Chris Mooney knew he had a veteran team last season, and once the NCAA granted a blanket waiver for an extra season of eligibility, it was possible the Richmond coach could have an exceptionally old team in 2021-22.
Mooney tried not to think about it in the moment, trying not to spoil what might have been a final run. The pandemic did a good enough job of that, and the Spiders had multiple interruptions and a less-than-satisfying midpack finish in the Atlantic 10.
It’s probably part of why the likes of Nathan Cayo, Jacob Gilyard, Grant Golden and Nick Sherod all decided to run it back one more time at Richmond.
“After the season is when the players first started to come in and start talking about the possibility and what it would look like,” Mooney said. “They came in one at a time. Jacob was the first one and Nick Sherod was the last. Obviously, we’re very excited and just thrilled they would make that decision with different opportunities that might be available. It was a great moment for our program and hopefully will turn out great for them.”
The Spiders haven’t been to the NCAA tournament since 2011, and the last two years could easily have ended that drought. Richmond was right on the edge of the field when the 2020 season was halted. Last year’s team --- which ranked 18
th in KenPom.com’s experience metric --- was the Atlantic 10 favorite before things got derailed.
Might the third time as upperclassmen be the charm for Mooney’s core group?
“There’s not too many other reasons Grant, I, Nick and Nate would have come back,” Gilyard said of earning an NCAA Tournament invitation. “That’s the main goal, and that’s what we’re trying to do here.”
A look at the Spiders:
Coach: Chris Mooney, 17th season at Richmond, 288-231 with the Spiders and 306-243 overall in 17 seasons
Last year: The highlight of the Spiders’ season was a victory at Kentucky. Unfortunately, that came on Nov. 29 as part of a 6-1 start. Richmond split the rest of its games from there, going on to finish 14-9 overall and 6-5 in the Atlantic 10. They lost as the No. 8 seed in the league tournament to Duquesne in the second round, then beat Toledo in the NIT before dropping a 68-67 decision to Mississippi State in the quarterfinals.
They’ll miss: The Spiders lost only one player who logged any time on the court last year --- top scorer Blake Francis (16.1 ppg), who made a team-high 49 shots from 3-point range. However, Richmond’s other four starters all averaged double figures, taking some of the sting out of losing a Second Team all-Atlantic 10 pick.
Impact returners: The Spiders are oozing with familiarity --- to fans, to the rest of the Atlantic 10 and with themselves. It’s the sort of team that was once fairly common in college basketball, though maybe not quite to this degree thanks to the added eligibility.
Jacob Gilyard is a defensive ace and was a second team all-conference pick last year. Golden (12.7 ppg, 6.0 rpg) is a post presence who earned third team honors a season ago. Both landed on the A-10’s preseason all-conference first team.
Then there’s Nathan Cayo (12.2 ppg), a heady player who sometimes gets overlooked but is a reliable player who understands his strengths. Nick Sherod, who has missed two of the last three seasons because of ACL tears, but shot 43.8 percent from 3-point range in 2019-20, is also back for another run.
“Nick looks great,” Mooney said. “For people who have seen him play over the years, he’s down 15 pounds, maybe 20, and really looks like a different guy. He focused so hard on getting himself healthy. … His work ethic is something that is great to have, just for the younger guys to be able to see how much he’s in the gym and how dedicated he is.”
Newbies of note: Richmond stocked up on a promising freshman class, not knowing so many of its mainstays would be back this year. That creates an unusual dilemma: The Spiders already have their future core, but it’s a fair question to wonder how much they’ll see the floor.
“There aren’t quite as many minutes available as there would be on a normal team with so many great players returning,” Mooney said.
Among the names to know moving forward: Jason Nelson from Richmond’s John Marshall High School; the 6-5 Marcus Randolph, who thrived in Philadelphia’s Catholic League; Malcolm Dread, a D.C.-area prospect; and Aidan Noyes, a skilled 3-point shooter from Cincinnati.
Reasons to be optimistic: The same as last year, really. Sherod is healthy, Burton is more experienced, Francis is gone and the Spiders are deeper thanks to a freshman class. Given the college basketball landscape, that’s a more static situation than normal.
The Spiders check a lot of boxes. They shoot well, they take care of the ball, and Gilyard’s aggressiveness gives them a linchpin on defense. Even a weakness like offensive rebounding is mitigated by the fact Richmond doesn’t miss as many shots as most teams.
Most of all, this should be an especially motivated group, one that could leave a distinct mark on program history while also wiping away the disappointment of last season.
X factor: Tyler Burton slid into the starting lineup when Sherod was injured last season, and promptly averaged 12.0 points and a team-high 7.6 rebounds. That should serve the 6-7 junior and the Spiders well this season now that Sherod is back.
“He’s an outstanding player and he was the most improved player last year,” Mooney said. “I think he’s improved tremendously this offseason. He’s fortunate he’s surrounded by so many good players, and I think that helps him because he sees how guys are able to score and work on their game and what things he should be doing, and he’s been able to grow and mature with really good players around him that are older.”
Circle the date: The Spiders have plenty of early tests, but the Nov. 12 Veterans Classic in Annapolis, Md., provides opportunities both on and off the floor. Richmond will meet Mountain West power Utah State after spending the previous day touring the Naval Academy.
Bottom line: The Spiders might not be the preseason favorite in the Atlantic 10, but no one should be stunned if they make a run at a conference title and perhaps even win a game or two in the NCAA tournament. It’s the last chance for a group that has revived Richmond’s basketball fortunes in recent years, and they’ll be tough to stop once league play rolls around.