Richmond

State of '08: Virginia

Shawn Siegel — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 18:11:33 -0400

Duke or Carolina? BC or UMASS? Gonzaga or Washington.. or Washington State? What is the best program in each state? While there's not much competition in Hawaii.. there are great debates to be had in loaded regions like California, North Carolina, and Texas. The State of '08 is a ranking of every program in every state.. based mostly on recent success (the last five years) mixed in with subjective factors such as conference prestige, historical success, and overall program direction.

For more info, check out the State of '08 introduction.

VIRGINIA

VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH - VCU is in the middle of a great run that started in 2002. Besides making the 2004 & 2007 tourneys, the Rams also made the NIT in 2005 & 2008. More impressively, 6 of the last 7 teams have finished in the RPI Top 90 as the program has had a lot of success in non-conference play.

GEORGE MASON - Everyone remembers GMU's shocking 2006 Final Four run, but that was not an isolated case of success under Jim Larranaga. In the last decade, the Patriots have made 4 NCAA Tournaments, 2 NITs, and finished at or above .500 in CAA play every season

VIRGINIA - In the last 10 years Virginia has made 2 NCAA Tournaments (winning just 1 game) and a bunch of NITs, but haven't really had a breakout season (at least by BCS standards). Similarly, they've never really been very bad.. expect for now. Last year's team finished below the RPI Top 100 (127th) for the 1st time since the 90's, and this year's team will most likely not even crack the Top 150 or so.

OLD DOMINION - Except for a bad spell in the early part of the 2000s, ODU has been consistently solid over the last 20 years. The '05 & '07 teams made the Big Dance, while the '04 & '06 squads finished in the RPI Top 100. After some slippage last year, ODU is once again considered one of the league favorites (behind VCU).

VIRGINIA TECH - The Hokies have come a long way under Seth Greenberg, making the move to the ACC and making the Big Dance in 2007 (their first in a dozen years). The last 2 teams were also the first in that long gap to finish in the RPI Top 100 or to finish above .500 in conference play. This year's team should once again be competitive in league play.

6. RICHMOND - Richmond has some good history, but the last four years have been rather blah. 2007 was the program's worst year in a decade, and this year's team might have to settle once again for the CBI at best.

7. HAMPTON - The Pirates have been the MEAC's best team over the last decade. In 2001, 2002, and 2006, they won the league tournament and made other close runs in 2003 & 2005 (& were good once again last year before being shocked by Coppin in the league quarters). No surprise that most experts project them to win the league once again in 2009.

8. LIBERTY - Beginning in 2003, Liberty has been consistently solid in the Big South, never finishing below .500. In 2004, they reached the NCAA Tournament after blowing through the conference tournament.

9. WILLIAM & MARY - The Tribe are still looking for that elusive first NCAA trip, but have been making strides the last few seasons. Last year's team made a surprising CAA title game run, after finishing over .500 in league play for the first time in over a decade. They've also dominated the recent series against JMU.

10. JAMES MADISON - A once decent program, JMU has endured a brutal slump that began around '01 or '02. Last year's team won 10 games for the first time since 2003, and also set a high in that period with a whopping 5 wins in the CAA. New coach Matt Brady was hired in the off-season to turn things around.

11. RADFORD - Outside of a mediocre 2006 campaign, the last handful of seasons have been very uneventful for Radford fans. 5 out of 6 seasons seasons below .500 in Big South play, and a pair of consecutive 300+ RPI seasons won't cut it.

12. VMI - VMI is known for high-scoring offenses, but unfortunately they're not known for wins. From 2004-2006, this was one of the country's worst teams. Although the last two years have been better (thanks in part to Reggie Williams), there's been little to write home about outside of a decent run in the 07 conference tourney.

13. NORFOLK STATE - The Spartans have been very consistent over the last decade, hovering around 10 or wins in the MEAC. In that time they never finished below .500 in conference play, but also haven't really come close to making the Big Dance. Last year's win over Richmond was probably their best non-conference win since 2002 (when they beat ODU on the road).

14. LONGWOOD - The Lancers are still trying to find their groove in D1. They've never finished above 300th in the RPI or won more than 8 D1 games. At least they knocked off in-state rivals Liberty & Norfolk State last year.

