loss to No. 17 ranked Temple in the A-10 title game...the Spiders were 2nd in the A-10 in turnover margin (+3.99) and 15th in the nation last season...UR was 2nd in the A-10 in fewest turnovers (11.3 tpg), which ranked 23rd in the nation...Richmond led the A-10 and was 26th in the nation in steals (8.3) and had had more steals than turnovers in 12 games last season...the Spiders tied the school record for steals in 2008-09 with 262 and broke that record last season with 289...Richmond set the school record for blocks last season with 158...last season the Spiders had 10 wins against teams that played in the 2008-09 postseason....Richmond broke into the Top-25 on Feb. 15, 2010 for the first time in 24 years and was ranked again on Feb. 22, the first time the Spiders were ranked in back-to-back weeks in 52 years...prior to last season, the Spiders had been ranked for 1 week (Jan. 30, 1986) since the 1957-58 season and just 6 weeks in school history...last March's A-10 title game loss to No. 17 Temple snapped a four-game winning streak vs. ranked teams for UR...since March 2009 Richmond has wins over No. 24 Xavier (3/13), No. 17 Temple (2/6), No. 13 Florida 12/19 and No. 17 Xavier...Richmond has won 5 of its last 8 vs. ranked teams in the last three seasons under Chris Mooney...Richmond finished 14-1 at home last season, the 3rd highest home win total in school history and best home winning percentage when playing more than 9 homes games in school history... the 1981-82 team went 15-3 and the 1954-55 team was 15-5...last season was Richmond's 17th 20-win season, including its 2nd straight...Richmond received plenty of national publicity last season, prompting a Washington Post blogger to write, "the Spiders are getting so much love from ESPN, you would think Brett Favre was their point guard."...the Spiders were featured with articles in USA Today and Sports Illustrated in the last week of February and were featured in the New York Times on March 7...the Spiders held 16 of 35 opponents to 60 points or less last season and held 23 of 35 opponents to 65 points or less...the Spiders defeated Saint Louis 62-36 on Jan. 30, 2010 holding the Billikens to the lowest point total for a Richmond opponent in A-10 play since joining the league in 2001-02...the Spiders were 3-2 vs. teams from BCS conferences last season, giving Richmond the most wins against teams from the Power 6 conferences since the 1985-86 team defeated Providence, Wake Forest, Stanford and Virginia...Chris Mooney has 9 victories over teams from a BCS conference in 6 years as a D-I head coach, including 7 in his 5 seasons at UR...the Spiders have won 4 of the last 6 games against BCS teams...the Spiders erased deficits of 8 or more in 9 wins last season...last December Richmond held Florida to its lowest point total in a loss in Billy Donovan's 16 seasons as head coach of the Gators...it was just the 5th time in 500-plus games under Donovan that Florida did not reach 54 points...Richmond held Missouri to the second-lowest point total under fourth-year head coach Mike Anderson and the 2nd lowest shooting percentage of the season behind Kansas.
KA On Naismith, Wooden, Lowe's Lists
Richmond senior point guard Kevin Anderson was named to the Naismith Trophy Men's Collegiate Player of the Year, The Wooden Award Preseason Top-50 List. and is one of 30 candidates for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award. To be selected as a candidate for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award, the student-athlete must have notable achievements in four areas of excellence - community, classroom, character and competition. Off the court the 2010 Atlantic 10 Player of the Year is a Business major with a concentration in Marketing in the University of Richmond's undergraduate Business School which ranked No. 12 in the nation last year, including No. 1 for academic quality according to Business Week. He is also heavily involved in the community with his teammates, including being involved with CARITAS, The Friends of Jaclyn Foundation, The Special Olympics, The Arthritas Foundation and St. Joseph's Villa. Anderson is looking to become just the sixth Atlantic 10 player to repeat as Player of the Year and is just the fifth A-10 Player to win both the conference's Rookie of the Year/Freshman of the Year Award and Player of the Year Award, joining Jameer Nelson (Saint Joseph's), Marcus Camby (UMass), Mark Macon (Temple) and Kenny Green (Rhode Island).
Harp On It
With three players earning Preseason All-Conference Honors the Spiders are very capable of scoring on the offensive end, but do not forget about forward Justin Harper. A sportswriter passed on that when doing a preview for one of the summer preseason publications in 2009, A-10 coaches mentioned Harper as the league's best NBA prospect. The 6-foot-10 forward had a 28-point, 9-rebound performance in a win over Rhode Island in 2009-10 with a Los Angeles Lakers scout in the Robins Center, earning him Atlantic10 Player of the Week honors. Harper also had 20 points and 8 rebounds in Richmond's win over No. 17 ranked Xavier in March of 2009. He has scored in double-figures in 8 of his last 11 games and appears to have become more aggressive and confident in the offseason. An NBA scout told the Richmond coaching staff he could be a first round pick in this spring's draft. Harper is shooting 70.6 percent from the field (12-of-17) and 85.7 percent from 3 (6-of-7) through the first two games.
