University of Richmond Athletics
Spiders First in A-10 Men’s Basketball Preseason Poll
11/10/2020 | Men's Basketball
UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND, Va. – The Richmond Spiders are projected to be the top team in the Atlantic 10 this season, according to the official A-10 men's basketball preseason poll released on Tuesday. The Spiders received 19 of the 28 first-place votes in the poll, making 2020-21 the first time Richmond has been picked to win the A-10 since the Spiders joined the conference in 2001.
Richmond placed well ahead of runner-up Saint Louis, which received seven first-place votes, and third-place Dayton, which received the remaining two. The A-10 revealed the results of its official preseason poll, which is voted on by the conference's head coaches and select media members, in advance of the start of the Atlantic 10's virtual media day.
"I'm pleased that so many close to A-10 basketball think this team has the potential to have a special season," said head coach Chris Mooney. "It's a reflection of the work our players and staff have done over the last few months to build on how we finished in 2019-20. The Atlantic 10 is going to be challenging for any team this season, and our program is committed to doing everything we can when it comes to scheduling and preparation in order to ready ourselves for what we know will be an extremely competitive conference season."
The Atlantic 10 also announced its preseason All-Conference teams on Tuesday. Spiders guard Jacob Gilyard was named to the first team, while guard Blake Francis and forward Grant Golden landed on the second team. Richmond's three players on the A-10's Preseason First Team or Second Team are the most by any school since 2011, when Xavier also had three.
Gilyard, the defending Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Year, was also named to the A-10's Preseason All-Defense team. Gilyard is just the second Spider to be named to Preseason First Team All-Atlantic 10 twice, joining Kevin Anderson (2009, 2010).
This is the third-straight season Golden has been earned Preseason All-Conference honors. He was a member of the Preseason First Team in 2018 and the Preseason Second Team in 2019. Golden joins Kevin Anderson (2008, 2009, 2010) as the only Spiders to earn Preseason All-Atlantic 10 honors three times.
This is the first Preseason All-Conference honor for Francis. He was named Second Team All-A-10 following last season after averaging a team-high 17.7 points per game, fourth in the A-10.
Prior to Tuesday, Richmond had never been picked higher than third in the A-10 preseason poll. The Spiders were third in both the 2009 and 2010 preseason polls and advanced to the NCAA Tournament each time.
Richmond is coming off a 24-7 season in which the Spiders went 14-4 in the Atlantic 10, finishing second in the league and setting a school record for conference wins in a season.
Richmond will begin its season later this month at the Bluegrass Showcase, a multi-team event hosted by the University of Kentucky. The Spiders will face Detroit Mercy on November 25th, Morehead State on November 27th, and 10th-ranked Kentucky on November 29th. The rest of the Spiders schedule will be announced at a later date.
Richmond placed well ahead of runner-up Saint Louis, which received seven first-place votes, and third-place Dayton, which received the remaining two. The A-10 revealed the results of its official preseason poll, which is voted on by the conference's head coaches and select media members, in advance of the start of the Atlantic 10's virtual media day.
"I'm pleased that so many close to A-10 basketball think this team has the potential to have a special season," said head coach Chris Mooney. "It's a reflection of the work our players and staff have done over the last few months to build on how we finished in 2019-20. The Atlantic 10 is going to be challenging for any team this season, and our program is committed to doing everything we can when it comes to scheduling and preparation in order to ready ourselves for what we know will be an extremely competitive conference season."
The Atlantic 10 also announced its preseason All-Conference teams on Tuesday. Spiders guard Jacob Gilyard was named to the first team, while guard Blake Francis and forward Grant Golden landed on the second team. Richmond's three players on the A-10's Preseason First Team or Second Team are the most by any school since 2011, when Xavier also had three.
Gilyard, the defending Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Year, was also named to the A-10's Preseason All-Defense team. Gilyard is just the second Spider to be named to Preseason First Team All-Atlantic 10 twice, joining Kevin Anderson (2009, 2010).
This is the third-straight season Golden has been earned Preseason All-Conference honors. He was a member of the Preseason First Team in 2018 and the Preseason Second Team in 2019. Golden joins Kevin Anderson (2008, 2009, 2010) as the only Spiders to earn Preseason All-Atlantic 10 honors three times.
This is the first Preseason All-Conference honor for Francis. He was named Second Team All-A-10 following last season after averaging a team-high 17.7 points per game, fourth in the A-10.
Prior to Tuesday, Richmond had never been picked higher than third in the A-10 preseason poll. The Spiders were third in both the 2009 and 2010 preseason polls and advanced to the NCAA Tournament each time.
Richmond is coming off a 24-7 season in which the Spiders went 14-4 in the Atlantic 10, finishing second in the league and setting a school record for conference wins in a season.
Richmond will begin its season later this month at the Bluegrass Showcase, a multi-team event hosted by the University of Kentucky. The Spiders will face Detroit Mercy on November 25th, Morehead State on November 27th, and 10th-ranked Kentucky on November 29th. The rest of the Spiders schedule will be announced at a later date.
Players Mentioned
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