The Spiders are 2nd in the A-10 in turnover margin (+4.23) and 11th in the nation. UR is 2nd in the A-10 in fewest turnovers (11.5 tpg), which ranks 25th in the nation. UR leads the A-10 and is 26th in the nation in steals (8.6) and has had more steals than turnovers in 12 games this season, including 4 of the last 6.
Quick Hitters
Richmond is 32-10 since Feb. 18, 2009...the Spiders tied the school record for steals last season with 262 and have broken the school record this season with 264 season (8.5 spg), which leads the A-10...Richmond and Xavier tied for the best road record in the A-10 play at 6-2, the second-straight season the Spiders have had the best road mark in conference play...the Spiders have the best A-10 conference road record over the past 2 seasons at 11-5, having won 9 of its last 11 A-10 road games...the Spiders and Xavier are the only teams who will have at least a .500 A-10 road record in the last 3 seasons...the Spiders have 9 wins against teams that played in the postseason last year....Richmond has wins over, Dayton (NCAA), Temple (NCAA), Chattanooga (NCAA), Mississippi State (NCAA), Missouri (NCAA), Florida (NIT), Rhode Island (NIT), Old Dominion (College Insider.com Champion) and Duquesne (NIT)...Richmond broke into the Top-25 on Feb. 15 for the first time in 24 years and was ranked again on Feb. 22, the first time the Spiders were ranked in back-to-back weeks in 52 years...prior to this season, the Spiders had been ranked for 1 week (Jan. 30, 1986) since the 1957-58 season and just 6 weeks in school history...the Spiders won back-to-back games as a ranked team for the first tine in school history with wins over Fordham and GW...Richmond finished 14-1 at home, the 3rd highest home win total in school history and best home winning percentage when playing more than 9 homes games in school history... the 1981-82 team went 15-3 and the 1954-55 team was 15-5...this is Richmond's 17th 20-win season, including its 2nd straight...Richmond's 8-game winning streak that ended Feb. 28 was the longest since the 1997-98 season and the longest conference winning streak since the 1990-91 season. when the Spiders played in the CAA...Richmond has been getting plenty of national publicity, prompting a Washington Post blogger to write, "the Spiders are getting so much love from ESPN, you would think Brett Favre was their point guard."...the Spiders were featured with articles in USA Today and Sports Illustrated in the last week of February and were featured in the New York Times last Sunday...the 2009-10 Spiders matched the 1985-86 team as the fastest to 20 wins by calendar date, both reaching the milestone on Feb. 13...the Spiders have held 15 of 31 opponents to 60 points or less and have held 22 of 31 opponents to 65 points or less...the Spiders defeated Saint Louis 62-36 on Jan. 30, holding the Billikens to the lost point total for a Richmond opponent in Atlantic 10 play since joining the league in 2001-02...it was the lowest point total for a Richmond opponent since defeating American 73-32 on Feb. 21, 2001...Kevin Anderson is 2nd in the A-10 in minutes played, 3rd in steals, 5th in scoring and 6th in FG pct...the Spiders have won 3-straight vs. ranked opponents with wins over No. 17 Temple on Feb. 6, No. 13 ranked Florida on Dec. 19 and No. 17 ranked Xavier last March...Richmond has won 4 of its last 6 vs. ranked teams in the last three seasons under Chris Mooney...the Spiders are 3-2 vs. teams from BCS conferences this season, giving Richmond the most wins against teams from the Power 6 conferences since the 1985-86 team defeated Providence, Wake Forest, Stanford and Virginia...Chris Mooney has 9 victories over teams from a BCS conference in 6 years as a D-I head coach, including 7 in his 5 seasons at Richmond...the Spiders have won 4 of the last 6 games against BCS teams dating back to a win over St. John's last March...the Spiders have erased deficits of 8 or more in 8 wins this season...Richmond's defense held Florida to its lowest point total in a loss in Billy Donovan's 16 seasons as head coach of the Gators...it is just the 5th time in 474 games under Donovan that Florida did not reach 54 points...Richmond held Missouri to the second-lowest point total under fourth-year head coach Mike Anderson and the 2nd lowest shooting percentage of the season behind Kansas...Richmond has allowed just 93 fastbreak points in 31 games (3.0 pg)...Richmond has held the opposition to 5 fastbreak points or less in 24 of 31 games...the Spiders have held the opposition to 64 points or less in 20 of their 24 wins...Richmond has led by double-figures in 18 of its 31 games, at least 8 points in all but 5 games and by at least 6 points in all but the last 2 games...Richmond has won by 26 points or more 5 times this season.
Postseason honors
The Spiders are piling up some impressive postseason honors. Below are a list:
Chris Mooney
Finalist, Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year
Sporting News Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year
Kevin Anderson
Atlantic 10 Conference Player of the Year
Atlantic 10 All-Conference First-Team
College Chalktalk Atlantic 10 Player of Year
College Chalktalk First-Team All A-10
Sporting News First-Team All A-10
David Gonzalvez
Atlantic 10 All-Conference Second-Team
College Chalktalk Second-Team All A-10
Sporting News Second-Team All A-10
Stealing The Show
The 2009-10 Spiders have three players, among the top-5 on Richmond's career list for steals. Kevin Anderson and David Gonzalvez are tied for 3rd in the Atlantic 10 for steals this season and Ryan Butler is 4th. Butler is 4th on Richmond's career list for steals with 169, while Gonzalvez is 5th (165) and Kevin Anderson is 6th (159).