Bulking Up and Bouncing Higher
The Spiders spent another quality offseason getting bigger, faster and stronger in the weight room with strength & conditioning coach Jay DeMayo and the results speak for themsevles. Four players can bench 300 pounds led by senior Justin Harper (330) and freshman Derrick Williams (330). Junior Darrius Garrett may look a bit skinny, but he put up 305 pounds, while sophomore Darien Brothers hit 300. Six players can jump 40 inches in the two-step vertical led by Brothers, senior Kevin Anderson and freshman Cedrick Lindsay at 42 inches. Senior Kevin Smith and shot-blocking sensation Darrius Garrett lifted 41 1/2 inches off the ground and junior Francis-Cedrick Martel, who had Bill Raftery and Verne Lundquist jumping out of their seats with his sky-high rebound in the Atlantic 10 title game, jumped 40 inches.
Outreach
The Spiders have three players with wingspans over 7-feet, and two more with wingspans over 6-foot-10. Darrius Garrett has a 7-foot-2 wingspan, Derrick Williams is 6-foot-6 but has a 7-foot-1 wingspan and Justin Harper has a 7-foot wingspan. Francis-Cedric Martel is 6-foot-6 but has a 6-foot-11 wingspan and Greg Robbins is 6-foot-5 but has a 6-foot-10 wingspan.
Tenacious D
In Chris Mooney's first season at Richmond in 2005-06, the Spiders led the nation in fewest points allowed for most of the season. The Spiders finished the year allowing 57.8 points per game, which ranked seventh in the country. Richmond has not allowed over 68.2 points per game in a season during Mooney's tenure, including holding teams to 62.7 ppg last season. The Spiders have held opponents to 50 points or less 23 times in 164 games under Mooney and have held teams to 60 points or less 74 times, including 17 times last season. Richmond has allowed over 70 points in regulation just 38 times in Mooney's 6 seasons and has allowed 80 or more points in regulation just 13 times. The Spiders held The Citadel to just 37 points in the 2010-11 season opener and William & Mary to 49 on Monday.
A New Spider
The Spiders adopted a 14-year-old brain tumor survivor as part of the team through the Friends of Jacyln Foundation. Nathan Mwenda, who is originally from Zambia, has been living in Richmond for 6 years. He attends games, practices and exchanges text messages with the players and has joined the players on the court for introductions and the National Anthem.
South Padre Island Champions
The Spiders won the 2009 South Padre Island Invitational, defeating defending SEC Champion Mississippi State in the semifinals and defending Big 12 Champion Missouri in the title game. Kevin Anderson was named tournament MVP, while Ryan Butler and David Gonzalvez joined him on the All-Tournament Team. The four previous winners of the South Padre Island Invitational were Illinois (twice), Vanderbilt and Oklahoma State.
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 third 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 third year as a referee in the NBA.
The Young And The Restless
Richmond coach Chris Mooney got his first Division I head coaching job at the age of 32, which made him the fourth-youngest coach in the nation at the time. Even with his youth, don't look for any grizzled veterans on the 38-year-old Mooney's staff. Associate head coach Kevin McGeehan is 37, assistant coach Jamal Brunt is 30 and assistant coach Rob Jones is 32. Directors of basketball operations Marcus Jenkins and Peter Thomas are 28 and 26, respectively.
The Wedding Planner
Richmond head coach Chris Mooney started his collegiate coaching career as a part time head coach at Beaver College (now Arcadia College) in 1997. Mooney's full time job was as the school's coordinator of events and as part of that job he had to book weddings at a castle that was on the Glenside, Pa. campus. He showed the castle to newly engated couples and helped them to decide where the band should play and how tables should be arranged. "I was 25 years old and I'd never even had people over to dinner," Mooney says. "And here I am helping brides prepare for weddings." With no team managers, Mooney washed the uniforms, swept the court and filled water coolers. The team had just six players on the roster during most of Mooney's first season, so when the captains met with the referees before games, the other players had to stop warm-ups and wait. Richmond associate head coach Kevin McGeehan was Mooney's assistant at Beaver College and hsi full-time job was stuffing envelopes in a cramped office in the basement of the castle.
The Spiders On National TV
The Spiders will play on national television six times in 2010-11, highlighted by two home games on ESPN2 against Xavier and Saint Louis and a road game on ESPNU against Dayton. Richmond will play on CBS College Sports three times, against Rhode Island and Duquesne at home and on the road at Temple. With additional TV games to be announced, the Spiders already have 10 games schedule to be televised. Richmond had 15 games televised in 2009-10, including nine games on national TV. Richmond played on CBS with Bill Raftery and Verne Lundquist twice last year. The Spiders also played nationally televised games on ESPN2, ESPNU, CBS College Sports and Fox College Sports.
