Spiders Play At Wake Forest Saturday On ESPN3
12/02/2011 | Men's Basketball
The game is being broadcast on the Spider/IMG Sports Network with Bob Black and Greg Beckwith on ESPN Radio 950AM, RichmondSpiders.com and on Sirius Satellite Radio Channel 112.
The Latest
- Richmond won its first true road game of the season on Wednesday, leading by 36 in a 92-61 win over William & Mary. The Spiders are playing their fourth-straight game away from home and are 2-2 away from the Robins Center. Richmond has been the best road team in the Atlantic 10 over the last three years and was 17-4 outside the Robins Center last season.
- Richmond has not won at Wake Forest since Nov. 28, 1988 and has won just two of 20 visits to Winston-Salem, but the Spiders did come up just short last time in Joel Coliseum. Kevin Anderson had a career-high 31, but Wake escaped with a 74-68 overtime victory. The Spiders defeated the Demon Deacons 90-74 last December in the Robins Center.
- Richmond is 10-5 in its last 15 games against BCS Conference teams, including 1-1 this season. The Spiders spotted Illinois an 18-point halftime lead, but cut the gap to five in the closing minutes before losing 70-61 in the Cancun Challenge. The next night, Richmond defeated Rutgers to improve to 5-3 vs. the Big East under Chris Mooney.
- With more athleticism 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 167 free throws through 6 games, for an average of 23.9 free throws per game. Last year the Spiders averaged 17.2 free throw attempts per game. Richmond is connecting on 75.4 percent of its free throws this season.
- Richmond has the 12th most victories in college basketball over the last 3 seasons with 60 wins.
- The Spiders lead the Atlantic 10 and are 18th in the nation in field goal percentage defense (.361) and the Spiders lead the A-10 in 3FG Defense (.273).
- Freshman point guard Kendall Anthony, runner-up for Mr. Basketball in Tennessee last season, leads the Spiders in scoring at 14.6 points per game and has scored in double-figures in six of his seven collegiate games. Anthony made 5-of-7 three-pointers and scored 17 points in the win over William & Mary. He became the first Spider in exactly 50 years to score 20 points in his collegiate debut when he had 20 against American on Nov. 11.
- Senior Darrius Garrett blocked 7 shots vs. Illinois which moved him into sole possession of 3rd 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 6 blocks to tie Kevin Steenberge for 2nd at Richmond.
The Spiders have led from start to finish in its last four victories...Richmond is 66-22 (.750) in last 88 games...you can't defend a free throw, the Spiders rank 341st out of 350 Division I teams in FT% defense with opponents shooting 80.4 percent from the line...Richmond has held its last 4 opponents to a combined 14-of-70 3FG (.200)...the Spiders have held 11 of the last 16 opponents under 60 points and 14 of the last 22 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...the Spiders current senior class needs 12 victories to pass last year's senior class as the winningest in school history...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 11.0 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 is averaging 11.3 points per game while shooting 47.1 percent from 3 (16-34). 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 14.6 points per game and 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 teams, including 1-1 this season 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). Many of these recent BCS wins have not been upsets, the Spiders finished the 2009-10 season ranked No. 24 in the nation 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 highest blocks per game average (1.63) in school history, ahead of Tim Faulconer (1.58). Garrett is 3rd on Richmond's career list for blocks, needing 6 blocks to tie Kevin Steenberge for second and 36 blocks to break the school record held by Faulconer (183). Like a streaky shooter, Garrett tends to get his blocks in bunches.
Career Blocks
Rank Name Years Blocks
1. Tim Faulconer 1998-02 183
2. Kevin Steenberge 2002-06 154
3. Darrius Garrett 2008-pres. 148
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 206 games under Mooney, including 5 times last season, and have held teams to 60 points or less 94 times, including four of the seven games this season. The Spiders have held 11 of the last 16 opponents under 60 points and 14 of the last 22 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 to an Atlantic 10 best 36.1 percent shooting this season, which ranks 18th in the nation, and limiting teams to an A-10 best 27.3 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.