3K: Gonzo, KA, Geriot All Over 1,000 Pts
The current Spiders boast three of the 12 Richmond players to reach 1,000 career points as a junior. David Gonzalvez reached 1,000 last season and is currently 5th on Richmond's all-time career list. Juniors Kevin Anderson (t-9th) and Dan Geriot (38th) both reached 1,000 career points this season. Gonzalvez is 5th on Richmond's all-time scoring list with 1,659 points, Anderson is tied for 9th with Jarod Stevenson at 1,482 points. Geriot is 38th on the all-time scoring list with 1,014 points.
Three Falling
David Gonzalvez is 3rd on Richmond's all-time career three-point list and Ryan Butler is 6th.
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, not allowing 60 points or more for the first 10 games of the year with a complex match-up zone that frustrated opponents. The Spiders finished the year allowing 57.8 points per game, which ranked seventh in the country. In 2006-07, with five freshmen seeing the bulk of the minutes, the Spiders did not have as much success defensively, but the past 3 seasons Richmond has been better on the defensive end, allowing 66.0 ppg in 2007-08, 67.5 ppg in 2008-09 and 61.4 ppg this season. The Spiders have held opponents to 50 points or less 21 times in 159 games under Mooney and have held teams to 60 points or less 71 times, including 15 times this season. Richmond has allowed over 70 points in regulation just 37 times in Mooney's 5 seasons and has allowed 80 or more points in regulation just 12 times.
Preseason Hype
Richmond was picked to finish third in the Atlantic 10 by almost every preseason poll, including the conference's coaches and media poll from which they received four first-place votes. USA Today and FoxSports.com had the Spiders in the 2010 NCAA Tournament field, while FoxSports' Jeff Goodman had the Spiders on his list of Twenty More To Watch outside the Top-25. ESPN's Jay Bilas, Fran Frachilla and Andy Katz mentioned the Spiders multiple times in their blogs and the Denver Post ranked Richmond as the No. 4 on its list of program's on the rise. Jay Bilas and Fran Fraschilla both picked the Spiders as the nation's sleeper team for this season. Lindy's ranked Kevin Anderson as the No. 17 best point guard in the nation and Dan Geriot as the No. 23 center, while FoxSports.com's Goodman tabbed Gonzalvez the No. 39 best shooter in the country.
A New Spider
The Spiders adopted a 14-year-old who has a brain tumor as part of the team through the Friends of Jacyln Foundation. Nathan, who is originally from Zambia, has been living in Richmond for 6 years. He attends games, practices and exchanges text messages with the players and was on the court for introductions and the National Anthem for the final home game against Dayton.
South Padre Island Champions
The Spiders won 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. Kevin Anderson was named tournament MVP, while Ryan Butler and David Gonzalvez joined him on the All-Tournament Team. The four previous winners of the South Padre Island Invitational were Illinois (twice), Vanderbilt and Oklahoma State.
Like Father, Like Son
Richmond junior Ryan Butler and his father Jeff Butler are the second father-son duo to play for the Spiders, joining Pat DiServio (1981-83) and Tony DiServio (1945-47). Jeff Butler was a star for the Spiders from 1975-77, leading the team in scoring both seasons. He averaged 14.3 points per game in 1975-76 and 16.3 points per game in 1976-77. Jeff Butler was later an assistant coach for the Spiders under Hall of Fame coach Dick Tarrant, who regularly attends games in the Robins Center. Ryan Butler grew up in the shadow of campus, and starred at Douglas Freeman High three miles from campus. Butler scored a career-high 19 points in the win over Mississippi State and was named to the All-Tournament Team as the Spiders won the South Padre Island Invitational. Jeff Butler and his wife Ruth have traveled to every road game this season.
4 Man
With three players earning Preseason All-Conference Honors the Spiders are very capable of scoring on the offensive end, but do not forget about forward Justin Harper. A sportswriter passed on that when doing a preview for one of the summer preseason publications, A-10 coaches mentioned Harper as the league's best NBA prospect. The 6-foot-10 forward had a 28-point, 9-rebound performance in a win over Rhode Island last season with a Los Angeles Lakers scout in the Robins Center, earning him Atlantic10 Player of the Week honors. Harper also had 20 points and 8 rebounds in Richmond's win over No. 17 ranked Xavier last March and with the Lakers scout back in the Robins Center this season. He has scored in double-figures in 14 of the last 18 games.
Spiders Sign 3
Chris Mooney announced the signing of guard Cedrick Lindsay (Washington, D.C.), guard Wayne Sparrow (Baltimore, Md.) and forward Derrick Williams (Staten Island, N.Y.) to National Letters of Intent. "We are thrilled with this recruiting class," Mooney said. "These three players come from three of the best high school programs in the country." Lindsay is a 6-foot-0 guard who plays for coach Steve Turner at No. 20 ranked Gonzaga College Prep, Sparrow a 6-foot-3 guard from St. Frances Academy who plays for former Temple star Mark Karcher and Williams is a 6-foot-6 forward who plays for legendary coach Bob Hurley at St. Anthony's High School in Jersey City.
Spiders' Web Reaching NBA
While the Spiders do not have a former player on any NBA rosters, three Richmond former 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 second 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 second year as a referee in the NBA.
The Young And The Restless
Richmond coach Chris Mooney got his first Division I head coaching job at the age of 32, which made him the fourth-youngest coach in the nation. Even with his youth, don't look for any grizzled veterans on the 37-year-old Mooney's staff. Associate head coach Kevin McGeehan is 36, assistant coach Jamal Brunt is 29 and assistant coach Rob Jones is 31. Directors of basketball operations Marcus Jenkins and Peter Thomas are 27 and 25, respectively.
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 engated 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 assistant at Beaver College and hsi full-time job was stuffing envelopes in a cramped office in the basement of the castle.
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