Spiders Host Farm Bureau Insurance Black & Blue Classic Saturday
12/09/2010 | Men's Basketball
Dec. 9, 2010
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UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND, Va. - The Farm Bureau Insurance Black & Blue Classic will be played in the West End this Saturday at 7 p.m. as city rivals VCU and Richmond play for the 65th time.
The Spiders are 7-2 coming off a win at Arizona State on Sunday, while the Rams are 6-2 after defeating VMI 86-80 on Wednesday night.
The game can be watched online on SpiderTV or listen to the game on ESPN Radio 950AM, The WOLF 93.1FM, Sirius Channel 126 and on your mobile device at espn950am.com/m with Bob Black and Greg Beckwith.
The Farm Bureau Insurance Black & Blue Luncheon will take place Friday at 11:30 a.m. at Home Team Grill in the fan at noon. The luncheon is part of ESPN Radio 950's day-long event for Holiday Cheer & Gear. It's the 4th year for this official Salvation Army Christmas Assistance program. ESPN Radio 950 is accepting new sports equipment (basketballs, soccer, balls, footballs, etc) which will be distributed to kids in Central VA. All lunch attendees to bring "gear" to support the cause.
THE LATEST
• After playing 4-straight games on the road, the Spiders play their only home game in a 35-day span, hosting VCU in the Farm Bureau Insurance Black & Blue Classic. Richmond is 4-0 at home this year and has won 21 of its last 22 home games, including 9 straight.
• The Spiders are looking to match the fourth-best 10-game start in school history and the second-best start since the 1934-35 season (76 years). Only the 1926-27 (10-0), 1934-35 (10-0) and 1985-86 (9-1) teams have started better than 8-2. The Spiders have started 8-2 or better just 15 times in 98 seasons and only three times (2000-01, 1987-88, 1985-86) since the 1954-55 season.
• Richmond is shooting 50.9 percent from the field on the season, which leads the Atlantic 10 and is 10th in the country. The Spiders are 8th in the nation in three-point field goal percentage at 43.4 percent. Richmond is 17th in the nation in assist/turnover ratio (1.39) and 24th in the nation at turnovers per game (11.6).
• The Spiders held Arizona State to 34.5 percent shooting, the 5th opponent that Richmond has held under 35 percent shooting this season. Richmond is holding teams 37.4 percent shooting, which ranks 26th in the nation. The Spiders are holding teams to 59.0 ppg and are outscoring teams by 14.9 ppg, which both rank 30th in the nation.
• Richmond native Justin Harper scored 23 points and grabbed seven rebounds in the win over Arizona State, making 10-of-14 field goals and 3-of-4 three-pointers. Harper is shooting shooting 61.7 percent from the field (50-of-81), which ranks 22nd in the nation and is connecting on 51.7 percent from three (15-of-29). He needs 81 points to become the 40th Spider men's basketball player to score 1,000 points. Sophomore guard Darien Brothers gives the Spiders two starters from Richmond.
• Richmond improved to 2-0 against BCS conference teams this season and has won 6 of the last 8 games against teams from a BCS conference after Sunday's 67-61 win at Arizona State. Head coach Chris Mooney has 11 wins over BCS conference teams in 7 years as a Division I head coach, including nine in 6 seasons at Richmond. The Spiders have now defeated a team from all six BCS conferences (Pac-10, Big 10, ACC, Big East, Big 12 and SEC) in Mooney's tenure.
• Senior Kevin Anderson, the 2010 A-10 Player of Year and Associated Press Honorable Mention pick, is 6th on Richmond's all-time career scoring list with1,702 points. Anderson needs 21 points to tie John Schweitz (1,723) for fifth and 25 points to tie former teammate David Gonzalvez (1,727) for fourth. Anderson also ranks 4th in steals (176), 5th in field goals (609) and 8th in assists (321). He was named to the Wooden Award Preseason Top-50 List and Naismith Preseason Top-50 List.
