University of Richmond Athletics
Walz Named to Preseason All-Atlantic 10 Team
09/30/2025 | Men's Basketball
Men's Basketball Picked 10th in Preseason Poll
PITTSBURGH, Pa. — Richmond senior Mike Walz has been named to the Preseason All-Atlantic 10 Third Team, the conference announced Tuesday at the league's annual Media Day at PPG Paints Arena. This is the first All-Conference honor for Walz, a 6'11" center from Berwyn, Pa. As a team, the Spiders were picked 10th in the conference's preseason poll, which is voted on by the league's 14 head coaches and 14 leading media members who cover the conference.
Walz led Richmond with 5.8 rebounds per game last season while ranking second on the team with 2.6 assists per game and fourth with 7.4 points per game, one of just four A-10 players to average that many points, rebounds, and assists per game last season. He posted the second-highest defensive rebounding percentage (23.5) and the fourth-highest assist rate (27.4) in the conference, via KenPom, and made 46.5 percent of his three-point attempts, best in the A-10 among players with at least 40 attempts. Walz is the first Spider to earn Preseason All-Conference honors since Neal Quinn was named to the Preseason All-A-10 Third Team in 2023.
Richmond received 142 points in preseason poll voting to place 10th, nestled between ninth-place Duquesne (155) and 11th-place Davidson (107). The last time Richmond was ranked 10th or lower in the preseason poll was in 2023 (11th), when the Spiders went 15-3 in conference play to win their first Atlantic 10 regular season title. Richmond will begin its 25th season in the Atlantic 10 on November 5, when the Spiders host Southern Virginia, the start of a season-opening five-game homestand for UR.
Atlantic 10 Preseason Poll
1. VCU (11) - 342
2. Saint Louis (11) - 341
3. Dayton (3) - 321
4. George Washington - 296
5. Loyola Chicago (2) - 286
6. George Mason - 254
7. Saint Joseph's - 195
8. St. Bonaventure - 185
9. Duquesne - 155
10. Richmond - 142
11. Davidson - 107
12. Rhode Island - 102
13. La Salle - 56
14. Fordham - 53
* First-place votes in parentheses
Walz led Richmond with 5.8 rebounds per game last season while ranking second on the team with 2.6 assists per game and fourth with 7.4 points per game, one of just four A-10 players to average that many points, rebounds, and assists per game last season. He posted the second-highest defensive rebounding percentage (23.5) and the fourth-highest assist rate (27.4) in the conference, via KenPom, and made 46.5 percent of his three-point attempts, best in the A-10 among players with at least 40 attempts. Walz is the first Spider to earn Preseason All-Conference honors since Neal Quinn was named to the Preseason All-A-10 Third Team in 2023.
Richmond received 142 points in preseason poll voting to place 10th, nestled between ninth-place Duquesne (155) and 11th-place Davidson (107). The last time Richmond was ranked 10th or lower in the preseason poll was in 2023 (11th), when the Spiders went 15-3 in conference play to win their first Atlantic 10 regular season title. Richmond will begin its 25th season in the Atlantic 10 on November 5, when the Spiders host Southern Virginia, the start of a season-opening five-game homestand for UR.
Atlantic 10 Preseason Poll
1. VCU (11) - 342
2. Saint Louis (11) - 341
3. Dayton (3) - 321
4. George Washington - 296
5. Loyola Chicago (2) - 286
6. George Mason - 254
7. Saint Joseph's - 195
8. St. Bonaventure - 185
9. Duquesne - 155
10. Richmond - 142
11. Davidson - 107
12. Rhode Island - 102
13. La Salle - 56
14. Fordham - 53
* First-place votes in parentheses
Mooney, Walz Before 1st Practice
Friday, September 26
AJ Lopez Returns to the Robins Center
Tuesday, September 23
Chris Mooney Mic'd Up
Thursday, September 11
David Thomas is Already Learning at Richmond
Friday, September 05