Last: Utah - Next: Washington

State of '08: The Introduction (& State list/links)

2008-09 Richmond Basketball Preview: #70

Joel Welser — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 12:05:44 -0400

Richmond Spiders

Overall Rank: #70*

Conference Rank: #6 Atlantic 10

2007-08: 16-15, 9-7, 4^th

2007-08 postseason: CBI

Everything was looking good for Richmond. The team had a winning record through a tough schedule and ended up in fourth place in the Atlantic 10 at the end of the 2007-2008 campaign. And with four starters returning the expectations were quickly growing. Then center Dan Geriot hurt his knee and will likely be out for the season. That will force the Spiders and Coach Chris Mooney to play smaller and faster. While the points will come without Geriot, the team will have to quickly adjust to not having the 6-9 big man under the basket.

Who’s Out:

The loss of Geriot, who led the team with 14.3 points and 5.5 rebounds last year, is big no matter what, but also losing Gaston Moliva and Oumar Sylla to graduation makes the situation a little worse. Moliva was the shot blocking presence in the paint and Sylla could do some scoring inside and out. Without those three, the frontcourt will have major problems on the defensive end and struggle to find a leader.

Who’s In:

The obvious need is finding some new faces in the frontcourt. Josh Duinker and Darrius Garrett should do. Duinker, who was on campus for part of last season and took a redshirt, has a nice shooting touch from outside, but it is the Australian’s 6-11, 220 pound frame that will push him into a pivotal role as a freshman. Garrett will bang in the paint a little more and should immediately help out on the glass and the defensive end…something the Spiders desperately need. Conor Smith and Francis Cedric Martel could slide inside if necessary as well. Smith will spend most of his time beyond the three-point line, but at 6-9 and 210 pounds, he certainly has the size to at least guard the opponent’s power forward. Liam Billings, Zak Estes and Mark McGonigal, who returns after missing all of last season with an injury, will add some depth on the perimeter.

Who to Watch:

It is in the backcourt where the Spiders have their experienced weapons. Point guard Kevin Anderson had a solid freshman campaign. His turnover numbers were a little high and probably will be again this year as Richmond pushes the ball up the floor more often, but Anderson can score effectively around the basket. Once his outside shot starts falling a little more consistently, the 6-0 point guard will be an extremely dangerous scorer. David Gonzalvez will take the big shots. He is the best long range shooter on the team and his ability to consistently knock down outside shots will help free up space for the inexperienced frontcourt. Ryan Butler and Kevin Smith will share minutes at the small forward spot. Butler is the better shooter of the two, but Smith can finish around the basket. More importantly, both are decent rebounders who will help out the frontcourt in that department.

Final Projection:

The frontcourt might have a lot of questions, but it might have a couple answers in the form of Justin Harper and Jarhon Giddings. Harper, a 6-10 sophomore, averaged less than nine minutes per game last year. Yet, if the team’s off-season trip to Spain is any indication, he is ready to play a much, much bigger role this time around. Harper can score in a hurry, but can he be productive on the other end of the floor? Despite his size and strength, he is not a great rebounder or defender. If the Spiders do indeed want to run and gun most of the time, Harper will fit in nicely, but there will be plenty of moments when the team needs a rebounder and defender under the basket. And that man could be Giddings…if he can stay healthy. The 6-9 senior only averaged 10.7 minutes per game last year, but he is an experienced player who should be able to handle the increase in minutes. Even if Giddings eventually loses his starting job to Duinker, he will still have to play a vital role off the bench. This is a pretty young team without Geriot, but there is talent. As long as the team can effectively adjust to playing without their star, the Spiders will be in the mix for a postseason berth and make plenty of noise in the A-10.

Projected Post-season Tournament: NIT

Projected Starting Five:

Kevin Anderson, Sophomore, Guard, 10.7 points per game

David Gonzalvez, Junior, Guard, 11.7 points per game

Kevin Smith, Sophomore, Forward, 4.6 points per game

Justin Harper, Sophomore, Forward, 3.3 points per game

Jarhon Giddings, Senior, Forward, 3.9 points per game

* - Ed: Richmond's ranking was set prior to Dan Geriot's injury. This would have lowered their position somewhat, but its hard to speculate how much.