Quick Hitters
Richmond is 41-14 (.745) since Feb. 18, 2009...Richmond has won 5 of the last 6 games against ranked teams, which is the second-best six-game stretch in the nation behind New Mexico (6-0) and Duke (6-0)...Connecticut and Kentucky are also 5-1 in their last 6 games vs. ranked teams...Kevin Anderson, who had 28 points in the win over Purdue, is averaging 25.4 ppg in the last five wins against ranked teams, including 28.0 ppg in the last 3 wins...Richmond's only loss to a ranked team in its last six tries was by four points to No. 17 Temple in the A-10 title game last March on CBS...since March 2009 Richmond has wins over No. 24 Xavier, No. 17 Temple (2/6/10), No. 13 Florida, No. 17 Xavier and No. 8 Purdue...Richmond has won 6 of its last 9 vs. ranked teams in the last 4 seasons...Richmond handled then No. 8 ranked Purdue 65-54 to win the Chicago Invitational Challenge, the Spiders' 2nd-straight in-season tournament title...Richmond won the South Padre Invitational last year with wins over Mississippi State and Missouri...Richmond is 2-0 in neutral court games this season and was 5-2 on neutral court games last season with wins over No. 13 ranked Florida, No. 24 ranked Xavier, Missouri, Mississipi State and UMass...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...the Spiders held Southern to nine first-half points on Nov. 23, the fewest points allowed in a half by a Richmond team since the Spiders held Virginia to single-digit points in a half of a 25-17 win in Charlotesville on Jan. 10, 1942...Richmond held Purdue to 14 first-half points 4 days later...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...Richmond has won 21 of its last 22 home games...the Spiders 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...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 led the A-10 and was 26th in the nation in steals (8.3) and 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 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...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 4th-year head coach Mike Anderson...the Spiders held Saint Louis to 36 points in a 62-36 win on Jan. 30, 2010, the lowest point total the Spiders have held an A-10 opponent to...the Spiders have had the best A-10 conference road record in each of the past 2 seasons...Richmond has the best A-10 road record over the past 2 seasons at 11-5, having won 9 of their last 11 A-10 road games.
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 15 of his last 19 games, including 7 of 9 games this season. An NBA scout told the Richmond coaching staff he could be a first round pick in this spring's draft. Harper is shooting 61.7 percent from the field (50-of-81) and 51.7 percent from three (15-of-29), along with averaging 6.0 rebounds through the first 9 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.
Stealing The Show
Kevin Anderson has moved into 4th on Richmond's all-time steals list with 176, passing his former teammates David Gonzalvez and Ryan Butler. Even with losing Gonzalvez and Butler to graduation, the Spiders are still averaging 7.1 steals per game this season.
The Future Looks Bright
Richmond head coach Chris Mooney announced the signing of four highly touted seniors to National Letters of Intent on signing day. Kendall Anthony (Jackson, Tenn.), Trey Davis (Richmond, Va.), Alonzo Nelson-Ododa (Atlanta, Ga.) and Luke Piotrowski (Atlantic City, N.J.) will be freshman next season. Kendall Anthony is a 5-9 point guard from Liberty Technology Magnet School who scored 39 in game last week, Trey Davis is a 6-foot-4 guard/forward from Benedictine High who is the son of Spider Hall of Famer John Davis (1982-86). Alonzo Nelson-Ododa is a 6-8 forward from Norcross High who chose the Spiders over NC State and California. The 6-11 Luke Piotrowski, the son of a former NBA player, chose Richmond over Arizona State, Maryland, and Oregon State.
KA And Geriot Climbing Scoring List
Last year's Spiders boasted 3 of the 12 Richmond players to reach 1,000 career points as a junior. Greg Stevenson for 28th and 5 points to tie John Telepo for 27th.
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 and 59.0 points per game so far this season. The Spiders have held opponents to 50 points or less 24 times in 172 games under Mooney, including 3 times this season, and have held teams to 60 points or less 76 times, including 17 times last season and 5 of 9 games this season. Richmond has allowed over 70 points in regulation just 40 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, held Southern to 40, including nine in the first half last Tuesday and William & Mary to 49. Richmond held No. 8 ranked Purdue to just 14 first-half points and 30.2 percent shooting. The Spiders are holding opponents to 37.4 percent shooting, including 29.1 percent from behind the arc.
Block Party
Last year the Spiders set the school record for blocks in a season with 158 thanks to Tim Faulconer (1.58).Harper is tied for 11th with David Hensel at 74 blocks, needing 5 blocks to tie Jim Springer for 10th. Garrett blocked 6 shots and the Spiders had 9 blocks in the win over Arizona State on Sunday.
A New Spider
The Spiders adopted a 14-year-old brain tumor survivor as part of the team through the Friends of Jacyln Foundation last season. 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.
Back-To-Back 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. This year the Spiders won the Chicago Invitational Challenge, defeating No. 8 Purdue in the title game. Kevin Anderson was named MVP of both tournaments. The Spiders are 8-0 in regular-season tournament play over the past 2 seasons.
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 part-time assistant at Beaver College and his full-time job was stuffing envelopes in a cramped office in the basement of the castle.
The Spiders On National TV
The Spiders play on national TV at least 8 times in 2010-11, highlighted by home games on ESPN2 against Xavier and Saint Louis and a road game on ESPNU against Dayton. The Spiders played Purdue on The Big Ten Network and Arizona St. on Fox College Sports. Richmond plays on CBS College Sports 3 times, vs. Rhode Island and Duquesne at home and on the road at Temple. The Spiders played 9 national television games during the 2009-10 season, including twice on CBS with Bill Raftery and Verne Lundquist. The Spiders also played nationally televised games on ESPN2, ESPNU, CBS College Sports and Fox College Sports.
