Spiders Look For 100th Win Over Rival Tribe Wednesday

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. - Richmond starts a three-game road swing Wednesday as it looks for its 100th victory over rival William & Mary on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. at Kaplan Arena.

Listen live to the game on ESPN Radio 950 AM, The Wolf 93.1 FM and on Sirius Ch. 128 with Bob Black and Greg Beckwith. The game can be watched at TribeAthletics.com for a subscription fee.

The Latest

While the Spiders did not take home a third-straight Thanksgiving Week tournament title, Richmond played two BCS Conference teams tough, splitting games with Illinois and Rutgers. Richmond got off to a slow start against Illinois, but cut and 18-point halftime deficit to five and left the final outcome in doubt until the final minute. The next night, Greg Robbins had a career-high 15 points as the Spiders improved to 5-3 against Big East teams under Chris Mooney with a hard-fought 58-53 win over the Scarlet Knights. Richmond is 10-5 in its last 15 games against BCS Conference teams entering Saturday's game at Wake Forest.
With more athleticsm and strength in the lineup, Richmond expected to get to the foul line a lot more this year and the Spiders are doing just that, having taken 159 free throws through six games, for an average of 26.5 free throws per game. Last year the Spiders averaged 17.2 free throw attempts per game. Richmond is connecting on 76.1 percent of its free throws this season.
Junior Darien Brothers has surpassed his career-high in points in two of his last three games, including a 22 point effort against Illinois. Brothers made a career-high six three-pointers in nine attempts against the Illini. He was named to the Cancun Challenge All-Tournament team.
Senior Darrius Garrett blocked seven shots against Illinois which moved him into sole possession of third on RIchmond's career list for blocks. Garrett, who blocked an A-10 record 14 shots (the 2nd highest total in NCAA history) against UMass in 2009-10, needs 7 blocks to tie Kevin Steenberge for second and 41 to pass Tim Faulkoner for the school record.
Having won the first two Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week awards, Kendall Anthony is averaging at team-high 14.2 points per game. He scored in double-figures in his first five games, before scoring 5 points against Rutgers. Anthony became the first Spider to score 20 points in his collegiate debut in 50 years.
Richmond has used a balanced scoring attack over its first 6 games, with seven different players scoring in double-figures and four different players have led the Spiders in scoring.
The Spiders defense is holding opponents to 60.3 points per game, having held the opposition under 60 points in all four victories.The Spiders are holding opponents to 35.5% shooting, which ranks 18th in the nation.
The Spiders graduated the winningest class in school history and a total of over 5,000 career points with the departure of four starters. This year's senior class needs 13 wins to surpass that class as the winningest class in school history.

Quick Hitters

Richmond is 65-22 (.747) in last 87 games...you can't defend a free throw, the Spiders rank 341st out of 350 Division I teams in FT% defense with opponents shooting 80.5 percent from the line...Richmond has held its last three opponents to a combined 9-of-50 3FG (.180)...the Spiders have held 11 of the last 15 opponents under 60 points and 14 of the last 21 opponents to 60 points or less...the Spiders are 16-1 vs. non-conference opponents in the Robins Center over the last three season...Richmond is 24-3 in the last 27 non-conference home games dating back to the 2007-08 season...Richmond is 31-4 in its last 35 home games....Justin Harper was the 31st pick in the 2011 NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers and was traded to the Orlando Magic...during the lockout, Harper is playing in Strasburg, France, on the same team as Kevin Anderson and Temple's Lavoy Allen...the Spiders were 12-2 in February over the past two seasons...the Spiders are 28-6 in their last 34 Atlantic 10 regular-season games.

Easy As A (Anthony)-B (Brothers)-C (Ced)

Richmond has boasted one of the best backcourts in the Atlantic 10 over the last few years, but even after graduating two of the top-6 scorers in school history (Kevin Anderson and David Gonzalvez) over the last two years, it looks like Richmond might have its deepest backcourt yet under Chris Mooney. Sophomore Cedrick Lindsay starts at point guard and is averaging 10.7 points and 4.0 assists after playing a key role in Richmond's run to the A-10 Championship and NCAA Sweet 16 last March. Junior Darien Brothers is the only returning starter and has scored in double-figures in the last four games, setting a career high in two of the last three. Freshman Kendall Anthony has quickly established himself as a high-level scorer off the bench. The runner-up for Mr. Basketball in Tennessee last year, Anthony leads the team in scoring at 14.2 points per game won the first two A-10 Rookie of the Week awards of the year.

