Welcome to the Atlantic 10 Women’s Basketball Tipoff for the 2018-19 Season. Today, we feature the Richmond Spiders.
Richmond (Predicted A-10 Finish: 10th)
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One Parson sister is gone and another will take on a large role along with nine newcomers, including six freshmen.
Richmond has no seniors. With Micaela Parson graduated, Alex Parson will be step into a leadership role as a sophomore.
“She’ll have to carry that load a year earlier than normal,” Shafer said.
Parson was among 28 basketball student-athletes who took part in the A-10 Leadership Summit in Washington, D.C. in September.
The Spiders will look to improve their shooting after ranking 314 in Division I last season. What saved them: ranking 16th nationally in turnovers.
Coach: Michael Shafer 14th season at Richmond, 214-193 overall and at Richmond
Last year: 14-17, 8-8 (lost to top-seeded Dayton 67-58 in the quarterfinals of the conference championship).
They’ll miss: Micaela Parson, one of the most statistically balanced and dominant players in school history; named the Atlantic 10’s Most Improved Player during her senior season.
Impact returners: 5-6 sophomore guard Alex Parson. 10.3 ppg, 47 3-pointers; 6-1 junior forward Jaide Hinds-Clarke 7.3 ppg, 4.4 rpg; 5-6 sophomore guard Kailyn Fee 65 3-pointers.
Newbies of note: 5-9 graduate student Daijia Ruffin, who played at UT Martin and Alabama; 5-8 junior guard Jayana Ervin, who ranks second all-time in career steals for Harcum College.
Reasons to be optimistic: Alex Parson, Micaela’s younger sis, scored in double figures 17 times last year, and is primed to be a leader on this team. Shafer was impressed with her summer and looks forward to seeing how she evolves without her sister by her side.
He also said freshman Claire Holt has an edge. The 5-6 guard from Hoover, Ala., will see early minutes at the point, and Shafer is impressed with her confidence. “Her mentality is she’s ready to play,” he said.
Shafer also touts the efficiency of Ruffin, earning her graduate degree in human resources. “She’s can shoot the 3, but she’s not a gunner,” he said.
X-factor: The Spiders are going to need to find rebounders. Hinds-Clark is the leading returner, averaging 4.4 rpg.
Circle the date: Nov. 11 at Wake Forest. Nipped a year ago 85-81, the Spiders got breakout performances from Alex Parson (18 points including 4-of-6 from behind the arc) and Hinds-Clarke (17 points in 20 minutes) then. This will be the first road test for Richmond, which would love to get a win over an ACC foe.
Bottom line: Like most A-10 opponents, the Spiders are dangerous on any given night. Remember this is the team that upset George Washington a year ago to end the regular season. But for Richmond to make an impact in the league, the Spiders need to find the consistency that would enable them to string a bunch of victories in a row.