Complete Top 144 Ranking | 2008-09 Preview & Awards | Coach Interviews | Discuss the Preview

Atlantic 10 Weekly Honors

Press Release — Tue, 26 Dec 2006 11:26:25 -0500

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

De’Angelo Alexander - Charlotte

Senior, Guard/Forward, 6-6, Midwest City, OK/MIdwest City HS
Averaged 19.0 points and 7.3 rebounds as Charlotte went 2-1 at the Rainbow Classic...in the 49ers’ opener on Dec. 21, Alexander posted 10 points and 10 rebounds against Houston - his first double-double of the season...the next night he had 24 points and four boards in a 74-62 win against Valparaiso...he closed the event with 23 points and eight rebounds in a 79-78 win over Wyoming.

Aaron Jackson - Duquesne

Sophomore, Guard, 6-2, Hartford, CT/Worcester (MA) Academy
Registered one of the best single game stat lines of the year...had 16 points on 7-10 shooting from the field, nine rebounds, seven assists, and five steals to lead Duquesne to a 72-71 win at St. Francis (PA) on Dec. 22...the five steals were a career high and his seventh assist led to Kieron Achara’s game-winning, buzzer-beating three-pointer...the win snapped a seven-game losing streak and a 17-game non-conference road losing streak.

ROOKIE OF THE WEEK

Dan Geriot - Richmond
Freshman, Forward/Center, 6-9, Springfield, PA/Springfield HS
Averaged 15.5 points and 4.5 rebounds in a pair of games...on Dec. 20 against VMI, Geriot had 10 points, six rebounds, and three assists...then at Wake Forest on Dec. 22, he tallied a game-high 21 points to go along with three rebounds in just 23 minutes of action...was 11-20 (.550) from the field for the week.

Richmond Inks Cowan and Harper to NLI's

Press Release — Sat, 11 Nov 2006 00:09:16 -0500

UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND, Va. – Richmond native Justin Harper and Darryl Cowan Jr. of Goldsboro, N.C. have signed National Letters of Intent with the University of Richmond during the early signing period, head coach Chris Mooney announced.

Harper is a 6-foot-8, 195-pound forward from Meadowbrook High in Richmond and Cowan is a 6-foot-3 guard from Eastern Wayne High in Goldsboro, N.C. The two players will join the men’s basketball program for the 2007-08 season.

“This is a golden opportunity for me to play for Richmond,” Harper said. “Not only do I get to represent my hometown, but I also get to help build the program.”

“To be chosen to represent the University of Richmond basketball program is truly a blessing,” Cowan said. “I’ve always dreamed of playing for a Division I school and I know I made the right choice with the University of Richmond. I can’t wait to be a Spider.”
Harper is the second Richmond-area player Mooney has signed, joining Douglas Freeman High’s Ryan Butler, a red-shirt freshman on this year’s squad. Harper had an impressive summer playing for the Richmond Metro AAU team and was also looking at Providence, Temple and East Carolina. His final two choices came down to Richmond and Providence.
“We are very excited that Justin decided to attend Richmond,” second-year head coach Chris Mooney said. “It is very important for us to recruit the best players in the Richmond area and I believe Justin will have a very good career here. Justin has improved tremendously over the past six months. He’s beginning to reach his potential.”
Harper, who just turned 17 on August 30, was the sixth man for Meadowbrook last winter as a junior, helping the team to the Central Region Tournament title and a berth in the state quarterfinals. He averaged 7.6 points, six rebounds, two assists and one steal per game and scored a career-high 22 points with four 3-pointers in the Central Region quarterfinal victory over Henrico.

“He was the sixth man, but we had five senior starters who had been with us for a long time. We may have been a better team with him on the court.” Meadowbrook head coach John B. Gordon III said. “He was a center as a freshman but he really worked on his versatility and as a sophomore began showing that he can hit the outside shot. He is a great kid and we expect him to do very well at Richmond.”

Cowan, who also goes by D.J., was Eastern Wayne High’s leading scorer and team MVP as a junior last season.

“D.J. is a very good player who has flown under the recruiting radar screen,” Mooney said. “His speed and skillfulness should enable him to help us.”

As a junior, Cowan averaged 14 points, four assists, three steals, two blocks and two rebounds per game. He shot 97-percent from the free throw line for the season.

“Darryl is an outstanding athlete and a great team player,” Cowan’s high school coach Marvin Bowman said. “He does things on the court to make his teammates better and he is a very coachable young man.”

Mooney and his staff have now signed nine student-athletes in less than two years at Richmond. The Spiders open the 2006-07 on Tuesday night when they host East Carolina in the Robins Center.