Giant Killers To Giants

Richmond earned a reputation for being Giant Killers with its NCAA Tournament victories in the 1980s and 90s, but the Spiders' victories over so-called Giants have become the norm. Richmond won 5 of 7 games against BCS conference teams last season, the most in school history. The Spiders are 10-5 in their last 15 games against BCS conference and Chris Mooney has 15 wins over BCS conference teams in 8 years as a D-I head coach, including 13 in 7 seasons at Richmond. The Spiders have defeated a team from all 6 BCS conferences in Mooney's tenure, including multiple wins against the Big East (5), SEC (3) and ACC (2). The Spiders finished the 2009-10 season ranked No. 24 in the nationa and finished last season ranked No. 21.

Road Warriors

Richmond had a 10-3 road record last season, tying the 1952-53 and 1985-86 teams for the second most road wins in a season in school history, one win behind the 1934-35 team (11-0). The Spiders were in the top-10 in the nation in road wins last season and finished 17-4 away from the Robins Center. The Spiders went 7-1 on the road in A-10 play, clinching the best A-10 road record for the 3rd-straight year. Richmond has a 16-3 record in the last 19 A-10 road games.

Pulling Rank

Richmond is 7-3 in the last 10 games against ranked teams. Richmond has won 8 of its last 13 games against ranked teams since 2008.

4-Year Run Atop The A-10

Chris Mooney has been the head coach at Richmond for six years and after a quick rebuilding job Mooney has had the Spiders in the top-3 in the league in wins over the last 4 years (2007-08 through 2010-11). Xavier has 55 wins, Temple has 50, Richmond has 44, Rhode Island has 36 and Dayton has 34. Richmond, Temple and Xavier are the only 3 A-10 teams to finish in the top-5 in the standings the previous 4 seasons (2008-11).

Bulking Up and Bouncing Higher

Thanks to strength & conditioning coach Jay DeMayo, the Spiders have three players who can bench 300 pounds led by Derrick Williams (330). Darrius Garrett put up 305 pounds and Darien Brothers hit 300. Nine players can jump 40 inches in the two-step vertical led by Brothers, Cedrick Lindsay, Garrett, Derick Williams, Francis-Cedric Martel, Jonathan Benjamin, Trey Davis and Alonzo Nelson-Ododa. Freshman Kendall Anthony just missed the cut at 38 inches.

Block Party

Darrius Garret, who blocked a game-changing 5 shots in the NCAA Tournament win over Vanderibilt last March, has the fifth and sixth best single-season shot blocking totals in Richmond history. Garrett blocked an A-10 and school record 14 in a single-game against UMass, the second most shots blocked in college basketball history. Garrett currently has the 2nd-highest blocks per game average (1.49) in school history, behind Tim Faulconer (1.58). Garrett is 3rd on Richmond's career list for blocks, needing 7 blocks to tie Kevin Steenberge for second and 41 blocks to break the school record held by Tim Faulconer (183).

Career Blocks

Rank Name Years Blocks

1. Tim Faulconer 1998-02 183

2. Kevin Steenberge 2002-06 154

3. Darrius Garrett 2008-pres. 143

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 more than 68.2 points per game in a season during Mooney's tenure, including holding teams to 62.7 ppg in 2009-10 and 61.2 points per game last season. The Spiders have held opponents to 50 points or less 25 times in 205 games under Mooney, including 5 times last season, and have held teams to 60 points or less 94 times, including four of the six games this season. The Spiders have held 11 of the last 15 opponents under 60 points and 14 of the last 21 opponents to 60 points or less. Richmond has allowed more than 70 points in regulation just 46 times in Mooney's 7 seasons and has allowed 80 or more points in regulation just 14 times. Richmond is holding the opposition toe 35.5 percent shooting this season, including 27.8 percent from behind the arc.

The Champs Are Here

The Spiders have won three tournaments in the last three seasons. Richmond won won the 2011 Atlantic 10 Tournament, the 2010 Chicago Invitational Challenge in November, defeating No. 8 Purdue in the title game, and 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. The Spiders are 11-1 in regular-season tournament play over the past 3 seasons and 17-4 in tournament play, including the last two NCAA Tournaments. Richmond also defeated No. 13 ranked Florida in the 2009 Orange Bowl Classic and led by 30 in a win over VCU in last year's Farm Bureau Insurance Black & Blue Classic.

Outreach

The Spiders have two 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. 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.

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 engaged 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.

Spiders' Web Reaching NBA

Justin Harper is not the only Spider in the NBA. Three former Richmond 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 fourth 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.

Spiders Sign 2

Richmond signed two high school seniors to National Letters of Intent on Wednesday. Terry Allen, a 6-foot-8 forward from Houston can shoot and is very skilled for his size. Deion Taylor, a 6-foot-6 forward from St. Augustine High in New Orleans is an athletic swingman. The Spiders still have two scholarships available for next season.

A Honorary 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 7 years. He attends games and practices and exchanges text messages with the players.

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